This bold and beautiful McLaren Vale Shiraz puts the region's best foot forward - and the grape's most vibrant, peppery flavours forward too, in the glass. It's named after winery owner Frank Mitolo's three children, Gemma, Alex and Marco and is a deliciouly dark and spicy red with deep earthy notes. 

The wine is made from vineyards at the south end of McLaren Vale, which provides ripe but balanced dark flavours of powerful black cherries, black plums and strong notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and spice. Winemaker Ben Glaetzer says he picks grapes on flavour ripeness to make wines with mature tannins and vibrant fruit both being key characteristics of Mitolo wines. 

He describes GAM Shiraz as opulent, robust and multi layered; an ideal match for rustic foods.

It comes from the Lopresti vineyard, which is about three kilometres east of the coastal town of Port Willunga.

Winemaker Ben Glaetzer describes this wine as: "Full bodied and dense, the palate provides layers of ripe black fruits that open up endlessly. Firm, ripe tannins amply support the rich and opulent black fruit characters with the earthy background notes contributing further complexity. It is an ample and very classic expression of McLaren Vale Shiraz."

One of Australia's greatest value red wines, not only for being affordably priced but because this wine is made with grapes that were hand pressed following fermentation. This gentle extraction method brings out smooth and silky textures in all of the wines made at d'Arenberg, accentuating fruity aromas and brightness of flavour. 

Pure Shiraz that's affordable doesn't get better. 

The blending of Viognier with Shiraz (aka Syrah) is a traditional French winemaking method from the Northern Rhone Valley appellation of Cote Rotie and some other areas. South Australian winemaker Johnny Quarisa takes his cue from that great wine region and blends a dash of Viognier with this Shiraz to enhance its dark fruit flavours and robust tannic style. The softness and rich fruity flavours that a little Viognier brings adds approachable drinkability to this full bodied dry red. It drinks well now and can further age for three to four years, even at this modest price.

Hogshead is made by South Australian winemakers Jim Zerella and Nicholas Crampton and is one of our best value Aussie Shirazes. It's dry with dark fruit flavours, a full body and spicy notes. A wine with a full body and smooth style. Tasty and great value. 

Savitar is one of the great Shirazes from McLaren Vale, made with grapes grown on the Lopresti Vineyard's Chinese Block, located at the south end of McLaren Vale, about four kilometres east of the coastal town of Port Willunga. The vines struggle here, producing low yields of fruit with tiny berries which are full of black fruit flavours with dried herb, black olives and an earthy structure of dark smokiness, making this a power packed wine. 

It's named after a mythological dragon like creature, in homage to this wine's bold flavours and powerful length. It's an impressive wine for now and will undoubtedly age for the long haul - think a decade at least. 

The winemaking

Grapes for Savitar Shiraz are selected by hand from the Lopresti Vineyard in McLaren Vale, a site where they struggle and deliver in small volumes. This is regarded as outstanding raw material. They are fermented and the wine pressed before being transferred to oak barrels where it remains on light lees for 18 months before blending. 

Eden Valley born, Barossa winemaker Corey Ryan cut his teeth at Henschke before moving to Villa Maria in Auckland, New Zealand, and then returning home to create the Sons of Eden brand with an old buddy. This outstanding wine is the result of their partnership and is one of the pinnacle reds in the Sons of Eden range - a wine that will surprise with not only its power and intensity but also its balance and elegance. 

Zephyrus Shiraz is named after the Greek God of the West Wind, who is depicted as a majestic horse, which makes the artwork extremely apt on the label of this outstanding Shiraz. IT’s made from grapes grown in both the Eden Valley (45%) and the Barossa Valley (55%), which combine their, respectively, cooler and warmer climate attributes, which gives this wine its lively acidity and full bodied power. The wine was fermented using varying proportions of whole bunch clusters from 10% to 60% with 20 to 25 days on skins followed by pressing into French oak barrels, 45% new and 55% seasoned. It spent 15 months in oak and was bottled without fining or filtration so it ticks the vegan friendly box

This deep purple, dry, full bodied Shiraz has powerful ripe black fruit flavours and spicy notes that give this varietal its distinctive appeal.

A top shelf wine that you don't have to dig too deep to afford.