With more than 500 wineries in Australia alone, hundreds of imports from around the globe and dozens of different varieties, they are spoilt for choice.

But making the choice of just what to drink can be a daunting task.

Enter the marketing gurus who have millions of dollars at their disposal to get the message through, especially if its the big multinational wine companies.

For the smaller players it comes down to hard work, making good wine and having a point of difference.

One of the most intriguing is the McLaren Vale-based Mitolo's Jester label.

Jester was the brainchild of former amateur winemaker Frank Mitolo, who since 2001 has run the highly regarded Mitolo winery in partnership with celebrated winemaker Ben Glaetzer.

Each of the wines carries the history of a medieval jester, including the newly released Jester Pinot Grigio which tells the story of Jane the Fool, a singer, juggler and masque composer from Henry VII's household in 1537.

There are five Jesters in all, with the Tarlton Shiraz named after the first jester to achieve national celebrity as a comedian, Giacomo Sangiovese Rose, an Italian-born magician known as the King of all Jesters; Madame d'Or Vermentino, who performed in the French court of Philip the Good of Burgundy; and Monarcho Cabernet Sauvignon, from the court of Elizabeth I and who features in Shakespeare's Love's Labour Lost.