The worthy vineyards along Stonewell Road at Marananga, have been source of the most memorable vintages in Barossa Cabernet. Tscharke established a smaller block of vine here in 2001, the quality of fruit however belies its teenage years. The auspicious plantings were sown east to west, aimed at protecting fruit from the parching late afternoon summer sun. The accumulated skills of six generations in Barossa viticulture, have sired a precious site which yields a multi dimensional Cabernet wine of amazing depth, structure and length.

No you're not seeing things, a Shiraz so nice, they named it thrice. An assemblage of fruit from the legacy of estate vineyards, planted to the oldest soils in Barossa Valley, very near the ancient hamlets of Stonewell, Gnadenfrei and Greenock Creek. A confluence of pastoral terroirs and more rugged terrains form a tapestry of unique mesoclimes, from which to fashion a velvet textured Shiraz wine with juicy fruit, crisp acidity and refined tannins.

Tscharke are a highly traditional, family hands on operation who have tilled their soils and husbanded vines for generations. A resurgence of interest for the arcane styles of the old world, inspired plantings of the more abstruse varietal grapes in the 1980s and 1990s. Crafted from parcels of Tempranillo clones D8V12 and Requiena, picked off two choice sites at Stonewell and Gnadenfrei in the western precincts of Barossa Valley, the Only Son offers a deliciously complex fruit filled wine with a measure of suave, food friendly savouryness.

A pure Touriga wine from the superlative Tscharke estate property at Gnadenfrei in Barossa Valley. The Nacional clone of Touriga vines were established 1985 to propitious weathered, quartzite rich, brown clay soils, they are now fully mature and yielding the most exemplary harvests. Damien Tscharke fashions his Touriga to a medium bodied style that drinks beautifully immediately upon release, ideally slightly, chilled alongside Mediterranean marinades and grills.

Montepulciano hails from Abruzzo on the Adriatic, it makes an immensely popular style, of food friendly savouryness and soft, light tannins. Tscharke source their Montepulciano from the first such site ever established in Australia. Montepulciano likes to vintage just a little later in the year, the longer growing season yields better balance and riper tannins in the fruit. An astonishingly good drink alongside all fine fare, its engagingly complex nose and judiciously drying palate conjures up recipes of bay leaf and game, fenneled sausages and braised, cured pork.

Two thirds Grenache, the balance in Mataro, picked off the Tscharke estate vineyards at Marananga. Preserving the integrity and retaining the eloquence of each variety is essential to the finished wine, both parts are encouraged to enunciate their uniqueness of character. A course of whole bunch ferments adds textural richness and introduces complexity, a separate term of age under seasoned oak permits the wines to mature and evolve as individuals. A seamless assemblage that's highly articulate of Barossa, as both parts express their personal charm.

Damien Tscharke was born and raised a sixth generation Barossa winemaker, he grew up amongst the vines at Seppeltsfield while attending Marananga Primary and Nuriootpa High. Gnadenfrei is the oldest vineyard within the Tscharke estate portfolio, established over seventy years ago by Damien Tscharke's grandfather, the terroir and clime yield an exceptional quality of Shiraz. A substantially structured, youthful Barossa style, driven by fruit and kept vital by rich, cherry filled acidity.

Tscharke are all about hand picking limited yields of the finest estate grown fruit, for the realization of outstanding, small batch Barossa wines. Following the traditions of several generations local viticulture in the ancient hamlet of Marananga, a precious parcel of Grenache at the pre eminent Gnadenfrei property is treated to the old world regimens of whole bunch ferment, foot stomping and seasoned French oak, achieving a richly complex Rhône style of dimensional fruit characters and the most exquisite balance.

Distinction is the jewel in the Tscharke crown, only ever made in the most exceptional vintage years, crafted from priceless parcels of Shiraz, hand picked off the elite Gnadenfrei property in the ancient Barossa hamlet of Marananga. The mesoclime here is fortuitous for Shiraz, an auspicious terroir of conglomerate pink quartzite and shallow red brown clays, the ideal environment for low yields of the most intensely flavoured fruit.

Graciano is well know in northen Spain and parts of southwest France, it makes a well perfumed wine with substantial tannins, superb balance and excellent ageing potential. An essential inclusion into many of the Navarra and Rioja blends, it can be capricious to grow and requires a dedicated vigneron to produce good harvests. Tscharke have been a part of Barossa viticulture since early settlement, they are people of the land with the skill and love of winegrowing that's required to achieve the most exquisite vintages of new world Graciano.

The Tscharke family have been a part of Barossa viticulture for six generations, they know all the other heritage growers well and can access some of the region's finest Shiraz. Choice parcels have been assembled for vinification into a full bodied style of palate weight and opulence, purposefully fashioned to drink early as a young wine. The trick is to isolate those harvests which have been picked on the perfect day of optimal ripeness. A solid Shiraz of juicy fruit flavours up front, supported by sound structure and affable Barossa charm.

The devout vignerons of Bodegas Tridente take a spiritual approach to viticulture, working closely with local growers to restore and preserve the health of precious, small yielding vineyards. Parcels of Tempranillo are sourced off unirrigated sites, much of it parched old bush vines, generally grown to frugal, gravelled sandy soils. Grapes are all hand picked and treated to a minimalist vinification, followed by a measure of age in barrels of French and American oak, softening the tannins while retaining the engaging eloquence and elemental charm of old world Tempranillo.

