When you are travelling along a mind-numbingly straight road for days on end, it feels great to pull up stumps with a scenic view and the feeling of pure freedom. The Caravan Durif is perfect for such occasions, with dark fruit, plenty of spice and a lick of tannin. It will go even better when the temperature drops and the night lingers.

Origin: The Isère region of Eastern France. Mainly Grown In: Famous in France, but more likely to be found in the USA or Australia these days. Key Facts: Durif is a semi-obscure grape that is a natural cross between the noble grape Shiraz and a far less well-known variety, Peloursin. Although only a few token plantings remain in France today, Durif is both successful and popular in Australia, where it makes characterful, pitch-black wines. Even long-term Shiraz fans are recognising the appeal of the incredibly dark, powerful wines from Durif. In fact, it's often blended with Shiraz. Durif offers up aromas of mostly black fruit flavours, ranging from blackberry and blueberry, to slightly deeper black cherry. It is generally intense and inky, being a late ripening variety, it spends additional time on the vine, concentrating the flavours. It responds well to oak-ageing. Fun Fact: Durif is one of the latest-ripening varieties, sucking up plenty of solar rays and producing very heavy, very dark wines that can have supremely high levels of natural alcohol - above 15% is fairly common