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.

The secret to the peerless quality of Mike Press wines lies in a closely nurtured vineyard, several decades of viticultural experience and a commitment to the joy of winemaking. He established his homestead Kenton Valley vineyard at Lobethal, high up the Adelaide Hills in 1998, to focus on growing the finest fruit. Pinot Noir performs magnificently here, Press adores the authenticity of the great Burgundy Crus, he painstakingly husbands his vines to the most exacting regimens, for the realization of a pastoral Pinot Noir, redolent of the barnyard, spiced plum and raspberry coulis fruits.

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.

Mike Press knows about red wine, he learned his craft at Penfolds while working alongside the man who created the mighty Grange, before completing tours of duty at Krondorf, Seppelt and Mildara Blass. He also has a good eye for the land, selecting a choice site in Adelaide Hills which yields superior harvests of Cabernet Sauvignon. Such was the quality of fruit grown to the single precious vineyard at Lobethal, that Mike Press received overwhelming critical acclaim and several conspicuous wine show triumphs for his first ever vintage.

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.

A sensational accord of two stately arcadian varietals which coalesce into a dulcet harmony of sweet, savoury and spiced red winegum characters. Grapes are all hand picked and de stemmed, crushed and traditionally fermented in open top vessels, followed by a year's maturation in a mix of well seasoned French oak hogsheads. Shiraz bring the bouquet forward with spicy peppered currant notes, the palate brimming with crunchy berry fruits, Barbera contributes a measure of juicy, cherry brightness, taut acid backbone and wonderfully seamless structure.

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.

Situated among some of the most picturesque vineyard country, Longview's salubrious southerly vistas are leading the charge of contemporarily styled Adelaide Hills reds, drawing international critical acclaim and a swag of awards. Longview make wine the way nature intended, as an expresssion of the soil and season in which they are cast. Nebbiolo in the Vino Novello style, redolent of fragrant florals and fashioned for early drinking, the perfect suitor to rosemary lamb, duck breast in berry jus or Italian style sheperd's pie with oven dried tomatoes and basil eggplant. Yum.

Longview is just south of the historic township of Macclesfield in Adelaide Hills. Once a dairy farm, it's been meticulously restored and developed into an award winning estate vineyard, now crafting the most spectacular, regionally articulate wines. Devil’s Elbow is a hairpin turn on the old Adelaide freeway, Longview's oldest vines are planted here, a place of shallow, sandy loams, ironstone and quartz topsoils. The quality of Cabernet is spectacular, in regal Adelaide Hills fashion, its overture of wild cherries, capsicum and fresh herb, resolving on a lengthy, black bramble finish.

Longview are one of the most highly awarded wineries in Adelaide Hills, having claimed trophies and medals at conspicuous national tasteoffs. The predominantly northeast facing slopes and valleys, combined with the cool climate of the Adelaide Hills and superior winemaking practices, have produced outstanding vintages. A forward drinking effort with distinctive violet and cassis Cabernet characters mixed through with spicy Shiraz fruit. The seamless palate is lined with ripe berry flavours, soft tannins and a long, seamlessly savoury finish.

From the bespoke Manno Vineyard at Hillier in Mt Lofty Ranges, off vines over fifty years of age, planted to grey alluvial loams over limestone substrate. Treated to a traditional old world vinification of open top, whole bunch ferments and hand plunges, a good old fashioned basket press and twenty two months in a selection of seasoned French and American oaks. Its elegant, silky palate in support of clove and dark chocolate fruit flavours, it continues to build, dark and full of old vine power, its fine tannins drawing out the long satisifying finish.

Two Gawler high school mates mooted the idea of making Adelaide wine. Vineyards were surveyed, the major requirement being that old vines were essential. They fortuitously secured for themselves supply from some precious old sites which had survived the pullout schemes of the 1980s. Grapes are picked off old to very old vines, grown in auspicious sandy loams, nestled amongst the river red gums of Mt Lofty. Components are cannily assembled to achieve a unique construct of the established Cabernet Sauvignon style.

