Penfolds Max’s Shiraz, South Australia, Australia 2018 (£1
)
In a post-match interview after a 7-0 away win for his team just before Christmas, Liverpool FC manager Jürgen Klopp wondered aloud if it was better to have one 7-0 win or seven 1-0 wins. Wine producers sometimes ask a similar question: is it better to make large quantities of keenly priced wine as well as possible – or to spare no expense or effort to make the very finest wine possible in tiny quantities? Few producers bridge the divide between the everyday and the special occasion, equally adept at managing millions of litres and a handful of barrels. But one such is Penfolds, whose vast range moves from sound wines under a tenner to Australia’s most expensive wine (Grange) via such polished, warming winter weekend treats as the Max’s Shiraz.