Born-and-bred Hunter Valley specialist, Aaron Mercer spent years at Tamburlaine, and had stints at Tyrrell’s and Brokenwood, before setting up on his own. He’s also worked in California, France and Germany so brings a great deal of experience to his winemaking, with a a great small-batch range from premium Hunter Valley sites, Tumbarumba and Orange. This is a lively Hunter Valley Shiraz This 2023 “Silver Bullet” Winner at the Hunter Valley Wine Show. Medium-bodied, ripe boysenberry, juicy sour cherry and peppery finish of good length. Share with your favourite roast. “Playful, juicy and youthful, this is a modern take on Shiraz made in the 'nouveau' style. Bright, fragrant and joyous… gorgeous aromas of crushed cherries and raspberries with a hint of plum tart. 92pts” (Toni Paterson , The Halliday Wine Companion.)

The Marsc Wine Co. is an unmissable small-batch project that brings together wines from some of Australia’s most exciting winemakers. Often they discover parcels of fruit too small to create a whole brand around, but too good not to share. So the Marsc project helps them get it into the bottle and into customers’ glasses. There is a twist though. The Marsc wines are all produced under a veil of anonymity – hence the mysterious and noir-like label! So … whilst we can’t tell you who made this stunning McLaren Vale Shiraz we can say that their top wines usually sell for $100 a bottle, and they have picked up some of Australia’s highest winemaking gongs. Made with fruit from vineyards in the Willunga and Sellicks sub-regions, it shows luscious blackberry and bramble fruit, smoky oak and delicious spice with long fine tannins on the finish. You’ll be very pleased you managed to secure a case!

Hentley Farm was established in 1997 by Keith and Alison Hentschke, who had a single vision to craft exceptional single estate wines from the Barossa Valley. Using an old soil map from the 1950’s to strategically locate the best parcels of land, they discovered a mixed farming property set among the rolling hills on the banks of Greenock Creek in Barossa’s west, with remarkable diversity of soil types, and varying aspects and altitudes. In 2004, the estate was extended with the purchase of a neighbouring vineyard which shared the treasured natural amphitheatre of rolling hills that surround Hentley Farm and resultant diversity of site. This single estate of 150 acres is Hentley Farm. Beyond the single vineyard estates, Hentley Farm produce a portfolio of modern wines sourced from select vineyards across the Barossa including a range of wines under the Villain & Vixen label. As villains against convention we favour vixen like elegance, textural wines with enhanced vibrancy of fruit and varietal characteristics.

Grant Nash is a name coined by an autocorrect of the word Grenache. A group of like-minded Grenache fans produce the wines, largely from McLaren Vale sites and they are very good. Ironically this blend with Shiraz and Mourvedre – puts Mourvedre into ascendancy. "... a mixed spice nose of clove, pepper and other brown spices, the palate full-bodied and deep with good tannin structure and a touch of firmness. The fruit does the talking but it's far from simplistic. The Mourvèdre shows through and it has ageing potential.” (Huon Hooke, The Real Review).

Savour a Gold-medal, sumptuous and high-scoring Coonawarra Shiraz from Reschke and the 2016 vintage. “Gorgeously maturing…opulent mouthfeel…96pts” (Sam Kim, Wine Orbit). As cattle graziers in the Coonawarra since 1906, the bull has been part of the Reschke family heritage for over 100 years. You'll find a golden bull on the label and wine names always with a connection to their background too. Armenta means 'herd' in Latin. As Sam Kim points out this is maturing ecellently and Shanteh Wale in The Hallliday Wine Companion adds that "... this is drinking very well now."