A founding member of the First Families of Australian Wine, d’Arenberg was established in 1912, when Joseph Osborn funded his new winery by selling his beloved racehorses. Thunderstep was one of them. An imposing, powerful race horse and father to Footbolt, the pride of Joseph Osborn’s stable (and now the name of one of the estate’s most iconic and ‘original’ reds). Today, the colourful Chester Osborn (below), fourth generation, is at its helm, and it “has kept its 100-year-old heritage while moving into the 21st century with flair and elan” (Halliday). It boasts one of the world’s most innovative cellar door experiences and an unparalleled, exciting range. Thunderstep is a superb addition. This vintage boasts aromas of black pepper, spice and red berries, and a seductive palate of dark fruits, earthy character, and long, spicy, mineral finish. It sings of its McLaren Vale roots. Don’t miss it.

Oliver's Taranga have a long and distinguished history in the McLaren Vale and are custodians of some of the premier vineyard land in the region. Corrina Wright is now the winemaking brain behind this progressive winery and her Shiraz is a modern masterstroke. Smoke and bacon on the nose with sweet and savoury tones. Soft fruit flavours luscious mouth feel and great length to this wine. Delicious.

Big bold and tightly knit, Woodhenge will evolve over the following years as the style and full body of McLaren Vale fruit starts to integrate. Currently showing dark chocolate, mocha and mint over tones. As this wine ages and unfurls patience will be rewarded.

The James Haselgrove Futures Shiraz was first released in 1981 and its been impressing ever since. In the glass: Deep, dark red. On the nose: Lovely plum, beetroot, briar, herb and spice aromas. On the palate: Plummy and rich with a deep core of dark savoury fruit, oyster shell minerality, fine yet intense tannins, stalky energy and spicy oak. Terrifically structured and beautifully drinkable.

Matured in a mixture of old French oak puncheons and large format oak for 10 months with 15% whole bunch inclusion. Deep black as night heart with a dark purple hue. Blossoming out of the glass are scents of freshly crushed blackberries, liquorice and black cherries followed by some fragrant fresh herb notes, fennel and peppered meats. Juicy blackberry, liquorice and dark raspberry fruits are layered across the medium bodied palate with infusions of herbs du Provence, scorched earth and pepper lying underneath. Polished tannin structure finishing with good freshness and a refined mid length aftertaste. Drink over the next 5-6 years. Alc. 14.3%

Crafted entirely from fruit grown on a mature single vineyard site found on the North Western edge, this is a richly flavoured Shiraz is dark inky black with purple vibrance. Aromas of chocolate, aniseed and earthy richness bring out the explosive blackberry fruit flavour with layers of Christmas cake and subtle oak influences.

The Syrah (Shiraz) is made with traditional winemaking using natural yeast fermentation over a four week period with 18 months barrel maturation in 20% new French oak. Intense dark cherry and mulberry fruits are allied to cedar and roasted spice aromas. The complex palate provides tannins of supple texture with a lingering length of flavour persistence. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Full of finesse and flavour. Fresh mulberry, dark cherry and violet aromas rise from the glass and flow through to the palate, where blue fruits dance with olive, coffee and wood spice flavours. Medium-bodied, balanced, with power to burn. New French oak used to mature 20 per cent of the wine, with the remainder aged in neutral French oak. Only 240 dozen produced. Unfined, unfiltered, vegan, low sulphur.

Handpicked fruit has been aged in French oak hogs heads and puncheaons to ensure the fruit was the dominant flavour and structure of the wine. On the nose layers of bright red and dark fruits greet you with perfume, spice and earth notes. This is followed by a complex and vibrant palate with a beautiful perfume. Layers of red currants and blueberries integrate with spice, underlayed with French vanilla bean and some earthy notes. It has waves of fine grained chalky tannins and a long finish.

RedHeads has always been a bit of a rebel! The winery was started in 2002 in the McLaren Vale - a cellar where young winemakers could come in their spare time and make just the sort of small-scale wine they dreamed of (not like they did in their day job). Since then, the winery has moved home a few times, and finally put down real roots in the Barossa, building one of Australia's leading eco-friendly cellars. There, surrounded by many of Australia's biggest wine names, they handcraft revolutionary wines from top batches of grapes, rescued from under the noses of the big players. March of Progress celebrates a path in the green direction, using the best rows of organic Shiraz from top McLaren Vale grower Jock Bosworth. Rich and weighty – velvet texture, rich black fruits, long and weighty, rounded tannins