With 24 months tirage on lees, expect some complexity in texture and flavour from Bethany's premium sparkling white. It's a blend of equal parts Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with a delicacy befitting an aperitif, but the edgy lemon notes might have you contemplating some oysters as well... -JP

Barossa Semillon is often lost in the shadow cast by the magnificent unwooded versions from the Hunter Valley. The truth is it's a very different sort of wine and one that is well worth exploring.
Regionality is alive and well in Australia and the Loan Winery's Semillon offers another way of exploring the grape's potential. They aim to release their Semillon when it's "ready to go" and the developed flavours and thoughtful use of oak ensure that the 2006 release is drinking well now with plenty of interest on offer. -JP

This once popular variety seems to waive in and out of favour with most consumers, but there are those of us who have always and will always love a well proportioned Chardonnay with some French oak. Chardonnay just screams for oak, for without it, it is a hollow and one dimensional wine. This wine is luscious, fruity and elegant with just the right balance of oak, fruit and acid. Drink it with a slight chill and eat it with a long lunch. - SG

The Glaymond wines are sourced from the Tscharke family vineyards established in 1961. Damien Tscharke is after warmth, richness and varietal character and so far his wines are capturing those attributes very well. The Mataro, although contributing a smaller percentage to the final product, is crucial to the success of this wine. -JP

Sourced mostly from dry grown vines planted in the Olive Hill Vineyard in the 1920s, this is a serious and savoury Garnacha/Grenache that will benefit from a decant and live for a few more years yet in your cellar.The Lyndoch sub-region of the Barossa and its terroir are clearly on display in this wine. -JP

Old vine Grenache has never looked this good. If it wasn’t for the concentrated cherry and spearmint aromas you would swear that this was a wine from the old world. Deceptively lean in colour intensity this wine is powerful and concentrated in every way. The nose settles down quickly and offers toffee and orange blossom, while the palate is balanced and long. The oak is old and clean, allowing the character of these 160 year old vines to show itself. If you must open it, give it plenty of time in the decanter – but this wine really deserves a place in your cellar and another 10 years. -SG

The combination of the Barossan climate and soils and gnarly old vines come together to produce some of the best Grenache in the world, as evidenced by this Glaymond wine. The vines were planted by wine maker Damien Tscharke's Grandfather in 1965 and the fruit they are producing now is nothing short of superb. -JP

A perfumed and medium bodied Grenache with raspberries surrounding a kernel of darker fruit, charry notes and spice. French oak adds savoury complexity to the sweeter fruit and the tannins are tightly knit and long. A handful of Barossa earth rounds out a terrific wine that would be equally suitable for a hearty stew or a bbq. It's drinking very well now but will continue to develop earthy & leathery characters along with extra depth if you can keep your hands off it for another five years. -JP