Rosemount Estate Diamond Selection Shiraz, 75cl

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The focus of shiraz production is the heavyweight wine state of South Australia, producing most of the country's wine and boasting some of the its oldest vines. The dry, hot climate ripens grapes fully, making bold, dense and concentrated wines. Australia's first vineyards were planted in the state of New South Wales in 1788. Today, the state is most famous for the Hunter Valley where, in successful vintages, Hunter shiraz can be outstanding: medium-bodied, earthy and age-worthy. The wine is deep redin colour, aromas of super-ripe red berry and plum fruit flavours. The palate is rich and powerful and continues these elements and also exhibitsthe typical spice and pepper tones of Shiraz. The inherenttannins give strength and structure, andthe finish is long and satisfying. A complex wine of supreme quality.

The crus, where production is focused on red wines, are Lirac, Vinsobres, Rasteau, Gigondas and Vacqueyras. Lirac is home to soft reds that are an early maturing Côtes-du-Rhône Villages in style. Vinsobres' focus is on reds from syrah. Its sub-alpine climate gives a lighter, fresher style of wine. Rasteau produces deeply coloured, full-bodied reds, tannic when young and needing a little time in bottle. Head for Gigondas and you will encounter big heavyweight reds, the essence of the south. And finally, Vacqueyras, producer of less weighty, fruitier, cherry-like wines with a touch of elegance. Australia has proven itself capable of growing a number of grape varieties with huge success. However, it is perhaps shiraz which deserves the headlines: in Australia, it provides a taste that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Mix together the Chinese five spice, chilli, salt, pepper, garlic and spring onions in a large bowl. Though the Rhône River links the vineyards of the northern and southern Rhône, there are vast differences in climate, soils and therefore grape varieties and while the south accounts for most of the volume, the north is responsible for most of the prestige. Syrah is grown in both the continental northern Rhône and the Mediterranean south, but in the northern part it is the only red grape permitted. Here it is grown on vertiginous south-facing slopes and produces generous wines of substance laden with sun-ripened fruit flavours, capable of long ageing. There is a whole new breadth of wines in Australia,” he said. “It’s no longer just sunshine in the bottle. I like to highlight on the word ‘balance.’ We want flavors that show ripeness, but also brightness. At the entry level it’s about fruit, flavor and vibrancy. The flagship tiers are about capturing the character of each vineyard.”

Taste guide: Medium bodied, berry, currant and stonefruit flavours, spice and pepper notes, rich and velvety, lightly oaked Further south is the appellation of Saint-Joseph. The vineyards here are, for the main part, orientated towards the east which results in marginally less sunshine, and therefore less ripening time, than those that face south-east. The result is a style of wine that is lighter and faster maturing. The locals often view Saint-Joseph as the Rhône's answer to Beaujolais. The syrah wines are fruitier and for more immediate drinking, though with some ageing potential; ideal for those preferring a less weighty wine.

Two years ago, as Americans were turning away from Australia and it was clear the Rosemount brand was in trouble, Foster’s spun off its fine wine division, renaming it Treasury Estates. They tore up the Rosemount game plan and started over. Gone are the diamond-bottom bottles. The diamond label has been retained, but in a new format. Bold graphics take the words consumers actually use to describe the wines in focus groups and arrange them into a diamond-shaped cluster on a standard rectangular label. Upcoming vintages will also return Balmoral and GSM to their old bottles. Everything now comes with twist-off caps, another step forward. Season with salt and pepper and stir-fry for two more minutes then stir in the spring onions and the coriander. These wines respond to what researchers found when they followed women shoppers in several major American cities. “It’s not about style or variety,” said brand manager Kate McClure, “It’s about the occasion: I want to impress my boss, I want to share with friends. For women it’s the unwind wine. They want to have that glass of wine, then they can go cook dinner. For that, you want a wine that is uncomplicated, easy to understand, at an approachable price point, and flavorful.” Rosemount Estatewas founded over 40 years ago and from the outset the goal was to produce goodvalue, top quality wines. When grown in too cool a climate, syrah can taste rather lean and astringent and it had been thought that New Zealand's climate was too cool for the sufficient ripening of the grape. However North Island's Hawkes Bay enjoys a warm climate suited to the cultivation of both Bordeaux grapes and syrah. The Gimblett Gravels region of Hawkes Bay has had particular success with the grape producing wonderfully pure yet concentrated wines from fully ripe grapes, with richly fruity tannins that balance rather than dominate the fruit.

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Thismedium bodied Shiraz isa deeply coloured wine with a rich aroma, ripe berry fruit characters with spicy undertones.

Remember Rosemount? In the early 1990s, when it was the flagship of Australia’s wine armada, Rosemount Shiraz introduced the notion that Australian wines could deliver the sort of flavors and textures that we Americans wanted. And then, well, there’s no getting around it: Rosemount screwed up. Un oaked this is inexpensive Australian Shirazat its very best – superbly balanced, rich and powerful yet offering very easing drinking. McLaren Vale vies with Barossa to be South Australia's best red-wine region. The climate is warm enough to guarantee lush, chocolaty reds from shiraz, with smooth, well-integrated fruit and oak aromas and flavours.Rosemount did it the old-fashioned way, by knowing the vineyards and finding the best growers, blending artfully. In the early days, at 20,000 cases a year of the Shiraz, competition was minimal and there were plenty of good grapes around. Building on the wine’s popularity, volume expanded to more than 200,000 cases. Although the early wines used mostly McLaren Vale grapes, soon the sources were ranging into warmer, higher-volume vineyards to make enough. Quality slipped.