McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Maurice O'Shea Shiraz continues lead the pack of great Hunter Valley Shiraz. A lovely return to old form, this Maurice has a striking purple hue to it in the glass. To the nose aromas of liquorice and spice with hints of cedar will beguile. Layers of complex flavours dance across the palate including savoury, spicy dark fruits like dark plums and cherries. A classic of classics.

A wine of depth and intensity, grown on 70+ year old Hunter Valley Vines. Grown on the deep red volcanic soils from the hillside on Wynwood Estate and handpicked after an ideal growing season this is a Medium to Full Bodied Shiraz. The boquet is layered, displaying darker berry fruits, earth and French oak. The primary focus of the palate is fruit sweetness and natural acidity supported by fine tannins.

Dalwood Estate Shiraz is from the rich red soils of the Hunter Valley. Current vintage was warm and dry with low yielding and concentrated fruit. Deeply coloured with red fruits and spice followed by a seamless palate with well integrated oak.

Shiraz from the hunter Valley is a distinctive and unique wine which ages gracefully. Vibrant red fruit aromas flow through to a medium bodied palate which is long and seamless. The red plum and black cherry aromas lead to a fruit driven and softly textured palate with background vanillin and spice from oak barrel maturation.

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.

First Creek are really winning over a lot of new fans, especially wine drinkers who may have previously not given the Hunter Valley its fair dues. In the glass: Deep garnet to purple. On the nose: Black and blueberry fruit, and spice. On the palate: Medium to full-bodied with luscious texture and soft tannins. Showing black cherry, blueberry and vanilla alongside red liquorice notes. Long and moreish.

The Johannes family have recently purchased the Onikul Vineyard and renamed it the JohannesBurg Vineyard. This is a sentimental name as the family is of German heritage who were living in South Africa and have moved to Australia. Johannes - Family name;Burg - German for fortress/castleJohannesburg - City in South AfricaJohannesBurg - Family fortress to keep the family safe in Australia. The 2018 vintage was hot and dry and resulted in an early harvest with relatively low yields. The fruit for this Shiraz came from the eastern block on the southern side of the JohannesBurg Vineyard. It was machine harvested on the night of the 7th February from about 8 pm. This was the first vintage for the Johannes family and they worked through the night with Neil Stevens and Graeme Lewis to pick the fruit. The fruit was taken back to the winery on Wilderness Road and placed in the capable hands of the winemaker, Ashley Horner, and his two trusty sidekicks Michael and Callan. The fruit sat overnight before being cold soaked and crushed into open air fermenters. The fruit was extremely concentrated and had beautiful, vibrant colour. The ferment was closely monitored and was pumped over for 15-20 minutes morning and night. Once fermented, the wine was pressed off into two new French Oak Puncheons with the remaining going into 6 x older Saury French Oak barriques. The wine sat on oak for approximately 11 months and was bottled on 27 February, 2019.This Shiraz is very approachable now with cherries and raspberry flavours dominant on the nose and palate. It is quite an elegant wine with plenty of fresh fruit flavours balanced nicely with toasty oak.Limited Release of 260 Dozen.

Classical elegant Hunter shiraz, crafted from 50-year-old vines. Plums and violets on the nose, with touches of lavender and licorice. Savoury nuances mingle with juicy fruits on the palate, framed by smooth tannins. "A welcome confluence of 50yo vines, 12 months in (1st to 3rd pass) French barriques, volcanic loams and plenty of destemmed whole berries to impart a pulpy, lively jubiness to the fruit, all accentuated by a violet lift. Licorice straps and lavender notes, too. This is a benchmark medium-bodied Hunter red, drinking akin to a luncheon claret. Just what the region does well... 93pts" (Ned Goodwin MW, Halliday Wine Companion).

The first and only Barbera planted in the Hunter. This juicy red has become the biggest seller at Margan's cellar door and the former 2019 vintage took out a Trophy. Rhubarb, cherry and spice on the nose, typical of this Italian varietal. Bright red fruits and savoury spice on the palate, enlivened with a crunchy acidity. Partners with tomato-based dishes and lamb. Medium bodied.