The synergy between region and variety is on full display here with this powerful Margaret River Cabernet from Allegiance Wines, which will continue to soften in the cellar.Mid garnet with a brick hue. Clean and lifted ripe berry fruit with integrated oak giving depth and complexity. Ripe, youthful and plush with integrated charry oak, rich cassis fruit and silken tannins on the well-balanced and persistent finish.

Ca' Rome' Romano Marengo Maria di Brun Barbaresco DOCG Garnet red in the glass, the nose is complex and ample showing aromas of violet and underbrush. Full, velvety and very balanced. Because of its structure and body, it pairs well with meat, game and cheese. The Rio Sordo vineyard is located in the Barbaresco municipality. The soils are known as white marl of Saint Agatha and go back to the Tortonian-Messinian period. Maceration lasts 20 days using a traditional method of maceration called steccatura at a temperature that never exceeds 30°C. This method involves wedging stocks into the vat to hold the cap (grape skins and pulp) down below the surface of the juice. This slow, gentle extractraction coaxes the signature tannins from the Nebbiolo grape skins. Aged for 30 months in 25 hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels with a portion of it part aged in barrique. The wine is further aged in-bottle for at least 12 months.

The Torbreck Descendant has a powerful nose of blackberry and tar complemented by floral lavender and a violet lift. Full-bodied and concentrated with ripe silky tannins and plenty of extract this wine has a great future ahead.

Graacher Himmelreich is a renowned vineyard that borders the southern edge of its more famous neighbour Wehlener Sonnenuhr. The Auslese examples typically show grapefruit citrus and green apple aromas, with honeyed overtones, wonderful density and pronounced minerality carried along by signature Mosel racy acidity.

TERRA SANCTA WINES Mysterious Diggings Pinot Noir, Central Otago

Head Wilton Hill Shiraz Barossa Ranges Wilton Hill is comprised of an old vine vineyard, perched atop the Barossa Ranges as it encroaches on the Eden Valley. The soil, a complex polyglot of sandy loams, limestone and ferrous ironstone over a substrata of mottled quartz. The geology is arguably more intrinsic to the makeup of the wine than the variety, or maker Alex Heads deft hand. This is top- drawer Barossa Grand Cru speaking. Make no mistake! Think a swirl of dark fruits, aromas of iodine, lilac and violet, punctuated with a swab of tapenade-encrusted tannins. Dig deeper and there are scents of smoked meats, thyme, lavender and mocha, trailing across a peppery trail of freshness that tows this full-bodied wine long. Sumptuous gear that is ready for an aggressive decant, or extended time in the cellar.