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.

As far back as the earliest days of Clare Valley viticulture, the locals would help each other during the busy times of season. While she was delivering lunches to workers who were pruning vines one winter, Annie Wayman's horse drawn cart struck difficulty in negotiating the muddy track back to her cottage. From that day on, the track has been affectionately known as Annie's Lane. Quelltaler Watervale is harvested from vineyards bordering the famous Annie's Lane, crafted to a fine balance between the richness of Shiraz and structure of Cabernet Sauvignon.

$1999each $237DOZEN EACH DOZEN Watervale is a unique sub region within Clare Valley which produces some of Australia's most magnificent red wines. The soils are comprised of friable red clay loam over a limestone base, allowing for perfect drainage and natural low vigour to achieve high quality grapes displaying richness and ripe, developed tannins. Warm days and mild evenings during the ripening season are conducive to excellent flavour and berry development. Favourable growing conditions are quite consistent, achieving healthy harvests at almost every vintage. Parcels of Cabernet and Shiraz are separately placed into 10t open fermenters for vinification, followed by maturation in traditional large format oak barrels and vats. Alcohol 14.5%

Bright, dark scarlet colour. Aromatic nose of red and blue berries with supple hints of violets, cinammon and mint. Plums, raspberries, red and blackcurrants, mulberries and spices on the palate are supported by a hint of background cocoa/ vanilla oak and a bed of fine chalky tannins. Ideal with a Portuguese chicken or marinated and char grilled vegetables and meats.

Aramis craft nothing but the finest wines possible from a unique site. The vines are planted on their own rootstock into some of the world's oldest mineral rich soils, where they enjoy excellent sun exposure and the most temperate of Mediterranean climes. Heat generated during the day is moderated each evening by coastal winds that cool the vines for an extended ripening, permitting the tannins and seed to develop fully.

$1699each $201DOZEN EACH DOZEN The Aramis vineyards are blessed by a close proximity to the coast where daily sea breezes combine with the exacting vineyard management regimens to deliver small but high quality harvests of intensely flavoured Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz grapes. Berries are always quite small in size, displaying an enhancement of pure varietal characters and splendid concentration of flavour. All the winemaking is highly traditional and very labour intensive. Maturation takes place in a high proportion of new American oak barriques. The final wine is assembled from a selection of the best barrels and those parcels which can best demonstrate an intensity of fruit, balanced by well integrated oak.

Deep ruby purple colour. The nose offers mulberries, blackberry and plums with layers of dark chocolate, toasty oak and wafts of fresh mint. On the palate blueberry, black raspberry and tarry characteristics, wonderful intensity, supple integrated fruit tannins and a long finish, all in balance with the alcohol.

A highly lauded wine in markets Australian and overseas, grown to twelve individual plantings on the historic Metala Vineyard by fifth generation Langhorne Creek vignerons Tom and Guy Adams. A touch of luscious Metala Cabernet Sauvignon has been added to the flagship Metala Vineyard Shiraz, the result is a premiere claret styled red that has won massive acclaim and can scarce keep up with the demand.

$1999each $237DOZEN EACH DOZEN Metala has been the Adams family property since the 1850s. Metala is also the name of the premium label made entirely from Adams family fruit. In 1998 Tom and Guy Adams took a small amount of grapes and vinified them into 500 cases of Shiraz at the Lake Breeze winery in Langhorne Creek. It was so bloody good that a pesky American began knocking on the door. It was Dan Phillips, a leading distributor from California who was making regular trips to Australia looking for high quality parcels of premium Shiraz. He anticipated there was going to be a big market for Metala in America. Following vinification, No6 spent fourteen months ageing in one to four year old French and American oak barriques. Alcohol 14.8%

Deep red/ plum in colour with crimson hues. Aromas of lifted spice, gentle black pepper and hints of leather and mint are entwined with plum and dark red fruits. Juicy, sweet dark berry/ blackcurrant fruit flavours lead to plush, soft tannins achieving considerable length and richness. Great intensity and complexity sourced from both young and ancient vines grown on the Adams Metala vineyards. Full bodied yet mellow, No6 is an amazing wine upon release, and can be expected to develop under cellar for many years if so desired. A simply sensational Shiraz Cabernet that shows the two seductive hallmarks of Langhorne Creek reds in fine tradition, fragrant with minty aromas and delicious with soft fleshy fruit.

