Colour: Deep red with purple tints Nose: Blackberry and dark cherry aromas are matched by subtle spicy, vanilla oak Palate: A very complex palate with blackberry flavours and fine, silky tannins Style: Full bodied wine matured for 14 months in 50% French and 50% American oak barriques Serve with: Red meat, smoked or gamey meats and strong cheeses

Teusner Albert Shiraz is made from old vines in the northern Barossa; rich black fruits and tarry cassis with smoky undertones, the finish is long and luscious. Could easily be cellared for the medium term.

Intense aromas of dark berries including blackberries and blueberries followed by subtle, savoury oak notes. Vibrant ripe berry fruit characters complement savory oak tones. Perfectly balanced acid with a lenghty rewarding finish.

Wynns Shiraz continues to be one of Australia's affordable favourites. Tucked away in the cellar of many budding wine collectors, Wynns Shiraz has all the structure and pedigree of some of its higher priced brothers and sisters. Rich varietal characters of plum, spice and pepper are woven through the minty regional notes and framed by fine, firm tannins.

Margaret River is an under appreciated region for Australian Shiraz, and it's hard to see why with Cape Mentelle's Shiraz showing a vibrant core of blueberry, mulberry and hints of raspberry. It is well balanced with cocoa and savoury oak. The palate yet, is fine, elegant and focussed, finishing with chalky and structural tannins.

Produced from a mature low yielding vineyard in the heart of McLaren Vale, Gemtree Uncut Shiraz is a superb expression of the region. Generous dark fruits abounds on the palate with fine tannins and balanced acidity, which leads to a lengthy finish.

Voyager Estate Shiraz is deep red in colour with an explosive nose of oak blackberries and spice that is succeeded by a rich flavoursome palate and some chewy tannins. Will improve wonderfully with time.

Whenever we taste a blind Shiraz line up where this wine is featured, it's hard not to be lured into its enticing character of purity and style. Hauntingly akin to a Northern Rhone example, violets, spice, wild herb and earth wrap around a delicious core of red fruits and plum. Bravo Nick O'Leary. 'Canberra's benign 201213 growing season produced, in abundance, grape quality not seen in the much cooler, wetter 2011 and 2012 vintages. Our exciting 2013 reds include Nick O'Leary's shiraz a jaw dropper that kept judges gaping as they piled gongs on it at the 2014 Royal Brisbane Wine Show. They gave it a gold medal, then three trophies: best one-year-old red of the show (Stoddart trophy), best shiraz of the show and best red of the show. This is a significant achievement for Canberra shiraz and not just for O'Leary. It provides yet more recognition, in a hotly contested national event, of our region's distinctive style. O'Leary's highly perfumed, medium-bodied wine shows the vibrant red berry- and-spice character of cool-grown shiraz on a luscious, silky palate, cut with fi ne tannins. This is a lot of wine at a modest price.' (2013 Vintage) - 4½ Stars. - Canberra Times, 03 Sep 2014.

Red wine artisan, Marco Cirillo, has produced a single vineyard Shiraz with as minimal intervention as possible. Using 90% whole berry and 10% whole bunch as well as natural yeast fermentation without fining or filtering, this Shiraz screams of its terroir. Expressive fruit up front of plums and red berries with small waft of leafy characters. The palate dances across the tongue without hindrance from over use of oak and is a supreme wine for the price.

Aaron Mercer's new self-named venture is going from strength to strength, and is delivering some exceptional wines from across NSW, in this case Hilltops Tempranillo.Bright, deep purple. Youthful black cherry, blood plum, plum, pepper and cedar box. Crisp and refreshing entry, in a medium-bodied frame, with supple red fruit flavours, silken tannin structure, vibrant red berry acidity and good complexity throughout.