Barossa Valley legend Ben Glaezer grew up in wine, his father Colin was winemaker at Seppelt, and his uncle is John Glaetzer, head winemaker at Wolf Blass for over 30 years. After graduating from Adelaide University’s Roseworthy campus, and a spell at Tyrrell’s, Ben went on to win a number of honours and titles as winemaker of Glaezer wines. The Heartland story began in the late 1990’s when Ben became excited about the outstanding quality of fruit being grown in some of South Australia’s lesser-known regions, in particular Langhorne Creek, where he explored thoroughly along with some winemaking friends. Today Heartland sources all of its fruit exclusively from Langhorne Creek and makes mainly red wines. Ben makes them 100km away at his state of the art Barossa Vintners winery in Tanunda. The Illicium name comes from Illicium Verum, the Latin name for Star Anise. This is a mix of Cabernet, single vineyard Shiraz and a little joyous, juicy Dolcetto. Together they have created a dense extremely fruity red layered with spice, cased in mellow oak.

Temple Bruer is one of the leading lights when it comes to Preservative Free wines. Joining the already outstanding Preservative Free Cabernet Merlot, the Shiraz has all the hallmarks of great Langhorne Creek Shiraz with a rich, velvet mouthfeel of red berries with a hint of coffee bean.

Temple Bruer continues to be one of the standout Organic producers in Australia with flavoursome and richly textured wines. This Cabernet Merlot has the great bonus of being Preservative Free for those with sensitivies to Sulpher Dioxide.

Sisters Run is an independently owned and operated winery with a fierce commitment to make the best wines from family vineyards. The label pays reference to talented young winemaker Elena Brooks who wears steel cap boots in the day but carries a pair of high heels in the back of the ute, just in case of emergencies. Lovely aromas of red berries mingle delightfully with spice and black pepper notes. The palate is dry, medium-full bodied and amply rewards the promise of the nose. Suggestions of spice, plus red and black fruit, with a crisp acidity and appropriate tannins keeping everything balanced through the end of the long and tangy finish.

Bleasdale is “one of the most historic wineries in Australia ... in 2015 celebrating 165 years of continuous winemaking by the direct descendants of the founding Potts family.” (Halliday). Among many major awards, they’ve won the Jimmy Watson Trophy and winemaker Paul Hotker, a “master blender”, was named Halliday’s Winemaker of the Year 2018. "Unfussed cabernet at its fragrant cassis-lifted best. Barely any oak gets in the way of its pure fruit expression, with classical regional chocolate notes more important in the overall sense of the palate. But every new sip starts with that cabernet aroma and finishes with its spicy tannins, and that's always a joy... 92pts... Great Value" (Tony Love, Halliday Wine Companion).

Bleasdale is “one of the most historic wineries in Australia... in 2015 celebrating 165 years of continuous winemaking by the direct descendants of the founding Potts family.” (Halliday). Among many major awards, they’ve won the Jimmy Watson Trophy and they recently made the 2023 Shortlist for the Halliday Wine Companion's Best Value Winery. Winemaker Paul Hotker, a “master blender”, was named Halliday’s Winemaker of the Year 2018. This fine red is another example of why Langhorne Creek Shiraz is regarded by many as delivering Australia’s best-value reds, vintage after vintage. Intense aromas of blackberries, plums and Asian spice. Juicy dark fruits define the medium-to-full palate, with clove and liquorice notes dancing up back. Soft tannins.

Beresford wines capture the timeless elegance, powerful complexity and unique essence of McLaren Vale, resulting in wines of great substance, balance and depth. Their McLaren Vale Shiraz is a beautiful example of this, rich plum and blackcurrants with overtones of mocha and spice. A rich full palate, with hints of mocha and spice. Subtle use of oak further adds complexity while the palate finishes with a firm, but soft tannins. A well balanced wine with great depth, length and resistance of flavour.

Shingleback Red Knot Shiraz has beautiful layers of dark fruits and soft earthy chocolate aromas on the nose. The Subtle savoury oak and chewy fruit tannins gives a nice structure to the wine. This will be a rewarding wine with careful cellaring, ensuring longevity.

Chapel Hill's Michael Fragos loves using the Parsons label to showcase McLaren Vale's diversity and varietal character. To achieve the desired style and to harness the regal varietal flavours of Cabernet Sauvignon, the grapes are strategically harvested to avoid any green tannins or overripe jammy fruit flavours. Full-bodied in style, the palate is both eloquently pure and broodingly complex, supported by fine, savoury tannins. A great companion for a medium rare steak with a solid helping of steamed greens.

The colour includes every shade of dark red showcasing a core of intense fruit. Aromas of fruit and fresh herbs abound. The Shiraz imbues the blend with depth and mouth filling blackberry fruit while the Cabernet Sauvignon offers balancing structure and spice. This is all about fresh, vibrant fruit that is delivered with finesse and character. - Heartland