Three British Army officers, in their capacity as agents of the East India Company, established one of Western Australia's first agricultural enterprises in 1836. Named after Captain Richmond Houghton, it was not until Thomas Yule's stewardship that vines were planted and the first vintage of Houghton wine flowed in 1859. Thomas Yule now sources fruit from the eminent Justin Vineyard in Frankland River, a dark ruby Shiraz of lifted liquorice and intense brambleberry, seasoned by piquant pepper notes and supported by showroom tannins. The very elite of Frankland River Shiraz... Artisanal wines of distinguished sites»

Clonakilla are one of our nation's most eminent vineyard wineries, a tiny production operation, established by a CSIRO scientist at Murrumbateman, very near Canberra. It turned out to be a fortuitous planting, with a climate not dissimilar to Bordeaux and northern Rhone, the Clonakilla property now occupies a rank next to the mighty Grange on the prestigious Exceptional Langtons Classification, it yields vintages of Australia's most invaluable Shiraz. At $26.99, the estate's entry level belies its stature and excellence within the pantheon of great Australian wine, an essential experience this week for all enthusiasts, a canny choice for shrewd and judicious aspirants of elite new world Shiraz... Here's what our most picky pundits prefer»

A living legend and bespoke savant of the Australian wine industry, Geoff Merrill began his career in 1973 at Seppelt & Son, before completing tours of duty at Thomas Hardy and Chateau Reynella. Geoff acquired the historic Reynella wineworks in 1985 and has continued to craft many of McLaren Vale's most memorable vintages ever since. Mr Merrill has claimed countless industry accolades and many of our nation's most prestigious awards, including the hotly contested VISY Great Shiraz Challenge and the illustrious Jimmy Watson Trophy. Merrill offers a range of artisanal, limited release wines, of timely age, extravagant oak and sound value... The advanced age & luxury oak of mclaren vale's quiet achiever»

Right next to the Merry Widow Inn at Glenrowan, infamous of Kelly gang folklore, Richard Bailey set up shop to service prospectors during the great Victorian gold rush of the 1860s. Rows of newly planted Shiraz soon followed and the Baileys released their first vintage in 1870. The region was ultimately infected by the terrible vine killing plague of the 1890s, a guarded blessing for Glenrowan, which elevated the quarantine status of its vitiated vineyards to a marque of the highest provenance. Baileys endure as one of the new world's most arcane and mythical wineworks, a small estate of historically significant parcels, producing limited vintages, defined by their exceptional value, purity of parentage and wondrous regional.. The bushranger's brew»

David Wynn introduced cardboard wine casks, flagons and the Airlesflo wine tap to the nation. He is best remembered for re packaging the Coonawarra estate which bears his name and which endures as one of Australia's icon brands. Wynn was a master of his craft and studied oenology at the world renowned Magill wineworks. An astute marketer and talented blender, he also had a keen eye for the land, investing in the ancient John Riddoch fruit colony and planting vines on a challenging site, high atop the lofty latitudes of Valley Eden. Mountadam Vineyards were built from the ground up, with a view to crafting a limited range of well structured, weighty wines, defined by fuller palates and saline, mineral savouryness. The legacy of Eden Valley vineyards planted by Wynn in the 1960s & 1970s, incorporating.. The legacy parcels of mountadam vineyards»

One of our nation's enduring winemaking dynasties, the Hamiltons planted vines just outside Adelaide in 1837. Great grandson Sydney Hamilton was a legendary and innovative viticulturalist, he ultimately made his own oenological conversion to the sacred Terra Rosa soils of Coonawarra in 1974, establishing one of Australia's most distinguished vineyards on a highly auspicious site, naming the property after forebear Lord Leconfield. An exceptional value for Cabernet of its class, presaged by a vigorously perfumed berry punnet nose, syrup textured, stately and refined, Leconfield makes a compelling.. What the doctor recommends in good red wine»