Every Shiraz grape grown by Mitolo is cultivated and nurtured with passion and zeal, sparing no effort or resource to ensure that the best of everything is brought together to construct wines of elegance, purity and power. Savitar is the flagship Mitolo Shiraz, a tightly structured wine produced by maestro Ben Glaetzer in very limited qualities. Savitar features heady aromas and a powerful yet elegant multi dimensional palate. Shiraz is sourced from a single superb site, the elite Lopresti Vineyard's Chinese Block in Willunga, at the southern end of McLaren Vale.

An exclusive assemblage of the most elite parcels, picked off a tally of the finest rows Shiraz on the Chinese and Sandra's blocks at Aldinga and Willunga. Remarkable for its opulence, seamlessness, linearity and textural aplomb, Marsican is defined by the richness of ripe black fruits, olive tapenade savouryness and fragrance of freshly milled tradewind spice. A long cool ferment and gentle press, before being treated to the luxury of completely new French oak for eighteen months, followed by a rigorous cull to determine the most outstanding barrels for inclusion into Marsican Shiraz.

Whether it's the care taken by Frank Mitolo in the vineyard, or the excellence of Ben Glaezter's skill at making icon wines, each edition of Mitolo is nurtured and developed with a zeal and passion that spares no effort to ensure that the best of everything is brought together to formulate wines of elegance, purity and power. Jester is matured in the same barrels that have been used for prior vintages of Mitolo's most auspicious editions of Shiraz. Jester is upfront and personable for early enjoyment, it over delivers in terms of quality and style.

From fruit grown to the Chinese Block on Lopresti vineyard in Willunga district at the southern end of McLaren Vale. Soils are heavy grey loam over sandstone intermixed with black Biscay clay, a hungry earth which naturally controls yield. The climate mirrors that of the Mediterranean, warm days and cool nights ensure even ripening and development of rich fruit flavours. GAM is opulent and robust, a Shiraz of great richness that's multilayered with complexity, it nevertheless retains a measure of finesse and the characteristic Mitolo softness.

From a single parcel of vine at the southern end of McLaren Vale near the seaside town of Willunga, paradoxically known to the vignerons as Sandra. Fruit is gently crushed and pumped over for ten days of ferment, followed by eighteen months in a selection of mostly seasoned French oak, aimed at preserving the feminity of a distinctly supple block of Shiraz. Prettily perfumed of ripe backcurrants, mintyness, espresso and plum, her moreish chocolate box flavours are beautifully balanced by crisp morello acidity and supported by grippy, savoury tannins.

A flagship Victoran effort, traditionally crafted from Shiraz grapes picked off the oldest and most superior blocks within the Mitchelton estate vineyard. The vines receive little water so they drive their gnarled roots deep down through the sandy soil layers in search of moisture. These veteran vines are naturally devigorated and unirrigated, meticulosuly managed by hand, ensuring precious yields of small, intensely flavoured berries which are reserved for the creation of this eminent edition of Victorian Shiraz.

The opulence of mature vines Shiraz, grown to the fertile blocks along Goulburn River, banked by mighty red gums and surrounded by propitious billabongs, an essential part of the terroir and clime which make the wines of Mitchelton so structured and refined. Goulburn is a shangri la for winegrowing, harvests are measured but the quality of fruit is breathtaking. Redolent of spice and juicy black plums, mullberries and milkbox, reductions and fruit, supported by the leather savouryness of ripe oak tannins, Shiraz which defines the enduring Victorian style, generously proportioned yet elegant and poised.

Yes there really is an old pepper tree which grows on the Mitchell Watervale vineyard, a happy coincidence, as the nose and palate exhibits the exemplary varietal spice and pepper characters of super fine Shiraz. Vinfied from the fruit of vines up to fifty years of age or more, the amiable Peppertree is full flavoured and features a soft, almost velvety palate, harmoniously integrated and very easy to drink in its youth, with the quality and structure to mature gracefully while developing wonderful complexities.

