I’ve often said that I feel very lucky to be Australian and to have grown up in one of the most liveable and diverse cities in the world.

But only a few times have I ever said that I feel proud to be Australian. This largely comes down to our chequered history, which doesn’t need to be detailed here (if I start the rant, we’ll all fall down the rabbit hole!). I am, however, unashamedly proud of the fact that Australia produces - along with many bright minds and warm hearts - some bloody brilliant wine.

Not everyone in the UK or mainland Europe agrees with me, perhaps with good reason. Australia is known for red wines that make you feel as though you’ve been struck in the face on drinking, and severely pummelled the next day on waking. It’s also known for over-oaked, cloying Chardonnays that boomed (together with shoulder pads, perms and spandex) in the 1980s. I’m a big fan of shoulder pads – I’ll keep those, thank you.

Remnants of these bolder, cheaper styles of Australian wine are still available in most, if not all, UK supermarkets and convenience stores. A prime example is [insert description of your choice - I will go with “pretty much undrinkable”] [ yellow tail ]. There are, however, many delicate and sophisticated Australian wines available for sale in the UK, which could well change any historic mind-set.

Sure, call me biased. Maybe I am, considering that Australian wine was what I predominantly drank for many years (Old World wines being subject to hefty taxes in Oz). But I do love the fact that Australian wine makers are incredibly creative. There are no geographic restrictions or denominations (albeit that you can’t be misleading and say that your wine comes from the Barossa Valley when it actually comes from your grandparents’ paddock in Traralgon), and the warm weather and scarcity of water in many regions means that vineyards have to be resourceful and tactical. Being part of the New World means there’s no steeped history to get bogged down in, and in the absence of any indigenous Australian grape varieties, vineyards and wine makers often experiment with diverse imports. Many lesser-known grape varieties are proving quite successful in Australia (on their own or in blends) on a smaller scale.

If you think about the big blob that is the Australian land mass, the three largest wine regions by volume are South Australia (think the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills etc), New South Wales (the Hunter Valley, Orange, Canberra District etc) and Victoria (the Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley, Heathcote etc). Western Australia’s Margaret River is particularly well-renowned, and there are lovely cool climate wines coming out of Tasmania (way down in the south), plus surprisingly, more wines coming out of Queensland (in the more tropical north). As a Victorian girl, my favourites are Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula and the Macedon Ranges, and Shiraz from the Grampians.

And so, whether you’re looking for a cheapy, a mid-range tantaliser or an expensive foray into the very best that Australia has to offer, take a gamble on one or many of the wines below. We hope they tickle your fancy and leave you wanting more.

Bang for your buck

• Heartland Spice Trader Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, Langhorne Creek (£10.99 from Home Delivery Wine) (VE) – From one of South Australia’s lesser-known wine regions, this velvety, juicy and very slurpable Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon blend is a favourite value-for-money choice of ours. Jam-packed with blueberry, blackberry and currant savours, it has a natural edge of cedar and spice.

• Dandelion Vineyards Lionheart of the Barossa Shiraz 2017 (£13.80 from VINVM) (VE) – Dandelion Vineyards fuses a number of vineyard sites from across South Australia, and takes its name from the dandelion that grows amongst the vines, preventing weed growth and providing mulch for the soils. With tastes of bramble, blood plum, ripe blackberry, pepper and Christmas spice, this generous, full-bodied Barossa Valley Shiraz continues to win awards – it has won so many gold medals that I’ve lost count.

• Domaine Naturaliste Discovery Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, Margaret River (£15 from The Australian Cellar) – Dark and inky, this fruit-forward Cabernet Sauvignon tastes of redcurrant, blackcurrant and mulberry, with traces of black olive and bay leaf. Domaine Naturaliste focuses on traditional Margaret River varietals (think Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc Semillon), and their wines in the higher price brackets are well worth a try too.

Piggy in the middle

• SC Pannell Adelaide Tempranillo Touriga 2016, Fleunieu Peninsula (£19.70 from The Australian Cellar) (VE) – SC Pannell produces dry-grown, environmentally sustainable wines, and their hot-climate varietal blends (Touriga Nacional, Tempranillo and Grenache) are some of Australia’s best. With abundant black fruits, cherry and liquorice on the nose and palate, this red blend (57% Tempranillo, 14% Touriga Nacional and 14% Tinto Cão) is perfect for pairing with charcuterie and cheese.

