Special six of the Best from Australia

Heartland Directors Cut Shiraz

This is the most subtle and nuanced incarnation of this stand out wine to date. The delicacy of the 2016 vintage is showcased in this poised wine that still manages to express all the intensity we have come to expect from Directors’ Cut. Look for fresh fruit character to lead the charge and the targeted use of oak to offer perfectly balanced structure.

Heartland Directors Cut Shiraz is Heartland’s most powerful expression of Langhorne Creek’s classic varietals. Only the best fruit makes the “cut”.

Winemaker: Ben Glaetzer Region: Langhorne Creek Soil: Sandy loam Variety: Shiraz Tasting Notes:

This is the most subtle and nuanced incarnation of this stand out wine to date. The delicacy of the 2016 vintage is showcased in this poised wine that still manages to express all the intensity we have come to expect from Directors’ Cut. Look for fresh fruit character to lead the charge and the targeted use of oak to offer perfectly balanced structure.

Vinification:

The grapes are selected from some of the best Shiraz vineyards in the region. These vineyards are chosen for the consistent intensity and texture of the fruit. The strictest pruning techniques are used. The fruit for Directors’ Cut Shiraz was harvested at night and then crushed to small open top stainless steel fermenters. After 24 hours of skin contact fermentation was commenced with our Rhône isolate yeast. Following 11 days of cool fermentation on skins and pumped over 3 times daily, the wine was transferred to French and American oak hogsheads for 14 months maturation. In the 2016 vintage we limited ourselves to 80% new oak to ensure the fruit remained the focus and the guiding light of the wine.

2016 Vintage: Ben reckons this might be the finest vintage he has ever seen from Langhorne Creek. Only time will tell. Harvest was more generous than the previous few years, with above average quantity and quality. Total degree days were up from the last three years, with wonderful ripeness levels recorded leading to amazing fruit intensity. This may supersede the 2012 vintage for overall quality and has led to a very happy winemaker.

To see our full range of heartland wines go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/heartland-wines/

For more information on the vineyard go to https://www.heartlandwines.com.au/product/directors-cut-shiraz/

Summer of 69 Verdelho

A bouquet of honeysuckle and lemon followed by a sherbet edge. Fresh pineapple and white peach fill out the flavours giving the wine a light, summer feel. The name was inspired by the date of birth of the owner Sarah marquis. The Hippy era, peace, love and good times. The wine inspires these feelings. The summer of love and San Francisco spring to me and the wine promotes this beautifully. Wine for flowers in the hair.

Early spring saw perfect conditions for fruit growth, hinting at a promising start for the 2019 vintage. Bud burst occurred in the first weeks of September and accelerated through October. Some vines became vulnerable during the November flowering season with cooler, stormy conditions, but as the weather warmed up, ripening of the fruit continued at a steady pace into summer. Despite a few spells of anticipated hot weather in January – with South Australia breaking a number of heat records around the Australia Day holiday – temperatures did eventually stabilise, resulting in ideal growing conditions for the fruit to achieve its optimum colour and flavour.

Mollydooker is a Member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, and as such ensures that all wines are produced on a sustainable basis.

To see our full range of Mollydooker product go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/mollydooker/

For more information on the winery go to https://www.mollydookerwines.com.au/OurWines/tabid/89/Default.aspx

The vineyards are situated on the magical Seaview Ridge, which with its ancient soils and Mediterranean climate, is home to some of the most iconic Australian wines. There are three separate vineyards – Long Gully Road, Coppermine Road and the Home Blocks, giving us a total of 114 acres of Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot. All of the grapes are grown sustainably.

This wine is another classic from the Mollydooker stable as well as being a fun wine for happy occasions.

Summer of 69 Verdelho

Hamelin Bay Cabernet Sauvignon

Margaret River is renowned for producing some of Australia`s most elegant and refined red wines. This Bordeaux influenced dry red has oodles of style and class. Deep red in colour with a pink red hue. The bouquet is complex and varietal display of dusty, earthy blackberry and mocha. The palate is full bodied, rich and long with excellent sweetness and structure, fine but firm tannins.

To find out more about the winery go to http://www.hbwines.com.au

To see our range of Hamelin Bay wines go to http://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/hamelin-bay/

Hamelin Bay Wines in the Margaret River wine region was established by the Drake-Brockman family in 1992.  The family-run vineyard near Karridale is now also home to a cellar door and restaurant.

The Hamelin Bay winery is located at Karridale in the southern point of the region within a few miles of the ocean. The 63 acre `Five Ashes Vineyard` is located on well drained gravel soils and faces north across the valley to gain the sun`s warmth in this cool region. The wines themselves are an expression of the natural beauty and uniqueness of the area, the fruit ripens with an intensity of flavour and richness of character. Owned by the Drake-Brockman family, who have a long association with the area, they have in recent years, achieved great recognition and awards for their range of outstanding wines.

Margaret River’s world-class wine region is located in the South West of Western Australia.  Surrounded by ocean, the area is blessed with a maritime climate; wet winters and mild, dry summers.  Fine wines, abundant local gourmet food, pristine beaches and majestic forests combine to make the region a favourite tourist destination.

