Rawson's Retreat Shiraz Cabernet 2008, Southeast Australia, 13.5%, €9.29Light, slightly pippy, sweet soft plums; an easy-drinking red that would sit well alongside any midweek red- or white-meat dish. Stockists:Widely available, including Superquinn, Dunnes Stores, SuperValu, Centra, Next Door, O'Brien's, Molloy's and many independent off-licences.

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet 2007, South Australia, 13.5%, €11.99For many, Koonunga Hill was a first introduction to the new world, and very good it was, too. Packed with rich ripe fruits and plenty of power, it hooked a generation to Australian wines. At a recent tasting, I was lucky to try several older vintages of Koonunga Hill, including a wonderful 1990, and a very tasty 2002, proving that it is not just expensive wines that improve with age. Good ripe fruit, a nice taut centre palate, light spicy oak, and very decent length. For the price, this is pretty good. Will it keep for 10 to 15 years like the old ones? Only time will tell. Stockists:Widely available, including Superquinn, Dunnes Stores, SuperValu, Centra, Next Door, O'Brien's, Molloy's and many independent off-licences

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