McGuigan Black Label Red is a bottle of mystery and intrigue. New figures confirm it is again Australia's best-selling branded bottle of red wine. However, the masses who slurp it down don't even know exactly what they are drinking, and company chief Neil McGuigan isn't telling. 
McGuigan tells me it contains shiraz fruit sourced from numerous vineyards across the winegrowing states. He won't reveal what other varieties are blended into the black label belter, probably because he wants to guard the winning formula.
"We've worked on it for many, many years," he says. "I'm not revealing that." McGuigan describes his Black Label Red as "approachable". He says it is Australia's five o'clock drink, but not the wine you take to a special dinner. Its commercial success is no doubt linked to its competitive price tag. It's available for about $7.99.
I guess it's an honest barbecue red for that price, approachable enough, but lacking the complexity and length of other more impressive reds in the McGuigan stable.
Black Label Red is exported to 15 countries and profits go to supporting a brace of far more elegant offerings from McGuigan. The winemaker has thrice been named International Winemaker of the Year. McGuigan makes wine across several price points.
There is a Bin series for $11.50, Founders series around $20 and Hand Made, $45. The firm is also responsible for some of the nation's finest wine, including a top-tier cabernet sauvignon, The Philosophy, which sells for $150. The last release scored 97 points. McGuigan describes it as "a fist in a velvet glove" that will cellar for 30 years.Other top-selling reds include Pepperjack Shiraz, Wyndham Estate Bin 555 Shiraz and Gossips Sweet Lips Pink Moscato.