Taylors 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon

It's hard to go wrong with the wines from this family-owned Clare Valley producer, which are invariably good value for money. This is a lip-smackingly good, rich and powerful red wine with plenty of oomph on the palate, oak in harmony and soft tannins. It's a juicy and appealing red wine with that indefinable quality: drinkability. You'll probably find it for less than the RRP of $19.

Turkey Flat NV Pedro Ximénez

I just can't get enough of this delicious fortified wine made from the Spanish grape Pedro Ximénez in the Barossa Valley. The concentrated fruit flavours have been aided by maturation in French oak hogsheads, resulting in a wine that is dark amber in colour, has chunky marmalade and citrus peel aromas and is luscious and intense on the palate, where you'll find more dark marmalade characters. A fabulous way to round off an evening. $27 for 375mls.

Capel Vale 2009 Debut Unwooded Chardonnay

The offerings from this West Australian winery are reliably good and this is a terrific-value quaffer that's perfect for long autumn evenings. It's a classic fruit-driven, cool-climate chardonnay with lifted tropical fruit aromas and plenty of crisp freshness on a palate that shows citrus and white peach characters with plenty of length. Drink young, drink chilled. $18.

Sevenhill 2008 Inigo Merlot

Let me say up front that I am no great fan of Australian merlot - but more wines like this could easily make me change my mind. Sevenhill, the Jesuit winery in the Clare Valley, has come up with a ripper here, picked ahead of the hot conditions that made 2008 so difficult for many. This is a dark, inky wine with cassis and pepper notes, soft and smooth on the palate with dark berry and Christmas Cake flavours aided by cedary oak. Nicely balanced with plenty of mouthfeel. $22.

Annie’s Lane 2009 Chardonnay

A very modern Australian style of chardonnay bursting with peach and melon flavours – a wine to remind us why we used to love chardonnay so much. Bells-and-whistles winemaking techniques have produced a fresh, clean white with plenty of length of flavour. A terrific buy for under $20.