Every so often there are parcels of wine that generate tremendous excitement amongst the winemakers at Schild Estate. They set this aside to make Prämie, the wine that defines the best of the vintage and the land on which it was grown. Intense primary fresh plum flavours show again on the palate, where they hold their presence all the way through to roll out soft and pillowy at the finish. A firmly present, but fine tannin framework provides just enough focus and lift for the fruit to ensure added complexity, but retaining vibrancy to the mouth flavours of this Shiraz.

From the single vineyard site in the McLaren Vale comes this intensely dark crimson coloured Shiraz from the team at Paxton. Intense dark crimson in colour and equally intense flavours - this is for lovers of beautifully complex wine. It is a clear expression of its unique site.

William Downie and the Thousand Candles team are keen to expand our understanding of premium wine from the Yarra Valley. A shy complexity; a layered sense of tone and colour, and a nervous acceleration as the wine slips seamlessly from beginning to end. A wine that tells the story of its place more so than its varietals. A wine that pushes the boundaries, from one of Australia's most innovative and skilled wine makers.

Laughing Jack Greenock Shiraz is sourced from vineyards exclusively in the Greenock sub-region of the Barossa Valley. Located in the Valley's western edge, Greenock imparts warm, plush fruit characters with a dark chocolate and leather backbone. The Laughing Jack shows all of these qualities in abundance, especially the dark chocolate aspect with real concentration of flavour. A very powerful wine.

Glaetzer-Dixon's wine maker Nick has taken four generations of Barossa shiraz wine-making knowledge and applied it to carefully selected parcels of shiraz grapes from the Coal Valley in Southern Tasmania. The Mon Père Shiraz is a pre-eminent cool-climate shiraz, with flavours and textures evocative of Northern Rhône valley wines.

The Shingleback D Block Reserve Shiraz is named for the Davey Block of the Davey Estate vineyard and is the personal expression of the McLaren Vale from the eyes of winemaker John Davey. True reserve wines, the D Block is only made in exceptional vintages just like this 2009. In the glass the wine has a colour that is impenetrable purple red. On the nose there are aromas of mulberry and blackberry that mingle with dusty cashew, milky chocolate (typical of McLaren Vale), spice and forest floor. There are tight, fine tannins to counter the bold, fresh fruit which results in an alluring and unmistakable wine that expresses the essence of the vine, the time and the place.

The Canberra District has quickly established itself as the Australian home of Northern Rhône style reds, and most notably Shiraz Viognier. With the cool-climate and the elevated nature of the Lark Hill Vineyards, the extra viscosity attributed to the addition of Viognier to the Shiraz as well as the fragrant lift, work perfectly for this wine.

Perfectly suited to the caterer, Brown Brothers 10L Dry Red is great value.

An excellent example of cool-climate Shiraz with dark black fruit, spice and pepper characters. The oak and tannins are well balanced ensuring that this wine is drinking well now and has plenty of life ahead.