Today Odilio and his son Mattia work the vines, yet the Antoniotti family have been making wine in Casa del Bosco (west of Milan) in northern Piemonte for generations. The Antoniotti Bramaterra Nebbiolo blend is a fresh and attractive Piemonte red. With aromas of predominantly red fruits, herbs and spicy notes on the nose, this wine has a moreish mouth-coating quality with delicate tannins and a lengthy finish. An elegant and juicy wine of immense quality, especially at such a great price.

Margaret River icons, Leeuwin Estate, have produced a wine of true class here. A great finish to the vintage shows up here with aromas of cassis, redcurrant and chocolate. Sweet ripe fruit on the palate is well matched with toasty French oak and fine tannin.

One of the Margaret River's more celebrated producers, Howard Park have forged a healthy cult following. The 2001 Cabernet Blend is a full bodied red that has developed liquorice and humidor characters beneath a layers of concentrated blackberry.

Giovanni Rosso's Serralunga d'Alba Barolo represents the classic heart of this historic commune. Davide Rosso, who took over from his father Giovanni in the 1990s, works with old-vine Nebbiolo from key Serralunga sites, crafting wines that speak clearly of place. Fermentation occurs in concrete, with long macerations to build depth and structure, followed by extended maturation in large, neutral French oak botti to preserve purity and nuance. Each vintage shows the hallmarks of Serralunga, perfumed red cherry and rose, layered with tobacco, earth and iron. The palate combines freshness and tension with fine, persistent tannins that promise graceful ageing. It is both an introduction to and an authentic expression of one of Barolo's most powerful terroirs. A wine built for the cellar but compelling even in youth, the Giovanni Rosso Serralunga d'Alba Barolo offers pedigree and value in equal measure.

Wynns Michael Shiraz is a 'best-of-vintage' Shiraz from Wynns vineyard sites in Coonawarra and is named after David Wynn's youngest son. Made in the years that best show Coonawarra's unique terroir, this latest release displays the qualities that have made the 'Michael' one of the most highly regarded of all Australian Shiraz with aromas of red currants, cherries and raspberry that mesh every so well with the olive and white spice characters. The palate follows with an elegant structure bursting with dark brooding spice and succulent ripe tannins.

ANTONIOTTI ODILIO, Bramaterra, Piemonte, Italy Today Odilio and his son Mattia work the vines, yet the Antoniotti family have been making wine in Casa del Bosco (west of Milan) in northern Piemonte for generations. The Antoniotti Bramaterra Nebbiolo blend is a fresh and attractive Piemonte red. With aromas of predominantly red fruits, herbs and spicy notes on the nose, this wine has a moreish mouth-coating quality with delicate tannins and a lengthy finish. An elegant and juicy wine of immense quality, especially at such a great price.

Situated between Neive and the town of Barbaresco itself, Cotta beautifully combines the rich, fuller-bodied nature of Neive, with the tannic structure of Barbaresco. With a south-west exposure, it is usally the richest and roundest of the Sottimano crus, typically showing abundant red and black fruits with refined nuances of mint, leading to a palate of notable length. The tannins are there, but beautifully expressive and silky. A benchmark Barbaresco with a 15-20 year cellar life.