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Diversity and old vines down under

I began to get seriously interested in wine in the early 1990s, a time when Oddbins and Australian wine ruled the high street. There was a year when complex, bold Antipodean reds full of flavours of korma spice and eucalyptus ate up more than their fair share of my student grant. A decade later, and Australian wine had less traction with the British public, its image fallen victim to the cheap supermarket promotions of certain bulk wines.

And yet the importance of Australia in the world of wine has not dimmed - it is arguably bigger. Since the country's first wine grapes were cut from a vine in 1791, in a garden orchard in what is now downtown Sydney, Australia has been proving time and again it has the climate and terroirs to make some seriously good wines. Much of the country has yet to be reached by the phylloxera louse, meaning it is a treasure trove of the old (and ungrafted) vines that produce the finest quality juice.

The 1980s saw the rise of the flying winemakers, Australian oenologists who worked northern hemisphere harvests in their quiet season. These days, you are as likely to find young Europeans and North Americans working Australian harvests, which can fall anytime between February and April. It is a two-way exchange of knowledge, experience, innovation and best practice which benefits everyone, and guarantees Australia a place in the winemaking vanguard. To showcase some of the extraordinary quality and diversity this country can offer, we have put together a six-bottle mixed case, and we're offering money off and free delivery.

£265 for the 6-bottle case: you save £32.70, includes free delivery

2019 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling : he's the 'King of Riesling'. Jeffrey Grosset fell in love with Riesling at the age of 15, and by the time he was 26 (after a stint in Germany) he had founded his own winery in the Clare Valley. Clare loves Riesling - the altitude here means cool breezes and cold nights give it a real vibrancy. Racy lemon and lime flavours dominate now, or leave this alone for a few years to develop a dry, honeyed richness.

2018 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay : from Margaret River on the west coast, south of Perth, comes this Australian icon - and 2018 is a great vintage for it. Think pear, fig and hazelnut. Luminous and graceful.

2018 Tyrrell's Old Hillside Shiraz: just north of Sydney, the Hunter Valley is one of Australia's most historic growing regions. Tyrrell's Old Hillside Shiraz comes from the Old Patch vineyard, planted in 1867 - some of the original vines are still there. The Old Hillside is a phenomenal wine from a selection of the 'younger' vines here. This is the first vintage to be available outside the cellar door.

2018 Noon Eclipse: Noon are a small, family-owned winery in McLaren Vale. On the coast south of Adelaide, sea winds temper the warm McLaren Vale climate. Noon produce intense, full-bodied, complex reds from low-yielding old vines planted by the European immigrants of yesteryear. Eclipse is a beautiful wine, as silky as it is full, with a delightful bouquet full of herb and floral notes, finishing on chocolate.

2017 Leeuwin Art Series Cabernet: in 1972, legendary Napa winemaker Robert Mondavi gave Leeuwin its founding impulse, when he pointed out exactly where cattle farmers Denis and Tricia Horgan should be planting Cabernet Sauvignon. If anyone knew about Cabernet, Mondavi did. Denis and Tricia listened, Mondavi mentored them through their first years, and one of the great estates of Western Australia was born.

2016 Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 2: down in Victoria, near Melbourne, the Yarra Valley enjoys a relatively cool climate and is an ideal spot for premium winemaking. Old vines bring a real intensity to the Shiraz fruit. There's also some Mataro (Mourvedre), and it has been co-fermented northern Rhone-style with Viognier and Marsanne. Heady, spicy, floral, beautiful. /NT

Offered subject to remaining unsold

To place an order, click on the wine name below, reply to this email, or call 020 7638 5998