Crafted from the meagre harvest of a precious two acres Chardonnay, planted to the top of a felicitious slope that looks away towards the idyllic pastorals of Victoria's fertile western agriculture. Irrewarra wines are encouraged in the making, to be articulate of the season in which they are grown, to express a pride of provenance and sense of place. It's all about the treatise of terroir at Irrewarra, composing Chardonnay of real structure, big boned, fruity and fleshed, a luxurious minerality in aqueous suspension of penetrating grapefruit characters, cumquat, seashells and brine.

Famille Hugel's Schoelhammer is an uber elite block, thirty priceless rows of Riesling, planted to a steep slope of ancient alluvial, calcium rich soils, overlooking the village Riquewihr at the heart of the illustrious Schoenenbourg vineyard. A place that's renowned throughout the world of wine, Schoenenbourg has been the source of Riesling for Europe's aristocracies since the seventeenth century. Boldly structured yet exquisitely balanced, suave and mineral rich, elegantly oyster shell dry, a mere two hundred dozen are ever made from any vintage.

Schoenenbourg is an illustrious Grand Crus vineyard, planted to rich alluvial sediments on a southeast slope, just north of the village Riquewihr in Alsace. Renowned throughout the world since the seventeenth century for the quality of its Riesling, it remains one of the great enduring vineyards of all time. Hugel retain the best hand picked parcels, grapes are gently pressed and settled for a warm vinification in traditional oak barrels and vats, bottled the folowing Spring and sent to the Hugel estate cellars for an extended course of age before release.

Crafted from fruit picked off the finest blocks of old Hugel vine at the heart of Grand Crus Schoenenbourg, source of the most distinguished Riesling wines for centuries. Selected long ago by ancient vignerons for its auspicious, steeply sloped, marl, dolomite and gypsum soils, the great philosopher Voltaire was moved to take up viticulture here. Treated to an extended term of bottle age under the Hugel estate cellars, remarkable crystalline textures, refined minerality and delectable apple ginger fruit, a respendent Riesling from the noblest Alsace vineyards.

The pick of Pinot Gris from the three finest Hugel blocks on the propitious chalky terroirs of Pflostig in Riquewihr. Vinifications are all gently gravity fed in and out of traditional fermentation barrels and vats until a light filtration and bottling in the following Spring. Golden delicious, acacia and greengage, honey and brioche and liquorice, supple smokyness, calico, pebbles and flint, its luxurious minerality and lingering complexity makes Hugel a refined accompaniement to haute cuisine recipes featuring truffle and the freshest mushrooms.

The splendid Alsatian tradition, of assembling wines across a number of varietals, into a whole that's greater than the sum of parts. Hugel offers the suave, spicyness of Gewurztraminer, the body of Pinot Gris and finesse of Riesling, grapiness of Muscat and refreshing character of Sylvaner, within a single, exquisitely balanced wine. The long and cool growing season of the Riquewihr plateau, makes a major contribution to the cohesion of this unique, dry wine, adding finesse and encouraging a harmonious integration of the complex characters.

Hugel is one of the world's great wines. A joy to savour and to fully appreciate its freshness and purity of style, a flavoursome Riesling that everyone should enjoy far more often. Made by those wonderful folks who invented Riesling, grapes are grown in a region that has been producing the world's most reasured white wines for millenia. Hugel is vinified exclusively from fruit grown to sites in and around Riquewihr, managed by vignerons under contracts which have lasted for generations. A fine match to all good seafood, poached, grilled or smoked.

One of the world's most cherished wines, founder Hans Ulrich Hugel was chairman of the Riquewihr Corporation of Winegrowers during the 1640s. The Hugel estate vineyards have remained in Riquewihr ever since. Unique mesoclimes yield a distinctive style of Pinot Gris, richly flavoured yet charmingly dry, a true gastronomer's delight which calls for cuisine. Hugel make the world's most satisfying Pinot Gris, the wine of choice to accompany fine faire, dover sole almondine or a creamy sauced lobster, pheasant terrines and foie gras.