Leabrook were born out of a love for the great Pinot Noir growths of la Bourgogne. Following a proverbial pilgimmage to the illustrious Cote-d'Or, a quarter hectare of rocky soils was secured on the propitious Adelaide Hills, the aim being to construct a new world Pinot Noir of satin textures, solid palate weight and the softest, chamois tannins. Closely planted and lovingly husbanded, the precious vines yield an extraordinary quality of Pinot Noir. A mix of seasoned and new French oak barriques are employed to mature gracefully without dominating the fruit.

Leabrook are all about crafting restricted yields of hand picked Adelaide Hills fruit through a Burgundian approach to winemaking. Vines were originally establsihed to a quarter hectare hobby block of rocky clay soil in Onkaparinga Valley, closely planted in the traditional French way, the inaugural vintages immediately started to show promise. A historic woollen mill in Lobethal was ideally suited as a wineworks. Textural, elegantly aromatic and exquisitely balanced, the limited release wines of Leabrook may not be easy to find but they are worth the challenge.

The Adelaide Hills Lane Vineyard was established after an exhaustive search to find a property with the perfect aspects and soil to plant vines. John Edwards acquired his affinity for viticulture and honed his skills alongside the most gifted Adelaide Hills winemakers during a tour of duty at Starvedog Lane. The choicest grapes, hand picked off twenty year old vines, grown to the elite Block 14, are minimally crafted into a beautifully perfumed, elegantly structured and singularly articulate wine, which speaks profoundly of single vineyard Adelaide Hills Shiraz.

An opulent accord of the most superior single vineyard Adelaide Hills Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, picked off Stephen and Prue Henschke's exceptional site at Lenswood. This eminently distinguished vineyard was established among the historical homesteads along Coldstore Road by the first settler T N Mitchell in the late 1800s, these prestigious parcels are known to locals as Abbotts Flat. The property yields the most superlative quality Merlot to be found anywhere on the Adelaide Hills.

Superior vintages from a tally of graceful old sites. The pick of elite vineyard Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir, a precious parcel of heirloom clones of course, planted to a single, bespoke site of propitious free draining quartz slopes. Whole bunches of fruit are traditionally open fermented and basket pressed, treated to the top cut of French coopered oak, bottled unfiltered and unfined. Its perfume of pudding fruits, punnett of ripening cherries, boysenberry and mossy forest floor, sheathed behind a veil of oaken vanilla cedar and freshly milled spice.

A rich and complex mix, Bordeaux style, dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Shiraz make an essential contribution to the ultimate roundness of style. Aged eighteen months in French oak, a seamlessly integrated accord that's drinking beautifully, the previous vintage claimed Gold Medals Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, it was Royal Melbourne's Highest Rated Wine. We love it and we know that you will too.

The unique qualities of Tempranillo can be attributed to it's engrossing varietal charms and effusive personality. Elevated slopes and ancient soils at a spectacular site in the Mt Torrens area of Adelaide Hills provide the ideal harsh conditions to infuse character. A backbone of fruit grown to good vineyards in McLaren Vale offers varietal potency and assertive character. Chapel Hill exudes savoury olive and bay complexities of Mediterranean influence, vibrant dark berry characters are supported by a deeply flavoured palate and chewy, mouth filing tannins.

Amadeus Francis Symonds was a local preacher, Justice of the Peace and chairman of Para Wirra district, he took up land at Chain of Ponds in 1848. The first bible christian Methodist services in the district were held at his old farm house, continuing until he laid foundations for the local church. One of the earliest vineyard wineries ever mentioned in the local Adelaide Hills papers, much of the fruit grown to Chain of Ponds has been a component of Penfolds most memorable vintages, the finest parcels are set aside and vinified under the estate's own label.

A rigorous tasting selection of the best barrels Malbec from a superior Langhorne Creek site, only ever made to small batch techniques in the most exceptional vintage years. Fruit is destemmed and open fermented, pumped over four times daily and pressed into a selection of well seasoned French oak puncheons for malolactic and a year's maturation. The ultimate expression of Malbec from Bleasdale, rich and full bodied, intense violet, boysenberry and black olive characters throughout, powerful fruit flavour and firm grape tannin structure.

