Every so often there are parcels of wine that generate tremendous excitement amongst the winemakers at Schild Estate. They set this aside to make Prämie, the wine that defines the best of the vintage and the land on which it was grown. Intense primary fresh plum flavours show again on the palate, where they hold their presence all the way through to roll out soft and pillowy at the finish. A firmly present, but fine tannin framework provides just enough focus and lift for the fruit to ensure added complexity, but retaining vibrancy to the mouth flavours of this Shiraz.

This complex and elegant wine has lifted aromas of fresh rich red fruits and white mint chocolate. Strawberries, raspberries, dark cherries and blackcurrants are the base of this wine but has depth in texture and flavour are given by rich tannins and subtle spice from ageing in French oak. Well matched to heavier weight dishes - veal and beef based. Also perfect with hard cheeses and aged cheddar.

Old vine Barossa Valley Shiraz doesn't get much better than this. The Kaesler name was reborn by winemaker and visionary Reid Bosward in 1997, breathing new life in the over 100 year old vineyards. A Quirky name matched with unrivaled concentration make The Bogan Shiraz as must have for all big Australian Shiraz lovers.

From the single vineyard site in the McLaren Vale comes this intensely dark crimson coloured Shiraz from the team at Paxton. Intense dark crimson in colour and equally intense flavours - this is for lovers of beautifully complex wine. It is a clear expression of its unique site.

Though young guns on the Margaret River scene, Amelia Park have made an astonishing impact, producing some stunning wines from the renowned region. Their Reserve Shiraz represent the very best parcels of fruit from the vintage; they are identified early on and kept aside, matured in French oak for 18 months then carefully blended prior to bottling. Aromas of cherries and dark berry fruit, with hints of mocha and spice. The palate shows excellent weight and length with velvety tannins to back up the finish. A great red for the cellar, which will benefit from maturation for 10 years plus.

Made from low yielding vineyards at Moonambel in the Pyreness district of central Victoria, Dalwhinnie is an example of how good Victorian Shiraz can be. Tremendous depth of flavour running the gammet from red currants to dark plums, spice and mineral. The plentiful tannins are absorbed by the fruit and the finish is long and lingering.

Penfolds Bin 2 Shiraz Mataro (also known as Mourvèdre) has a history going back to 1960 when Penfolds made a traditional "Burgundy" style. Penfolds have always loved Mataro (Mourvèdre) for its fantastic ability to blend marvelously with traditional South Australian stalwarts like Shiraz. Adding luscious complexity and palate grip, the Bin 2 is aged in older oak to emphasise the spicy savouriness of Mataro (Mourvèdre) that complements the plush richness of Shiraz.

2017 gifted the Yarra Valley with superb growing conditions, and the resulting wines, like this beauty, have wonderful harmony, balance and depth.Medium garnet colour. Dark plummy fruit with spicy complexity and subtle leaf and graphite. Medium-weight yet plush and focussed with plum, spice and undergrowth complexity, cocoa and subtle mocha depth, subtle secondary characters and spicy length.

Vibrant in colour with intense purple hues, the aromatics are all red florals with notes of berry crumble and baking spices. The palate is layered with brooding red fruits, mulberry, black cherry and blood plum. Star anise, fennel and freshly crushed peppercorns add complexity to this luscious core. Tension and weighty fruit are followed by long chewy tannin which drives to a silky finish.

Planted in 2007, this 0.8-hectare vineyard is littered with volcanic rocks (hence the name) and lies on the plateau above the De La Terre slope—essentially making it a westerly extension of the Serré vineyard. It was originally planted with various clonal cuttings from Best’s and Tahbilk on a mix of rootstock and own roots. Holmes only uses the Best’s clone in this bottling today and the rest of the site has been grafted over to Chardonnay, giving Bannockburn a close-planted Chardonnay block, named Grigsby after Bannockburn’s long-standing vineyard manager. The fruit was fully destemmed in 2011, wild fermented with indigenous yeast and then spent 12 months in 1/3 new French puncheons and a second year in 5 year old barriques.