As the temperature begins to drop, customers will start swapping their white wines and rosés for warming reds. These five wines have all been released in the last month and offer complex layers of spice and fruit flavour.

The Anthropocene Epoch Mencia 2016
RRP: $29
Distributor: Young & Rashleigh Wine Merchants (ACT), Inglewood Wines (NSW), Thomas Chin (NT), The Wine Tradition (QLD), Empire Liquor (SA), David Johnstone and Associates (TAS), The Wine Company (VIC), Off The Vine (WA)

Another of d’Arenberg’s characteristically left of field wine names might grab the attention of some, but what is of real interest about this wine is that it is made from the mencia grape, a varietal rarely grown in Australia with only two McLaren Vale producers having a go (d’Arenberg being one of them).

The red mencia grape (pronounced men-thee-ah) hails from Spain and often impresses drinkers with its strong fragrances and earthiness.

d’Arenberg describes this wine as “super aromatic,” with “flowery aromas, strawberry, raspberry, cherry ripe and pomegranate, finished with a dusting of finely grounded white pepper.”

As for the name, it is a reference to an age first coined in the 1950s, which highlights humanity’s impact on the planet and is relevant because this is the first wine that d’Arenberg has highlighted its commitment to environmental sustainability by including its biodynamic and organic grape growing practices on the label.

The Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Distributor: Oatley Fine Wine Merchants
RRP: $24

The five star James Halliday rated winery, Rymill Coonawarra, has released the 2015 vintage of its acclaimed The Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon.

The previous vintage of this wine (2014) received stellar reviews from critics including Campbell Mattinson, David Ellis and Michelle Reedy and the new release has already received a gold medal at the 2016 Limestone Coast Wine Show. It has just as much generosity as its predecessors with "all the layers of fruit and the kind of complexity" you would hope for in a Coonawarra cab, winemaker Sandrine Gimon says.

Penny’s Hill Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache 2015
RRP: $25 (Cabernet) and $35 (Grenache)
Distributor: Mezzanine Wine

Penny’s Hill won Best Australian Red at the Mundus Vini Grand International Wine Awards in Germany with its 2015 Malpas Road Merlot and has now released two more great looking wines from the same vintage. The 2015 Edwards Road Cabernet Sauvignon and 2015 The Experiment Grenache have both been grown from a single vineyard on the family’s estate and are strong expressions of their site and terroir. The cabernet shows plenty of generosity of fruit flavour, supported by oak and fine long tannins. The grenache shows fruit purity and additional flavours of liquorice, cinnamon and subtle savoury notes.

Passing Cloud’s Flagship Shiraz Cabernet
RRP: $34
Distributors: Passing Clouds (nationally), Growers Armada (Victoria) and Vinsight (New South Wales)

Passing Clouds is relaunching its flagship estate wine; an elegant and sophisticated shiraz cabernet from Bendigo. This wine has been made every vintage since 1980 in honour of founder Graeme Leith, and this time it comes in a newly packaged bottle. A superb balance of shiraz and cabernet, the palate is juicy, complex and complicated.

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