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.

Cullen, world famous for their Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot, have introduced another Cab Merlot, a distinguished offshoot of the Langton's classified Diana Madeline. Majority Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Merlot and touch of Petit Verdot gives the wine a luscious, bright cherry flavour with red berries playing their part. Aged in French oak, 40% of which was new, for one year. Delicious to serve with veal, lamb or beef today, but will also reward up to 10 years in the cellar.

The Bethany Cabernet Merlot from the Schrapel family's Bethany winery exhibits herbal blackberry and cherry flavours with subtle oak in the background. Drinking well now, but also can handle a little bit of medium term cellaring to really coax those soft, ripe tannins to infuse beautifully with its primary fruit.

A pioneer of Merlot, James Irvine has produced an attractive plump style with leafy plum and mulberry flavours. The perfect match with crown of lamb.

One of the established names of Coonawarra, Redman Cabernet Sauvignon is produced from hand pruned low yielding mature vines. Ripe blackcurrant fruit and vanillin oak make this fine drinking now.

A lovely example of Margaret River Cabernet Merlot, Flametree Cabernet Merlot is showing big dense fruit characters of blackcurrant and stewed plums. A silky seamless palate with rich fruit concentration and chocolaty complexity. Matured in French oak barrels has softened and rounded this wine.

Pure Vision's Organic Merlot is an outstanding value Merlot, taking on bottle aged secondary flavours of poached plum and soft tannins, yet still vibrant and youthful in spirit. Delicious.

This Deep Wood wine displays ripe berries and cassis aromas with distinctive cedary oak and crush mint leave. On the palate, this Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend, unfolds in the complex layers of red fruit with black olive nuances further enhanced by subtle savoury oak. The fine tannins gives it a great lengthy finish. A wine, which will be enjoyable now over dinner with family and friends. Or provided with an ideal cellaring condition, this Deep Wood Cabernet blend will blossom further up to five to seven years.

Merlot has become popular because it offers a softness of texture while still providing ripe, plummy flavours. Wolf Blass come to the party here with an an easy drinking, fruity style of dry red.

Serafino is the winery behind industry icon, Steve Maglieri. Arriving in McLaren Vale in 1968, Steve embarked on a career that has seen his wines win multiple awards across the world. His Cabernet Sauvignon contains fruit that is hand selected from multiple vineyard sites throughout McLaren Vale to deliver a wine that is full-bodied and full of richness. Copious amounts of blackcurrant and blueberry fruit await with supreme textural oak balancing the opulence.