The folks who make wine at Kellermeister wear boots and have purple hands. The winemaking here really is old world style, nothing is done by machine. Parcels of hand selected grapes from choice Barossa vineyards are fashioned into an exquisite Shiraz wine offering generous helpings of deliciously rich, sweet blackberry flavours and requiste Barossa dark chocolate characters, finishing long and fruit filled on a note of lingering spice. A superb choice with barbequed or roasted meats, rich desserts and fine aged cheese.

Trentham Estate was once part of a large sheep station called Trentham Cliffs, settled in the 1930s by the Chanter family. Grazing and viticulture have always been a close fit, the property eventually made the transition to agriculture and the inaugural edition of Trentham Estate was vintaged by the Mildura Murphys in 1984. Trentham retain a superior site of Shiraz in the very heat of the Heathcote region, for the creation of a generously proportioned wine, characterized by a seamlessly layered palate of piquantly spiced berry flavours and stylish, velvet tannins.

The Famiglia range of wines is all about fine tuning the classic Italians into a contemporary Australian styling. A profound rendering of Nebbiolo, the unique varietal grape most responsible for the lovely wines of Piedmonte, sumptuous, dry and nicely spiced. An intriguing nose with hints of rose petal, leather and tar, for which Nebbiolo is renowned, but primarily a wine driven by red and black berry fruit flavours and aromas. Dress up your turkey and bring her along for a long leisurely lunch with La Famiglia Nebbiolo.

The Trentham Murphys were amongst the first settlers to establish vineyards near Mildura in 1909. They remain one of the most eminent grower families and make the region's most prestigious wines. The Murphys endeavour to preserve the health of Murray Darling's wetlands, so essential to the national ecosystem. Every bottle of River Retreat affords a donation to the Murray Darling Environmental Foundation. A delicious drop in its own right, representing exceptional value, the Shiraz of choice to accompany char grilled rib or braised shanks in red wine jus.

The cool ripening Pinot Noir is frustratingly difficult to grow even in the most favourable of climes. Consider then, the skill and dedication required to achieve such an immensely satisfying Pinot wine out of four different clones, all grown to sun drenched vineyards on the Riverina. Trentham Estate are well positioned to achieve the quality of wine that's essential for engaging the Pinot Noir enthusiast, filled with aromatic fruit and supported by supple oaken tannins, ideally alongside a rose pink breast of duck or succulent, crispy skinned pork roast.

The entry level Pinot Noir by one of Pemberton's grand old winemaking estates. As to the moniker, there really is a treehouse, it's the grand children's play area and it's set deep within the fabled forests of Salitage. A balanced and approachable young Pinot Noir of the finest provenance, offering excellent early drinking, highly compatible across a wide range of food styles.

The first Train Trak vines were planted in the 1990s and nurtured thereafter by the superior viticultural practices of John Evans. The vineyard's name relates to a train track which runs through the property over a quaint trestle bridge. Built in the 1800s, it was an important link to the Yarra Valley and is still a significant landmark traversing the local vineyards and pasture. Parcels of intensely ripe hand picked, estate grown Yarra Glen grapes are crafted into an exceptionally balanced Cabernet wine with well integrated French oak and fine, drying tannins.

The Totara tree is endowed with strength and durability, native to New Zealand, it has long been revered by the Maori, as well as early European settlers for its diverse qualities and usefulness. Totara's enthusiastic team are focused towards producing food friendly wines which express their regionality and are a textbook of varietal definition. Totara Pinot Noir is true to it's Rotorua origins, displaying a full bodied, earthy palate with layers of fruit and ripe tannins, just like the eponymous tree, solidly structured and built for longevity.

The Salvador Poveda wineworks are situated at Alicante in the southeast of Spain, a winegrowing region between the central plains and Mediterranean Sea. Alicante has a warm, sunny climate and is well endowed with the most idyllic growing conditions for the production of vivacious, stylish young wines. Monastrelli is Alicante's rendering of Mataro, also known as Mourvedre outside of Spain, where the wines of Alicante are winning favour by virtue of their stylish regional expression, sound palate structure, ripe tannins and complex aromas.

The Torzi Matthews team work to a formula that low yields translate into big, flavoursome wines. They selected a property in one of the most inhospitable parts of Eden Valley, where unending toil and frigid climes realize meagre amounts of parched berries each vintage. From grapes grown to the chilly surrounds of Mount McKenzie, incorporating the undried parcels of fruit earmarked for the estate flagship Frost Dodger, Mathews and Torzi craft an intense yet acessible construct of Eden Valley Shiraz to match bold Mediterrannean cuisine.

A partnership between Torzi and Matthews, they stumbled across a small, frost pocketed hollow on beautiful Mt McKenzie in Valley Eden. Torzi Matthews fell in love with the area for its remoteness and diverse thin soils. Attraction to the site was immediate, it was clear that this patch would produce low yields of Shiraz which could translate into the luscious style of dry racked Italian Appassimento wines. There were plenty of detractors and lots of unsolicited advice. The vines went in, frosts came and yields were low, Frost Dodger was born.

Cariñena is a Mediterranean heritage varietal which the Torres team resuscitated from the last known enclaves on old vineyards in Chile. The Garnacha Tinta component is grown in a region famous since the time of Roman Emperor Augustus, for producing the finest wines in the Mediterranean. This is a provocative wine for Australian tastes, with gritty tannins, tangy acids and a drying palate in authentic old world styling that's sure to stir lively conversation. A torrid, warming red that goes well with fried sardines, stuffed peppers or Iberian styled pizza.