One of the things that West Cape Howe do best, is to find the perfect site for each varietal grape and style of wine. They are certainly fortunate to be based within Australia's largest and most propitious winegrowing region, but their viticultural team demonstrate an uncanny feel for matching the ideal mesoclime to every wine. Mount Barker yields Cabernet Sauvignon of exceptional character. West Cape Howe take the pick of the crop, to create a profoundly structured red wine, offering remarkable intensity of flavour and stately, long lived tannins.

Originally identified and reserved for the express purpose of growing only the finest grapes and crafting world class wines, the Watershed vineyard is endowed with the most idyllic viticultural and climactic conditions, for realizing harvests of the most splendid Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz. Crafted by one of Margaret River's most experienced winemaking teams and assembled into a single wine, Shades is brimming with aromatic fruit and replete with ripe, stylish tannins.

Watershed are fortuitously situated astride the intersection of Darch Road and Bussell Highway, a major arterial to and from the exalted Cape to Cape estates of the salibrious west coast. This is downtown central for Margaret River Merlot, just within range of the Freemantle doctor and invigorating maritime winds. Merlot is often called upon for easy food matching and relaxed early drinking, Shades takes the style a step further, more effusive and intense, supported by polished showroom tannins and dressed in a veneer of supple vanilla carob oak.

Situated right at the heart of Margaret River's grand realty, hosting the nation's most illustrious estates, a stone's throw away from the distinguished vineyards at Leeuwin and Voyager Estates, Redgate, Xanadu and Cape Mentelle, the Watershed sites were selected after extensive tests confirmed the existence of soils fortuitously suited to the production of exceptional, world class wine. Zinfandel loves these climes, the peninsula's balmy breezes and warming weather stimulates the early ripening Zin to fully bloom, yielding fruit of sublime excellence, juicy berry flavours and satin tannins.

A consistent wine show performer, previous vintages have claimed conspicuous gold medals at Mundus Vini Germany, Sydney International Wine Competition and Royal Sydney, silver at the prestigious Qantas and Decanter World Wine Awards. Vintage 2009 claimed Blue Gold Medal & Top 1OO Sydney International, Gold Qantas Wine Show WA, Silver Mundus Vini International Wine Show & Sydney Royal. A magnificent rendering of stylish Margaret River Shiraz, from one of the most meticulously planned and managed vineyards in Western Australia.

The philosophy at Watershed has always been to produce fully eloquent Margaret River wines that are elegant and assertive with articulate varietal character. Awards and triumphs at international wine competitions have always been a lesser priority but continue to accrue nonetheless. Sangiovese is a celebrious Mediterranean, elegant yet garrulous, always defined by the terroir and clime of its birth. Savoury and sublime, its assured tannins and persistence of tomato olive fruit are moreish and made for food, treat your Senses to Agnello or marinated Al Fresco fare.

The Watershed property is strategically positioned within the most precious winegrowing terroirs, along the major arterial highway for traffic travelling to and from Margaret River township. Senses has accumulated an impressive list of wine show competition awards. Watershed's vineyards are fortuitously positioned astride some of the best soil compositions in Margaret River, where the vines yield harvests of Merlot and Cabernet endowed with exemplary varietal characters, an intensity of flavour and the finest, showroom tannins.

A flagship Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon which claims distinguished national and international accolades with every vintage. The Watershed label was designed by Roland Butcher and incorporates a purple room with a four paned window on the wall. Green vines can be seen looking out of the window, the main focus is a ray of light streaming through the glass and diffusing across the floor, symbolizing a human being's stream of consciousness, a creative but almost uncontrollable thought process, spurred on by small inspirations, an Awakening.

Watershed's superior vineyards span across an immense area of the choicest soils on Margaret River, the best eighty hectares were established from the ground up, with a view to vintage the most spectacular wines in the Australian west, the finest parcels of estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon are assembled for the Awakening.

