Tesco McLaren Vale Shiraz 1997 (Tesco, £8.99). Quintessential Vale richness, and value too. See Bottle of the Week.
Wirra Wirra Church Block Cabernet-Shiraz 1998 (Oddbins, £10.99). On its way any day, replacing the 1997, this luxuriously textured, creamily rich red comes from a winery with big ambitions - and new input from ex-Domaine Chandon team leader Tony Jordan.
Tatachilla Clarendon Vineyard Merlot 1997 (O'Briens Fine Wines new stock arriving end March, £13.99). The week I dropped into revitalised Tatachilla, winemaker Michael Fragos was tipped by the Sydney Morning Herald as one of the top talents to watch in 2000. This well honed blockbuster is typical of his style.
Maglieri of McLaren Vale Shiraz 1997 (Raheny Wine Cellar, Lord Mayor's Swords, C+T Skerries, Callans Dundalk, Enniskerry Gourmet, Marshalls Mullingar, Vineyard Galway, Beirnes Roscommon and many other outlets, usually £11.99). Predating the Mildara Blass purchase of Maglieri, this is one of my favourite Shirazes - full of brambly fruit and firm, peppery intensity.
Chateau Reynella Basket-Pressed Shiraz 1996 (Vintry Rathgar, Redmonds Ranelagh, DeVine Wine Shop Castleknock, Cheers-Gibneys Malahide, Bunch of Grapes Donabate, Noble Rot Navan, Old Stand Mullingar and other outlets, usually about £15). When I saw the tiny, concentrated grapes from very old vines that go into this complex, concentrated beauty, it was easy to understand its sheer class. From the same stable, Eileen Hardy Shiraz is granted even grander treatment.
Rosemount GSM 1996 (Redmonds Ranelagh, McCabes Blackrock and Foxrock, O'Briens Fine Wines, Kellys Malahide Rd, Jus de Vine Portmarnock, Mill Maynooth, Egans Drogheda, SuperValus Longford, Loughrea, Kenmare and some other outlets, usually about £15.99). GSM: Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre, vinified in open-top fermenters from the 1890s, deliver a winner - lashings of dark berry fruit with a smoky edge and a lingering, chewy finish.
D'Arenberg Coppermine Road Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 (McCabes Blackrock and Foxrock, Vintry Rathgar, Lord Mayor's Swords, Mill Maynooth, Old Stand Mullingar, Shannon Knights Shannon, Mac's Limerick, Fahy's Ballina and other outlets, about £22). A polished star that delivers all the region's opulence without being even marginally OTT. Lovely, spicy concentration with a long mocha finish.