The Hewett and Colton families sailed from England to Adelaide in 1839. Charles Hewitt moved to the Oxenberry farm site in 1840. The fruit for this appealing Shiraz is from the site where Hewet and William Colton planted McLaren Vale’s first vines, fed by a local freshwater spring. The Shiraz is beautifully crafted by McLaren Vale stalwarts, the Scarpantoni brothers, who back in 2007 won the highly prized Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show. Blackberries, plum, a chocolatey texture, with smooth tannins and a touch of savoury spice, means this suits many dishes from herby lamb to tomato pasta.

Baroota’s been a HUGE favourite for years – and today you can enjoy a very special Reserve edition. Made using fruit primarily from Baroota, an area between the cool waters of Spencer Gulf and the Flinders Ranges, where a southern Mediterranean microclimate makes for distinctive, full-bodied and early ripening Shiraz. It’s richer, more complex than usual, and will age 5 years or more, but is so delicious now, you won’t want to wait.

Tscharke are leading the way with organic wines that reflect the terroir and the personality of the fruit. In their high scoring Shiraz Shiraz Shiraz, which uses fruit from three separate vineyards in the Barossa sub region of Marananga, they bring to life aromas of blueberry and plum with a vibrant fresh quality, while an underlying gamey and dusty savouriness complements the fruit. The palate is explosive and juicy with cherry, plum and forest berries, supported by hints of spices that stretch into the textural finish. Well balanced structure thanks to the crunchy acidity, full body and fine tannins. It boasts scores of 94 and 92pts.

Founded in 1970, Mountadam Vineyards excels at crafting first-class wines like this spicy and fragrant cool-climate Shiraz from the rugged and remote Eden Valley. Youthful deep dark red. Spicy, slightly herbal lift over plum and redcurrant fruit. A medium-bodied, cool climate style with stalky whole bunch notes, white pepper and cedar over fresh red berry fruit, and a a clean, dry and supple finish.

Tim Atkin MW says Sicily is “now one of the most exciting wine regions in Europe, blessed with a combination of abundant sunshine, varied terroirs, good indigenous grapes.” Plus, it has the investment to make the most of these advantages. This gorgeous Syrah comes from David di Prima, whose grandfather Gaspare planted the vines decades ago. The vineyards lie on high hills overlooking the Lago Arancio (Orange Tree Lake) reservoir. Originally a river, it was dammed in the 1950s. On rare occasions the water level drops to reveal the ruins of a Moorish temple. With deep colour, cherry, spice and chocolate character, this Syrah goes well with grilled red meats and full flavoured local dishes such as aubergine caponata or cucuzza squash bake.