Half Marsanne, the balance of Rousanne and Viognier, sourced exclusively from the Mitchelton estate vineyard. Airstrip is a lively but tight blend of vigorous white fruit. Modest crop levels ranging from 2 to 3½ tonnes per acre give this wine its core intensity. Each individual block is managed and vinified separately to allow the different qualities of each variety, shaped by the unique vineyard site and soil profiles, to shine through. The individual parcels of fruit are moulded together during blending to produce the unique Airstrip style.

$2499each $297DOZEN EACH DOZEN Mitchelton's vines are rigorously husbanded, careful monitoring of fruit ripening ensures harvesting occurs at the time of the fruit's optimum maturity. The juice is cold settled, racked and warmed before innoculation with selected yeasts. Some of the lime green yoghurty textured juice lees is retained when racking the juice, adding complexity to the final Airstrip blend. Marsanne and Roussanne are barrel fermented in 20% new french oak while the Viognier is barrel fermented in four year old french barrels to retain purity of fruit expression. All barrel fermented wines are individually barrel selected to ensure the harmony of oak and texture in the final blend. Alcohol 13.0%

Intense aromatics of jasmine, ripe peach, lemon thyme and mango. A textured, full and generous palate framed by balanced acidity. Flavour notes of poached pear, honey, bran and hints of lemon zest meld to produce a complex, full bodied wine. Marsanne is the rare specialty of Central Victoria - this region boasts the largest plantings outside France - but Viognier and Roussanne are even rarer in Australia. The Marsanne develops body and character, Viognier typically develops distinctive perfume and spice. Roussanne is prized for its ability to give stone fruit flavours and texture. Intense, well defined and impeccably balanced, the three grapes have been brought together into a very fine food orientated wine.

Bored with pontificating wine bores? Had it with guests ruining your parties by endlessly droning on about the relative merits of French and American oak or the latest wine reviewer scores? If so, All Saints have the solution for you, revitalize your evenings with Golden Cream Sherry. Made from luscious Muscat of Alexandria grapes, which can trace their origins to the libations of pharoahs and bacchanalia of ancient Rome. In Australia Muscat is also known as Gordo Blanco and is the secret ingredient to some of the nation's favourite wines.

$1499each $177DOZEN EACH DOZEN Great wine comes from the soil and speaks of where it is from. At All Saints Estate the deep sandy loam soils were carved from the granite of the mountains and then ground, mixed and shaped by the majestic River Murray. Vines planted long ago reach deep down for essential minerals and nutrients, drawing out the very essence of the place and concentrating it in each year's harvest of grapes. The oldest vineyard blocks of Muscat were planted just after the First World War. These old timers are picture postcard vines, weather beaten and twisted, defying the years to produce fantastic fruit. With careful nurturing, the vines yield the quality of fruit to craft luscious, world class fortified wines. Alcohol 18.0%

A bright tawny gold colour. Appealing aromas of luscious, freshly crushed grapes. These sensations are carried through onto the palate. The palate explodes with a profusion of fresh grape flavours adding a velvety texture to the wine, expressing the natural fruit sugar character of grapes picked late in the season at full ripeness. An appealing style of sherry that's already done its ageing, ready to be enjoyed upon release. With its mouthfilling flavours, All Saints can be sipped on its own or enjoyed alongside desserts.

This is a great celebration of the vital characters of luscious Muscat. Fashioned from barrels of old stock of various vintages, All Saints has lovely flavours of butterscotch and apricot, fresh lifted spirit, and that sensational aromatic profiles. The long, warm Autumn days at Wahgunyah are virtually perfect for allowing the fruit to ripen to the high baume levels and raisining so essential for the style. Delightful on its own as an after-dinner drink, All Saints is superb when served alongside hot oven fresh, steaming and spicey desserts.

$1699each $201DOZEN EACH DOZEN The All Saints Estate's pride and joy are the old vineyard blocks of Muscat, planted just after the First World War. These old-timers are picture-postcard vines, weather-beaten and twisted, defying the years to produce fantastic fruit. Grapes are left on the vine to get really ripe; many of them shrivel up to raisins. The fruit is picked and crushed. This macerates for a few hours in order to allow any raisined berries to swell up. It is then pressed and the juice prevented from fermenting by the addition of high-strength neutral alcohol. The wine is allowed to settle for a few days before being racked off to barrel for maturation. The Rutherglen level of the classification is for the youngest wines with only a few years barrel age.

