Best's Great Western Bin No 0 Shiraz 1980

James Halliday calls Best's "among Australia's best-kept secrets". Now in its 5th generation, Best's, founded in 1866 by British brothers Joseph and Henry Best is one of the country's oldest family owned wineries. When the brothers relocated from Melbourne to Ararat to try their luck in the Victorian Gold Rush, they soon noted instead the profit of the wine growers in the area. With a new focus, they planted their first vines in 1865, making them amongst the oldest in Australia.

Best's winemaker Justin Purser, having worked vintages in New Zealand, Central Otago, Piedmont, Italy and most recently, the Cote d'Or in Burgundy crafts his blends using non-interventionist winemaking, with most of the effort focused on producing quality fruit in the vineyard to start with. Though they feature a wide range of interesting varietals including the likes of Dolcetto and Pinot Meunier, Best's fame lies in their many expressions of Shiraz.