Adelaide Hills make world class Merlot, genteel, velvety wines, solidly structured, brimming with intense lozenge flavours and resonant with exemplary varietal character. Bird in the Hand are without compromise, the most exacting standards of winemaking. An excruciatingly limited edition, only a few hundred cases are ever made, quality of harvest permitting, from the most superlative parcels of vintage. Vinified and pressed into the finest French oak for eighteen months, its fleshy plum and mulberry palate is draped in a delicate muslin of fine, silky tannins.

Moss Wood are endowed with the most splendid vineyards. Each block has particular traits which come together in the final assemblage to construct the definitive Moss Wood style. The blocks are literally only metres apart but there are sufficient differences in soil, aspect and altitude for them to show unique flavours. Every section, row by row, of each block is picked separately as it comes into maturity. The youthful generosity of Margaret River Merlot is very appealing and there will be a temptation to consume it young.

So remarkably articulate is the Merlot of Australia's west, that it drinks beautifully while young as a pure varietal wine. Moondah Brook are all about sourcing the fruit of mature vines and treating it to a minimalist style of vinification, to allow the Merlot to speak for itself. They retain vineyards up to thirty years of age and employ a combination of old and new world vinification techniques to preserve expression of fruit while enhancing complexity. A juicy, plum filled wine with velvety tannins, to match with venison and green peppercorn jus.

Merlot for seductive softness and early drinking appeal, the harvest of vines along Long Gully Rd, treated to the richness of barrel ferments and a tender term of age in a selection of seasoned and new, French and American oak. Deep red in colour, redolent of freshly picked berries and piquant anise spice, layered with punnets of red and black currants, the ripeness of fleshy plums, milk coffee, carob and cassis, a youthful Merlot style, supported by a seamless structure of fine silky tannins and aromatic cedar oak, McLaren Vale in a chocolate box.

The sublime splendour of Clare Valley Merlot, redolent with perfumes of blueberries, ribena and mint. It's all about the excellence of fruit, crushed and destemmed, the cool picked bunches are macerated for a week, before being treated to a long, languid ferment. Pumpovers and optimally timed extractions are followed by malolactic and fill to a selection of well seasoned French oaks for eighteen months age. Ripe dark cherries on the fully fragrant bouquet, blueberries and plum underpin spice notes and anise, licorice, carob and a whisp of shaved cedar oak.

After several decades of crafting Australia's most memorable vintages, Mike Press is more sanguine than ever that great wine can only come from the finest vineyards. His dedicated hands on approach means that he is personally involved in every stage of the winemaking, from pruning the vines and inspecting grapes, right to plunging the ferments and bottling his finished wine. An apprentice of the great Max Schubert, Mike Press made history in 2006 for coming within a whisper of the Jimmy Watson Trophy with an unlabelled cleanskin wine.

Whilst the main McGuigan winery is situated within the heart of the picturesque Hunter Valley, McGuigan's multi award winning wines can source fruit from a wide and varied expanse of good vineyards. The primary aim of the innovative winemaking team is to produce a range of complimentary wine styles that deliver exceptional quality and consistency. To achieve this goal, parcels of Merlot grapes from choice sites have been assembled into Bin 3000, achieving a vibrant plummy wine with luxurious mouthfeel and gentle tannins.

A plump Merlot with plummy fruit, delicately wooded, and amicably food oriented, the grapes for this wine are sourced from around the premiere Hawkes Bay region, so well recognised for the production of satisfying reds due to the favourably warm and dry climate. Vines here yield crops of the best Merlot due in part to the conditions during flowering and fruit set. Smooth drinking, softly tannined, fruit driven and approachable, Matua Merlot is very pleasant in it's youth, develops exquisite harmonies with ageing, and is excellent with all good faire.

Coonawarra Merlot is every bit as elegant, fragrant and generously proportioned as the mighty Cabernet, often assembled together for a rounded, softer style of red, Merlot provides a plummy, chamois tannined option when bottled as a pure varietal wine. Majella take their duty to the soil and environment very seriously, they are as fastidious about the health of local flora and fauna, as they are about maintaining the purity and hygiene of their fruit. The dividends come in the form of an immaculate Merlot wine of faultless varietal eloquence and graceful regional charm.

Maglieri has enjoyed much international success over the past thirty years. With an enviable list of accolades and awards, Maglieri is well known for producing red wines with the greatest poise, full of charm and character, the first growth in pure McLaren Vale Merlot.

Lindemans retain access to a rich endowment of superior vineyards. A full, even ripening of fruit is encouraged by the viticultural team at vintage time, as great Merlot can only be made from the best harvests. Fashioned to a fruit forward, plum and cherry filled style, supported by judicious treatment of gentle oak. Bin 40 Merlot combines easily with friends and good food.

