Established in 1890, Château Tanunda sits upon the site that saw the first plantings in the Barossa Valley, back in the 1840's. The grand château itself is a heritage icon and has recently been restored to it former glory. 'The Château' Shiraz is sourced solely from the Vine Vale vineyard and after picking spent 10 days on its own skins to extract colour, flavour and tannin. 18 months in a mixture of old and new French and American barriques and hogheads has produced a wine of opulence and serious concentration while still retaining balance and elegance.

Nitschke Block Shiraz displays rich, opulent fruit with a fantastic balance of texture. Lifted notes of greengage plums are first to emerge from what is a tightly-wound wine. There is also a warming spice element of subtle white pepper as well as some dark cherry and plum flavours.

Grant Burge reds always display classic Barossa style. This Shiraz has all the hallmarks with ripe cherry fruit smoky overtones and a good measure of sweet vanillin oak. In recent years has really began to hit its straps and with the last few Barossa vintages being on the warm side, this is a wine for the 'old school' Shiraz lover.

Peter Lehmann was the fifth generation of one of Barossa's pioneering families and is regarded as a legend of Australian wine. The winery is rated as a 5 star winery by James Halliday and the wines consistently demonstrate the diversity of the Barossa Valley region. The 8 Songs Shiraz is deep red in colour with a black core and a bouquet of charcoal chocolate notes with dark plum and mocha, finishing with soft velvety tannins and rich opulent fruit on the palate. Opulent fruit and velvety tannins creates an elegant expression of Barossa Shiraz at its sensuous best.

Elderton is one of Australia's great Shiraz producers, year in and year out. Brimming with ripe juicy blood-plum and chocolate flavours, this is almost like Black Forest cake in a bottle!

Murray Street Vineyards might be a recent addition to the Barossa Valley elite, but it hasn't taken Andrew Seppelt and his team to firmly place themselves at the pointy end of quality in the Barossa. With access to some of the oldest vineyards in the Valley, Murray Street are able to produce wines like this Red Label Shiraz that are bursting with varietal aromas and flavours. Dark, purple and blueberry fruit with a fine and integrated tannin structure. A beautifully balanced wine.

VERITAS ROLF BINDER WINES Bulls Blood Shiraz Mataro Pressings, Barossa Valley

Though part of the Barossa, the Eden Valley is a slightly cooler climate than the neighbouring Barossa Valley, so generally produce Shiraz that is slightly more elegant in style. That said, the Eden Hall Shiraz is a wine that is not only rich, vibrant and full of life today, it will also hang in for the long haul.