Yellow Tail Merlot is soft and supple, with sweet, plum and cherry flavours and a hint of liquorice or anise. Merlot is an excellent alternative to the heavier and more tannic red varieties.

Merlot has become popular because it offers a softness of texture while still providing ripe, plummy flavours. Wolf Blass come to the party here with an an easy drinking, fruity style of dry red.

The Bullnose Syrah from Te Mata is one of New Zealand's original Syrah wines, having been made since 1992. Vineyard partners, Michael Morris and Peter Cowley - both car enthusiasts - named the wine after the pre-1928 Morris Cowley car, nicknamed Bullnose due to its distinctive radiator. The Bullnose is a single vineyard wine from Hawke's Bay that shows characters that are aromatic, savoury, and elegant. It's an expression of syrah which, when well stored, develops and intensifies in bottle with medium term cellaring.

TE MATA ESTATE Coleraine. Cepage may include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Further testament to both vine age and the merits & complexity of this blend, which allow the wine to rise above an otherwise challenging year. Classic blackcurrant, cigar box and tapenade aromas, overlaid with notes of violet, Christmas cake and sweet spices, lead onto a supple, savoury and effortless palate that builds towards a long & lively finish.

One of the established names of Coonawarra, Redman Cabernet Sauvignon is produced from hand pruned low yielding mature vines. Ripe blackcurrant fruit and vanillin oak make this fine drinking now.

Established way back in 1893 by true regional pioneers, Kaesler has been reborn by winemaking vionary, Reid Bosward. The Cabernet Sauvignon has fresh cassis and herbal notes with the perfect amount of ripe tannin. To finish the package off, sublime length.

Vasse Felix produces fine Margaret River reds with great balance and style. This traditional blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon shows sweet mid-palate fruit with liquorice and spice and good tannin structure. Fantastic French oak integration enabling soft tannin complexity and a lovely length of flavour.

Serafino is the winery behind industry icon, Steve Maglieri. Arriving in McLaren Vale in 1968, Steve embarked on a career that has seen his wines win multiple awards across the world. His Cabernet Sauvignon contains fruit that is hand selected from multiple vineyard sites throughout McLaren Vale to deliver a wine that is full-bodied and full of richness. Copious amounts of blackcurrant and blueberry fruit await with supreme textural oak balancing the opulence.