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.

HENSCHKE The Wheelwright Single Vineyard Shiraz, Eden Valley From the estate Eden Valley vineyard, the Wheelwright displays aromas of berries, plum and fresh vanilla bean with nuances of crushed lavender, herbs and black pepper. The palate is beautifully structured with intense flavours of red berry, more plum and chocolate all finishing rich and textured, with fine-grained tannins and extraordinary length. Henschke Portfolio >>

Henschke have in recent years begun to identify and single out great quality parcels of Shiraz fruit that deserves to be bottled seperately and released as part of their Vineyard Selection. The Tappa Pass Shiraz is sourced from old low yielding Barossa vineyards that shows amazing depth and concentration. Rich, lush and intense it will develop further complexity with bottle age.

One of the benchmarks of Barossa Shiraz, Peter Lehmann's Stonewell is a classic example of the rich concentrated old vine style. While bold on the palate, there is always an inherent complexity to the Stonewell that enables it to be compared with all of the great Australian wines produced today.

Based at their Home of the Brave winery in the Barossa, First Drop describe their wine-making philosophy as a sensibility for tradition with a passion for innovation. This Shiraz is garnet red with purple hues. Complex nose of dark cherry and blackberry aromas with a hint of forest floor and spice.

This Cleanskins Barossa Valley Shiraz is another stunning value cleanskin! Showing classic Barossan characters of blueberry and plum, the palate has minimal oak, making it all about the fruit. A richness unseen at this price is found in abundance here that will have you coming back for more in no time.

The concept of blending Shiraz and Viognier was derived from the great French wine region of the Northern Rhône the Côte Rôtie area in particular. Using only the best Eden Valley fruit, this wine by Yalumba is rich in concentrated fruit flavour. Traditionally, the two different grape varieties for this wine have predominately been crushed and fermented together.

The wine is deep red in colour, with a vibrant streak of purple. Its primary aromas are reminiscent of cracked pepper and dark ripe plums with a subtle spicy smokiness and lovely floral notes. The palate features cherry, dark chocolate and vanilla flavours. The secondary bouquet is earthy and savoury, with a good flavour intensity but underplayed oak, while its tannin structure is smooth but firm. In the case of this Shiraz, cellaring is definitely a rewarding option. Leaner red meat, a carpaccio of venison, stew, and mildly spicy ethnic foods are best paired with this wine. Soft cheeses like Camembert or smoked cheddar are also recommended.

The nose has complex aromas of sarsaparilla, mulberries, tea leaf and fresh vanilla bean. There's a real smoky/gamey note to the fruits as well. The palate shows great tannin focus through the middle, flavours of red fruits and earth, with lovely intensity an a violet/lavender floral lift. Sitting at an altitude of 450m, Hampton Vineyard produces Shiraz with a surprising combination of finesse and power. Planted in 1982 this vineyard thrives on a silty, sandy-loam soil over red ironstone clay. The fruit was handled traditionally and matured for 10 months in seasoned French oak. Fruit was harvested in the cool of the morning and delivered to the winery where it was destemmed into an open top fermenter. After thirteen days on skins the wine was basket pressed before overnight settling and racking to seasoned French oak. Ten months maturation in oak before blending and bottling. Partners in crime and explorers at heart, Andrew and Skye Quin are the team behind Quin wines. Having travelled the world together, they finally settled in the Barossa, with a trailer of second-hand furniture and heads full of dreams. Andrew has spent the last 10 years as Chief Winemaker for Hentley Farm, during which time he has collected a swathe of awards and accolades. But 2018 saw the launch of his own brand: Quin Wines. His philosophy is simple - respect tradition, but continue to push boundaries. And that bigger is not always better!