The great speciality of Alsace, it is only here that the piquant aromaticness and decadent richness of Gewurztraminer achieves such opulence. A long cool growing season is essential, the temperate yet sunny days and clear chilly nights of Riquewihr, ripen Gewurztraminer at a slow steady pace, infusing grapes with acrid florals, turkish delights and maghrebi spice. Pungent yet suave, it can be enjoyed on its own but makes a marvellous accompaniment to full flavoured cuisines, smoked meats and curries, tanjin or well spiced faire.

An assemblage of the finest fruit, picked off superior, high altitude vineyards on Mt Barker and the Porongurups, nourished by a continental pattern of warm days and cold nights, which translate into vibrant wines, full of zest and super fine citric minerality. Essential to the Howard Park style are the purest free run juices, which are tighter and more finely structured without any phenolic character, qualities that contribute to the excellence of Howard Park. Balance is maintained and crop levels are kept low, essential for Riesling of clarity and purity of expression, vibrancy and freshness.

Wines made of Riesling grapes are exceptionally revealing, highly articulate of the environment in which they grow, exposing the influence of the winemaker, so very eloquent about the passage of time as the wine ages and evolves. After a number of years under the Howard Park cellars, the exuberance of youth is beginning to yield, zesty citrus is embellished with nougat, nutmeal, candied lemon and meringue. Whilst defined by a greater depth and complexity of flavour, the palate remains guided by a fine, linear acidity, paradoxically calico softness and wet, stony minerality.

Howard Park is internationally feted as one of the new world's great Riesling wines, achieving superstar status after claiming highly coveted gold medal at the prestigious London International. Riesling was Howard Park's first vintage, it remains the Australian west's most enduring white after over three decades of superlative editions. Riesling is both demanding and sensitive, Howard Park's success is due to a strict inclusion of nothing but the best batches free run juice, for wines which can demonstrate great potential to evolve beautifully and show marvelous complexity.

Crafted from a selection of superior parcels Gin Gin and Mendoza clones, picked off the best rows Chardonnay, grown to the south facing slopes of Block 5 Allingham vineyard in the Karridale sub region of Margaret River. Whole bunches of grape are gently pressed to reserve the purest free run juices, vinified to the action of wild indigenous yeasts in a high proportion of new French oak barriques, hogsheads and puncheons. Stone fruits and honeysuckle are deftly integrated with nutmeal, lemon curd, fondant oak, fine mineral texture and extraordinary palate length.

Since inaugural release, Howard Park Chardonnay has wowed wine judges and reviewers internationally. It was awarded Best White Trophy at the Tri-National Wine Challenge, Gold Medal at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and Blue Gold at the Sydney International, two years in a row. There is a measure of opulence which defines this statuesque wine, a modern barrel fermented style, elegant and sophisticated. A well rounded palate of mineral, citric and pear fruit characters, seasoned by savoury nut notes from the interaction with oak and lees.

Have Houghton got Wisdom? You bet, so sayeth Jack Mann, one of Australia's most significant, pioneering winemakers, that when wine reaches the state of sublime, there's no other on earth which can match it! Wisdom is just such a wine, fashioned exclusively from the finest parcels of Pemberton Chardonnay, hand picked from a single site, the very best of Houghton vineyards. A flagship wine of immense stature to accompany the perfect cheese souffle or freshly cooked crayfish, caressed by newburg and amontillado sauce.

A single superior block of vine at Gembrook, planted to the coolest aspects of the steepest slope on Hoddles Creek, always yielding a finely articulated Chablis style of Chardonnay, defined by its elegance, crystalline texture and exceptional length. Sheltered from the direct rays of the afternoon sun, the precious grapes in Syberia ripen slowly for a harvest that's without peer, the hand picked bunches are pressed to a selection of oak for ferments in the traditional Burgundian way, a strict barrel cull for excellence, reduces the final yield to a mere hundred dozen.

Yes, there really is a Peggy's Hill and she's a local landmark atop the range between Eden Valley and Keyneton. Peggy's Hill Riesling is vinified from fruit grown by a qabal of traditional growers, Henschke paladins whose vines are up to fifty years old, planted to low vigor ancient Cambrian soils at 500 metres altitude. Eden Valley Riesling is well known for its exceptional varietal and regional characteristics. Peggy's Hill is crafted to be primarily fruit driven, bottled immediately after fermentation to retain all the essential Eden Valley Riesling expressions.

