Best Wines under $15

2007 Henrys Drive Pillar Box Shiraz, Cabernet & Merlot

Henrys Drive, Coonawarra & Padthaway, Australia

Rated 90/100 from Parker and is made by the famous Winemaker Chris Ringland from Padthaway fruit. Parker writes- "The 2007 Pillar Box Red, a blend of 65% Shiraz, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot. Purple-colored, it exhibits an expressive nose of spice box, earth notes, blueberry, and black currant. Ripe, sweet, and layered, this nicely rendered red has exceptional balance and length for its humble price. "

2008 Johnny Q Shiraz/ Viognier

Coonawarra & Padthaway - Other, Coonawarra & Padthaway, Australia

5 Stars and taking the top spot on Cuisine's Best Buy list for offering an outstanding combination of quality and price. Also Gold Medal Liquorland Top 100, Gold & Trophy Royal Queensland Wine Show, Gold Medal New Brunswick Wine Show. Not bad for a wine at this price. Quarisa wines was established by John and Josephine Quarisa. John Quarisa has had a distinguished career as a winemaker spanning 22 years, working for some of Australia's largest wineries. "This elegant, fresh, fragrant wine has floral, berry and liquorice characters of great aromatic quality, no doubt due in part to the five percent Viognier. It tastes persistent and tangy with a firm tannin backbone. Try it alongside lamb with Middle Eastern flavours." Cuisine

2009 OTU Single Vineyard Awatere Sauvignon Blanc

Marlborough - Other, Marlborough, New Zealand

Elsewhere $24. This is their 'Reserve' Sauvignon from their Awatere Vineyard and its spectacular- even more so at this silly price. The blocks in the Estate Vineyard are located on both the hills and the valley floor in gravely well draining soils, strict water management achieves fruit characters and minerality unique to the Awatere Valley. The Single Vineyard fruit comes from the best ten percent of each block. "Intensely classic Awatere Valley scents of freshly mown grass, tropical fruit and gooseberries underpinned with characters of slate and a hint of gunsmoke. The palate is focused on purity of fruit, full bodied with great weight and balance. Concentrated touches of peach, ripe fruit and gooseberry along with hints of dried herb and stony mineral characterisGcs lead to a long persistent finish." Top notch sauvignon.

2008 Durvillea Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

Marlborough - Other, Marlborough, New Zealand

A gem uncovered- made by Simon Waghorn of Astrolabe fame. Gold at the Sydney Top 100 and 91/100 from Wine Orbit Magazine, this is a steal for top flight sauvignon. "It's beautifully intense on the nose displaying passionfruit, lime zest and currant characters. The palate is full of juicy fruit characters with mouth-watering acidity and a deliciously lingering finish. The wine is immensely appealing with nicely flowing palate. At its best: now to 2011." 4.5 Stars and 91/100 Wine Orbit

2007 Roogle Shiraz/ Cabernt

Elsewhere this is $21 and its a cracker from master winemaker Chris Ringland ( winemaker at Rockford and world renowned flying winemaker. ) "A Blend of Shiraz and Cabernet - big and rich, but more complex than most two and three times the cost, Plush and fruit-driven on the palate, this is a ripe, tasty wine for casual quaffing over the next 4-6 years. It is a superb value. "R Wines is a new company founded by importer and marketing genius, Dan Philips, along with co-owner, renowned winemaker, Chris Ringland. Needless to say, the packaging of these wines is amazingly creative but, more importantly, what is in the bottle consistently over-delivers from low-end to high-end. The Marquis Philips wines have established a six year track record of delivering a big bang for the buck." Robert Parker

2008 Cono Sur Carmenere

Elsehere $20. Best Buy in Cuisine. "Despite French origins, Carmenere is regarded as Chile's own red grape. This densely built wine offers a meaty nose with scents of berries and a slight smokiness. It has medium body, succulent mid palate flavour and a dry finish. Powerful at this price." Cuisine.

2005 Xanadu Margerat River Dragon Shiraz

Western Australia - Other, Western Australia, Australia

Elsewhere this retails at $24. Its not often you can buy an aged Margerat River Shiraz- from a great vintage- at this price. John and Eithne Lagan planted their first vines in 1977 and Xanadu is now one of the regions oldest vineyards. They named their vineyard Xanadu after the poem Kubla Khan by the romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. By the early Eighties it was already winning awards, and had begun establishing a reputation as one of the finest wineries in the region. " Nice spicy chocolatey dark fruits nose showing distinctive black fruit character. The palate has a lovely fresh, peppery edge to the ripe, dark fruits with some nice savouriness. Stylish. 89/100 Jamie Goode, The Wine Anorak. A steal

2009 Greenhough Nelson Sauvignon Blanc

Greenhough Vineyard, Nelson, New Zealand

Normall $21. Last of this deal. A superb winemaker and very under rated but when we get deals on his wine we know they are top shelf. "Andrew Greenhough aims for a 'rich Sauvignon Blanc style with ripe, creamy mouthfeel'- and hits the target with ease. Grown at three sites in Hope, the 2009 vintage was mostly handled in tanks, but 4% of the blend was fermented with indigenous yeasts in new oak casks. Mouthfilling and dry, its finely poised, gently herbaceous wine with strong melon, peach and capsicum flavours, vibrant and crisp. It should open out well during 2010." M.Cooper.

2008 Metala Langhorne Creek Shiraz Cabernet

Elsewhere this sells at $21- a much loved label we havent had for a long time and we were offered this wine at this price we had to jump. "Impenetrable black, purple hued ruby red, gorgeously ripe spice plum blackcurrant and boysenberry aromas just flow from the glass. Fullish-bodied, the wine is jam-packed with violet, plum, liquorice, pepper and eucalypt flavours on a supple, very fine-grained tannin palate with deceptively serious extraction. The elegance of the fruit belies the 15.0% alc, which is not intrusive in any way. A blend of 72% Shiraz and 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine spent 15 months in 9% new French and American oak barrels, this adding a spicy complexity, lifting the fruit expression. The soft, sweet richness and inky depth speaks of Langhorne Creek." Incredible Aussie buying.

2008 Harwood Hall Marlborough Pinot Gris

Marlborough - Other, Marlborough, New Zealand

Elswhere this is $20!!! and rated by Michael Cooper as 'good value' at this $20 price. Now being cleared this is extremely good pinot gris buying. "From winemakers Bill ( 'Digger' ) Hennessy ( ex Mt Riley ) and Cory Hall ( ex Matua ), the 2008 vintage was grown at Renwick and mostly handled in tanks; 15% of the blend was barrel-fermented with indigenous yeasts. Its a scented, weighty wine with excellent texture and depth of peachy, spicy flavours and a dry finish. Good value." M.Cooper