Finally a drinkable Shiraz!

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How often do I and my wino friends drink Shiraz? Never! Chateauneuf-du-Pape? Maybe. Same grape - shiraz / syrah. Of course, Aussies had to change the name to Shiraz. Australian version doesn't taste anything like the South of France. Sweet, oaky, high-alcohol, new-world fruit bomb. Right? Is there any redeeming value to it?

The craze of ten years ago when Shiraz was cool is gone. But I got a sample in the mail of the Wyndham Estate George Wyndham Founder's Reserve Shiraz Langhorne Creek 2007 (whew, that's a mouthful!), and what the heck - I tried it. And this one was actually quite good, at ~15/btl. Relatively cool tasting 14% alcohol, nice medium body, pleasant acidity, hints of chocolate and cherry, some mint and spice. My in-laws are staying over, and mom-in-law is cooking up a storm of Chinese food, so I try all kinds of non-connoisseur wines on them. We paired the Shiraz with a 5-spice fall-off-the-bone pork shoulder with gelatinous skin on. Nice! Finally a drinkable every day Shiraz!

Comments

enochchoi said…
i'm shocked you liked it! there's hope for you yet! ;)
May 2, 2011 at 6:31 PM
A Cajun Down Under said…
Well, I agree that Shiraz is an acquired taste, and I had to move to Australia to acquire it. But, these days I'm in love, although not a fan of Windham Estate. If you can get your hands on a bottle of Whistler Reserve (Barossa Valley), it is divine.
May 11, 2011 at 5:41 AM
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