What would be your desert island bottle of red?

(From Bristol Evening Post)

We've been playing a game on the forum of www.QuaffersOffers.co.uk, and imagining, in the way of desert islands, that for the rest of our lives we can only drink one white and one red grape variety.

I have spent more time than is appropriate weighing up the different varieties. Whites are relatively simple as the main varieties are usually made into single varietals.

However, when you come to reds, then Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are tricky characters because, in their Bordeaux home, they are rarely sold unblended.

They need each other in this European, temperate, climate. Cabernet offers structure, leafy character …