For value, step up to down under

I have written several times that if you want bang for your buck for red wines, Australian wines under $20 are top performers.

So what if you want to step up?

You can find some fine wines, especially shiraz, at the next price level. When buying Aussie wines in this price range, differences among wines grown in different valleys become more identifiable.

The number of wines and growing regions has exploded in Australia. Here, the wine-tasting group compares wines from different valleys or regions. Here is what we found:

-- 2001 Possum's Vineyard Shiraz at $29.99. McLaren Vale's wines are south of Adelaide in South Australia. The red wines with this label are known to be big, intense wines but the usual high quality can vary significantly in a poor vintage. In the Possum's Vineyard Shiraz, we found an aroma of peppermint, berries, raw wood and a lot of alcohol. In the mouth, the wine was spicy and the big fruit fought off the high alcohol impression.

-- 2000 Grant Burge Filsell Shiraz at $26.99. Barossa is one of the oldest and most famous wine regions in South Australia. The hot, dry climate typically produces well-structured shiraz with a lot of backbone. The Grant Burge had clove, cinnamon and other spice in its aroma. What impressed us the most was the velvety, silky texture of this wine. It had hints of orange on the finish. "This is a feminine and sexy wine," said one taster, referring to its soft and elegant style.

-- 2000 Meerea Park The Aunts Shiraz at $28.99. The lower part of Hunter Valley began wine making in the early 1800s, but it wasn't until the 1960s that operations expanded into the upper valley. Shiraz from this area tend to be rather forceful and masculine as opposed to feminine. The Meera Park fit that description, offering an earthy, smoky aroma. Its impression was muscular, leathery and salty. We tasted mint on the end. Tasters who preferred the masculine style of shiraz really liked this wine.

-- 1999 Rosemount Show Reserve Shiraz at $21.99. Rosemount is one of the largest and most prominent wine makers in Australia. It makes wines from grapes grown in many different valleys. The reserve shiraz, from McLaren Vale, was a big, powerful wine that despite being the oldest in the group, still needs some time to develop to its best potential, tasters said. The aroma offered us black cherries, leather and dried fruit. In the mouth, the texture was elegant, with hints of chocolate, but clearly the wine was still developing.

-- 2001 Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra at $28.99. Penfolds is another widely known winemaker from different districts in Australia. Coonawarra is the name of a district and a larger region in South Australia. This shiraz had the lightest body of the five, but it was not light by any means. Rather than an in-your-face texture, it was easy to drink, with hints of chocolate, mint and orange. Tea tastes appeared on the end. Tasters said these were five exceptional wines with large differences in style and taste. I hope you can be as lucky as we were to try them all. They were good values, even for this price range.

Questions can be sent to Frank Sutherland, editor, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 or e-mailed to editor