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Based at their Home of the Brave winery in the Barossa, First Drop describe their wine-making philosophy as a sensibility for tradition with a passion for innovation. The Cream is blended at the optimum time from the best barrels from First Drops most prized vineyards to create the ultimate expression of Barossa Shiraz from the vintage.

In 1904 a co-operative winery called Ai Vino Delle Langhe was founded and a young man who worked there was Alfred Prunotto. Prunotto took over the estate in 1922, giving it his own name and today it is run under the umbrella of the famous Marchesi Antinori family. Located in Alba the estate tends around 50 hectares of vineyards throughout the Langhe and Monferrato. This Nebbiolo is garnet red in colour with ample and complex aromas of violets and berry fruit, full and velvety in flavour and very balanced. Its structure and body make it an ideal match for meat and game dishes and for cheese.

Two words come to mind when you mention great Australian Merlot. Jim Irivne. Jim's Grand Merlot is the benchmark of complex and elegant Merlot in Australia and his Eden Valley vineyards are the perfect place to produce this iconic wine.

The Bin 389 style evolved as a result of experiments, by Max Schubert, in the 1950s to develop a highly individual wine using a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz with compatible oak treatment. Bin 389 combines the elegance of Cabernet Sauvignon with the richness of Shiraz and demonstrates the traditional Penfolds' trademark - balance between fruit and oak, giving the wine character and longevity.

The Glaetzer family have been part of the Barossa winemaking scene since 1888 and now Ben takes over the reigns and produces Shiraz of the utmost intensity and concentration. Named after the ancient Egyptian god Amon-Ra who was the champion of the poor and troubled and was central to personal piety, the temple of Amon-Ra is believed to be the first to plant a vineyard to produce wine for the citizens of the temple. This incarnation is rich, full-bodied and viscous to the palate, yet with sublime oak integration and a balance on the back palate that is quite lifted allowing it to be paired with many meals and a prime candidate for medium to long term cellaring.

David and Jenny Jones are making wine with tremendous depth of fruit flavour, reflecting the relatively low-yielding but very well- maintained vineyards in The Pyrenees. Their flagship Dalwhinnie Eagle Shiraz is a perfect example of this. Pristine and fresh with more of everything providing plenty of stuffing, redcurrant, blackberry and sage characters.

Noon Winery has become a cult figure in the wine world due to their opulent red wines that are known for their concentration and power. Not beholden to the trend of lower-alcohol, leaner styles, Drew and Raegan Noon produce block-buster reds that are in huge demand the world over. Their Reserve Shiraz is so highly thought of, it sits in the Outstanding category in Langton's Classification of Australian Wine. With fruit sourced from the '20 Rows' block in Langhorne Creek owned by the Borrett family, this is a Shiraz of serious weight and body. Still very young, aromas of violets, lavender and herbs are balanced with traditional fruit notes of blueberries and spice. Big and fleshy on the palate while still showing supreme complexity, this is a wine that needs some decanting before enjoying the saturating flavours that Noon can offer.