The top contender for the most exceptional value in outstanding yet underrated Australian red wine. Mr Press planted vines on a choice piece of Adelaide Hills in 1998, with a view to retiring off the fruit of decades of viticultural experience. The uncanny synergy between Mike Press and the Adelaide Hills yields a remarkable quality of Shiraz, which has claimed a breathtaking tally of international wine show accolades, Best Wine under $20 at the Edinburgh Great Shiraz Challenge, Best Shiraz and Best Wine at the Adelaide Hills Wine Show.

Metala Original Plantings Shiraz is sourced from the original Metala Old Block and Cellar Block vines planted in 1891 and 1894 respectively. The superior vineyard sits right on the edge of the Bremer River, flooded during the winter, it's nourished by rich alluvial soils that provide natural irrigation to the vines. Planted on single wire trellises, which was at the time, cutting edge viticultural practice and nearly unheard of in the region, the ancient low-yielding vines enjoy a natural balance of fruit and leaves. Only ever released in exceptional vintages, the 1994 is an extremely rare flagship wine.

Low alcohol wines for aspirants of fine Shiraz? The underlying strength and success of McWilliam's for generations has been the philosophy that wine is made in the country, cultivated and crafted by people who live and work amongst the vines. The skill of the team is born out by their ingenuity at effecting unique styles which begin within the vineyard and are exactingly handled to the highest standards. Enter Balance, an engaging, low alcohol and low carb wine, brimming with Shiraz plums and spice, elegant fruit and convivial tannins.

In commemoration of the year Samual McWilliams planted his first vines, 1877 is a national flagship, crafted from the best fruit of vintage. The choicest parcels of estate grown Shiraz are sourced from superior mature vines on the original McWilliams plantings at Barwang among the Hilltops. Since inaugural release, 1877 has accumulated a breathtaking list of wine show trophy wins and countless gold medals. A wine of immense power and drive, its refined line of tannin holding it all together in an act of balance and precision.

A shared interest in crafting exceptional quality wines inspired leading industry identities Alister Purbrick and Andrew McPherson to identify the choicest Victorian sites. Much of the estate plantings are old vine, a large portion of their production are destined for discerning enthusiasts overseas, the pick of crop is reserved for the most astute aficionados right here in Oz. Principle contender for best value Shiraz in the land, a palate of remarkable length, its plum and dark currant fruit characters are seasoned by complex spice notes and framed by delicate, carob oak.

Since 1979 Maxwell have built a reputation for producing hand made, rich and robust red wines that combine exquisite fruit quality with structure and finesse. Shiraz is a specialty and their superlative efforts have brought Maxwell much acclaim for their definitive McLaren Vale regionality and purity of expression. The shared sentiment around the Maxwell wineworks, is that life's too short to drink bad wine. A generously proportioned Shiraz with excellent depth of flavour, long, velvety tannins and splendid palate length.

Named for the labyrinthine conifer maze along old Ellen Street adjacent to the Maxwell wineworks, Minotaur is a McLaren Vale icon, treated to a minimalist old world vinification and two years repose in a selection of the finest French oak puncheons. Exquisitely perfumed with dark tarry fruit bouquets, cherries, cigar box and caravan spice, its voluminous palate continues to unravel layers of complexity as the wine breathes and evolves. Fewer than 200 dozen are ever vintaged, an immense Shiraz of power, purity and persistence.

Single block Shiraz from a parcel of Shiraz clone 1654, planted near the intersection of Olivers and Chalk Hill Roads at the very north of Maxwell vineyards. Deeply influenced by the unique alluvial grey brown loam soils over Tortachilla limestone, Eocene is treated to the luxury of two years age in a selection of the finest French oak hogsheads. Vibrant and animate, highly articulate of its single site provenance, generous with intense weight of fruit, the syrup blackberry, raspberry and plum flavours cascade over the length of opaque, bittersweet chocolate tannins.

Just between the southern estate boundary of Ellen Street and the Maxwell wineworks, a small vineyard of craggy, gnarled Shiraz vines planted 1953 yields a tiny harvest of the most concentrated Shiraz. Matured twenty months in a high proportion of new French and American oak hogsheads, Ellen Street's redolent nose of ripe blood plum, aniseed and vanilla presages a refined palate brimming with the trade spice complexities of old vine McLaren Vale, cinnamon and chocolates, blueberries and clove, all resolving on an expansive, elegant finish.

