THORLE Saulheim Spatburgunder Kalkstein, Rheinhessen

Katnook Prodigy Shiraz is a wonderful example of great Coonawarra Shiraz. Savoury spice and dark berry fruits with a hint of white pepper. An elegant wine with medium intensity and great length. Amazingly concentrated for current drinking, the Prodigy will benefit for over decade in the cellar.

Tyrrell's Vat 8 is the archetypal blend of tradition and modernity. With a strong history in both the Hunter Valley and Hilltops regions, Tyrrell's are able to showcase the very best in modern Australian winemaking. The Vat 8 consists of a majority Hunter Valley Shiraz the lends beauty, flavour and ripeness and a small parcel of Hilltops Cabernet which supports the Shiraz with power and structure. Elegant and pristine early, this is a wine that will enjoy some time in the cellar to further develop it already obvious complexity.

Old, extremely low-yielding McLaren Vale vines are responsible for d'Arenberg's Dead Arm Shiraz - a wine of enormous power, intensity and real complexity - an absolute must for any serious wine cellar and d'Arenberg lover. One of the flagships for McLaren Vale for many years, this wine continues to shine with a balanced between tradition and Chester Osborne driven innovation.

Kellermeister's Wild Witch has garnered a cult following over the past years due to the brooding, rich, full-bodied and limited nature of the Barossa classic. The inky, viscous, foreboding black fruit is sourced from low-yielding, dry grown vineyards specially selected for producing the very best Kellermeister can get their hands on. Resting for two years in the finest French oak to really develop its flavour and character. Almost 'magical'.

Penfolds Bin 389 is the classic South Australian red! Often referred to as 'Baby Grange' or 'Poor Man's Grange', Bin 389 was the wine that helped to build Penfolds' solid reputation with wine drinkers around the world. A magnificent blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz from the very best regions and vineyards available to Peter Gago and his team, the robust nature of the Cabernet grape give structure and body to the wine while the opulent Shiraz fruit provides suppleness and intensity. A true icon of Australian wine first created by the legend himself, Max Schubert, Peter Gago is quoted as saying 'Through thick and thin, across all vintages, Bin 389 always delivers - benefitting from over half a century of practice!

Lloyd Reserve Shiraz is produced from a single vineyard at Coriole, planted in 1919 by Geoffrey Kay. It was first retained as a separate wine in 1989, and is one of Langton's Classified Wines of Australia. This vineyard typically produces a wine of great intensity and can be cellared for many years. The wine is matured in French oak with typically about 40% new.

Ray Nadeson and his richly textured wines have commanded a very strong following of lovers of medium bodied, sophisticated and immaculately made wines. His Heathcote Shiraz is a lovely, generous and spicy Shiraz that has layers of complexity and a length the envy of most.

Made from low yielding vineyards at Moonambel in the Pyreness district of central Victoria, Dalwhinnie is an example of how good Victorian Shiraz can be. Tremendous depth of flavour running the gammet from red currants to dark plums, spice and mineral. The plentiful tannins are absorbed by the fruit and the finish is long and lingering.

The now much sought after Righteous range of wines from Kym Teusner was first established in 2005 with the Grenache and this is the latest incarnation of this foreboding Barossa wine. Sourced from an 80 year old bush-vine vineyard, the Righteous Grenache was gently crushed and fermented in open fermenters with regular pump-overs. Maturation was completed in a mix of French and American oak and has resulted in a modern classic Grenache.

With a home on the central east coast of Italy, the Abruzzo region is home to the Montepulciano grape (not to be confused with the region of Montepulciano in Tuscany!). It is here that the variety really thrives and Illuminati's Pieluni Riserva shows wonderful deep, brooding and intense aromas and flavours of ripe plums, tobacco and blackcurrant. Delectable chocolate tannins round out a truly decadent wine.