Yesterday was about the sparkling and white wines of Christmas 2023; now, let’s talk red wine and sweet things.

On the point, how important is dessert/fortified wines to your festive season table?

I probably drink more sweet wines at Christmas than at any other time of the year because why not? I foolishly keep buying full 750ml bottles of Sauternes also, which is a dumb move because they never get finished…

There’s nothing dumb about the Koerner Brothers Light Red 2023, though. This Grenache Vermentino blend sits between light red and rosé, with this bright red cordial colour and a bright red raspberry palate. It’s dry, it’s a bit tart and pretty easy, with an obvious smashability. It’s not my drink (I’d rather drink white wine when we’re in this zone) but it was a hit on the Graham lunch table with a chill.

The new Alkina Kin Shiraz 2023 is a bit more in the zone, with its sandy, lo-fi Barossan Shiraz with a real, unfiltered, unfettered style. Very clever, with these wonderful blue fruit energy and this joyfulness that feels much less forced and heavy than Barossan Shiraz. I somehow didn’t take a photo, but it was a highlight. Curiously, the Schwarz Meta Mataro 2021 was a bit forgettable, as if it was trying too hard to be stylish and missed some of that blackness of great Barossan Mataro.

Meanwhile, the Scion Durif 2022 might be the best-balanced Durif I’ve had. 13.7% alcohol and yet perfectly ripe, this Rutherglen red had the jubey Durif bombastic purple fruit that is so expansive and blueberries and tannic. Yet, none of the overcooked molasses mars so much local Durif – it’s really good.

The most ethereal red of Christmas had to be the Joshua Cooper Balgownie Block 1970 Cabernet Sauvignon 2021. Channelling the Australian Cabernet vibe of the 1980s, this proudly moderate Aussie claret (from the wonderful old Balgownie plantings in Bendigo) is defined by its finesse, by minty edges, pointy tannins and aversion to the fruit sweetness of the modern era. It’s undoubtedly too young, and the firmness make this anything but an easy wine, but the grace and timelessness is undoubted. I should have waited another decade to drink it; this felt like a murder.

It was much easier to get your head around the Howard Park Abercrombie Cabernet Sauvignon 2020. This is very much a classic Margaret River flagship Cabernet, with cedar, bay leaf, pencil shavings, grainy tannins, powerful fruit. It’s just a smidgen warm, but the Margaret River Cabernet-ness is unmistakable and right. Quite a counterpoint to the light touch Cooper above, as this feels positively brutish, but the tannins here are much more amiable and the oak/fruit generosity makes it much easier to love now (and likely for decades into the future).

What I did love was the Chateau Raymond Lafon Sauternes 2017. After being a bit ho-hum about the first bottle from the case, this time around, it was perfect (and opened up really nice over a day open in the fridge). Longtime readers will know that Lafon is my favourite Sauternes house (and not just because I can’t afford d’Yquem), with the best vintages the creme custard and lime toffee experience that makes Sauternes great. There’s x-factor complexity here that comes out in the glass with ripples of ginger nut biscuits and lemon curd with no cooked jam hot vintage characters that can mar some releases. Glad I have four bottles left.

I had high hopes for the Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2018 and it almost won the unofficial ‘Best Sweet Wine of 2023’ Australian Wine & Drinks Review trophy. But it didn’t, and that’s only because it’s a little singular. It is still a lovely wine, with more lemon and marmalade, and this breezy orange blossom citrus openness to the palate. Worth holding on a bit longer to see if it gains another dimension with bottle age.

Finally, a new wine to me and rather fun, the Scion Muscat Nouveau 2022 is a peek into what your favourite Rutherglen fortified looks like without aging. The linalool Muscat florals are king here, with rose water and musk, but then a palate that dives into dried orange and lime and prettiness. The fortification feels like a full stop to what is otherwise such a delicate wine, a nod to the challenge of preserving vitality while building palate weight. Interesting stuff, but a bit too much of an each-way bet for more than a small glass.