A generously proportioned wine of substance structure, assembled from the pick of Water Wheel estate grown Shiraz, crafted with a focus on capturing and presenting the excellence, power and finesse of Bendigo Shiraz. At Water Wheel, the emphasis is on producing high quality, fruit driven Shiraz with discernible regionality and strong varietal definition. The bounty of Bendigo at its best, laden with luscious black berry fruit flavours, seasoned by a twist of peppery clove spice, lined with velvet textures and framed by graceful tannins.

John Catto left his native Scotland for the new colony of Australia to seek his fortune in 1833. He settled near what would become Bendigo, calling his new home Memsie, after the village whence he came. Catto chose his ground carefully and established vines upon a site of rich clay soils, fortuitously scattered with the perfect measure of limestone. The splendid terroirs which now yield harvests of articulate Bendigo Shiraz, produce a delicious, full flavoured red wine that's perfect for serving alongside your favourite mix of grilled meat and veg.

The parched, sun exposed vines at Water Wheel are only a slight distance from the shade of giant river gums, which grow along the banks of Loddon River. Ancient eucalypts infuse the grapes with a treasure trove of complex, elegant flavours. A salient Bendigo Cabernet that's warming and generous with intense flavours and long, drying tannins, ideally suited to meat braises and grills, steak and kidney pie or venison bangers.

A great success story, originally destined for export, Warburn's premium label met with such enthusiastic acclaim within Australia that stocks were snapped up by local enthusiasts the following year.

Good value and remarkably successful at Australian wine shows, this merlot shows a little more body and depth and flavour than most at this price and definitely deserves a try.

An accord of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from small, select parcels of choice Barossa vines, husbanded to produce low yields of intensely flavoured grapes.

Wantirna Vineyard is a never ending journey of enchantment and surprise. Reg and Maryann Egan honed their practical skills amongst the small estates of Burgundy and Bordeaux. Vines are all dry farmed and the roots dig deep into the clay soils, searching for any available moisture. At times vigor and energy are needed, at times all that's required is patience. Established 1963, it was one of the first new generation Yarra Valley vineyards, the earliest plantings included an unclassified tally of arcane varietals and clones, many remain largely unknown.

The Egans spent many vintages amongst the first growths of Burgundy and Bordeaux, before establishing the illustrious vineyards at Wantirna. Inspired by the sublime excellence of Chateau Cheval Blanc, the Egans molly coddled a precious block of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with a view to emulating the sublime excellence of the great Crus from St Emilion. Crafted from the fruit of the original estate plantings, treated to the luxury of a completely new Dargaud et Jaeglé oak barrique, a mere twenty dozen bottles are made each year.

Excellent Langtons Classification. Whilst the cepage of fruit to Amelia may be different each year, a backbone of two thirds Cabernet Sauvignon dominates, a third of Merlot and Cabernet Franc ensues, followed by a soupçon Petit Verdot. Favouring the slow ripening of a long growing season, Petit Verdot grapes are always last to be harvested, usually in mid April. It is the the quietly spoken measure of of Petit Verdot which contributes structure, fine firm tannins and good natural acidity, fully approachable while young, she will age beautifully for more than fifteen years.

A significant early release of a small batch, single vineyard Pinot Noir, grown to the fully fertile soils of a beef and lamb stud under the brisk temperate climes of Gippsland South. Several decades of animal husbandry have set the scene for a fully auspicious terroir, predisposed for minimal yields of an engagingly complex, garrulously pastoral style of Pinot wine. Spices, sen sen and stalk, the piquancy of pectins, its exciting sasafras oak tannins in undulating support, all the way to the end of the rainbow, a very cherry, peacok's tail of ripe, Gippsland fruit.