The sixty year old Shiraz vines from Greenock which are the source of Eleventh Hour were ready to be uprooted due to the lack of yields and the reluctance of wine companies to pay extra for the exceptional quality fruit. Following repeated requests by Massena for access to the grapes, the growers finally decided to stop the bulldozer and retain a small area of these vines at the eleventh hour. For well informed cohorts of the Cotes du Rhône, think a warm season in Cornas meets Maxime Graillot's Crozes Hermitage from the splendid Domaine de Lises.

The enthusiastic team at Marius are focused purely on growing the best possible fruit and retaining the pick of the harvest, with a view to making the best possible wine from these choice grapes. Wines of integrity which can best define the character of Shiraz grown to a unique terroir. To let the vineyard speak.

The pick of Coonawarra Shiraz, treated to an extravagantly extended fermentation, for maximal uptake of dense, chocolatey purple fruit flavours, rakish colour and wickedly decadent chewy licorice textures, two years and more on gross sedimentery lees to infuse the wine with wanton richness, while taming and integrating the prodigal tannins. Eventually disgorged to true Methode traditionnelle, Majella is served with the ultimate indulgence, an inclusion of Reserve Vintage Coonawarra Port and dosage liqueur, crowned and resealed.

Made from forty year old vines, Majella has acquired a timeless reputation as one of the Coonawarra's flagship Shiraz wines. From vines planted to grazing country, there's not much money in wool but Majella still run wethers and lamb on their properties at Coonawarra and Penola.

One of Coonawarra's leading viticultural estates and most eminent winemaking operatons, Majella has earned an enviable reputation for growing and bottling the region's very finest Shiraz. The most superior standards in vineyard management and an obsessive attention to detail make the wines of Majella, Coonawarra classics, highly esteemed by discerning enthusiasts around the world. There may not be a lot of it made each year but it is very, very good, anyone who thinks that Coonawarra is only for Cabernet needs to shout themselves a bottle of Majella Shiraz.

One of Maglieri's great achievements has been a run of sensational successes at the London International Wine Challenge. Maglieri has twice beaten all comers, to be voted Best Shiraz of the competition. With the high quality of grapes from the estate vineyards, the emphasis during vinification is to preserve the quality of fruit. Maglieri fashions a moreish Shiraz wine exhibiting spiced blackberry, plum and liquorice characters, indulgent like a festive cake, framed by well integrated oak, supported by the most polished, fully compliant tannins.

According to local folklore, the tranquillity of Mad Fish Bay is broken when two tides meet, driving schools of small fish to go quite completely bonkers, as they jump about to avoid being gobbled up by the incoming tide of larger, hungry fish. Exquisitly balanced, highly polished, affable and quaffable, a delicious red wine that's mouthfilling, approachable and complete, fashioned from fruit grown to a corner of Australia that does Shiraz so very well.

Syrah is a style of wine that Lucinda does exceedingly well, a few precious parcels of the excruciatingly limited harvest are set aside for a blushing pink wine that's garrulous of a superior site and auspicious climes. No two vintages are ever the same, each year brings its own complexities, Lucinda take a view that Syrah Rosé must not only be pretty to see and moreish to taste, it should express the influence of season and resonance of soil. Pepper, currants and musk, her rakish rose hues are a reflection of succulent cherry ripeness, savoury tannin crispness and divine, pink jelly jube.

Crafting small yields of exceptional fruit are what Lucinda do best, a collation of parcels Heathcote Shiraz are treated to a minimalist vinification and time well spent in a selection of luxury oak barriques. Led by a vibrant nose of mulberries, red currants, tri colour peppercorns and plum, the decidedly ferrous Heathcote terra rosa perfumes precede an elegantly structured palate, seasoned by bay leaf, garniture and thyme, its lingering length of silky tannins define a superbly balanced Shiraz that's remarkable for its gracious seamlessness, superb balance and resplendent style.

