Somewhere near the Seaview end of McLaren Vale's Chapel Hill Road, a perfunctory passerine perched her pincers astride a pair of power poles and saw herself alit. Down she went amongst the dry grown branches of an old Grenache vineyard, setting the valuable veterans ablaze. The scorched site eventually came to the attention of a winemaking trio, the Messrs Leske, Tynan & Cooke, Masters of Wine and a venerable vintner, all driven by a consuming passion to make greater Grenache. Thistledown vintage very small amounts of the most extraordinary Grenache. Beautifully detailed and conspicuously elegant, their floral bouquets and graceful finish emulate the aromatic lift and peacock's tail of a prettily perfumed Pinot Noir. Magnificent to savour as a captivating.. Polly & the pyre to paradise»

W. J. Seabrook & Son have been a part of the Australian wine industry since 1878. Many an ancient storefront, right across the country, are still emblazoned with the family label. Fifth generation vigneron Hamish Seabrook drew inspiration from time well spent at other illustrious estates, establishing his own personal repute as a distinguished winemaker during tours of duty at Bests Great Western, Brown Brothers Milawa and the Barossa's exalted Dorrien. A key to the long lived excellence of the Seabrook trademark has been a canny selection of exceptional vineyards fruit. Hamish hand chooses his harvests from the finest vineyards in the land, just as his forefathers did. He is a proud recipient of the prestigious Dux Len Evans and is an eminient jurist at the.. Salutations to seabrook»

Originally formulated by John Charles Brown OBE in 1954 and crafted to this very day in the exact same manner, Brown Brothers flagship icon endures as one of the nation's most distinguished single vineyard wines. Mondeuse plantings were brought to Australia in the early 1900s by the legendary Francois de Castella of St Hubert fame, they have remained the most precious parcel of Brown Brothers heirloom vines since the 1920s. At Milawa, Mondeuse translates into an inky, deeply tannic wine, it forms synergies with the sweet fruit plumpness of Shiraz and statuesque elegance of Cabernet Sauvignon to coalesce into a rich, opulent style of eloquence and structure... The brown brothers most closely guarded secret»

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»

Planted to the tranquil Shangri-La of a sun warmed slope in Yarra Valley, TarraWarra was established 1983 by the founders of the Sussan and Sportsgirl brands. Philanthropists and patrons of the arts, Mr and Mrs Besen, AO and AO respectively, took a highly aesthetic approach to the pursuit of viticulture. Healthy soils and happy fauna were the means to an end, good wine comes from a sound ecology, but great wine needs the inspiration of a holistic engagement with the arts. It is here at Healesville that habitues can savour the Sauvignon while immersing themselves amongst the work of our national masters. A costly collection of canvas by our merry Messrs Boyd and Whiteley, Drysdale, Brack and Pugh, presenting the most opulent environment, to sip and savour the ferments of fruit picked within a painter's eye.. Take the trek to tarrawarra»

Established 1853 by George Friedrich Schmidt, who acquired eighteen choice hectares of viticulture at Tanunda along Siegersdorf Road, for the peppercorn price of a pound per acre, Haan endures as one of the Barossa's quietly achieving, arcane old vineyards. Distinguished in the 21st century by a streak of prestigious industry accolades, Australian Wine Producer of Year, Gold Medal and Trophy for Best Blended Red at the illustrious London International Wine & Spirit Competition. Much of Haan's modest production is always retained by the softly spoken estate's most ardent enthusiasts. Shrewd aspirants will also seize the opportunity to retain a case or two of the heirloom vineyard's most recent vintage. A graceful style of opaque fruit characters, savoury and brooding, inebriating for its redolence of Barossa.. Tanunda tradition»