Rich and luscious nose, perfumed aromatics of lovely peach and apricot with hints of lychee and spice. A hint of tangerine peel on the palate, rancio and honeyed almond, sweet wet tobacco and apple, smoke and leather. It's fresh and spicy, alluring and concentrated yet sleek. Crème brûlée flavours and a nice richness, smooth and elegant, lingering on the finish. There is no need to save All Saints for a special occasion as, unlike table wine, an opened bottle will last months before starting to deteriorate. Already done it's own ageing and is quite ready to drink.

A rich blend of selected parcels of Tokay chosen for their soft, varietal characters of tea leaf, coffee and malt. Muscadelle has been grown at All Saints Estate since the winery was established in 1864. Originally thought to have evolved from the Hungarian Tokai varietal, it is now generally accepted that Tokay is made from Muscadelle, a highly flavoursome white variety. Sip with stilton or enjoy alongside cream cheese desserts like tiramisu. All Saints have already done the ageing for you so serve with confidence to your most discerning guests.

$1699each $201DOZEN EACH DOZEN The current proprietorship of the ancient All Saints property was established by Peter Brown of Milawa. He planted vines in 1962 to take full advantage of the long, warm autumn days at Wahgunyah which are virtually perfect for allowing the fruit to ripen to high baumé levels and raisining so essential for the style. Grapes are left to hang until extremely ripe, hand picked and crushed to release the sweet, concentrated juice. Pre-fermentation cold soaking swells the shrivelled berries and extracts flavour from skins. A very short fermentation arrives at an alcohol of 18.0%. The finished wine is assembled from a selection of vintages, stored in large oak ovals at the All Saints chook shed and racked to bottle as required.

Golden amber hues. Aroma reveals wonderful sweetness along with an intriguing nose of marmalade and maple syrup, prunes, toffee and honeyed tea. Characters indicate it is a wine of age under well seasoned oak. Lovely flavours of butterscotch and apricot, fresh lifted spirit and that typical Tokay aroma of cold tea. Unctuous and sweet yet remarkably supple and light for its level of decadence, while the lush, complex palate finishes clean and lingering. Delightful on its own as an after dinner drink, wonderful served chilled with fruit based desserts.

All Saints store their ageing fortifieds in the Great Hall, an area of a castle built in the 1880s, and lined with huge 100-year-old oak casks, filled with rare wines. Some of these fortified wines are up to eighty years old and form the base of the rich fortified All Saints blends. The wines are amongst Australia's and the world's greatest, internationally extolled for their richness and lusciousness. All Saints Estate won the first gold medal for Australian wine in 1873 at the London International Exhibition and continues to win trophies and receive rave reviews today.

$1599each $189DOZEN EACH DOZEN All Saints pride and joy are the oldest vineyard blocks of vines, originally planted just after the First World War. These old-timers are picture-postcard vines, weather-beaten and twisted, defying the years to produce fantastic fruit. Predominantly made from Grenache, Shiraz and Mataro grapes, with added brandy spirit, which is used to fortify the wine, The Keep Tawny expresses the inimitabley rich personality of the deep, rancio-like qualities of Rutherglen grapes. During maturation of any fortified wine a significant amount of wine is lost through evaporation. This loss is normally between two to five per cent each year, and is affectionately referred to as the angels share (now there's something to look forward to!). Alcohol 18.

The wine has a tawny colour with hints of red. The aroma is a mix of ripe berry fruit, with rancio characters from extended barrel maturation. On the palate there is ripe fruit giving a generous mouth feel with hints of vanilla and chocolate. Nuances of deep liqueuring, Port and plum-like, chocolatey and wet with sweet scents of browned old grapes and dried sugary fruit. Delicious, nutty and velvety, ripe yet texturally soft, slabs of melty raisined chocolate, brushstrokes of caramel and Irish coffee, the wine has an attractive drying finish. This wine should cellar extremely well for between one and two decades. Enjoy with a cheese selection (the stronger types) or after dinner with well brewed coffee and a good conversation.

Lying just halfway between Avoca and Ballarat, the boutique Amherst Winery has only ten acres under vine. The small yields translate into extraordinary, full bodied and concentrated wines, with fine aromatics and silky tannins. Local folklore has it that a shepherd discovered gold at Daisy Hill in 1848, the region flourished and suitable parcels were planted to vines in the 1850s.

