Church Block first appeared back in 1972 under the watchful eye of Greg Trott and was taken by one of the original vineyards that ran alongside the small Bethany Church, across the road from Wirra Wirra's old ironstone cellars. Over the last 4 decades, it has become one of Australia's favourites. The 2005 Church Block is showing just what a little patience can do. After six years, the velvet texture is the dominant feature with integrated tannin taking a backseat.

A Shiraz for the big boys, fresh red currants and blueberries leap from the glass and are interwoven with violets and spice. The palate is rich in juicy raspberries; blueberries and spice fill the mouth and are supported by bright acid and silky tannins. The finish is fleshy, juicy and plush with wonderful medium bodied balance and style.

The Hewett and Colton families sailed from England to Adelaide in 1839. Charles Hewitt moved to the Oxenberry farm site in 1840. The fruit for this appealing Shiraz is from the site where Hewet and William Colton planted McLaren Vale’s first vines, fed by a local freshwater spring. The Shiraz is beautifully crafted by McLaren Vale stalwarts, the Scarpantoni brothers, who back in 2007 won the highly prized Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show. Blackberries, plum, a chocolatey texture, with smooth tannins and a touch of savoury spice, means this suits many dishes from herby lamb to tomato pasta.

This Shiraz is sourced from the McLaren Parish Vineyard in the classic Shiraz region of McLaren Vale, South Australia. Aromas of glace cherry and poached blood plum melded with dark chocolate, leather vanillin and all-spice. A rich and full bodied wine displaying powerful concentration of juicy dark plum, dark chocolate, black pepper and earth.

Fox Creek Short Row Shiraz is a terrific McLaren Vale Shiraz with lovely suppleness of texture. Plum aniseed and rich fruit-cake flavours are woven around spicy oak and light lingering tannin.

The Wolf Blass Grey Label Shiraz is an opulent concentrated and complex style with plenty of spicy fruit and a dash of chocolate. True to the style that Wolf himself made from the very beginning of this now iconic brand, this is very tasty and enjoyable now yet it has the weight and complexity to improve with cellaring.

Beresford pride themselves on passionately capturing the pure varietal expression and the essence of their terrior to deliver a Shiraz of timeless elegance and muscular complexity. Quintessentially McLaren Vale, the wine has a rich, full palate brimming with dark berry fruits, coffee and spice characteristics finishing with soft, lengthy tannins. A cracking wine of great substance and exceptional balance.

Tintara are not only a historic winery in South Australia, they are also embracing modern winemaking techniques to produce flavoursome and full-bodied Shiraz like this beauty from McLaren Vale. Displaying concentrated flavours of dark forest fruits, plum and cocoa to complement the sweet vanilla oak. Fine grained tannin carries the balance of this luscious McLaren red which gives the palate a rich and even persistence.

Produced from low yielding, hand harvested vines and made using traditional techniques, D'Arry's Original is a smooth, textured, full bodied red which typifies the generous McLaren style. Always one of those little cellar stars that you can buy up a case or two, hide under the house for a decade and be quietly content that d'Arry's Original will be shining in a decade.

Shingleback owners John & Kym Davey produce a lovely, rich McLaren Vale Shiraz here with aromas of ripe cherry fruit, milk chocolate and licorice. Plush and sweet fruited on the palate, the tannins are soft and supple. Wonderful drinking.

Tintara from South Australia's McLaren Vale represents both history and innovation in McLaren Vale. With a heritage that dates back to 1861 and with a vision to produce contemporary wines, the result are red wines like this Tintara Cabernet Sauvignon. Full of life and vigour with the typical regional chocolate and mocha characters, this McLaren Vale Cab is a perfect little cellar starter or great paired with lamb shanks.