South Australian Wines

This wine is nurtured for eight years before you even get a look in. How’s that for hands on winemaking? It spends three years maturing in expensive oak before being consigned to an expensive bottle where it languishes for a further three years. Okay, so it’s not cheap but it will deliver you a wine experience that is unforgettable. Classic McLaren Vale Shiraz richness,with plum and licorice aromas before an intense palate of black fruits and a ridiculously long finish.

This is the flagship wine from the Reschke stable, or should we say stud because before the vineyards were planted the property was all about cattle, hence the label design. Only produced in tiny quantities and when the vintage is exceptional from some of the oldest and smallest yielding vines. Vibrant and vital on the nose this aristocratic wine is tinged with violets, mint and cedar as well as plums and currants. There’s a wonderful balance between fruit sweetness, tannin and acid. It’s intense yet balanced.

This is stately, noble red wine that deserves respect. It comes from one of the most lauded and awarded families in wine and shows off a blend that is uniquely Australian. It exudes a regionality that is unquestionably Barossa thanks to its bold signature of black fruits, spice and licorice. On the palate it’s like a cascading stream of black fruits with a firm tannin structure and notes of cedar and oak. A wine that drinks well on its own, but works even better with food. Watch Cracka's Yalumba Shiraz Cabernet Video Review

For Zema it’s all about family. A proud Italian heritage pervades all they do having descended from winemakers in Calabria. Today, brothers Nick and Matt run the estate with their parents always in the backgound especially mother Francesca who tirelessly cooks for visitors to the cellar door. This is conclusive proof that Coonawarra makes quality Shiraz that can live for a decade or more. Expect a wine that’s dominant in plum and clove with integrated oak, some warmth on the palate and a long, satisfying finish.

A classic single vineyard Clarendon Hills red, this looks every bit the superstar wine. I'd even expect it to have groupies. Suffice to say that it's a full bodied red with bold, incredibly deep flavours on a wonderfully ripe, everlasting palate of density and lusciousness. Superstar wine no doubt!

Most winemakers blend away their Grenache with other red grapes, usually Shiraz. While this has proven to be a great recipe, Kilikanoon winemaker Kevin Mitchell believes that pure Grenache can be a great red wine – that’s why he’s bestowed this red with a regal moniker. His formula is simple, yet rare, as he only uses the best fruit from low yielding ancient vines. This sun loving grape needs plenty of warmth to fully ripen, so he also picks it late when it’s full of flavour. This brooding wine’s cherry and chocolate flavours are so fine that it can convert a republican to a royalist, or a Shiraz fiend to a Grenache lover.

Another super hot wine in the 'Mystery Series' (which sounds more like a range of paperback thrillers than a range of wines), this red blend was given 91 points from James Halliday and we think it's even better. A blend of Wrattonbully and Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon with a dash of Merlot, this is a fabulous wine in the medium bodied, structured and lamb roast friendly red from an excellent vintage. Made by a rather famous Coonawarra producer (we can't say who) we are so very excited by this red. 5 star wine indeed. Yes!

This is an absolute killer of a wine – the kind of wine that you bring out to enjoy on only the biggest occasions. Typical Parker with lashings of intense fruit rounded off with only the very finest oak. And the structure – a 20 year wine for sure. Yes, I think I am in love!

This is the kind of wine you want to serve to your boss when he comes to dinner or if you want to impress the in–laws with your good taste. Winemaker Kym Tolley works his magic with select parcels of Coonawarra Shiraz to produce a wine that’s complex and elegant. It’s rich in blackberry and cassis with notes smoky yet subtle oak. This wine is all about balance between fruit, oak and tannin and ends with impressive length.

The Burvill is, perhaps unsurprisingly, named after the Rockbare winemaker Tim Burvill. No surprises there really. No surprises either with the wine style produced - a rich, decadent full flavoured and entirely classic McLaren Vale Shiraz showcasing the very best of this region. Like a warm hug of McLaren Vale Shiraz love.

