Ten full bodied wines that are big, balanced and delicious

Lean, zippy styles may be the zeitgeist, but there are great terroirs all over the world which naturally produce wines that are rich, ripe, full and fine, says Andrew Jefford. Don’t miss out…

Toronto’s Pearson Airport, January 2014; my first steps on Canadian soil. The immigration officer wanted to know why I’d come. Wine, I said. He relaxed a little, looking up from his screen.

We chatted some more. ‘You wanna know the definition of a good wine?’ That, I replied in all honesty, would be very helpful to me. ‘A good wine,’ he said, fixing me with a professionally unwavering gaze, ‘is one that says 14.5% or more on the label.’

Perhaps you’re smiling; perhaps you’re rolling your eyes. It’s possible that Decanter readers prefer 13.5% to 14.5%; there may even be ultras among you who prize 12.5% as the path to heaven and to righteousness. Fair enough – but most drinkers aren’t with you.