With violet aromas and cherry flavours and supple tannins, this medium bodied wine finishes soft with good length.

This Chancellor & Co Cabernet Merlot is a dry red wine with bags of flavour. Soft on the palate with a balanced profile, this red boasts elements of plums and blackcurrant with a subtle texture for a smoother mouthfeel.

Chancellor & Co Merlot is slightly oaked for a backdrop of character, leaving a heady aroma of dark berry and ripe plums to shine through. Once this rich red hits your palate, expect plummy fruits and sharp blackberry to dominate.

Chateau Grand Meynau Bordeaux presents a dark deep ruby red. Intense, ripe fruits such as plum, raspberry and black cherry expose a lovely complexity when the hint of creamy spice surfaces. The palate delivers a harmonious mix of berries and gentle tannins.

John Riddoch is not only a famous name in the region of Coonawarra, but an important figure in the Australian wine industry. His pioneering spirit and love of the region has been translated into this bottle of rich and smooth Coonawarra Merlot. Aromas and flavours of ripe plums, dense blueberry and a fine grain tannin structure to support. A welcome return from a highly regarded wine name that won't disappoint if opened today or cellared for the short to medium term.

Smith and Hopper is a stand alone arm of the impressive Hill Smith wine machine. Stand alone vineyards offer quality and real value for money. Wonderful earthy cedar and berries on the nose make this wine instantly attractive. The palate is rich and savoury, velvety in texture and spicy on the finish. Enjoy this full-bodied Merlot now or cellar till 2013.

When it comes to Australian Merlot, Katnook is among the very best. Lovely plum dark berry and cedary cigar box characters slip seamlessly into a finish that seems everlasting. Aged for 22 months in French oak, the swathes of blackcurrant are a delight to the senses.

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.

Dollar for dollar, wines such as this truly are remarkable value. Soft, round with flavours of ripe plums, blackcurrant and a finely grained mouthfeel.

Intense yet elegant. A clean, precise and powerful expression of dark berry fruits, fine tannins and intergrated oak.