I have realized that I have been very lax in updating this blog. You may not have realized it, but I've been lax. For example, I went to the Australian Open (on 20 JAN!), took pictures, and planned to blog it. Next thing I knew, March was staring me in the face.
So, to keep me more committed to regular blog entries, I have decided to start a new segment here on the blog, called Wines of the week!
Since my relocation here to Australia I have been exploring the wild and wonderful world of wines. The local wine emporium has a GIANT selection of wines from all over Australia and New Zealand*, as well as releases from small vineyards that are not usually carried by the run-of-the mill liquor stores.
I go there pretty regularly, and have noticed that I am forgetting which wines I have tried already, so the wines of the week has a secondary purpose of keeping track of the wines I have tried.
So my wines from this week were:
2004 Half Mile Creek Cabernet Merlot - surprisingly good. In general I don't really like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot on their own. But, this combination was tasty, the Merlot softened the rough flavor that I don't like in Cab Savs and the Cabernet gave personality to the merlot, which I usually find a bit bland. Good, inexpensive wine. I'm not sure about it's availability in the U.S.
2003 Bogie Man Chardonnay - Not as good as I remember it being at the wines on the waterfront tasting the other week. A bit oakier than I like. I may pour the remainder of the bottle down the drain.
2003 Robertson's Well Shiraz - From the Coonawarra region of South Australia. A very good shiraz, I think it cost about AU$ 15. Very full-bodied. Nice balance of fruitiness and spice. A great shiraz for the money. Like Half Mile Creek it is part of the Foster's consortium of brands, so it may be available in the U.S. under another name. All the Shiraz that I have tried from the Coonawarra region have been good, so that's something to look for on the labels in the U.S.
This may have been a few weeks ago, but I also tried a Shiraz called Gossips. It was crap. Watery yet way to peppery. I had two sips of it an poured the rest down the drain. It was $5, in this case, I definitely got what I paid for.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the first installment of Wines of the Week!
*and the rest of the world, but during my visit I have decied to exclusively drink antipodean wines
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Wine is soooo tasty. Good wines are a lot tastier than the 5 dollar a bottle wines. You should try drinking wine in escalating quality. Your post reminds me of the Chianti I was drinking last night at Angela's, and also about the bottle port sitting in my cupboard. Maybe I should go home and drink it ;)
Fede
One of the best things I have learned in my wine tasting experiences is that price isn't always the best indicator of quality. Yes, there are many crap $5 bottles, but the Half Mile Creek was a mere $7 and a mighty fine table wine. Good with food and without. My price range here is $25 and less, I think I will save more expensive forays until I have a real job.
Completely agree with that. The 10 dollar bottle of Chianti I drinked last night was delicious, and a much better wine than some 30 dollar bottles.
Try and see if there are any labelings (other than the species) that are mandatory by law. In all European wines, for example, you will find labels certifying that the wine is from a particular region and from a certain quality. The trick is then to find the high quality label at the cheapest possible price :)
Usually, my lower limit here in the U.S. is about 8 dollars. I have to say though... My brother is becoming a wine snob and he'll spoil me with expensive wine when I go to visit. I can't wait to get a job that pays.
Post a Comment