Chapel Hill is built around an historic stone church, so it's entirely appropriate that the estate's flagship wine be named The Vicar. More wine Vicar? A McLaren Vale icon which has previously claimed the prestigious Australia Trophy and twice collected Silver at the London International. The Vicar embodies true excellence, is only released in the best years and has only ever attended seven times in the history of Chapel Hill. Some vintages can be a smart assemblage of noble varietals, others might be been made from outstanding parcels of Shiraz.

$6499each $777DOZEN EACH DOZEN The Vicar's complexity and richness, almost of biblical proportions, combine with superfine tannins, eternal in length. Shiraz is sourced from mature, low yielding vines. Fruit from Trembath Vineyard's Front Block and Inkwell Vineyard, Blocks 1 & 2. Lots are separately harvested and vinified in open fermenters to ensure each articulates the unique character of source. All ferments remain on skins a minimum of nine days before twenty one months ageing in a selection of new and prior use French and American 300 litres oak hogsheads. Barrels are racked and returned periodically throughout the maturation, to seamlessly integrate tannins and ensure that minimal filtration or fining is required before bottling. Alcohol 14.5%

A vibrant, deep crimson colour. The nose shows black fruits, fleshy berries without oak dominance. Layers of opulent mulberry, roasted fennel seed, liquorice and mocha flavours are seamlessly interlinked by sublime savoury textures. A synergistic balance of palate weight, tannin extract and acidity, exhibiting harmony, richness and complexity.

A harvest of fine, estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon from Dominique Portet vineyards in the Yarra Valley, a relatively cool climate zone allowing for longer ripening, is vinified alongside a component of Shiraz from the slightly warmer, drier climes at Heathcote, where vines are planted to the most salubrious, ferrous Terra rossa soils.

$1999each $237DOZEN EACH DOZEN Dominique Portet did his training at some of the world's most illustrious red winemaking estates. He qualified at the Montpellier University of Oenology and during a compulsory one year military service was the Legion's wine purchasing adviser. Portet spent vintages in the Medoc, Rhone Valley, Provence and with Moet et Chandon. Following vintages in the Napa Valley, the founding of Taltarni and Clover Hill, vintage 2000 would see the establishment of the Dominique Portet label. Bunches of Cabernet and Shiraz are hand picked, destemmed and gently crushed. Parcels are treated to a three day cold soak, vinified and left on skins for two to three weeks before maturation, mostly in a selection of French oak barrels.

Bright red/ purple in the glass. Juicy dark fruit aromas and flavours that focus on blackberry, plums and red cherry with a floral lift. A wine of supple texture and intense fruit, clear crisp acidity makes the flavours evolve over lovely soft tannins, making this elegant red blend so very easy to drink right now, ideally alongside pink butterfly lamb, Coq au vin or egg ribbon pasta with veal meatballs.

Elderton make some of the new world's most celebrated accords of Cabernet and Shiraz, this time they have taken aim with a collation of the most splendid harvests to assemble a forward drinking, easy to appreciate red wine for everyday enjoyment. E Series is designed as a contemporary and uncomplicated approach to the great Aussie Shiraz Cabernet style. The E stands for five key elements that are central to the winemaking and viticultural practices at Elderton. Enjoyment and elegance, ergonomic and economic, with the accent on environment.

$1499each $177DOZEN EACH DOZEN Shiraz and Cabernet from fine vineyards are harvested and brought quickly to the winery to ensure that fresh fruit characters are captured and retained within the finished wine. Supplementary irrigation and strict canopy management enable the fruit to reach rich, generously flavoured baumés of 14° to14.5°. Grapes are crushed, destemmed and treated to six days temperature controlled vinification in overhead potter fermenting vessels. Upon completion, the wine is transferred into a selection of prior use French and American oak puncheons for ten months maturation, where it develops complex yet delicate vanilla and coconut characters whilst remaining essentialy a fruit driven Shiraz Cabernet. Alcohol 13.5%

Dark purple/ magenta hue. Nose of berries and violet, cedar and cinnamon. Lovely palate, ripe and sweet with good fruit showing plummy richness and sweet, dark cherries. Flavours of boysenberry and cassis are layered against the delicate spicyness, balanced by supple velvety tannins. A spell under seasoned oak has softened the wine, rounded the fruit and imparted subtle complexities. Enjoy today with barbecues, antipasto and pizza.

