Two words come to mind when you mention great Australian Merlot. Jim Irivne. Jim's Grand Merlot is the benchmark of complex and elegant Merlot in Australia and his Eden Valley vineyards are the perfect place to produce this iconic wine.

Ripe and generous, the leafy, minty characters of Cabernet are complemented by the softness and plummy fruit coming from the Merlot. A nice touch of sweet oak completes the picture.

Named after the famed Johann Gramp's grandson, Hugo, this is the very best Cabernet Sauvignon in the stable. From the very best sites in the region of Coonawarra, this wine shows classic regional mint and blackcurrant on the nose with a silky supple palate, elegant fruit characters, toasty oak and long, fine tannins.

Restrained red fruit with a background of menthol, leather and tobacco on the nose leads to a big mouthful of cherries, vanilla and plums with good intensity. A nicely balanced wine, drinking very well.

Houghton Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stripe series of wines has loads of cassis and dark plum flavours that are perfectly balanced with hints of cigar box, soft tannins and a touch of oak. A true WA Cabernet for a fantastic price!

In just a few short decades, the Taylor family have etched out a formidable reputation for producing high quality wine from their Clare Valley vineyards. This textbook Merlot captures the varietal characters of berries, fruitcake and velvety tannins. The judicious use of French and American oak adds mocha and vanilla softens and rounds the palate.

McGuigan produce another fantastically smooth and rich Merlot from their Black Label range. It is a soft and flavoursome wine with ripe fruit flavours of raspberry, cherry and plums integrated with subtle oak.

The gravelly soils and sunny climate of Hawkes Bay are producing some of New Zealand's most exciting reds. This classy Merlot from Oyster Bay shows soft spicy varietal flavours such as, juicy plums and ripe dark fruits. Accompanied by well intergraded oak and subtle tannins, making this wine one of the easier matching to food.

This WA winery continues to impress with its well-crafted value for money wines. This Cabernet blend has ripe berry fruit characters enhanced by toasty oak and balanced with fine-grained tannins.

Vasse Felix produces fine Margaret River reds with great balance and style. This traditional blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon shows sweet mid-palate fruit with liquorice and spice and good tannin structure. Fantastic French oak integration enabling soft tannin complexity and a lovely length of flavour.