Portuga is made by Casa Santos Lima, a grand Portuguese estate in the Lisboa region, just north of the capitol. João Santos Lima founded it in the 19th century and it has been in the same family for three generations. Diogo Sepúlveda is the winemaker today. He has worked vintages all across the world, including Bordeaux's prestigious Pomerol and California's Napa Valley. He is a talented winemaker, who relaxes in his spare time by wrestling bulls (all muscle, no knives!). Portuga is a rich, velvety blend of traditional native varieties, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, aged gently in oak. Delicious either served on its own, with rich pork dishes, or tangy tomato pasta. It's an ideal wine for a barbecue too or with mature hard cheeses.

Hervé Sabardeil, our winemaker with limitless talent, has been making Cabalié, the big, ripe Catalan red, for over 15 years. He added the old-vine (Vieilles Vignes) edition in 2011, originally as a one off, but it was so popular we insisted he did it again. And again! The magic to this punchy red is really in the vines. At 60 to 100-years-old, yields are minute (about half of a Grand Cru claret). As a rule of thumb, the smaller the yield, the more concentrated the fruit, the more flavoursome the wine! That’s why we call it Cabalié’s Big Brother. Still made in the same style that was beloved by the Roman centurions and now our customers too, it packs even more flavour than the original. Ideal with garlic-roasted lamb, rich stews or cheese.

Southern France's Languedoc region is a treasure trove of good value, well-ripened reds. And the grapes are often almost identical to those of the southern Rhône – here we're talking about Grenache and Syrah, although there are plenty more like Carignan and Cinsault that also shine. Thanks to the sun-filled Mediterranean climate, varied soils and drying wind, the Languedoc is an excellent region for making really appealing, warm-fruit wines. Using a blend of Grenache and Syrah, this appealing red combines juicy blackberry and raspberry fruit with ripe tannins, long sweet spice and liquorice notes. With its soft, velvety texture, this goes with just about anything – from pizza and pasta to grilled meats. It's great on its own too and top choice at a barbecue.

Jeff and Vicky Dewar established Willow Bridge Estate after acquiring a spectacular 180ha hillside property in the Ferguson Valley. Under winemaker Kim Horton, "many of its wines offer exceptional value for money" (Halliday). This WA Shiraz from Geographe boasts aromas of black pepper, blueberry, and vanilla, with ripe blackberry circling underneath. Black plum and blackberry, showing presence on the palate, with dark olive, warming long tannin and flavoursome toasty oak in support.

Jeff and Vicky Dewar established Willow Bridge Estate after acquiring a spectacular 180ha hillside property in the Ferguson Valley. Under winemaker Kim Horton, many of its wines offer exceptional value for money. This Solana Tempranillo has loads of plum and raspberry fruits. A style that exudes vibrancy and complexity. Distinctive generosity of dark berry fruits with mouthwatering tannins which match perfectly to food. Aromatics of rose hip, licorice and black jube, blueberry fruits with dark plums. Powerful, long and lingering, loads of plum and raspberry fruit, spice and minerality, sitting neatly with savoury tannin and licks of vanilla.

The late, great Peter Lehmann was indeed a Pastor’s Son, a fifth generation Barossa winemaker and a legend in his own lifetime. The son of a Lutheran preacher, he became a champion of small independent grape growers in the region, buying their grapes through the tough days of the 1970s when the big wineries reneged on their contracts. This earned Peter the title ‘Baron of the Barossa’. Those growers never forgot his generosity and always stayed loyal. With a fabulous wine range including the world class Stonewell, no one did more to elevate the Barossa to cult status than Peter. His generous spirit lives on in this hearty, big spice Shiraz. With a l-o-n-g list of Gold-medal vintages, there’s great hope for this just-released 2022 vintage. Rich, chocolatey, with a peppery vanilla edge, it’s supreme with rare beef, roast lamb or veggie casserole with dumplings.

Andrew Margan grew up in Sydney but his parents planted a vineyard in Pokolbin, Hunter Valley in 1965, next door to the Tyrrell’s winey HeI was lucky to have legendary wine grower Murray Tyrrell mentor him. After working for a while at Tyrrell's, and in France, Andrew Margan and wife Lisa established Margan Vineyards in 1996. Today it incorporates 2 of the 2nd generation, Alessa and Ollie, as viticulturist and winemaker respectively. Andrew continues to oversee the viticultural and winemaking side; Lisa, the tourism and restaurant. The quality of the estate's output is extremely high, both with traditional Hunter varieties, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Semillon, and with the new and pioneering, such as Albabrino and Barbera. The Hunter has several sub-regions and Broke Fordwich, where the estate lies, is one of them. It was designated, registered and protected as a GI (Geographic Indication) region in 2003, the second in Australia to do so. This is an excellently balanced Single Vineyard Shiraz.

Inviting and complex aromatics welcome you into this wine; brambly, leafy notes backed up by deep dark fruit with subtle spice and char interplay on the nose. There is a deceptive density to this wine's aroma that hints at what lies beyond. The 2016 release builds on that breakthrough style - the wine shows plush generosity but there is a layering of flavours and complexity to this vintage that invites not just a second but third look. Generous, accessible primary fruit sits pretty up front but let the wine breathe and suddenly these dry, fine and lightly chewy tannins build on the back palate, lending a savoury edge to the dark fruit finish of this baby.