River Block is planted to a gentle easterly slope of rich red terra rosa soils over a limestone bluff alongside the Mitchell River, an opportune terroir that's heaven sent for the realization of world class vintages Shiraz. Grapes are all selectively hand picked and gently destemmed into small open fermenters, hand plunged twice daily and treated to a hundred days of maceration before filling to an extravagantly high proportion of new French oak. Magnificently balanced, seamless and profound, little more than a hundred dozen can be made each vintage.

Leconfield take aim each year to construct a fragrant, mouth filling Coonawarra Merlot, from grapes infused by the rich terra rosa soils, layered with great depth of flavour and framed by sound structure, in which oak plays an important but not prominent role. Significantly, the vines are in their third decade of productivity and yield a distinctly elegant Merlot wine of great sophistication and exquisite balance, suitably swathed in a robe of fine, silky tannins.

Perched atop the spectacular boulder strewn hills of the Great Dividing Range, the Granite Hills property lies to the northern extremity of the Macedon Ranges, along a route taken by Burke and Wills on their fateful journey. At 550 metres, it is one of the highest elevation vineyards in Australia. Established in 1970, a small block of Merlot thrives under the cool ripening climes. A backbone of limited yield, estate growm Merlot is vinified alongside choice parcels, hand selected from good vineyards at Heathcote.

John Riddoch established the seminal Coonawarra Fruit Colony at his property on the orginal Katnook estate in 1890, founding one of the world's great winegrowing districts. The Merlot for today's Founder's Block is sourced from vines grown on sites right around the original property, to slightly more recent plantings. An attractive medium bodied wine with an enticing nose of currants plum and red plum, eloquent aromas with earthy, savoury notes, gentle oak and supple tannins. A plush, well rounded palate, just what you want from good Merlot.

Jacobs Creek are fashioned to be accessible immediately upon release, to drink splendidly with or without food and to represent a satisfying experience whatever the ocassion. A splendid wine with the soft, well rounded mid palate expected of good Merlot, fruit forward with lifted plum flavours, all supported by velvety tannin structure and satisfyingly savoury finish. A Merlot to match with cotoletta di vitello, manzo milanese or that succulent leg of roast garlic lamb.

For quite some time, Jim Irvine pondered whether it would be practicable to make a splendid Merlot wine available at an entry pricepoint. It came down to the wine industry press to convince Irvine that the timing was right to release a Merlot which showed what the flagship Irvine estate wines were really all about. Springhill is made from grapes which are ripened longer than usual, accentuating depth of flavour, while adding more fruit. All this brings about the excellent, soft but full bodied texture and mouthfeel, advancing an argument for the hegemony of Merlot.

The concept of bottling Merlot as a sparkling wine came from the re-emergence of interest in effervescent Australian burgundy. Irvine has been aged in older oak casks to give maturity without much oak infusion, thereby lifting the Merlot characters in their own right. The elegance and richness of Merlot was such that it needed to be balanced by less than the usual liqueuring, hence the Brut designation. The dryer taste, the creaming of the bead, and the clear cut Merlot flavour all combine to give a truly individual sparkling red wine.

After more than twenty years of research and development amongst the vines at Springhill in Valley Eden, conducted in concert with adjustments and fine tuning to the vinification techniques, Irvine have achieved a distinctive style, one of the finest examples of pure Merlot wines in the world. In May 1997 Irvine was judged World's Best in Switzerland against legends Chateau Petrus, Italy's Antinori and America's Mondavi. In 2006 Irvine Grand Merlot was named Best New World Red Wine at the prestigious Mundus Vini competition in Germany.

Crafted by one of Australia's most accomplished, highly specialized handlers of Merlot, assembled from components that are shared with the estate's Grand Merlot flagship. Very much a new world wine crafted with old world exactitude, offering generous helpings of varietal plum and chocolate spice. Irvine's entry level Merlot is fashioned for everyday enjoyment at a hard to find level of sophistication.

It's not every year that Howard Park release a pure Merlot wine, the most exceptional pickings are only ever set aside in the finest vintages for a special edition, when the harvest shines with opulence of fruit character, long, powerful flavours and seamless, satin tannins. Fermented to dryness for optimal expression of Margaret River savouryness, treated to an extended term of eighteen months French oak, the palate is a symphony bursting with berry complexities, dark chocolates and cedary, vanilla spice, all rounded out by the elegance of soft, silky Merlot tannins.

Despite their enviable international reputation and formidable list of awards, Hollick are a small family vineyard winery at the southern end of the Coonawarra Terra Rossa strip. Since inaugural release, Hollick have received resounding critical acclaim for their innovative Sparkling Merlot. Bottled under crown seal to retain the powerful fruit and richness of mousse, serve chilled at every occasion, or as the Hollick team suggest, alongside smoked salmon and eggs benedict over grilled brioche Ouefs Hollique for a wickedly indulgent brunch.

Merlot is planted to rocky outcrops where top soils are thin, resulting in a restricted water holding capacity which encourages lower yields, simply ideal for achieving great intensity of flavour and colour. Working with the challenging natural surroundings, the winemaking team try to capture the flavour and balance of the grapes in their purest essence.

