Glenrowan is a place of great natural endowments, it grows the finest fruit and hosted a famous gold rush. Glenrowan has remained quarantined from any exchange of viticulture since the 1890s, a felicitious quirk of history which has preserved the provenance of some great old vineyards. Varley is a compilation of the very best parcels Baileys Shiraz, treated to the time honoured traditions of open ferment, pumpovers and a course of extended age in the pick of fine French oak. Its impenetrable purple black hues, presage a prosperous palate of blood plums, bramble and dark earthen spice.

The Bailey's property at Glenrowan contains fifteen blocks of Shiraz, including some of the oldest vines in Victoria. Full bodied, traditionally styled, generous and august, yet marvelously approachable in its youth, after a term of fourteen months in a selection of French and American oak puncheons, characterised by its affability, seamlessness and style. Ripe plum and cherry fruit characters, enriched by dark licorice, espresso and malt, its robe of finely integrated oak and supportive length of gummy tannins, define a Shiraz of provenance and graceful old world charm.

Glenrowan Durif for those adherents who are in the know, is their any nobler style of Victorian? A slightly gentler construct than the more substantially built Rutherglen Durifs of tradition and lore, treated to an extended term of fifteen months in a selection of seasoned and new French oak barriques. An opaque maroon wine of comely violet floral perfumes, lavender and sweet spice, graphite and earth. The perfect balance between ribald richness and refined restraint, blueberries, blackberry and cinnamon spice, over a length of fine leathery tannins.

Steeped in history, the original Baileys store was situated next door to the Glenrowan Inn where widow Jones hosted Ned Kelly's siege. Following the gold rush, the Baileys turned to farming and settled on a property which they named Bundarra. Rural life was harsh and the Glenrowan countryside was stubborn. But the Baileys persevered, eventually sowing one of the most enduring vineyards in Australian history.

The Baileys of Glenrowan property is endowed with some of Victoria's oldest plantings. After the devastation of phylloxera at the turn of last century, vines were replanted in the rich granite soil below the Warby Ranges. Bailey's wickedly moreish fortifieds are all made entirely from fruit grown to the estate's quarantined Glenrowan vineyard, carefully barrel aged under perfect conditions to ensure a memorable drinking experience upon release.

Rutherglen is the world's most arcane and prestigious appellation of Durif. The vines here carry great distinction due to perpetual quarantine, after a devastating nineteenth century outbreak of phyloxera. Baileys have assembled parcels from their Glenrowan property around a weighty backbone of Rutherglen fruit, a mouth filling accord of ripe flavours and assertive tannin grip, to satiate the most demanding Durif devotee. Fifteen months in seasoned American oak puncheons, infuse anise and cocoa malt into a beguilingly captivating wine of mulberry and liquorice opulence.

Richard Bailey planted one of the first Glenrowan vineyards in the 1860s. The Bailey estate survived the downturn of the Victorian gold rush, the ravages of phylloxera and excesses of the Kelly gang, it endures to this day, producing some of the nation's most intensely flavoured and historically significant wines. A precious block of distinguished, dry grown old vines planted in the 1920s, yields a limited harvest of parched and concentrated Shiraz berries. The succulent red wine of choice to accompany the finest beef wellington or wagyu sirloin.

True lovers of life celebrate a little bit each day, what better way than with a glass of Azahara! A lusciously moreish sparkling Moscato, the perfect pre dinner starter, a great way to celebrate every occasion. You really must give Azahara a try, Spanish for orange blossom, the grapes are harvested from premier Deakin Estate vineyards, growing right next to rows of beautiful orange crush orchards alongside the sun drenched Murray Darling.

An exquisite accord of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, picked off the finest sparkling wine vineyards on the Murray Darling. An early picking, gentle processing of the purest free run juices and long cool ferment is followed by a luxurious course of sedimentery yeast lees ageing, achieving a wine of generosity and richness. Magnificently balanced between creamy biscuit characters, apple flan, stonefruits and tangy lemon creams, the Pinot Noir contributes a palate of ripe strawberry characters, winegums and cherries jublilee.

Pam and Richard Austin planted their first vines during the 1980s, in the Barrabool Hills southwest of Geelong, with a view to making super premium wines for Australia's best restaurants. The soils they turned were the same as those worked by pioneering Swiss over a century before, when Geelong was recognised as source of the finest Australian wines. The climate and rolling slopes of Moorabool Valley, the super soils and idyllic terroirs stimulate the vines into yielding intense Shiraz grapes with luscious plum flavours, cool climate spice and gripping tannins.

Established 1982, Scotchmans Hill host a tally of the most superior blocks of vine on the Bellarine. A splendid single vineyard Pinot Noir, only ever made in extremely limited quantities, grapes are all hand picked and painstakingly destemmed into small three tonnes fermenters for several days of cold soak, as the wild indigenous yeasts begin to weave their magic. Batches are hand plunged over the course of a fortnight, followed by a gentle press into a high proportion of new Troncais French oak barriques for sixteen months maturation.

The choicest parcels of Pinot Gris are harvested from high altitude King Valley vineyards where the long and sunny autumn days combine with cool nights to yield fully ripened grapes exhibiting crisp fruity acids and well defined varietal expression. The winemaking team at Armchair Critic have taken great effort to fashion an exemplary Pinot Gris without the influence of any oak, to showcase all the prime fruit characters which make this innately food friendly style of wine the first choice to accompany white meats, seafoods and risotto.

