At last an affordable Merlot with some real varietal character! Grant Burge Hillcot range has soft ripe red berry and raspberry aromas on the nose. Followed by ripe plum and cherry flavours enhanced by well-integrated oak.

From a 37-acre vineyard, Château Pavie Macquin is stunningly situated on the clay-limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion on the right bank of Bordeaux. 2010 has produced a formidable wine: a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a top release of the harvest year and a highlight from St-Émillion in 2010. Tannins, restraint and inward concentration are motifs, this is a wine for the patient, sophisticated collector who wishes to embellish a cellar with pedigree wines that need time and maturity to come to the fore.

A medium bodied wine with aromas of dark fruits and understated oak. A generous palate showing vibrant, rich fruit flavours and soft mouth-coating tannins.

Howard Park are Western Australia's largest family-owned winery whose reputation is unsurpassed. Their Madfish range of wines continue to provide great value-for-money while still offering that Western Australian quality we've all come to enjoy. The Cabernet Merlot has a luscious smooth ripe flavour profile without being sweet with regional notes of black olives and eucalypt.

McGuigan produce another fantastically smooth and rich Merlot from their Black Label range. It is a soft and flavoursome wine with ripe fruit flavours of raspberry, cherry and plums integrated with subtle oak.

McGuigan provides a luscious and smooth drinking Cabernet Merlot here with nice concentration from the Cabernet Sauvignon balanced well with smooth, silky Merlot. Plums and blackcurrants cover the palate complimented by a silky finish.

George Wyndham was one of the founding fathers of the Australian wine industry after planting the first commercial vineyard in 1830. Wine like this Cabernet Merlot pay tribute to George with its rich blackcurrant and cassis flavours, complemented by plum flavours and soft tannins. A great match with a variety of red meat and game dishes, Mediterranean cuisine and cheese.

This limited release Merlot is produced from a 5 star Halliday rated winery, Parker Coonawarra Estate. The wine reflect the stylistic approach to creating beautiful wines from the rich terra rossa soils of the Coonawarra region. The Merlot combines dark cherries and plums, dusted with a hint of tobacco. This wine is savoury and lush with persistence and a fine, silky finish.

Cullen, world famous for their Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot, have introduced another Cab Merlot, a distinguished offshoot of the Langton's classified Diana Madeline. Majority Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Merlot and touch of Petit Verdot gives the wine a luscious, bright cherry flavour with red berries playing their part. Aged in French oak, 40% of which was new, for one year. Delicious to serve with veal, lamb or beef today, but will also reward up to 10 years in the cellar.

Wynns 'Red Stripe' Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot continues to be a market leader and beacon for quality wine at an affordable price. Cabernet brings cassis and mint, while spice and plummy fruit is provided by the Shiraz and Merlot. Drink now or cellar for a year or two.