Longview Vineyard lies just a little south of the renowned winemaking township at Macclesfield. Originally one of the region's largest dairy farms, the splendid site has now been planted to some of the most auspicious vines in Adelaide Hills. Yakka is a vigorous Shiraz in contemporary styling, flattering oak and piquant spice, lengthy with flavour over a lasting, clean finish. Grapes are all hand picked to minimize any damage, inoculated and vinified on skins in open fermenters, softened by a course of malolactic and treated to fifteen months in a mix of seasoned and new French oak barriques.

In complete symbiosis, alongside the low yielding Shiraz vines at Longview, are the native flora and fauna of Adelaide Hills. The property is home to kangaroos, geese, ducks, sheep, horses, so many different species of indigenous animals and birds within the Heritage Reserve. To maintain the natural beauty of the existing land, Longview Vineyard employs the most environmentally friendly, sustainable viticulture.

Adelaide Plains Shiraz, and what great wine it makes, graceful, generous and stylishly balanced. The vineyards speak in the final wine, every expression from the intensely flavoured grapes, picked off vines, fifty years of age, is captured and retained. Earthern ironstone and quartz laced textures of the foothills and north ranges, smooth ferments and fine colour, lively peppery notes are indicative of old vines fruit. The inaugural vintage of Longhop Shiraz was a sellout and runaway success after being the subject of ecstatic praise from industry press.

Long Flat have enjoyed a strong following among enthusiasts ever since inaugural release in 1966. So let's give a warm welcome to Long Flat Shiraz, a delicious wine with a tantalizing profile of juicy plums and supple spice, softly oaked, in a generously flavoured, forward drinking and approachable style. If ever a wine was made to add atmosphere to the proceedings of a good Sunday roast, this is the one. Enjoy with lamb, crisp skinned chicken or beef, an excellent match to tomato ragu pastas or lasagna melanzane.

There's never very much of it around but Hunter Valley Shiraz commands respect, as much for its personable regionality as its esoteric, epicurean appeal. Dr Lindeman planted his first Shiraz in 1843, labelling it Cawarra Claret for export to Europe and the Empire, where it claimed honours at the prestigious competitions of London and Paris. The legacy of some great old vineyards endures, crafted to the timeless Hunter Valley style, elegant with savoury fruit over a structure of lithe tannins, cosseted by a veneer of refined and polished oak.

Bin 40 offers the solid structure and fragrant spiced cherry plum character of the finest Shiraz, albeit in an early drinking style, for enthusiasts who prefer their wines young and fruit forward. A match to seared snags or stir fried beef, sticky pork ribs, charcoal grills or smartly dressed lamb.

Here's a treat for the real enthusiasts of all good things Gippsland, an effusive, textural wine to match with a grill of the best beef or hunk of holiday pud. Fashioned to the complete methode traditionnelle, employing the full monty of bottle ferments, riddling and disgorgement, an elegantly structured, richly effervescent, plum and allsorts flavoured wine, layered with complexity and brimming with festive fruit characters. Gippsland Shiraz through and through, a lovely vibrancy and depth of flavour are complemented by its seemingly endless, mouthcoating finish.

Is there a place on the Australian mainland that's as condusive as Gippsland for the realization of fleshy, fragrant Shiraz wines of remarkable balance and stately structure? Myrtle Point Vineyard was established in the right way, chosen after an exhaustive search to isolate the perfect site for cool climate viticulture. An elegant construct of Gippsland Shiraz, perfumed with punnets of dark plum, opaque berries and milled spice, its peppery black cherried palate is supported by a length of malleable allsort tannins and sophisticated French oak.

Margaret River makes famously intense, deeply stylish Shiraz, somewhat more sanguine and evocative than its distant relations from winegrowing regions further afield. The balmy maritime breezes and cooler nights produce a Shiraz wine that conjures up impressions of the prevailing mistral winds of Valley Rhone. Slightly more forward drinking than the estate flagships, Sibling is endowed with layers of radiant olive/plum fruit characters and piquant spice characters, supported by excellent length of the most graceful tannins.