"Big and gold, lots of chocolaty plum fruit, cassis, tobacco, liquorice. An extremely polished effort" (Decanter World Wine Awards). The legendary Opi Sadler has triumphed again! His Waxed Bat Reserve edition had taken Gold and Platinum medals, then Best in Show Trophy at the highly prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards. That was beating 17,000 other wines from around the world. Perhaps it should be of no surprise when we know it has so much intense ripe black fruit and creamy oak. It clearly shows that Malbec and Cabernet from Argentina's high altitude Mendoza region is a match made in heaven. Even better when the wines are aged in barrel, too. It's a sumptuous mouthfilling red, smooth enough to drink solo but at its very best with garlic studded roast lamb, a juicy steak or a warming casserole. Decant early if you can.

95pt, Great Value Cassis and dark chocolate Margaret River Cab.from 5-Red-Star-rated Wise Wines, owned by Ron Wise and where Larry Cherubino is a consultant and works with an experienced team. “An elegant style that doesn’t forfeit flavour or depth to get there. Expect cassis, mulberries, lots of herbs, black olive and cedary oak infusing the more mid-weighted palate. Fine tannins match the acidity to lengthen the finish. 95pts, Great Value” (Jane Faulkner, The Halliday Wine Companion)... “a remarkably plush and polished Cabernet from this cooler vintage." (Ray Jordan)

Bold and mighty Cabernet from RedHeads and the sustainable winery in the heart of the Barossa where their wines are made. This is a revival of the once very popular Pinball label. RedHeads has always been a bit of a rebel! The ‘movement’ started in 2002 in the McLaren Vale – in a cellar (complete with Pinball machines) where young winemakers could come in their spare time and make just the sort of small-scale wine they dreamed of (not like they did in their day job). Since then, the winery has moved home a few times, and today make their wines in the Barossa, at one of Australia's leading eco-friendly cellars. There, surrounded by many of Australia's biggest wine names, they handcraft revolutionary wines from top batches of grapes, rescued from under the noses of the big players.

McLaren Vale is home to some of Australia's biggest reds and here's a prize example from the bestselling 'Black Pig' - a cassis-rich Cabernet with wall-to-wall black cherry and bramble tones and a delicious lick of menthol.

This limited-edition label, inspired by Taylors Wines very first release, celebrates both the heritage and the commitment of three generations of the Taylor family's dedication to making fine Australian wine. This wine shows ample varietal blackcurrant flavour seasoned with some attractive sweet oak. The tannins are firm but nicely in balance.

Michael Fragos grew up in McLaren Vale, and spent 14 years at Tatachilla before taking over at Chapel Hill in 2004. A three-time ‘Bushing King’, Michael has also been named best winemaker on the planet! James Halliday notes that his “wine quality is unfailingly excellent” . This one has an expressive nose of blackcurrant, bay leaf cigar box and chocolate. The palate is medium to full-bodied, beautifully structured, with a powerful complexity, fine-grained tannins, velvety texture and long, long finish.