Central Otago is the source of full bodied, impenetrable Pinot Noir. The historical Shanagolden Block was settled in 1867 by James Leslie, a Scot who emigrated to New Zealand at the age of seventeen to prospect the Dunstan gold rush. It later came to the attention of the proprietor, that the free draining, northerly aspect of this Block was particularly suited to viticulture. Just 1½ kilometres west of Shanagolden, grown to the nearby Old Matagouri Block, a small parcel of vines is the source fruit for the breathtaking Waitiri Creek Pinot Noir.

At the ends of the earth, high in the topographically challenging aspects of New Zealand's South Island, rises Mountain Buttercup. Delicate in visage and beautiful to behold, it belies its harsh upbringing. Waipara Hills is part of a wild, wayward landscape where vines have survived perilous winters to produce complex, elegant wines for you to enjoy. Parcels of Pinot Noir are earmarked on the basis of strong varietal definition, supportive tannins and refreshing acidity, vinified to a vibrant, forward drinking, fruit driven styling.

The inspiring wines of Waipara Hills epitomise the South Island's unique personality. Central Otago Pinot Noir in particular is traditionally endowed with strong varietal characters and bold, lingering flavours. The Waipara Hills team continue to build on their reputation for hand crafting the highest quality, award winning boutique efforts which rise to the expectation of the most demanding Pinot Noir enthusuast, while being accessible to all. It's all about not overworking the wine, allowing the splendid flavours of the exquisite Central Otago fruit to speak for itself.

The approach here to Pinot Noir is essentially traditional, with gentle handling and extraction from harvest right through to bottling. Waimea Estate were one of the first in New Zealand to use new technologies such as micro-oxygenation, ganimede fermenters and cross-flow filtration. Modern winemaking techniques create a synergy with those of the old world. From a selection of burgundian Pinot Noir clones including 114, 115, and 667 and 777 grown to the Packhouse vineyard on the stony loam soils of the Waimea Plains.

A rich and concentrated effort with driven fruit and silky tannins, defining a style of it's very own. Small batch fermentation and sensitive winemaking practices are employed to allow quality of fruit from to be fully expressed. An impressive Margaret River wine which continues the evolution of Shiraz at Voyager Estate.

A continuation of the evolution in Shiraz from Voyager Estate and Margaret River. The idyllic growing conditions and low yields make for an invigorating wine of sound structure and luscious mid palate sweetness. The flavours in the grapes are tremendous, blueberries and blood plum, dark cherries and exotic trade spice. The restorative Margaret River Indian summers stimulate vines to achieve a harvest of intensely ripened, piquantly fragrant fruit. A vibrant wine of complexity and purity of fruit, retaining the finesse and elegance which are hallmarks of all things Voyager Estate.

Voyager are all about hard work in the vineyard rather than improving the quality of harvest through clever winemaking. Traditional techniques are essential to crafting great wines but the basic principles most common to the world's most memorable vintages are all about what goes on in the vineyard. The highest standards of husbandry and a minimal intervention remain cardinal. A wonderfully aromatic wine, redolent of violets and cassis, the fragrant ripeness of dark bramble berries. High quality French oak for definition and soft tannin structure. The artful articulation of Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon.

Excellent Langtons Classification. Voyager Estate began life as Freycinet, the inaugural vines were established 1978, they are now into their fourth decade and yield vintages of the most intensely flavoured Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Voyager's odyssey remains the same, to make the best possible wine out of the most exquisite harvests in all Margaret River. The character and eloquence are ultimately defined in the vineyard, each vine is treated as an individual, every grape is examined before inclusion, excellence is uncompromising.

A collation of fruit from the Voyager North Block and Weightmans vineyards at Margaret River, enhanced by a choice component from the eminent precinct of Wilyabrup. Vines planted to gently rolling gravel hills and managed to restrained yields achieve the finest harvests. Girt by Sea is a seemless Cabernet Merlot wine in suave Margaret River styling, vigorously fruit driven and seductively soft, its ripe tannins offer sensational early drinking, it will thrill all who indulge in this most satisfying West Australian accord of noble red grapes.