Evans & Tate played a major role in the Margaret River's rise to international recognition as one of the world's great winegrowing appellations. One of Western Australia's baronial estates, their salubrious vineyards are idyllically positioned to produce vibrant Cabernet and Shiraz grapes with attractive blackberry, plum and spice characters. Margaret River's renowned cool summer nights and sea breezes ensure that the fruit ripens fully at lower baumes to perfect levels of natural acidity, translating into a crisp and savoury, mouthfilling Shiraz Cabernet wine.

$1499each $177DOZEN EACH DOZEN Shiraz is picked between midnight and early morning to ensure it reaches the winery as cold as possible. Grapes are gently destemmed and transferred to fermenters for three or four days cold soak. Cabernet Sauvignon is picked between dawn and midday to arrive at an average temperature between 15°C and 20C, ideal yeast conditions for the immediate onset of ferments. Each parcel is vinified at 20°C to 25°C for several days, treated to seed removal and thoroughly aerated every eight hours. Upon completion, each parcel is separately pressed to tank and racked off yeast lees to barrel or tank. Components are matured in a combination of seasoned French and American oak barriques for up to fourteen months.

Dense ruby red with a vibrant purple rim. Layers of youthful, lifted aromas dominated by Shiraz characters of blood plums, red cherry and smoked spice. Cabernet Sauvignon contributes redcurrant and bell pepper notes. Rich, fresh primary fruits of plum, red currant and cherry immediately impacts and drives through the palate whilst providing a lovely fleshy texture. A youthful but delicate tannin grip quickly follows which provides a contrasting textural experience and balance to the finish.

William Formby was among the ardent pioneers of Langhorne Creek, he planted his first acreages of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz in 1891. Today his progeny still husband vines, the Adams of Langhorne Creek, are at the cutting edge of regional viticulture.

$1699each $201DOZEN EACH DOZEN Legendary winemaker Brian Dolan won the inaugural Jimmy Watson Trophy in 1962 with the 1961 Metala Vineyard Shiraz Cabernet. The best fruit from the historic Metala property is now reserved for the estate's own Brothers in Arms and Formby/ Adams, as well as a number of well known labels and smaller boutique wineries such as Oddfellows and Killibinbin. Cutting Edge is a mostly Cabernet wine with a portion of Shiraz, grown and vinified to a mix of traditional and modern vineyard management and winemaking practices that produce the best possible wine from the famous Metal Vineyard. Matured for fifteen months in a combination of one to four year old French and American oak barrels. Alcohol 14.5%

Deep purple colour. Savoury biscuit, vanilla and spice aromas with menthol uplift. Huge berry fruit, pepper and cedar spice with a touch of rhubarb. A mouthfiling wine with superb textures, sublime integration and quenching mineral. The persistent length and fine grained, juicy tannins ensure this is a wine to be enjoyed with good food and fine company.

Physicians traditionally harbour a penchant for good red wine. Their analytic skills come in handy when it comes to choosing a site and establishing McLaren Vale vines. Meet the Fox Creek vineyard's border collie, Shadows Run is a pleasant, full flavoured Shiraz Cabernet designed for smart café dining and relaxed leisurely occasions. Her attractive plum and raspberry aromas precede a soft yet vibrant, intense berry ridden palate. The red wine of choice at weekend barbeques and picnics.

