Respected wine critic and vigneron James Halliday has a career that spans over forty years, but he is most widely known for his witty and informative writing about wine. A book for anyone captivated by Australian wine, James Halliday’s 2010 edition of The Australian Wine Companion is a must have.

Recognised nationally as the industry benchmark, The Australian Wine Companion is packed with tasting notes for 5884 wines, profiles of 1467 wineries and expert rankings of wineries throughout Australia. We felt like kids on Christmas morning when we got our hands on this book.

I found it easier to read, browse and search through than Robert Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide, which I would also recommend for any wine enthusiast, although he’s not just covering Australia, so naturally there is more information there.

A brief overview of four wineries (with a few featured wines) in the Curious range that attained the coveted 5 star rating:

Glaetzer Wines (Barossa Valley)

Amon Ra Unfiltered Shiraz 2007 – 96 points “…complex, compelling and certainly representative of the very essence of the region.”

Langmeil Winery (Barossa Valley)

Fifth Wave Grenache 2006 – 94 points (just in and available to order by contacting us) “…has a lot of personality, spice and depth; a surprising amount for a pure grenache; long and juicy.”

Blacksmith Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 – 93 points “Rich, generous, luscious cassis, blackcurrant, dark chocolate and cedar all interwoven; ripe tannins on a balanced finish.”

Keith Tulloch Wine (Lower Hunter Valley)

The Kester Hunter Valley Shiraz 2003 – 94 points (This review is available in the 2008 Companion) “Very much in Keith Tulloch style; medium bodied, but with fruit ripeness perfectly judged; an array of predominantly red fruits, fine tannins and oak”.

Fonty’s Pool Vineyards (Pemberton)

Fonty’s Pool Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2008 – 94 points (click here to view 2007 vintage) “Bright floral aromas lead into a very intense palate, with a strong citrussy core thrusting through to the lingering finish; a wine of remarkable purity.”

Other highly rated wines from wineries just short of the 5 star rating:

Barossa Babe 2004 (94 points)

Dexter Pinot Noir 2007 (92 points)

Rockbare Chardonnay 2008 (89 points)

Cascabel McLaren Vale Tempranillo 2008 (88 points)