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Best Buy Wines (Aug/Sept 2008): $15 and under

2007 Angove’s Nine Vines Tempranillo Shiraz, South Australia, A$14
Angove’s is one of those labels that you should tuck away at the back of your mind for when you find yourself stranded in an unfamiliar bottle shop with 15 bucks in your pocket: you can confidently pick up almost anything bearing the Angove’s name and you won’t be disappointed. As well as mainstream crowd-pleasers such as the perennial favourite Long Row Sauvignon Blanc, the Angove’s portfolio also features some admirably adventurous blends, including this robustly purple-fruit, satisfyingly chewy tempranillo shiraz. MA

2007 Westend Richland Cabernet Merlot, Griffith, A$10.95
The previous vintage of this was a Riverina classic, a flavourful red blend with an extra dimension of weight and depth that made it a brilliant quaffing wine. The 2007 harvest has produced a wine that’s just as good. There’s blackberry fruit with some rich, dark chocolate savouriness, a smooth, fleshy texture and substantial yet fine, balanced tannins. Drink now or over the next 12 months with dishes such as sausages and mash with a rich wine sauce or barbecued lamb chops with chips. PF

2006 d’Arenberg The Stump Jump Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre, McLaren Vale, A$12/NZ$16
The quality/value quotient of Chester Osborn’s Stump Jump red is one of the many reasons for his nomination as a Winemaker of the Year finalist. It’s a classic southern Rhône GSM blend sourced from the vast array of McLaren Vale vineyards owned or contracted to d’Arenberg. Clean, fresh flavours of ripe cherry, plum and aniseed dominate with hints of dark chocolate and warm spice. A red for early drinking; best with sausages or a spicy pizza. PB

2006 Jacob’s Creek Shiraz, South-eastern Australia, A$14
Wrap this wine up in a brown paper bag and use it to tease your friends. Odds on they’ll think it cost much more than 14 bucks! The colour is a good medium-to-full-red purple and it smells of blueberry and mulberry. It’s fruit-driven and appealing, albeit not complex. It’s soft, smooth and medium-bodied with a degree of concentration and richness unexpected at the lowly price. There’s a touch of anise along with mulberry and plum on the palate, and it’s soft and very drinkable now. HH

2007 CJ Pask Roy’s Hill Chardonnay, Hawkes Bay, NZ$15
A simple, fruity wine with delicate citrus flavours and a suggestion of toasty yeast lees character. This is an honest, unoaked chardonnay with refreshingly pure fruit flavours. The wine has good palate weight and achieves a relatively silken texture without any suggestion of cloying. An initial hint of sweetness is quickly balanced by crisp acidity to give a pleasantly drying finish. BC

2007 Ferngrove Symbols Shiraz Viognier, Frankland River, A$15
It’s still the lucky country when you can find a bottle of stylish, finely crafted and carefully integrated shiraz viognier for the cost of five cups of coffee. This fresh, floral example has a slightly minty perfume of sweet black and red berries, white pepper and fresh spices backed by a restrained presence of cedar and vanilla oak and a hint of licorice. It’s fine and silky, with a deep but willowy palate of plum and cherry fruit and fine-grained savoury oak underpinned by a fine but firm extract of powdery tannins. JO