Marqués De Riscal Tempranillo displays dark cherry, with violet hues. Beautifully fresh nose of black forest fruit, liquorice and toasted nuances brought on by the oak casks. Good balance between fruit and ok on the palate, medium bodied with lovely soft tannins.

There are minuscule volumes produced of the Cirsion by Bodegas Roda (the name of the thistle which is Roda's logo) which is made from grapes specially selected for the suppleness of the tannins they deliver. Parcels selected are from low-yielding older Tempranillo vines of 45 years and more, from four vineyards. Choosing the plants with the softest tannins, this makes the wine very attractive and supple early on, but it still has great ageing potential.

The 2 ha El Pison vineyard was planted in 1945 on a gentle sloping site in the shape of an amphitheatre with deep sub-soils. Made entirely from Tempranillo, El Pison is a very rich and intense age-worthy style typically showing great purity of fruit and abundant chalky tannins that benefit from additional cellaring.

This wine displays a bright bigarreau cherry colour with light red-brick tones provided by the oak ageing. It has complex and interesting aromas of ripe red fruits harmoniously integrated with spicy touches, dominating some pleasant balsamic notes. Balanced in mouth, with body and strength. Soft tannins, fleshy and expressive. A wine with a long life.

Upon much deliberation, our overall masked winner revealed a style and character that provided us with a fairly clear cut insight into the modern day advances of a region etched in history and tradition. Cosme Palacio consistently produces one of our favourite Riojas that always offers incredible value for money. Produced predominantly from Tempranillo grown in cool, relatively high altitude sites, this is modern Rioja that's bright and ready to go thanks to a touch of bottle age. It's medium bodied with fine tannins and juicy in the mouth. Black fruits dominate the flavour profile with some delicate cedar and earthy notes adding complexity to a delicious example from this much loved region.

Yacca Paddock vineyard, owned by international film makers, Scott Hicks and Kerry Heysen-Hicks, is situated at Kuitpo in the south west escarpment of the Mount Lofty Ranges. Planted in 2000, vines are east facing with site temperatures some 2.5 degrees cooler on average than McLaren Vale which, as a crow flies, is just 5km away. The 2016 Mr. Riggs Yacca Paddock Tempranillo was fermented in a 5 tonne open fermenter, resting on skins for 7 days, followed by membrane bag pressing. Fermentation was completed in 33% new French oak with the balance 2 year old French oak. Post malo, the wine was left on its gross lees for a couple of months to add texture and creaminess to the palate. A wonderfully textural, stylish wine, with natural fruit sweetness and elegance, the Mr. Riggs Yacca Paddock Tempranillo characteristically displays savoury tannins, dried herb undertones, and highlights sweet tart red cherry flavours. Drink with food.

Medium bodied wine with raspberry fruits, cherries and chalky tannins on the finish.

Pomegranate, violets and spicy peppers. Medium-bodied, savoury and rich, cherry and red berry notes, silky tannins, fine boned structure.

Aromas of raspberry and cherry cola. Aromatic, blue and red fruits, soft and textural, fine integrated tannins. Gemtree is a third generation family owned winery in the heart of McLaren Vale. Since 2008 the winery has operated using biodynamic practices ensuring an outstanding quality of fruit. Winemaker Mike Brown is a passionate advocate for environmental practices in the vineyard including sustainable agriculture to produce the best results in all of the Gemtree wines. The same philosophy is adopted by the viticulturalist - his wife, Melissa. Gemtree Vineyards are located just 35 kilometres south of Adelaide in the heart of the McLaren Vale wine region. Its considered one of the best regions in the world to grow grapes thanks to its ancient soils and Mediterranean climate plus cooling sea breezes from the nearby Gulf of St.Vincent. Soils in the area range from shallow red brown earths over limestone to deep fertile clay soils. Gemtree Vineyards comprises 260 acres under vine planted with Chardonnay, Verdelho, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot and Sangiovese. Working in tandem with his wife Melissa in the vineyard and taking a minimal interventionist approach to the winemaking is integral to Mike, to allow the wines to simply express the region in every glass.