FOR people of a certain age, familiarity with wine and the delightfully quirky Oddbins chain went hand in hand.

HEAVY, ripe and alcoholic expressions of shiraz (or syrah) have given it an unfair reputation for brashness. While this generalisation was never completely true, the current popularity of cooler-climate versions has brought freshness, subtlety and balance more to the fore.

ALTHOUGH marketing may have made us regard Oz wines as a kind of single entity, any such notion is obviously daft. Some 2,500 miles separate Margaret River from Hunter Valley, for instance. But that said, premium wine spots do tend to be grouped together – and South Australia is one of the best illustrations.