Fancy a drink? Drinks columnist Sam Wylie-Harris heads to sunnier climes to celebrate the versatility of Australian wine.
Home to more than 60 wine regions, 2013 saw Australia winning more top awards at competitions within the industry than any other wine producing nation - quite a feat when you consider it only produces 4 per cent of the world's wine.
The UK is the largest importer of Australian wine, so there are plenty of bonza bottles on the shelves, within all different price-points, ready to help us enjoy a glass of sunshine.
Widely regarded as one of the country's best white grapes, why not enjoy a classic textbook style of chardonnay from Hardys, the No 1 selling wine brand in the UK? Hardys William Hardy Chardonnay 2012, Australia (£8.99, Tesco) is fun and uncomplicated, with plenty of ripe, tropical fruit with peach and apricot flavours and the subtle hint of oak with creamy overtones lingering nicely on the fresh finish.
Australia also likes to turn its hand to sauvignon blanc, and examples such as Baron's Ridge Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Australia (£9.59 from £11, www.virginwines.co.uk) could sway fans of this Kiwi favourite to be more adventurous and try a cool climate Aussie instead, loaded with vibrant gooseberry fruit and a good balance of lime on the snappy finish.
Indigenous to the northern Rhone, plantings of marsanne have spread to Australia and the country's oldest family-owned winery are the latest to release a real corker with their Yalumba Eden Valley Roussanne 2012, Australia (£14.99, www.liquidpleasure.co.uk). Elegant and silky with a perfumed nose, melon and peach tinged fruit and a hint of vanilla custard, this is a straight down the line, uber-delicious white wine.
Australia's bold and beautiful reds have also found fame and fortune, and some of its bestselling wines are made from shiraz and cabernet sauvignon. When the rich blackcurranty fruit of New World cab sav is blended with soft, spicy shiraz, it's no wonder these wines complement a variety of dishes far beyond a flaming barbecue.
For a good entry level style, try Waitrose Smooth and Spicy Australian Red NV S Australia (£4.99, Waitrose). With a red berry nose, juicy cherry and raspberry fruit, the blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz is - as it says on the tin - smooth and spicy, with a hint of leather and balanced palate.
Outstanding value while on promotion, Lindeman's Bin 50 Shiraz 2012, Australia (£6.29 from £8.49,until February 11, Waitrose) is blessed with sumptuous brambly overtones and the dense, blackberry fruit against a backbone of fine tannins with cracked black pepper and spice make this full-bodied red a great choice if you're entertaining friends.
To remind us that winemakers are, after all, farmers, the label on The Grower's Reserve Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Australia (£9.99, www.laithwaites.co.uk) features a father and son on a tractor and this top-notch, lip-smacking red marries dark plummy fruits with sweet blackberry flavours for a velvety smooth, mouthfeel with a hint of black olive and cedar wood.
An Australian icon, Penfolds have been at the top of their game since its first commercial release in 1952, when Penfolds Grange entered the luxury arena and became Australia's answer to First Growth Bordeaux. To tap into this premier winery and the ultimate example of a warm-climate Australian Shiraz, try Penfolds 2010 Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz, South Australia (£16.20, www.laywheeler.com).
