Capital Wines 2009 Kyeema Vineyard Reserve Merlot

This is a wine made in extremely limited quantities - my bottle was numbered 0097 - so you'll need to be quick if you want to snap up some of what is one of Australia's best merlots. This a long way removed from your standard monochromatic merlot with lashings of ripe berry/plummy fruit in harmony with some quality oak. Sure it is smooth and soft, as we expect our merlots to be, but it also has some impressive and sophisticated layers of flavour on the palate, integrated tannins and the potential to age for several years. The alcohol level is just 13.3% despite all those rich flavours - a credit to the team at Capital Wines, a small family company that's been making a pretty big splash recently. www.capitalwines.com.au. $46.

Wickhams Road 2010 Yarra Valley Pinot Noir

A decent quality pinot noir for around $15? "You've got to be dreaming," as Darryl Kerrigan once said in The Castle. Well here is a terrific little pinot, indisputably varietal and very drinkable, from the entry-level label of the Hoddles Creek winery which features no fewer than three regional Victorian pinots (Yarra, Mornington Peninsula and Gippsland). There's plenty of red berry/dark cherry characters, medium body and lots of length. You won't do better for the price. www.hoddlescreekestate.com.au. $15.99.

Yalumba Y Series 2010 Pinot Grigio

Wine snobs may scoff - but this is an absolutely fantastic drink for the price, as are many of the wines in the Yalumba Y Series range. It ticks all the boxes when it comes to an everyday drinking wine; it is fresh and vibrant, crisp and clean, determinedly varietal, has some compexity added from wild ferment and lees ageing and is dreadfully easy to drink. I believe lively, zingy grigio is more likely to find favour with mainstream drinkers than the more textural - and demanding gris - and it is wines like this, with 13% alcohol and tropical fruit and shortbread biscuit characters on the palate, that can lead the way. The good news is that you often find it for several dollars cheaper than the RRP - which makes it a ridiculous bargain. I'm recommending this to anyone who cares to listen. $13.

Holm Oak 2010 Sauvignon Blanc

The Tamar Valley in northern Tasmania would not normally be your first destination for a bottle of sauvignon blanc but the last two releases from Holm Oak have been perky little numbers that show the variety's potential in Tassie. No surprise there as winemaker Rebecca Duffy and viticulturist Tim Duffy rarely put a foot wrong. This time around 20% barrel fermentation has added complexity and interest and the wine nicely straddles the grassy/tropical fruit divide. This is delightfully aromatic and fresh, undeniably varietal, with some attractive crisp acid on the palate. $25.

Clonakilla 2009 Hilltops Shiraz

Clonakilla is a family winery, established in 1971 at Murrumbateman, outside Canberra. Winemaker Tim Kirk is the man who put shiraz viognier blends on the map in Australia and his success with that combination sometimes tends to overshadow the other wines in an impressive portfolio; like a terrific 2010 riesling and this comparative bargain basement red made from fruit grown in the Hilltops region outside Young, which is producing some stunning shiraz grapes. This is a generously proportioned wine with plenty of richness and flavour (dark plums, currants and spice) but also with nicely balanced cedary oak, some elegance and definite aging potential. $30.

Ten Minutes by Tractor 2008 Wallis Vineyard Chardonnay

One of the very best chardonnays I’ve tasted over the past 12 months, this is a wonderful cool-climate wine from the Mornington Peninsula; lean and stylish, elegant like a catalogue model but with enough meat on its bones. The bouquet tells the story with grapefruit, minerality and a hint of funk. The palate is elegant and poised, with beautifully focussed citrus fruit flavours, crunchy acidity and impressively layered texture. Oak is a mere bit player. This is a wine for supping and savouring – and it is superb with roast pork dishes. www.tenminutesbytractor.com.au $55.

Lark Hill 2010 Gruner Veltliner

And now for something completely different. Gruner Veltliner is the workhorse white grape of Austria, producing wines that range from vibrant everyday quaffers to textural wines of real complexity. It's a relatively new variety in Australia although Hahndorf Hill in the Adelaide Hills and Lark Hill at Bundgendore outside Canberra are leading the charge impressively. This is quite a spicy, peppery white wine, maybe midway between riesling and chardonnay in terms of fruit profile and texture with green apple, generous tropical fruit salad flavours, figgy, with some bright, zingy acid along with the spice and talcum elements. Very appealing. www.larkhillwine.com.au. $45.