Intriguing aromas of rose petals and a summer pudding of lifted red fruits, berries and a hit of cinnamon and Asian spice. The palate is opulent, with intense red berries balanced by soft velvety tannins and supple oak with great balance from the acid reknown in Barossa Grenache. 'The cold, wet 2011 vintage hit the Barossa Valley particularly hard, wiping out huge tracts of vineyards. Dandelion's blend, then, came as a delightful surprise a tender, juicy, seductive drop that made the bottle seem too small. It's a blend of grenache (85 per cent), shiraz (10 per cent) and mataro (aka mourvedre or monastrell). The back label hints at how winemaker Elena Brooks and the Dandelion crew saved the day, "handpicking selected bunches" (that is, avoiding the rotten ones) of the three varieties for co-fermentation and ultimate success. What a moreish wine this is'. - Canberra Times, 15 May 2013, by Chris Shanahan.

The Butchers Block is a traditional Barossa blend made with grapes selected from the Turkey Flat vineyards, including some from the original old vine plantings. It is a blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvédre (Mataro). 'Part of the grapes come from the home vineyard that has some of the oldest vines in the Barossa, planted by Peter Schulz's great-grandfather Ernest Schulz. The wine has the drive, focus and intensity often missing from this Barossa blend; that said, there are both black and distinctly red fruit components, and the tannins are firm. Give it 10 years, then line it up with a top Rhone Valley example. Outrageous value' - Rating 94/100. - James Halliday.

Grenache is Australias signature grape variety and were slightly obsessed with it. Utilising a range of premium vineyards across The Barossa and McLaren Vale regions of South Australia, Thistledown have crafted a wine that captures all that is good about Grenache. Aromatic, deceptively light but with beautiful wild fruit, and slurpy, supple tannins.

Mount Etna is Europes highest volcano and one of the worlds most active. a Muntagna, as the locals call it, is rich in mineral components and the microclimate cool nights, warm days and wide ranging temperature variations endow the wines with extraordinary richness, minerality, fragrance and depth. Pietradolce, meaning sweet stone, was founded in 2005 by Michele Faro and his family. 100% Nerello Mascalese from Solicchiata on the Northern side, albarello grown at 600 metres. 18 days on skins and a brief three months in tonneaux, this is a lighter framed Rosso for drinking over the short to medium term. The red fruits here are crunchy and refreshing with floral, tobacco and minerally notes, the palate fine and elegant.

Mount Etna is Europes highest volcano and one of the worlds most active. a Muntagna, as the locals call it, is rich in mineral components and the microclimate cool nights, warm days and wide ranging temperature variations endow the wines with extraordinary richness, minerality, fragrance and depth. Rampante is one of Etnas grand cru vineyards and this comes from a different parcel to the Rampante that goes into Archineri Rosso. Notes of dried strawberry, tea and spice with a backbone of pronounced acidity and minerality.

The Chapoutier Estate has been present in the Rhone Valley since 1808, always on a quest to find different tastes and expressions of terroir, or sense of place. Hermitage is regarded by some as the greatest expression of Shiraz from anywhere in the world. If you're a Shiraz lover and haven't yet explored the wines of the Northern Rhone, you're simply missing out.