The pick of crop Adelaide Hills Shiraz, albeit in a very Cote du Rhone kind of way. Hand picked and gently destemmed into small open top vats, a fifth of the harvest remains as whole bunches, tipped over top of the ferments and treated to a minimalist, long, cool temperature vinification, minimal pump overs and gentle pigeage, followed by eighteen months in a mix of seasoned and new French oak barriques. Vivid purple, lifted aromatics, blackberry, violets and herb, juicy fruit weight, silky, slightly chalky tannins underpinning the bright acidity, Syrah of structure and superior length.

The dedicated team at Bird in Hand are driven by a determination to grow into one of the world's great wineries. Proprietor Andrew Nugent lives and works among the vines and the winery. He has assembled the best team, he's painstakingly selected the perfect terroir and is well on his way to realizing the ultimate dream. Bird in Hand is an extremely limited release which has claimed a breathtaking list of wine show accolades, including International Wine Challenge trophies for best Adelaide Hills red, best Australian red and best Australian Shiraz.

The great grape of Sicily, a big flavoursome style, characterised by its generosity and upfront bramble fruit richness. Nero d'Avola loves the sunshine, Bird In Hand have planted their stocks to the warmest slopes on Adelaide Hills. Treated to a week and a half of ferment on skins for optimal extractions, a proportion of the berries are left whole for complexity. Sixteen months in French oak has built a wine of intensity, seamlessness and palate weight, its spicy black olive savouryness, plummy flesh and lithe, sweet gummy tannins resolve on a lingering, peppery finish.

There's a single block of Montepulciano along Bird In Hand Road at Woodside in the northern Adelaide Hills, a warmer site with rocky, well drained soils, perfectly suited for Italians. The seaside influence of Gulf of St. Vincent, the cloud trapping rise of Mount Lofty Ranges and generous Australian sun, all conspire to form a unique diurnal temperature shift that wine grapes love. A completely hand made wine, crafted from fruit grown to the mineral rich soils above an historic, eponymously named gold mine.

Adelaide Hills make mighty Merlot, the cooler temperatures, elevated aspects and sheltered mesoclimes are Shangri La for the exceptional ripening and outstanding tannin development worthy of the finest Medoc. Hand picked throughout the fogswept hours of early morning, the worthiest hand picked bunches are treated to a week of ferment before a course of fourteen months in a selection of artisanaly coopered French oak barriques. Redolent of mulberries, plum and festive spice, its fine silky tannins in support of the graceful, elegant high altitude fruit.

A compilation of bespoke parcels Cabernet, hand chosen off a tally of superior, limited yield sites across the premier viticultural precincts of Adelaide Hills, Macclesfield, Birdwood and Kersbrook. Bunches are crushed into fermenters for a week on skins, followed by transfer to a luxuriously high proportion of new French oak barriques for eighteen months maturation before assemblage. Full bodied, fleshy, long silky tannins in support of the defined Cabernet muscularity, its cassis, cedar and black bramble opulence to match with entrecote, Jus and shallot.

A Piccadilly Valley flagship, recipient of the most impressive accolades since inaugural release. Fine and elegant, displaying intensely complex varietal character of dark cherry, strawberries, spices and game, with wonderful length and intensity of colour. The palate is rich and voluptuous, the tannins soft and silky, the aftertaste long and lingering. Most of the grapes are sourced from vines at Uley Vineyard which were planted in 1983 and are now expressing their maturity. Like all great wines, Barratt is made in the vineyard and assembled from the best of barrels of vintage.

Stephen George established three hectares of dry grown vines in Piccadilly Valley during the early 1980s, yields from this tiny patch of terroir remain extremely scant. A juggling act of no fewer than fifteen different clones to construct the consumate Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir, from a terroir and mesoclime very similar to Burgundy, a labour of love for one of the industry's most accomplished and venerated identities. Blend No.1 is made from fruit grown to Jim Griggs neighbouring Cemetery Block vineyard.

It has taken Alta years of nurture to see their Shiraz vines come of age, when only the best fruit will do, you need to be patient. Fashioned to a style so evocative of southern France, crafted with a view to retaining natural perfumes, employing a regimen of extended macerations, whole bunches and small, open vessel ferments, to achieve a supple palate offering great depth of fruit, seamless tannin structure and persistence. Finely structured, elegant and defined, Alta brings the excellence of Adelaide Hills Shiraz to a place of old world eloquence.