Ruby red with purple hues, with a bouquet of cherries, plums and subtle spice. The wine displays lovely rich, soft berry flavours with hints of cinnamon and vanillin oak.

Dollar for dollar, wines such as this truly are remarkable value. Soft, round with flavours of ripe plums, blackcurrant and a finely grained mouthfeel.

Howard Park are Western Australia's largest family-owned winery whose reputation is unsurpassed. Their Madfish range of wines continue to provide great value-for-money while still offering that Western Australian quality we've all come to enjoy. The Cabernet Merlot has a luscious smooth ripe flavour profile without being sweet with regional notes of black olives and eucalypt.

The Burge family are Barossa royalty with a history that dates back to 1885 when Grant Burge's Great Great Grandfather, John Burge, immigrated to Australia. Being the 5th Generation Burge, this wine pays tribute to the great impact the Burge family continues to have over the great regions history. The Cabernet Merlot is a wonderfully lush and vibrant wine with typical Barossa notes of vanilla and blueberry all kept in wonderful balance with judicious use of oak.

Wolf Blass brings us a fruit driven style Shiraz Merlot Cabernet blend with a bouquet of lifted spice, plum, and subtle oak. The palate is medium bodied, showing soft fruit flavours with rich berry characters.

Château Pétrus is one of Bordeaux's most important vineyard sites, lying on the easterly edge of the Pomerol appellation bordering Saint-Émilion. Although wines of Pomerol have never been classified, it is widely recognised that Pétrus is the most outstanding wine of the appellation, if not the entire Right Bank. Almost always made entirely of Merlot, the 2009 is one such vintage which is 100% single varietal. The perfect vintage conditions have provided the expert team at Pétrus the ideal opportunity to provide with a wine that comes as close to perfection as humanly possible. Stunning concentration and complexity run through the entire palate that is remarkably ready to drink today, yet will live comfortably in the cellar gathering further intense flavours and aromas for the next 20 to 30 years.

Deep purple in colour, this Merlot has an attractive nose of ripe red berries and cassis. The palate is soft and generous with plenty of sweet, juicy flavours. Great drinking and a great price!

The high altitude Orange region is producing some outstanding Merlot and this release, made by Debbie Lauritz, is a great example. Aromas of dried herb and currant are supported with sweet fruit flavours.

Leconfield Merlot has big and juicy dark fruits, soft tannins all supported by lovely French oak. Paul Gordon continues to produce a serious Merlot for a great price, year in, year out. His Merlot is also one that will benefit from a little sit in the medium term cellar.

Smith and Hopper is a stand alone arm of the impressive Hill Smith wine machine. Stand alone vineyards offer quality and real value for money. Wonderful earthy cedar and berries on the nose make this wine instantly attractive. The palate is rich and savoury, velvety in texture and spicy on the finish. Enjoy this full-bodied Merlot now or cellar till 2013.