Everything at Voyager Estate is done with reverence for the land, mother nature rewards those best who treat her endowments with respect. The viticulture is completely natural and fully organic, a compact has been made with the vines to provide the highest standards of nurture and care, in exchange for a harvest of the most exceptional quality. An illustrious regional icon which defines the lofty Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon style, Voyager is distinguished by its compelling presence of fruit, limousine oak and stately tannins.

Established 1968 by the legendary Melbourne restaurateur Tom Lazar, Virgin Hills is the gem of the Macedon Ranges, one of Australia's iconic vineyards. He planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, Malbec, Merlot and Pinot Noir, with a view to creating an Australian first growth to rival the great Bordeaux he had grown to love while working as a sculptor in Paris. Only one wine is bottled under the Virgin Hills label each year. From inaugural release, the cepage of varietals has varied subtly each vintage, adding to the mystique and complexity of Virgin Hills.

The De Bortoli team can rely on an almost inexhasustible harvest of the finest Pinot Noir from Yarra Valley vineyards which have been husbanded for decades to yield the finest fruit. They host the most splendid vines in Tarrawarra and Dixons Creek, to contribute a backbone of fruit for vinification alongside parcels of Pinot Meunier from a choice site at Hoddles Creek. Hand picked, whole bunches, wild yeast ferments and a course in seasoned oak, its bright cherry redolence and persimmon pinosity rolls over a robe of gentle tannins and crunchy red apple juiciness.

Roundstone vineyard is a beautiful north facing vineyard at Steels Creek, established 1998 on the western slopes of Yarra Valley. Gamay is the great grape of Beaujolais, a lightly structured wine of virile perfumes that's delicious while young. A balance of whole bunch and destemmed fruit is treated to a course of plunging and pumpovers followed by eight months maturation in seasoned 500 litres oak butts. Its bright purple hues and stemmy, tart cherry, briar characters make Roundstone a treat alongside salmon carpaccio or your favourite recipe of cold duck.

Pinot Noir is sourced from choice sites in Yarra Valley, including the eminent De Bortoli estate vineyards at Dixons Creek and Tarrawarra. Selective hand picking of grapes and the inclusion of whole bunches, warm temperature fermentations and minimal plunging achieve a velvety Pinot wine with inspiring fruit and graceful tannins. Upon completion, components are treated to a gentle pressing before gravity racking into a selection of seasoned and new fine oak casks for several months maturation.

Shiraz offers a myriad of interpretations, Heathcote grows its own unique style, renowned throughout the world of wine for its magnificent structure, substantive tannins and weight of fruit. Parcels for a gentler Heathcote style are sourced by the De Bortoli team from vines grown to rich, red volcanic soils. Bunches are destemmed and crushed, fermented for a fortnight on skins, pressed and racked for a term of age. A forward drinking style of ripe dark fruit bouquets, spiceyness, blackberries and plum over a length of gentle tannins and supple cedar oak.

The ultimate quality of wine is the goal at De Bortoli but sustainable environmental management is non negotiable, clean soils and a holistic old world approach, really do make great Sangiovese. Always the visionaries, they established a block of Sangiovese with cuttings transplanted from the illustrious Brunello vineyards of Tuscany. Sangiovese likes the warmth and vines were sown to a north south axis for optimal exposure to the sun. Bright red fruit bouquets, charcuterie, dried herbs and spice, intense red and dark fruits, bucolic and textural, savoury and deliciously dry.

Many of Spain's most prestigious wines originate from a northern plateau, along the course of Ribera del Duero, within the premiere viticultural precincts of Castile and Leon. The ancient Romans, visting Goths and Benedictine monks all made wine here. Maite Geijo is a restaurateur with a passion for gastronomy, she acquired the established Cepas y Bodegas to produce a house wine. A Vino de la Tierra in satisfying local country style, brimming with the iridescent fruit of Tempranillo and generous palate weight of Cabernet.