$1499each $177DOZEN EACH DOZEN Daisy Hill emerged in the 1850s due to its location on the main route to and from goldfields. The Amherst vineyard sits atop old alluvial tailings of the gold rush, diggings can still be seen around the property in quartz rich soil. The highly sought wines pay tribute to the heritage surrounding the vineyard. Amherst distinguishes it's exceptional reds, naming them after regional folklore such as an escaped convict who was the first to cultivate local land, and the ancient Chinese market gardens, which provided food to the flourishing gold fields of yesteryear. Daisy Creek is vinified from parcels of Cabernet and Shiraz grown to good vineyards in the Pyrenees, fashioned to be a solid wine with weight of fruit and firm tannins.

Deep dark red colour. Enticing and complex aromas of violets and morello cherries with a touch of earthyness, loam and pitch. An entry onto the palate of blackberries and plum, spiced chocolates and prune over a fine structure of pencil/ vanilla oak and supportive tannins.

Named after the first cultivator of the site, Samuel Dunn, who lived in Amherst from the early 1850s, one of the first local settlers to plant grapes. Originally the land was exploited for sheep grazing, until diggers found the locality alive with gold. Today the property yields a tremendous Shiraz wine.

$2599each $309DOZEN EACH DOZEN Amherst is a town rich in history, site of the first official gold find 1851, which launched a gold rush stretching all over central Victoria. The district's history with viticulture is also long and rich. In 1896 Signor Bragaro, the viticultural expert at the Department of Agriculture, was invited by the local council to give instruction to vineyard operators, among them Samuel Dunn. Since the first commercial release in 1995, Amherst has gained a reputation for fine hand crafted wines. Amherst is family owned and operated, the vineyard is located in the heart of the historic Victorian goldfields. A very good site for Shiraz, the grapes here ripen well, the baumes at harvest are always good, the vines deliver batches of the choicest fruit.

Deep garnet in colour. Rich, ripe fruit flavours are complemented by a savoury mid palate and a distinctive spicy clove character that compliments many different types of food. As with all of the Amherst wines the amount of oak and alcohol is kept in check to ensure that the wine is perfectly balanced.

Under & Over is the way forward for Heathcote Shiraz, an impeccably balanced wine of individual character, complexity and charm. Under & Over are made according to a minimalist approach, the focus being on maximum expression of distinctive Heathcote Shiraz fruit character and heightened regionality. The winemaking team at Armchair Critic are well focused on appropriating the most intensely flavoured grapes to construct an excellent interpretation of early drinking Shiraz with outstanding depth of flavour and an impressively ripe, fruit filled finish.

$1499each $177DOZEN EACH DOZEN Heathcote's ancient Cambrian soils combine with a warm, dry climate to create wines of profound brooding intensity and effortless power whilst retaining the structure and fine tannins to ensure good development. Sustainable viticulture leads to healthy harvests and moderate alcohol which is followed with minimal additions. Shiraz is sourced from established, low yielding sites primarily in the central north of Heathcote, most notably the splendid Colby Vineyard. Grapes are completely de-stemmed before a cool maceration and temperature controlled tank fermentation. Primarily vinified with very little wood treatment, a small component is transferred to seasoned oak barrels for six months maturation.

Bright scarlet colour. Bouquet of red berries, plum and festive cake with hints of gamey spice and peppercorn aromas. The full, complex nose makes way to a fruit driven palate with a supple core of spiced red and black berries, strawberry and plum kept vital by soft acidity. An impressive depth of flavour and length for a forward drinking Shiraz, background oak and gracious tannins, generous and vibrant in it's youth.

The choicest parcels of Pinot Gris are harvested from high altitude King Valley vineyards where the long and sunny autumn days combine with cool nights to yield fully ripened grapes exhibiting crisp fruity acids and well defined varietal expression. The winemaking team at Armchair Critic have taken great effort to fashion an exemplary Pinot Gris without the influence of any oak, to showcase all the prime fruit characters which make this innately food friendly style of wine the first choice to accompany white meats, seafoods and risotto.

$1299each $153DOZEN EACH DOZEN Under & Over are crafted through a minimalist approach to vinification, the focus being on maximum expression of distinctive varietal fruit character and heightened regionality. Vines planted to clay loam soils at altitudes of 650 metres above sea level are nourished by ample rainfall and stimulated by the crisp, temperate conditions to grow Pinot Gris with flavour profiles very akin to their siblings in Alsace and the cooler climes of France. Grapes are treated to a brisk tank fermentation at lower temperatures in a quick and precise manner to maximize and retain purity of varietal fruit character. The finished wine is matured unoaked on sedimentery lees to build texture while maintaining freshness and vibrant acidity.