Under & Over is the way forward for Heathcote Shiraz, an impeccably balanced wine of individual character, complexity and charm. Under & Over are made according to a minimalist approach, the focus being on maximum expression of distinctive Heathcote Shiraz fruit character and heightened regionality. The winemaking team at Armchair Critic are well focused on appropriating the most intensely flavoured grapes to construct an excellent interpretation of early drinking Shiraz with outstanding depth of flavour and an impressively ripe, fruit filled finish.

The Fowles family have been at the centre of Victoria's commerce and development since early settlement. Founders of Bendigo Bank and Fowles Auction Group, they also established the first Victorian winery ever to win Great Australian Shiraz Challenge. The Fowles brand have continued to deliver with the most celebrated editions and memorable vintages, drawing fruit from the pick of their Strathbogie vineyards to be aged in the luxury of completely new oak, the first choice for service alongside flavourful game recipes, suckling pork or lamb.

Amherst is a town rich with colourful history and local folklore, site of the first official gold find in 1851, it launched a mining rush which expanded throughout central Victoria. The district's long association with viticulture is also prolific and colourful. Vines were planted here in the earliest days of settlement, many of the miners turned their efforts to winegrowing or constructing cellars for the burgeoning wine industry. A superior single site Shiraz from fruit grown to elite parcels, a mere hundred dozen, bottled with minimal fining and filtration to preserve the integrity of a great vineyard.

Samuel Dunn was an early Amherst resident, one of the first settlers to plant grapes in the Pyreness. His land was exploited for sheep grazing, until diggers found the locality alive with gold. The property was returned to viticulture in the 1990s and has since earned a reputation for limited releases of the finest Pyrenees wines. As with all vintages of Amherst, the amount of oak and alcohol are kept in check to ensure that the wine remains in perfect balance, the tannin structure is soft and very fine. An attractive prospect alongside well marbled beef and the finest haute cuisine.

Vinified from parcels grown to splendid Pyrenees vineyards, fashioned to be a generously proportioned wine with generous weight of fruit and firm, meaty tannins. Grapes are all hand picked, destemmed and inoculated for several days of ferment, basket pressed into a selection of new and seasoned oaks for an extended term of age. Enticingly perfumed of violets and morello cherry, a palate entry of blackberries and plum, spiced chocolates and prune over a fine structure of dutch chocolate tannins, a fully fragrant finish of blueberries and bramble over refined vanilla pencil oak.

Positioned half way between Avoca and Ballarat, the modestly sized Amherst have only ten acres under vine. The small yields translate into extraordinarily structured, powerfully intense wines, brimming with fine aromatics and lined with silky tannins. Local folklore has it that a shepherd discovered gold at Daisy Hill in 1848, the region flourished and suitably arable parcels were planted to vine in the 1850s. The enduring, full bodied Aussie Claret style, supple and soft after fan extended maturation in quality oak barriques, thoroughly approachable as a youthful wine.

The Daisy Hill district thrived throughout the 1850s, due to its location along the main route to and from gold fields. The Amherst property sits atop old alluvial tailings, ancient diggings can still be seen around the property dressed in rich quartz soils. The highly sought wines pay tribute to the heritage surrounding the vineyard. Amherst distinguishes its exceptional vintages, naming them after regional folklore, such as an escaped convict who was the first to cultivate local land, or the ancient Chinese market gardens, which dispensed fresh produce to the gold fields of yesteryear.

All Saints store their ageing fortifieds in the Great Hall, an area of a castle built in the 1880s, lined with huge 100-year-old oak casks, filled with rare wines. Some of these fortified wines are up to eighty years old and form the base of the rich fortified All Saints blends. The wines are amongst Australia's and the world's greatest, internationally extolled for their richness and lusciousness. All Saints Estate won the first gold medal for Australian wine in 1873 at the London International Exhibition and continues to win trophies and receive rave reviews today.

This is a great celebration of the vital characters of luscious Muscat. Fashioned from barrels of old stock of various vintages, All Saints has lovely flavours of butterscotch and apricot, fresh lifted spirit, and that sensational aromatic profiles. The long, warm Autumn days at Wahgunyah are virtually perfect for allowing the fruit to ripen to the high baume levels and raisining so essential for the style. Delightful on its own as an after-dinner drink, All Saints is superb when served alongside hot oven fresh, steaming and spicey desserts.

A rich mix of select parcels at various stages of maturity, chosen for their softness and articulation of all good things Tokay. Muscadelle has been grown at All Saints Estate since establishment in 1864. Originally thought to have evolved from the Hungarian Tokai varietal, it is now generally accepted that Tokay is made from Muscadelle, an intensely flavoured late ripening grape. Sip alongside stilton, a treat with tiramisu, All Saints have already done the ageing for you so serve with confidence to your most discerning guests.

Bored with pontificating wine bores? Had it with guests ruining your parties by endlessly droning on about the relative merits of French and American oak or the latest wine reviewer scores? If so, All Saints have the solution for you, revitalize your evenings with Golden Cream Sherry. Made from luscious Muscat of Alexandria grapes, which can trace their origins to the libations of pharoahs and bacchanalia of ancient Rome. In Australia Muscat is also known as Gordo Blanco and is the secret ingredient to some of the nation's favourite wines.