Four Australians, no Five - Wine Tasting

Four Australian Shirazs and one Pinot

Mid to low priced. 3.99 - 17.99

Two Shiraz blends

Two just Shiraz

and a Pinot Noir

Here are five Australian wines I tasted this week.

The first three were from Shoprite liquors in Little Falls, NJ a nice wine and liquor store, I used to buy here years ago. They have a decent selection of wines and beers. I needed a bottle of Vodka on my way home from Best Buy, where I just bought a new wireless router to accommodate the demands of my son's new XBox, "Live" features . What a world we live in. So here we are and I find a nice Vodka, but of course I can't pass through a liquor store and just buy one thing. I bought these:

Mattie's Perch a wine I clearly recall tasting in Australia, but I am beginning to wonder if my mind is deceiving me. It is an E & J Gallo brand that seems to be bottled here. As I tried this wine I pictured gigantic containers of juice on container ships crossing the Pacific. For $4 it ain't bad, but not good either. 

I also grabbed a nice looking Shiraz, Hugo from Mclaren Vale. It is Hugo's entry level product that sells for $16.99. It was good, but made me wonder about their better wines. Mclaren Vale is one of the few spots on earth that the wine gods smiled upon.

This wine is robust, deep flavors of red berry fruit, soft vanilla from the American oak, not terribly complex, smooth balanced tannins nicely styled. A good wine.

3 Trees Pinot Noir 2005, an American Estate Wines selection, from Victoria, Australia.  I really liked this wine.

"The color is bright crimson red, with bright red and dark fruit aromas accented by spice box notes.  The palate is rich with ripe berry fruit, more spice and subtle vanilla oak nuances, the mid palate is supple, and it finishes with balance, length and complexity." 

"The 3 trees depicted on our label are Eucalyptus, Oak and Bunya Pine: Two Indigenous trees of Australia flanking the quintessential wine tree, Oak.  This Pinot Noir is our “Bunya” wine. The tree’s nuts are much revered by aboriginal tribes.  Their harvest time tradition brings feasting and ceremonies, and any tribal hostilities are suspended."  Importer

Buy it at Wine Pro 13.99 / 11.99

At Shopper's Vineyard I found a Shiraz, Cab, Grenache blend called Stickleback.

Stickleback wines are a great introduction to what Heartland can offer - pure, animated and complex fruit flavors. The label design reflects the bright, fun characteristics of these wines. The three spines of the Stickleback fish on the label represent the three varietals used in the blend. --Winemakers Notes
The 2006 Stickleback Red is composed of 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Shiraz and 27% Grenache. It was aged for 12 months in used French and American oak. This crimson-colored wine has an enticing perfume of spice box, black cherry, black currant, and blackberry. Ripe, sweet, and layered on the palate, this sensational value totally over-delivers. It will evolve for 1-2 years but there is really no reason to defer gratification.--Jay Miller, The Wine Advocate

An incredible buy at 7.95

Lastly while at Wine Legend in Livingston I saw an interesting Shiraz, Cab, Malbec blend  called  Memsie  from Waterwheel. I was intrigued by it's story, "In 1833 John Catto left his native Scotland to seek his fortune in the new colony of Australia. He settled near what would become Bendigo, calling his new home Memsie after the village from where he had come, and planted a vineyard on clay soil rich with limestones."

This wine is well reviewed. However, when I opened it for the first time it tasted awful, you might think "corked" on the first taste. It just seemed weired. But after three full days from opening it finally opened and became amazing. So if you buy this wine plan to decant it at least 8 hours ahead of serving.

90pts The Wine Advocate. "The purple-colored 2006 Memsie Red is composed of 87% Shiraz, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 6% Malbec, the wine was aged for 6 to 9 months in used American hogsheads. The aromatics are unusually expressive for a wine in this price category. Aromas of cinnamon, allspice, plum, blueberry and black currant lead to a medium to full-bodied wine with a plush texture, ripe sweet fruit, and a sense of elegance. This tasty wine will provide pleasure over the next 4-6 years." 90pts Stephen Tanzer. By Josh Raynolds Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 07 ($14; 87% shiraz, 7% cabernet sauvignon and 6% malbec) Saturated purple. Inky blackberry, blueberry and candied plum on the nose, with a bright peppery quality. Chewy dark fruit flavors are firmed by dusty tannins that carry through the finish. Solidly built-in fact, almost brawny and strikingly concentrated for this price point.