Our top drinks for the month, including veltliner, versecco, merlot and more.

2015 Eden Hall Grüner Veltliner
2015 Eden Hall Grüner Veltliner
The first grüner veltliner from the Eden Valley, and it’s a cracker – not surprising, really: the region is renowned for aromatic whites. Crisp, riesling-like perfume, followed by distinctive green honeydew melon-rind texture on the tongue. Eden Hall, Eden Valley, SA, $35

2013 Zorah Karasì
2013 Zorah Karasì
Here’s one for your wine-geek friends: made from the ancient Armenian indigenous red grape areni noir, grown near a 13th-century monastery, it tastes of tangy wild hedgerow berries and tangled undergrowth. Armenia, $62, cellarhand.com.au

2012 Fighting Gully Road Aglianico
2012 Fighting Gully Road Aglianico
Grown in a vineyard high on the edge of the Beechworth escarpment, this is a fabulous example of the aglianico grape – cultivated largely in southern Italy: plush purple hue, some dried herb and tight berry flavour, and fine, long, grippy tannin. Beechworth, Vic, $40, fightinggully.com.au

2013 Vigna Bottin Versecco
2013 Vigna Bottin Versecco
If you like prosecco, track down a bottle of this. It’s not made with the prosecco grape – it’s made with vermentino – but it’s more authentically prosecco in style than most Aussie proseccos that are made from prosecco. Confused? Just try it. McLaren Vale, SA, $35, vignabottin.com.au

2013 Alfredo Maestro Tejero el Marciano
2013 Alfredo Maestro Tejero el Marciano
Alfredo Maestro sources grapes from tiny old vineyards and uses minimal intervention to produce small batches of vibrant wines. This high-altitude garnacha is stunning: funky spice and black fruit, tightly wound, intense grip. Madrid, Spain, $38, bibendum.com.au

2013 Ruckus Estate Mérité Merlot
2013 Ruckus Estate Mérité Merlot
From a vineyard planted with new merlot clones and made by Sue Bell of Bellwether in Coonawarra, this is an impressively elegant, perfumed wine – little red berries, aniseed and cinnamon – that should age gracefully in the cellar. Wrattonbully, SA, $50, ruckusestate.com

2014 Wirra Wirra Original Blend Grenache Shiraz
2014 Wirra Wirra Original Blend Grenache Shiraz
While hipster somms and indie bottle-os go ga-ga for new wave, smashable, spicy South Oz grenache blends, it’s nice to be reminded that some wineries have been producing this style, on and off, for decades. McLaren Vale, SA, $25, wirrawirra.com

2013 Patrick Piuze Terroir de Chichée
2013 Patrick Piuze Terroir de Chichée
Sometimes I get a hankering for Chablis: a thirst for pure, unadulterated chardonnay deliciousness, a white wine to make me feel refreshed and alive. This fits the bill nicely: vibrant, lemony, intense and pristine. Bring on the oysters. Chablis, France, $42, domainewineshippers.com.au

2013 Baileys Organic Shiraz
2013 Baileys Organic Shiraz
The 143-hectare Baileys vineyard in north-east Victoria is now certified organic: farmed again, in many ways, as it was a century ago. This terrific shiraz is a relatively restrained, spicy expression of the traditional gutsy Baileys style. Glenrowan, Vic, $28, baileysofglenrowan.com.au

St-Agnes Grand Reserve 40-Year-Old XO Brandy
St-Agnes Grand Reserve 40-Year-Old XO Brandy
A bold statement of confidence in the quality and heritage of Australian brandy, this luxuriously packaged spirit, with its 24-carat gold trim, is exquisite: powerful lingering flavours of spiced candied orange and sweet smoky wood. 700ml, $800, stagnesdistillery.com.au