Aussie reds are delicious, and this is the country most famous for Shiraz. Winemakers produce an enormously wide range of styles from soft, smooth Shiraz with black fruity flavours to wines bursting with complex flavours of spice, black pepper. They have the ability to age for decades if your willpower allows. Fun fact: Shiraz and Syrah are the same grape, by different names and usually different styles of wine. The grape originally comes from the northern Rhone Valley in France, most famously in the wine areas (known as appellations) of Hermitage and Cote Rotie. These small hillsides are prized like gold for their microclimates and great, sun-drenched soils, which favour the ripening of Syrah, which is the French name for Shiraz. Back to these beautiful, long-lived, full-bodied, dark red wines most made from grapes grown in the Barossa Valley, which is pretty much known as the global headquarters of Shiraz. Here I have rounded up a trio of wines that include one from Victoria and also one made from a blend of three interesting, complementary grapes.
Read on to discover some of Thomson's favourite Shiraz.
Don’t Tell Gary shiraz $21
Less is more in this cheekily named 2019 Shiraz, made by Aussie winemaker Jo Nash from grapes grown in the Grampian Mountains in Victoria. It was first made in 2014 when Jo Nash discovered an exceptional portion of a vineyard of Shiraz in the Grampian Mountains. She gently crushed the grapes and the following fermentation, she aged the wine in pricey French oak barrels for 12 months. The wine speaks for itself with its refreshing purity of red and black fruit flavours, due to the cooler climate in the Grampians, which are in Victoria. This, and the wine’s deliciously quirky packaging, both give this Shiraz a lively edge. It’s great value for money.
Rating: 17.5/20
Drink with: aged cheddar, crackers and plum and chilli chutney on the side.
Meal match: slivers of turkey with plum sauce and sautéed zucchini.
Son’s of Eden Pumpa cabernet sauvignon, $32
This 2018 Shiraz is a superb full-bodied blend of three grapes, which shines a new light on this wine variety. The dominant grape in this blend is Cabernet Sauvignon, which adds deep blackberry aromas to the black plum flavours of Shiraz and the baked fruit flavours of Tempranillo. Together, this trio make for a super tasty red blend, which adds variety to your wine glass. This wine is named after Len Pumpa who pioneered grape growing in the Eden Valley, which is a challenging region with its altitude, wind and cool climate pockets, all of which produce some of Australia’s most distinctive, outstanding wines. This is one of them – and it over-delivers on taste big time.
Rating: 18.5/20
Drink with: aged blue cheese with cornichons and toasted baguette.
Meal match: slow-cooked beef served with bearnaise sauce.
Negociants Jim Barry McRae Wood Shiraz, $62
A 2018 full-bodied and super flavoursome wine with structure to see it age for decades. Here's a Shiraz for the long haul, which is named in honour of pioneer Clare Valley winemaker Jim Barry. In 1964, Jim purchased 70 acres of prime land from Duncan McRae Wood and planted his first vineyard with Shiraz - a momentous purchase and great decision for the company's legacy.
Rating: 18.5/20
Drink with: goat’s cheese with crackers or crostini.
Meal match: grilled vegetables served with smoky game meat.
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