Our unique Five Ashes vineyard is one of Margaret River’s most picturesque vineyards.  The moderate maritime climate and a north facing ridge of prime gravely loam soils are ideal for premium quality grape growing.  The exceptional wine produced reflects these superb natural attributes of our 26 hectare vineyard.  The Whites are positioned on a cool Easterly slope with soils varying from prized Forest Grove gravels to Karri loams, whilst the Reds are situated on a warmer North-facing slope beneath the cellar door on deep, dark gravel loams.  The Whites exude freshness and elegance, and the Reds have restrained power and depth, both with distinctive and intense characters specific to each particular variety, block and site.  From our very first vintage, our wines have won awards thanks to the outstanding terroir influenced by perfect gravel soils, select aspects, and cool moderate maritime microclimate.

Hamelin Bay Cabernet Sauvignon

Tar & Roses Nebbiolo Heathcote

WET BITUMEN MELDS WITH FLORAL NOTES, DAMP EARTH AND HINTS OF LEATHER AND CRANBERRY. FINE SUBSTANTIAL TANNIN ON THE PALATE, DRIED PETALS PLUS EARTHY TAR, ELEGANT AND LONG.

The grapes for this wine came from a combination of vineyards. They were all kept separate during their fermentation and maturation lives. The machine harvested volume was crushed and destemmed into static fermenters and pumped over twice a day. After approximately ten days of fermentation, during which time the temperature and acid levels were monitored, they were individually pressed to tank using an air bag press. Finally the wine was racked off gross lees and put into barrel to mature in a combination of new French and older barriques.

Tar and roses are flavours synonymous with nebbiolo and this red embodies the name like no other. Black liquorice sweetness, leather and olive tapenade characters, combined with bold tannins give this impressive wine flexibility to cellar for several years. It will go down a treat with your classic spaghetti al pomodoro.

Nebbiolo is a thin skinned variety known for its unusually light colour and deceptively high level of tannins. In fertile soils it can produce large crops with large bunches and berries. The Heathcote vineyard, while close to the rich deep Cambrian vein of soil, is tempered by harder granite gravels that has seen the vines produce a more balanced canopy to crop ratio. The balanced crop level has meant even ripening and minimal disease pressures.

Tar & Roses Nebbiolo Heathcote

To find out more about the winery go to http://www.tarandroses.com.au

To see our full range of Tar and Roses product go to http://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/tar-roses/

To see our full range of Tar &n Roses product go to 

It’s the little things that make the difference… the care and continued maintenance of the wines during maturation, the constant monitoring of temperature and acid levels during ferment plus the use of quality fruit at the outset combine to ensure a quality wine result. We want to produce wines that have individual flair and are distinctly varietal and reflective of their terroir as grown here in Australia.

Inspired by Mediterranean grape varietals, the range stretches from the delicious viscous Pinot Grigio to the complex tannic Nebbiolo.

Tokar Estate Chardonnay

To find out more about the winery go to http://www.tokarestate.com.au

To see our full range of Tokar products go to 

Tokar Estate Chardonnay

Gundog Estate Hunter’s Semillon – The intention with this wine is to deliver a modern style of Hunter Semillon which offers outstanding early drinking appeal in combination with an ability to age if you can keep it that long. Relative to The Chase Semillon, we are sourcing fruit from blocks on heavier soils, offering bolder flavours and more structure. The principle sources being the dry-grown Vernon Vineyard in Mount View, and the 69’ and 89’ blocks of Semillon at the Somerset Vineyard. Ripeness levels from these vineyards / blocks are consistently higher (by around 0.5 Baume) than those servicing The Chase Semillon.e over the short to medium term. The frame is still fine, but the flavours are more generous.

To see our full range of Gundog estate product go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/gundog-estate/

To find out more about the Gundog Estate winery go to https://www.gundogestate.com.au/about

Gundog Estate is a boutique producer of premium Semillon and Shiraz.
Sourcing fruit from some of the best vineyards in the Hunter, Hilltops and Canberra wine regions in New South Wales, they engage passionate growers that work tirelessly to deliver the best fruit possible. The growers also firmly believe in sustainable vineyard practices with a view to leaving the land in a better condition for the next generation.
In the winery, they employ a thoughtful combination of new and old world practices to deliver high quality, innovative wines. These wines represent some of the best examples of regional, modern Australian style, produced on a boutique scale. Fermentation with naturally occurring yeast, and partial fermentation of whites on skins, are two key practices we have implemented to great effect. With the reds, fermentation in open tanks, hand plunging, and shorter maturation periods in premium French oak puncheons illustrate a combined traditional / modern approach to winemaking that helps them to deliver wines that strike a fine balance between fruit flavour and complexity. Ultimately, they seek to produce quality wines that tell a story of the season and region. The wines should offer drinking appeal from day one, but also have the potential age gracefully. 

Gundog Estate Hunter’s Semillon