When Grant Burge released his first pure varietal Merlot, there were only two other such wines in Australia. Burge is a pioneer of Barossa Merlot, planting the first exclusively Merlot vineyard at Hillcot in 1980. The fully mature vines can now yield grapes with intensely concentrated flavours, displaying the charm and characteristic softness expected of truly fine Merlot. Often called upon to soften the palate of more tannic varietals, pure Merlot makes a natural match to lamb and potato recipes.

Warburn Estate has produced lavish Trophy winning Merlots throughout it's entire range, and has applied it's hard won winemaking accumen to the Gossips non-vintage Merlot. A multi regional blend that's been blended to near perfection and offers oodles of Merlot characteristicness. There's warm nuances of baked cherries, green olive, truffle and mulberry combined with a relaxed tannin background and soft woody hints. A stylish and modern everyday table red that's sure to be very popular and reflects the winemaking skills of Warburn Estate and its precise understanding of Merlot.

Great Merlot is made in the vineyard. At its best, it is like a fingerprint, inextricably linking the personality and mood of the land. Yarra Valley produces distinctive, elegant and complex Merlot wines. A single parcel of fruit, hand picked off Blocks 3 & 4 of Sexton Vineyard, are treated to an old world style of vinification, into a mostly Merlot wine, which can be topped up from year to year by portions of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Franc, to enhance the tannins and build enticing complexity.

Gapsted are real wines made by real people, a partnership between dedicated viticulturalists and a distinguished winemaking team. The propitious compact means that everything by Gapsted carries the signature and personality of the people involved, the charm of small vineyards and influence of choice microclimes. The labour of love and passion by mates who share a desire to create appealing and personable wines, Tobacco Road is a compelling example of high country Merlot, endowed by ripe red fruit flavours and supported by well structured tannins.

Cabernet and Merlot perform brilliantly on the Strathbogie Ranges. Assembled into a single wine, they capture the heart of suitors in search of a soft, early drinking table red. 490m is an inspired effort by the team at Plunkett Fowles, who consumate the most gratifying wines from within the environment of their high altitude home. A vibrant accord of fruit, supported by the most congenial tannins. Soft and approachable, keen to cultivate your friendship, 490m loves pizza, a shared bowl of pasta or a quiet drink by the fire.

Winemaking legend Trevor Mast's daughters created the concept of the Four Sisters as a birthday surprise. Delighted with the idea, Trevor fashioned a small production wine from vines growing behind the family home. It has become one of the nation's most recognizable labels. Enter, Australia's favourite Merlot, a soft, rounded wine with delicate flavours and a subtle hint of sweet cocoa oak, a perfect match to mushroom risotto, beef teriyaki or peking duck.

Elderton made use of a secret ingredient across their stately range of award winning wines for many years, they originally called on small amounts of estate grown Merlot as an essential component. Eventually the quality of Merlot itself became so exceptional that the decision was made to bottle it as a pure wine. Elderton has now been recognised as one of the finest and most consistent examples of the varietal in Australia, manifesting just how gracious a Barossa Merlot can be, a wine of controlled power, polish and identity, sublime harmony and superb length.

There really is a Dowie Doole, architect/grower Drew Dowie and international banker/grower Norm Doole. Their dedicated team have struck a purple patch with Merlot, fortifying the pick of their crop with a tenth of Cabernet Sauvignon for structure, aromaticness and length. At Dowie Doole, quality drives everything. Viticulturally, the ultimate expression of quality is in delivering harvests of the most exceptional fruit to make great wines. The requisite McLaren Merlot style of early accessibility and soft lingering flavours, gracious tannins and supportive oak.

Devils Creek runs along the base of Mount Buffalo, providing a precious source of water to replenish vines which yield the most splendid harvests of Alpine Valley Merlot. The creek was famous for disappearing underground some years and welling up again in plentiful supply during others, leaving the exasperated locals to liken it to the devil himself. A vibrant cherry red wine exuding lifted ripe plum and chocolate notes. Fully flavoured with a hint of cool climate spice and fine oak integration. Who knows, a few glasses of Devils Creek may bring out the devil in you.

The Deakin Estate range of wines was launched in the 1990s as a limited release. Since then the estate's bountiful vineyards have delivered world class wines that are being extremely well received internationally. The sun and rich soils of the Murray River Valley yield fully flavoured, easy drinking and intensely satisfying Merlot wines. Deakin Estate exhibits all the cherry/plum fruit flavours and soft tannins that's expected of good Merlot.

Defined by altitude, Orange is one of Australia's highest and coolest regions. A capricious grape to grow, Merlot demands a regime of perfect conditions to achieve an even berry set. The growers of Orange have dutifully obliged over many years, painstakingly developing this new but salubrious winegrowing precinct for the realization of world class Merlot. Fruit sets very well and bunch thinning is undertaken to limit the yields. Cumulus will handsomely accompany roasted Mediterranean vegetables with lamb and wild mushroom medley.