Hoddles Creek Estate 2010 Chardonnay

If you are looking for value for money you've come to the right place. I reckon you'd struggle to find a better $20 chardonnay than this one from Franco d'Anna, whose Yarra Valley wines always seem under-priced to me. This one has length, finesse, sensible oak treatment and lovely balance. It is driven by stone fruit and grapefruit flavours and has a crisp acid finish. Thoroughly modern, thoroughly delicious - and it is just 13.2% alcohol, too. The label is minimalist, with no tasting notes or background info, and the website was being constructed when I checked. Not a problem. The wine quality speaks for itself. $20. www.hoddlescreekestate.com.au.

Pressing Matters 2006 R139 Riesling

Greg Melick and his team at boutique Coal River Valley producer Pressing Matters make an impreessive array of rieslings with various levels of residual sugar. This is a beautifully developed wine that is indisputably sweet (139 grams per litre of sugar no less), but is not at all cloying and has some lovely crisp finishing acid. There are some intense citrus and floral aromas and marmalade/dried fruit flavours on the palate and the wine paired beautifullly with an old-fashioned steamed pudding. A perfect Tasmanian winter combination. $26 for 375mls. www.pressingmatters.com.au

Bunkers 2010 Windmills Rosé

If you are looking for a wine that will bring back that summer feeling, you won't do much better than this bright, breezy and affordable rosé from the funky Bunkers stable in Margaret River, where wines are named after local surf breaks. Delicate and dangerously drinkable, if this were a pop band it would be Beach Boys - think great harmonies, sweet, high notes and unexpected complexity. Made from shiraz grapes, it's alive with fresh red cherry and ripe strawberry characters, along with hints of Asian spices. It's one for enjoying young and well chilled with Mediterranean or Middle Eastern dishes. And you can't argue about the price. $18. www.bunkerswines.com.au

Clemens Hill 2009 Pinot Noir

This is a Tasmanian wine from the Coal River Valley outside Hobart that has developed beautifully in recent months - an ugly duckling transformed into a beautiful swan. It was one of the stars of the recent Trans Tasman 7s tasting and is quite an elegant style of pinot with some distinguished fruit flavours and great tannin structure. It opens up in the glass, revealing dark cherries and spicy hints along with persistent dryness on the long finish. A really delightful drink and great value, too. $35. www.clemenshill.com.au

Murray Street 2010 Semillon

The Murray Street winery in the Barossa Valley is far better known for its gutsy, masculine reds than the small amount of whites it produces, but this wine really stood out from the crowd; my initial note was that it was a "a ridiculously slurpable" wine - and the empty bottle confirmed that impression. Low in alcohol at 11.5% (like its Hunter cousins) this is a wine of purity and intensity that is quite dsiturbingly Hunter-like in style with bright citrus on the nose, lots of mouth-watering flavours and lashings of refreshing acidity. $20. www.murraystreet.com.au.

John Duval 2008 Eligo Shiraz

For almost 30 years, John Duval was the chief winemaker at Penfolds, producing some of Australia’s classiest reds. Now he’s out on his own and the wines remain exemplary while the price tags are considerably lower - if not exactly bargain basement. You get what you pay for, however, and this wine is all class. The name Eligo is from the Latin meaning “to pick” or “select” and Duval uses the best fruit he can source to make this age-worthy gem. Beautifully constructed, this is a complex, serious wine with layer upon layer of flavour and complexity. There is some powerful dark, concentrated fruit, but everything is perfectly balanced. www.johnduvalwines.com. $110.

Coal Valley Vineyard 2010 Riesling

Tasmania and the Great Southern region of Western Australia are the two up-and-comers when you are looking for rieslings to challenge long-time champions the Clare and Eden valleys. This is a delightful wine from the Coal River Valley region outside Hobart made in a classic cool-climate riesling style with lime/lemon rind aromas, plenty of bright fresh citrus fruit and minerality on the palate and an impressive acid backbone. Delightfully zingy and refreshing, this is probably best enjoyed in its vivacious youth. www.coalvalley.com.au. $26.