• Stonier Pinot Noir 2016, Mornington Peninsula (£19.99 from The Oxford Wine Company) (VE) – Stonier is one of our favourite wineries on the Mornington Peninsula, with fantastic service and a broad tasting range. This luscious Pinot Noir reminds me of home – it smells of dark-scented rose and black cherry, with hints of savoury dark chocolate and fennel spice on the palate.

• John Duval Plexus Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre 2016, Barossa Valley (£25.30 at VINVM) (VE) – Another Barossa Valley champion, this GSM is deep red in colour (with a touch of purple) and tastes of cherries, plums and blackberries. It is medium to full-bodied with savoury tannins, and a long, spicy finish. A gem naturally expected from the former winemaker of Penfolds Grange.

• Ocean Eight Verve Chardonnay 2015, Mornington Peninsula (£25.99 from Strictly Wine) (VE) – Ocean Eight is another favourite winery of ours on the Morning Peninsula, and has a small, but very picturesque cellar door. Their Verve Chardonnay shows lemon and grapefruit on the nose, and has a crisp, dry finish.

Spend baby, spend

• Ochota Barrels The Fugazi Grenache 2017, McLaren Vale (£31.50 from The Australian Cellar) (VE) – Ochota Barrels is one of the coolest Australian wine producers at the moment, and you’ll often see their wines on contemporary, detailed wine lists. With wild herbs, fennel seeds and smoke on the nose, this rock star Grenache tastes of raspberries, currants and white pepper.

• Curly Flat Pinot Noir 2014, Macedon Ranges (£39.95 from Slurp) (VE) – This beautiful, crimson-coloured, multi-award winning Pinot Noir is one of my all-time favourites. It has a long, textured finish and tastes of vibrant black cherries, red berries, earth and dark chocolate. Whenever anyone asks me for my most-loved Australian wine, it is always the Curly Flat Pinot Noir or its single vineyard sibling known as ‘The Curly’ (unavailable in the UK at the time of writing).

• Jane Eyre Gippsland Pinot Noir 2015 (£37.35 from VINVM) – I was first seduced by the name of this wine - gotta love the Brontë sisters, and how lucky is this talented winemaker to share her name with one of the greatest literary heroines of all time? Name aside, I’ve loved her Gippsland, Mornington Peninsula and Bourgogne variations for many years now. I haven’t yet tried this vintage, but (being a cloudy, natural Pinot Noir) it’s meant to be slightly quirky and delightfully drinkable.

A few other recommendations...

If you’re looking for long-term cellaring gems, you can’t go past Henschke Hill of Grace and Penfolds Grange (Australia’s quintessential premium wines). For those of us that can’t afford to spend £400+ on a single bottle, it’s worth checking out the following:

• Leeuwin Estate ‘Art Series’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 (£49.95 from Slurp) – Leeuwin Estate releases wine under three labels, and the ‘Art Series’ represents its most opulent and age-worthy wines. As an added plus, the labels are commissioned from contemporary Australian artists. Think flavours of cassis, redcurrant and chocolate.

• Cullen Diana Madeline 2016, Margaret River (£69 from Laithwaite’s Wine) – This is Cullen’s flagship ‘Bordeaux blend’. I’ve tasted previous vintages and whilst it is usually too young to drink on release, it always shows incredible promise.

Mainstream supermarkets can stock some really good Australian wines. A few prize drops below:

• Vasse Felix Filius Cabernet Merlot 2016, Margaret River (£12.99 from Waitrose) - Deep maroon with a purple tinge, this is an easily accessible, very drinkable Cabernet blend. It is long and savoury, and tastes of red and dark berries, with a dash of tomato skin.

• Wirra Wirra Church Block, McLaren Vale (£13.49 from Ocado and Waitrose) (V) - With ripe dark fruits, cedar and spice, this is a flavoursome, complex and easy-drinking Cabernet Shiraz Merlot blend.

• Jansz Premium Cuvee NV (£17.99 from Waitrose) (V) - Featured in the Daily Mail's 2018 Wine Awards, this is a wonderful Australian sparkling. In fact, I enjoy it so much that I’ve bought several bottles for my 30th birthday next month. With honeysuckle and citrus on the nose, this is delicately fruity and fresh.

There are a number of wines from stellar Australian wine producers that aren’t yet available in London (in particular, Fighting Gully Road and Yarra Yering). Perhaps they’ll become available one day here, but in the meantime, if you’re in Australia, do check them out.

A great map of Australia’s wine regions can be found on the Wine Australia website.

(V) denotes vegetarian (VE) denotes vegan