No two words go together as well as Canberra and Shiraz in the wine world. The favourable terroir and hands on winemaking make Lerida Estate's Shiraz a must have. Brambly spice aromas are complimented by a palate that is long and refined with flavours of berried and touch of pepper. With age, the wine will become progressively richer, revealing warmer, more complex flavours, riper berries and a little liquorice.

The Bryson Family vineyard produces superb fruit in the heart of South Australia, which is then handcrafted by winemaker Ben Riggs. Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz is an explosion of ripe dark berry fruits on the palate. Full bodied and ready to go this wine certainly delivers in spades.

With a nose of rich spicy pepper and liquorice generous in intensity, Jacob's Creek Shiraz shows a medium-bodied palate displaying welcoming plum and cherry fruit flavours leading through to a softly textured finish.

A savoury, spicy Shiraz from Margaret River offering lively flavours of dark cherry, plum and pepper. Medium bodied and seamless in texture, it is a great drink now style with finesse.

Tucked away nicely in the Adelaide Hills, Sidewood Estate have made an art form out of crafting some of the very best single vineyard cool-climate wines available in Australia. Owen and Cassandra Inglis purchased the boutique property in 2004 and immediately set about making their vision become a reality. Their Sidewood Shiraz displays that vision to perfection. Attention to detail is the key here which enables flavours of red cherry, currants and dark plum to shine through along with hints of cinnamon and spice. The texture is beguiling and gives promise to a wine that will age for up to a decade.

Unmistakably, Grange, this 2012 vintage is complex, flamboyant and lifted. An aromatic multi-cultural characteristics. The earthiness is well integrated with the aromas of dark fruits, grounded coffee, red liquorice and black olives, which leads to a firmly structured finish.

The nose shows complex savoury, earthy, bramble aromas with lifted American oak. The palate is medium bodied with bright red currant and hints of spice and blackberry.

Restrained red fruit with a background of menthol, leather and tobacco on the nose leads to a big mouthful of cherries, vanilla and plums with good intensity. A nicely balanced wine, drinking very well.

A great Margaret River Shiraz with temperate ripening conditions promoting fruit intensity, richness and fine tannins. The palate is restrained and balanced with flavours of plum and aniseed spice.

From Orange in NSW, this Shiraz is a good introduction to the qualities of this emerging area. It shows aromas of plum and spices and the palate is all about the fruit with little intrusive oak.