Cyril Henschke developed a reputation for premium Riesling wines as early as the 1950s, after a series of memorable vintages fashioned from fruit grown to splendid Eden Valley vineyards. The dry, food oriented styles of Springton and Keyneton are naturally endowed with a capacity to evolve delicious toasty marmalade flavours. The mesoclimes are blessed with ideal ripening conditions which form intensely flavoured esters in the grapes. Julius has been named for a Henschke ancestor, a highly acclaimed artist and sculptor.

A single vineyard, strongly terroir wine by maestro Ken Helm AM, from fruit picked off neighbour Al Lustenberger's property, only released under the premium black label if it reaches the highest quality benchmarks. Since 2005 the collaboration of Lustenberger and Helm has claimed more than fourteen trophies. Ken Helm knows from great Riesling wines, he remains custodian of a heritage that's been handed down for generations, brought to the new world in the 1860s, by German growers who emigrated from the Rhineland to establish vineyards in Australia.

From the nation's most consequential viticultural precinct, a beautifully balanced wine of moderate acid and low pH, perfect sugar levels and loads of beautiful fresh flavours. Three separate clones from four vineyard blocks in the valley surrounding the winery add to the complexity in flavour and contribute palate structure. An exquisite Riesling bearing the articulate expression of Canberra fruit, its tangy lemon and lime characters will handsomely complement creamy pasta sauces, fragrant chicken recipes and the freshest seafood.

Heggies could be called struggle country, the vines are shy bearing within an extreme environment, for grapes of intense flavour. There are seven different clones, three favoured French Bernard variants make up the majority. Younger plantings are trained to a vertical shoot position, older vines are grown on a two wire framework, ensuring a range of characters from each harvest. Hand picking and gentle whole bunch pressing minimise the extractions and preserves natural fruit aromas. A completely natural, wild yeast ferment is followed by a year's maturation in a high proportion of new French oak barriques.

Chardonnay is the Heggies Vineyard flagship, a wine that truly bears the stamp of an exceptional Eden Valley site. Closely planted Burgundian clones form the backbone of the Heggies style and create an extremely low yielding viticultural environment which requires careful management but rewards with an outstanding quality of fruit. Natural ferments through wild indigenous yeasts, oxidative handling, a judicious malolactic and the finest French oak, all add to the individuality of the wine, an excellent minerality which contributes to the luxurious length, wondrous texture and sublime finesse.

Established 1975 to Gin Gin Mendoza clone Chardonnay, Block 6 is a steep south facing slope of reduced sunlight in the heart of Wilyabrup Valley. The precious dry grown vines yield a meagre harvest of distinctive, refined minerality. The purest free run juices are treated to vinification in a high proportion of French oak barriques and ten months maturation. Pears and apple dominate, suppleness of struck match, the savouryness of flint, the intense palate depth of old vines fruit contributes penetrating, mouth filling flavours and texturally refined, satin richness.

Thomas Hardy crafted his first dual region wine in 1865, assembling harvests from the Adelaide Plains with those of southern districts. Hardy believed that an alchemy of fruit with different characteristics would complement and enhance the integrity of the assembled wine. So began Hardys rich heritage, as with each new blend, a unique code was created starting from A001. Chardonnay is sourced from superior vineyards which can yield the outstanding quality of fruit that's essential for the HRB moniker.

From a legendery Yarra Valley vineyard at Hoddles Creek, planted to a sorely challenging 32 degrees slope, a full hundred metres drop from top to bottom. Bastard Hill is a single block of exceptional vines, yielding a vigorous grapefruit nectarine style of Chardonnay, treated to the richness of wild indigenous yeast oak barrel ferments. An opulent, lees textural, big butternut palate, redolent of orchard fruits, honeycomb and brioche, mouthfilling and complex, layered with character and soundly structured, the Chardonnay of choice to accompany truffled squab or glazed crackling pork.