One of Yalumba’s pioneereing moves in the last few years has been the pursuit of single vineyard wines and this Barossa beauty comes from the Lyndoch sub-region. It’s all you expect from a rich and regional Shiraz displaying plum and black cherry fruit as well as violets and a hint of vanillin oak. Texture is key, the wine oozes with grace and power. Concentrated yet elegant, this will have your guests swooning for more.

It's always amazing that more people don't drink good Braossan Grenache when they can be as sexy as this. A single vineyard Grenache from a special site, this earthen and juicy - yet medium bodied - red is just full of classic Grenache style, with that beautiful ripe red fruit character that makes the variety so damn drinkable.

This is big ticket stuff, the kind of wine that is not just for an occasion, it is the occasion. Yalumba remind us once again why they so famed for crafting wine from the Barossa region that is so expressive. This is full of intrigue and excitement lots of black fruit, mocha and licorice before a powerful palate that is dense and concentrated. Multi-layered and long, it seamlessly glides across the palate with well-measured tannins and acids. Make sure you get something like a steak or leg of lamb for this.

There’s quite a story behind the signature, every year since its inception a member of Yalumba staff, who has made an immense contribution, has been asked to pen their signature whereupon it is immortalized on the label. The combination of Cabernet and Shiraz from the Barossa has resulted in an iconic style of wine that is full bodied and integrated with American oak. This is a wine for the cellar, it has a great future ahead of it but if you have no patience make sure you pair it with a fine cut of steak. Watch Cracka's Yalumba Shiraz Cabernet Video Review

Now the Greens hold the balance of power in the Senate, it’s appropriate that Kilikanoon name this powerful Shiraz the Greens Reserve. While this wine is powerful in its own right, it probably won’t please Bob Brown’s palate, or any other tree hugger for that matter. That’s because it’s matured entirely in new oak barrels, which means a lot of trees were sacrificed in the making of it. But the wood is good, as it adds complex smoky oak characters to the spicy plum flavours. It’s built to last in the cellar, so you can hide away from your ‘green’ friends and pull it out when you feel like a hearty steak.

Many a wine connoisseur has said “you can’t beat Clare Shiraz” and many more believe Clare Shiraz to be the drink of the gods. Wise words from an oracle can influence a wine lover to expand their boundaries and look for new tasting experiences, which is a good thing. The 2007 Kilikanoon Oracle Shiraz is also a good thing that pushes the boundaries of Clare Valley reds. Its cherry, licorice and mocha flavours are guaranteed to take your palate closer to heaven.

Anyone would be honoured to have a wine like this named after them, as it’s a scintillating blend of Cabernet, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Like liquid gold, this wine exhibits blackcurrant and violet aromas with a hint of mint. It’s balanced and long with impressive intensity and a great framework of tannins.

The big brother First Growth might get the pundits excited but here at Cracka we are also very very big fans of the Terra Rossa Cab. With all the spark of the First Growth, perhaps without quite the density or the structure, it is also an absolute Cracka and from the excellent 2006 vintage a must-have, if Coonawarra Cabernet is your thing. Perfumed blackcurrant fruit with some classic Coonawarra cedary complexity, it will improve over ten years but is so good right now that it will be very hard to keep your hands off it. Better buy 2 cases then!

From a particularly dry vintage in South Australia, this full bodied and powerful Grange is something of a closed beast, a firm and extractive wine with serious concentration and intensity. Long term wine, no question about it.

Chances are if you’ve ever traveled to the historic Clare Valley then you would have heard of winemaker Tim Adams. He’s one of our favourite boutique winemakers and has a knack with every grape style. This Cabernet sees the addition of Malbec to lend complexity. Cabernet does well in the Clare Valley and has produced excellent examples over the years. It’s lively with blackcurrant and spice as well as notes of violets. 24 Months in oak has lent developed characters to this full-bodied style that would go well with lamb dishes.