$1599each $189DOZEN EACH DOZEN Grapes are grown to a trellis system called Scott-henry and the vines are trained to two cordons. The shoots from the top cordon are lifted by a set of foliage wires while the bottom cordon shoots are down-turned. This system helps control the natural vigor of Shiraz while allowing maximum sunlight penetration and ventilation of the canopy. Hand pruning yields a harvest of small, concentrated berries full of colour and flavour. Parcels are individually fermented for a week on skins whilst being gently pumped over to preserve primary fruit flavours in the wine. Components are pressed off for completion and a term of maturation in a mix of fermenters and prior use French and American oak barrels. Alcohol 14.5%

Rich ruby red hue. Raspberries, red cherry and plum with mixed spice bouquet, hints of leafiness, milk chocolates and smoky toast. A soft rich balanced blend of strawberry, red cherries and blood plum flavours, complemented by cherry and creamy vanilla, the end palate lingers on a tantalizing mix of cinnamon and dark chocolate. This ripe, juicy and elegant Shiraz Cabernet finishes with crisp acid and firm tannins, leaving the palate clean, refreshed and looking forward to the next sip.

Anaperenna is the Roman goddess of New Year. She is also a seamless fusion of fruit from dry grown, low yielding, very old vines, some over a century of age, planted to ancient sites within the elite Ebeneezer appellation in the Barossa's north. A mostly Shiraz wine, the very low cropped Cabernet component contributes intense fruit flavours with a low extraction rate of smaller berries, large seeds and greater skin to flesh ratio. The savouryness of Cabernet combines with the generous Shiraz to give Anaperenna great texture and power, structure and finesse.

$4599each $549DOZEN EACH DOZEN From vines trained to standard single wire, with permanent arm rod and spur. Many of the very old vines (80-130 years old) have now been trained onto a trellis for ease of pruning, harvesting, disease and frost control. Scant vineyard yields of ½ to one ton per acre are central to the intense concentration. Vinified in one and two tonnes open top fermenters with hand plunges thrice daily. Completed primary on skins, a component finishes ferments in oak, matured on lees to maintain fruit profile and animation, minimal SO2, and topped up every three weeks. Maturation fifteen months in a combination of completely new, mostly French with some American oak hogsheads before bottling unfiltered. Alcohol 15.1%

Dark ruby colour. An intriguing nose of chocolate, crushed herbs, cedar, blackberries and smoke leads into a tightly focused palate with fine grained tannin and incredible density. The low extraction rate of the Cabernet has imparted savouryness and compelling aromatics of crushed herbs, fresh black fruits and espresso spice. The sheer quality expresses such intensity throughout the palate, the Shiraz components are akin to the outstanding fruit earmarked for the estate flagship Amon-Ra, the primary difference being a slightly more reserved expression, to enable purity of the Cabernet to be displayed on both palate and nose. The finish is fresh and lively with flavours that linger and linger.

Glen Eldon are blessed by an inventory of splendid vineyards scattered throughout the principal viticultural precincts of Barossa Valley and the Eden ranges. Sites in Tanunda and Mt McKenzie, Springton and Mt Pleasant indulge the winemaking team with an opportunity to assemble those parcels which can best coalesce into a keen and approachable, contemporarily styled Cabernet Shiraz with good fruit, smooth tannins and gentle background oak. True to it's moniker, a warming drop to kick back and relax alongside nibbles, good company and tall yarns.

$1499each $177DOZEN EACH DOZEN Rich, fertile, sandy loam and dark biscay Barossa soils provide ideal growing opportunities for vines. The valley enjoys a Mediterranean climate, warm summers and cold winters further enhance the ideal growing conditions. Grapes are crushed, destemmed and pumped into traditional open fermenters, inoculated with rehydrated yeast culture and treated to ten days vinification. The musts are pumped over regularly to extract more flavour and colour from skins. Upon completion, Kicking Back was transferred to a selection of American and French oak hogsheads for an extravagant eighteen months maturation, integrating the oak and softening the tannins.

Deep ruby colour. Cassis, violet and plum nose garnished by sprinklings of cool climate herb and hints of complex spice. A well integrated palate of beautiful ripe fruit, offering exceptional depth of flavour, blueberries and currant, plum characters and subtley spiced cocoa oak, all supported by soft, natural grape tannins. Excellent textural mouthfeel and lingering, drying tannins make Kicking Back a good choice alongside meats and pasta, vegetarian or cheese.