Pale colour with fine clarity. Lovely nose full of rose petal and orange blossoms, exhibiting a clean minerality. The palate is fruit driven, light to medium bodied with pear and nectarine flavours matched by spicey and floral nuances, showing the trademark viscosity and classic Pinot Gris textures.

Pam and Richard Austin planted their first vines during the 1980s, in the Barrabool Hills southwest of Geelong, with a view to making super premium wines for Australia's best restaurants. The soils they turned were the same as those worked by pioneering Swiss over a century before, when Geelong was recognised as source of the finest Australian wines. The climate and rolling slopes of Moorabool Valley, the super soils and idyllic terroirs stimulate the vines into yielding intense Shiraz grapes with luscious plum flavours, cool climate spice and gripping tannins.

$1499each $177DOZEN EACH DOZEN Moorabool Valley can trace its oenological heritage back to the 1840s, when Swiss immigrants established vines, some of the earliest plantings in Victoria and Australia. The area suffered badly in the second half of the nineteenth century when phylloxera and bureaucracy combined to destroy the region. Moorabool re-emerged as a viticultural precinct in the first days of Victoria's wine industry renaissance during the 1960s. Austins defines the outstanding potential of Shiraz within the Geelong region and the uniqueness of Mooroobool Valley. The finished wine is all about quality of fruit, a pure, single vineyard effort vinified from Shiraz clone PT23, grown to the Steiglitz Road property at Sutherlands Creek. Alcohol 14.0%

Deep dark red in colour. A compelling bouquet of balance and style. Blackberries and licorice, cloves and black pepper in a mix that's both heady and refined. Distinctly Geelong and Sutherlands Creek in particular, savoury elements provide a fine counterpoint to the lifted fruit, all superbly detailed by a fresh acidity. Deeply flavoured, the palate fulfils the promise of the bouquet and emphasises those facets, blackberries, clove and licorice reduced to a savoury intensity. The intergration of all facets sets this wine apart from its peers. That unity, so distinct in the nose, plays out along the palate and puts the restrained breadth of the wine into perspective, an elegant Geelong Shiraz with the grace and charm of old world wines.

Gold Medal Royal Hobart, its achievement was in the Individual Vineyard Class of the Red Wine Section for Dry Red Wines of any vintage, quite a spectacular result. The judges noted that,.

$3599each $429DOZEN EACH DOZEN Baileys has undergone an expansion in the vineyard to 143 ha and the construction of a totally new 2000 tonne winery. The 1920's Block is a patch of eighty year old Shiraz vines on the Baileys Glenrowan property. The soils in the area are well drained deep red granite over basalt. 1920s Block is dry grown, which in the warm climate of Glenrowan, ensures that grapes ripen fully to develop rich and ripe, intense flavours. The 2006 vintage in Glenrowan was mild and dry producing low yielding, dry grown Shiraz. Following vinification, parcels were transferred to a mix of new and prior use French oak for twelve months maturation before assembling into the final wine. Alcohol 14.9%

A rich deep red. The nose offers complex aromas of dark berry fruits, liquorice and spice.1920's Block Shiraz delivers rich fruit with well integrated tannins with the traditional Baileys structure. This wine is approachable in its youth and will also reward with complexity from careful cellaring.

Steeped in history, the original Baileys store was situated next door to the Glenrowan Inn where widow Jones hosted Ned Kelly's siege. Following the gold rush, the Baileys turned to farming and settled on a property which they named Bundarra. Rural life was harsh and the Glenrowan countryside was stubborn. But the Baileys persevered, eventually sowing one of the most enduring vineyards in Australian history.

$2499each $297DOZEN EACH DOZEN Baileys of Glenrowan manage some of Victoria's oldest plantings. After the devastation of phylloxera at the turn of the last century, vines were replanted to the rich, deep, red granite soils below the Warby Ranges. The favourable growing seasons at Glenrowan are characterised by long warm summers with very little rainfall, encouraging the fruit to develop intense flavours and high natural sugar levels. Following harvest at the peak of full physiological ripeness and a timely fermentation that's arrested by the addition of brandy spirit, parcels are treated to a spell of extended ageing in a mix of well seasoned large format oak. The final wine is assembled from a selection of barrels across several vintages.

Caramel, dense brown red in the glass. Nose exhibits varietal aromas of orange blossom, rose petals and dried fruit. The palate is generous and lush, full of complex fruit flavours resolving on a carefully balanced sweetness.