Discerning drinker: Carignan

All of these reds are all or part carignan, a grape usually disdained by wine enthusiasts. In its southern French heartland it's usually pretty undistinguished, favoured solely for its high yields. But when yields are kept low - especially from old vines - it can make ripe, attractive wines.

Domaine Réveille Carignan Le Franc-Tireur 2009, Côtes du Roussillon (Adnams, 30-31 Store St, WC1, or from cellarandkitchen.adnams.co.uk, £12.50)

Some of France Crispeel's vines in Roussillon's wild Agly valley are 100 years old, and it shows: with bags of rich, sweet fruit, this is big and long.

Domaine Ferrer-Ribière, L'Empreinte du Temps 2007, Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes (Yapp, mail order from yapp.co.uk, £11.75: you can mix cases, delivery free for two cases or more, £8 for less than that)

From vines well over a century old, now managed semi-biodynamically, this is huge, grapey, concentrated, with notes of garrigue.

Cuvée Extrême 2008, Cotes du Roussillon-Villages (M&S, £9.99. NB if you wait until Monday, M&S is offering 25 per cent off when you buy six bottles in store for a week from Nov 28)

Here carignan appears in its more normal guise, as a blender: this is 35 per cent old-vine carignan, the balance syrah and grenache, from grapes grown near Tautavel. Nice minerality, spicy fruit, good structure and length - a great wine at the price.

Celler Malondro "La Tria" 2006, Monsant (Oddbins, £9)

Carignan, aka cariñena, is also big across the Pyrenees in parts of Catalunya. This one is 50/50 garnacha/cariñena, from old vines in some of the highest vineyards in inhospitable Monsant. Rich, deep, crystalline fruit and minerality: it's not hard to see why the 2007 is Robert Parker garlanded.

Celler el Masroig "Etnic" 2007, Montsant (Jeroboams or mail order from winedirect.co.uk - you can mix cases, delivery £8.95: from £16.95)

From a solid Montsant co-op, this is 80 per cent old-vine cariñena, the balance garnacha: dark, earthy, mineral, underpinned with a firm acidity.

Undurraga TH Carignan 2009, Maule (Wine Society, mail order from thewinesociety.co.uk, £11.50)

Oddly, carignan's other stronghold is Chile's Maule valley. Ripe, concentrated fruit and lovely balance from 50-year-old bush vines: impressive.

Odfjell Orzada Carignan 2008, Cauquenes, Maule (Waitrose, £15.99)

Big, dark, sweet fruit, solid, powerful structure and a fair slug of oak, although it doesn't feel overdone. Not cheap - but this is about as serious as carignan gets.