This was a surprise gold medal winner at the Sydney Wine Show 2008, and has flourished over the intervening six months. It has abundant sweet plum and blackberry fruit on both bouquet and palate, thanks to pre-fermentation maceration, and has spicy vanillin oak now integrated into the wine. From Riverina, NSW & Vic Drink now with lasagne; $12.99, S, 14% alc; 90 points & Halliday’s Top 100 – The Weekend Australian November 8-9, 2008

Abundant plum and blackberry fruit on both bouquet and palate; slightly chippy/charry oak doesn't spoil the party; quite complex and well priced. Surprise gold-medal winner, Sydney Wine Show '08. 14º alc. Drink 2010 $11.99 Date Tasted Sep 07 Rating: 90 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion 2009
 
It has taken until the eighth month of the year, but we have a genuine contender for the bargain buy of 2008! The notion of De Bortoli over delivering quality for meagre dollars is common practice nowadays but surely no one could reasonably expect them to produce what they have with the Deen De Bortoli Vat 8 Shiraz 2006 and not for ten bucks a bottle! However, produce they have with this wine assembling a stack of accolades, the most recent a glowing review from James Halliday on the back of a its second Gold Medal on the show circuit. And I'm not talking about the Gundagai Wine Show but rather it saluted at Royal Sydney a few months after being awarded Gold at Royal Hobart. It was included in Winestate magazine's Top 40 Best Buys Listing and has the critics both home and abroad giving it a collective thumbs up. For starters the wine is generous in deep colour and an abundance of deep plum aromas. Very well balanced in the mouth, it shows even more fruit than its predecessor and it is all kept in balance with perfect tannin and acidity on the end. This sneaks into the 'Excellent' zone for me, it is a rare steal at ten dollars. If you were waiting for the 'but', well here it is - at the time of writing, De Bortoli were right at the end of their holdings of this wine so we do not expect it to last very long at all, please be quick! Drink: Now – 2012; Quality: Excellent - BW; WineStar © July 2008

Gold Medal - 2008 Royal Sydney Wine Show
Gold Medal - 2007 Royal Hobart International Wine Show
Silver Medal - 2007 International Wine & Spirit Competition
Bronze Medal - 2007 National Wine Show of Australia

If you're an Aussie Shiraz fan, you'll love this. It has plenty of muscle providing black pepper and dark berry fruit aromas and a generous wave of juicy dark cherry and bramble berry fruit flavours. It's full bodied and fully textured with a lengthy tangy finish - lip-smacking good. Pair this with lamb tenderloins or beef strip loin hot off the barbie. Victor Harradine, Wine Current, 24 May 2008
 
Deen De Bortoli’s Vat Series wines deliver full flavour at a decent price. While I quite like the Vat 10 Pinot Noir, it’s the Shiraz that’s the standout in the reds. Drought conditions in Australia in 2006 led to low crop levels and intensified flavours in the wines. Fruit driven with big alcohol (14%) and velvety tannins, it has hints of spice and vanilla oakiness from a year in wood. Have it with a steak or even a pizza. Margaret Swaine,  National Post,  23 February 2008
 
Shy nose and simple, long and well-structured palate with good depth of varietal fruit and spicy oak. Winestate, The Top 40 Best Buys Listing, 1 December 2007
 
Here's a good one for the glass swirlers, as the nose comes to life giving out cedars, tobacco, gunflint and char over juicy, spiced blackberry fruit showing plenty of weight as all the elements balance. Smart with smoky bbq meats. Adelaide Advertiser, 21 November 2007

As always, you really do get bang for your buck from this De Bortoli red, a recent trophy winner at the Sydney Show. Plum and berry fruit, modest oak and sot tannins, medium body, well balanced and easy to enjoy. Huge value, the ideal everyday red! Paddy Kendler