AUSTRALIAN SHIRAZ

Grange is Australia's most collectible wine on the auction market and is listed as a Heritage Icon of South Australia. It was first created in the 1950s by the late Max Schubert, winemaker at Penfolds, whose aim was to create a Shiraz to end all Shirazes. His wine was controversial when first tasted with others at the winery but has since grown to become a liquid expression of South Australia's hot climate, its most planted grape variety and winemaking with all the bells and whistles. It's always youthful when first bottled and can age for decades, in the correct cellaring conditions. 

"Strongly marked, as always, by its 100% American oak elevage, the 2017 Grange backs up cedar and vanilla notes with ample blackberry and cassis fruit. Full bodied, ripe and decadently creamy, it's loaded with substance, concentration and rich, but, in the context of Grange, a relatively light and elegant finish. Only the seventh ever Grange to be exclusively Shiraz, it originates from Barossa Valley (86%) and McLaren Vale (14%); Shiraz from other growing regions in South Australia failed to make the grade this year."

Rating 96/100 Joe Czerwinski

Drinking date from 2023 to 2040

Meet Ox Hardy Shiraz; an elegant spicy and ripe black plummy wine with beautiful structure, which is made with grapes grown in Blewitt Springs in McLaren Vale, south of Adelaide, where sea breezes cool down the vines. Following harvest, the fruit was destemmed and crushed into fermenters with inoculated yeasts and gentle extraction of colour, tannin and flavour. The wine was drained off and the skins bag-pressed before being transferred to French Oak second fill barriques and three new hogsheads. It aged for 18 months in oak before being bottled with minimal filtration.

Ox Hardy is the brainchild of founder Andrew Hardy, whose nickname is Ox and whose great great grandfather was Thomas Hardy; the father of the South Australian wine industry.

Hogshead is made by South Australian winemakers Jim Zerella and Nicholas Crampton and is one of our best value Aussie Shirazes. It's dry with dark fruit flavours, a full body and spicy notes. A wine with a full body and smooth style. Tasty and great value. 

This wine is a deep red with a bright magenta hue. On the nose there are vibrant aromatics of red and black berry fruits, a lift of violet florals, clove spice and mixed garden herbs. The palate is dominated by a lively burst of berry fruits, which are well framed by fine, powdery tannins. Juicy plum and blackberry flavours persist through the finish, with sweet spice to close

One of Australia's greatest value red wines, not only for being affordably priced but because this wine is made with grapes that were hand pressed following fermentation. This gentle extraction method brings out smooth and silky textures in all of the wines made at d'Arenberg, accentuating fruity aromas and brightness of flavour. 

Pure Shiraz that's affordable doesn't get better. 

Mitolo's Nessus Shiraz is a rich, dark and smooth wine from McLaren Vale, South Australia. This impressive wine is all about rich, ripe, dark fruit flavours held captive in a soft and smooth Shiraz with layers of complex spicy notes and a hint of that characteristic peppery taste we know and love in great Shiraz. 

A bargain at more than this price and exceptional drinking for now or the next two to three years.

Buy at least two bottles. 

Winemaker Corey Ryan named Marschall Shiraz in homage of the late David Marschall, a martial artist , actor and demolition expert, whose legacy lives on through his vineyards in Barossa Valley's Tanunda and Ebenezer districts. And grapes from those two areas make up the backbone of this deeply fruity, dry, full bodied Shiraz, which is one of the outstanding reds in the Sons of Eden range. A great wine from a great new-ish brand, which highlights the potential of the world's most famous Shiraz region.

Yalumba Paradox Shiraz is made from grapes grown in a vineyard on the Barossa Valley floor which is known for its hot climate and bold wines, but this one fits the bill of beautiful elegance and structure as well as of powerful dark fruit flavours. Its intense tannins are beautifully balanced by refreshing acidity, lithe texture and it ticks the vegan friendly box.

Drink with mushrooms, tasty cheddar or anything meaty on the BBQ.

Knife Edge Shiraz puts a deliciously dry, savoury, earthy foot forward for Australia's most planted grape variety. It's full bodied and beautifully powerful with ripe plum and juicy dark berry flavours, made with grapes grown on the Best?s Sugarloaf Creek Vineyard in the Great Western in the Grampians in Victoria. 

Notes of white pepper, olive, sage, tart blue fruits and smoked meats make up this wine?s flavour profile. It's a stunner from winemaker Alexia Reed. 

Sean O?Riada is one of the heroes of modern Ireland. A talented musician and composer, he is credited with taking traditional Irish music out of the kitchens and pubs of Ireland and putting it on the concert stages of the world. He died, prematurely, in 1971, the year Clonakilla was established by John Kirk. He was John?s cousin.

2022 was a cool vintage with gentle ripening progressing well into autumn. The O?Riada is made from fruit picked from our estate vineyard and other fine sites in Murrumbateman and Hall. It?s a quintessential Canberra Shiraz, medium bodied with red berry and floral themes and plenty of cool-climate spice.

The blending of Viognier with Shiraz (aka Syrah) is a traditional French winemaking method from the Northern Rhone Valley appellation of Cote Rotie and some other areas. South Australian winemaker Johnny Quarisa takes his cue from that great wine region and blends a dash of Viognier with this Shiraz to enhance its dark fruit flavours and robust tannic style. The softness and rich fruity flavours that a little Viognier brings adds approachable drinkability to this full bodied dry red. It drinks well now and can further age for three to four years, even at this modest price.

Eden Valley born, Barossa winemaker Corey Ryan cut his teeth at Henschke before moving to Villa Maria in Auckland, New Zealand, and then returning home to create the Sons of Eden brand with an old buddy. This outstanding wine is the result of their partnership and is one of the pinnacle reds in the Sons of Eden range - a wine that will surprise with not only its power and intensity but also its balance and elegance. 

Zephyrus Shiraz is named after the Greek God of the West Wind, who is depicted as a majestic horse, which makes the artwork extremely apt on the label of this outstanding Shiraz. IT?s made from grapes grown in both the Eden Valley (45%) and the Barossa Valley (55%), which combine their, respectively, cooler and warmer climate attributes, which gives this wine its lively acidity and full bodied power. The wine was fermented using varying proportions of whole bunch clusters from 10% to 60% with 20 to 25 days on skins followed by pressing into French oak barrels, 45% new and 55% seasoned. It spent 15 months in oak and was bottled without fining or filtration so it ticks the vegan friendly box

This deep purple, dry, full bodied Shiraz has powerful ripe black fruit flavours and spicy notes that give this varietal its distinctive appeal.

A top shelf wine that you don't have to dig too deep to afford.