Swings & Roundabouts Cabernet Merlot

Over Christmas I was down in Melbourne, visiting the folks. On the way up to the house, I was asked to compile a mixed dozen for drinking over the Christmas period, which I duly did. Strangely, most of those bottles are yet to be opened, but one of the bottles which got a look in was this one, which turned out to be a little gem. Of course I congratulated myself heartily for being so prescient, but some credit is probably due to the winemaker.

85% Cabernet, it's deliciously thick and sugary, with an alcohol content of 14.5%, and legs to match. The nose is quite spirity, with heavy spice and berries. It's very smooth in the mouth, with delicate tannins, and flavours of mulberry and mint slice, which linger on, and on, and on. This is top notch in this price range.

Food: Scotch fillet.

Price: Don't buy it from Dan Murphy's like I did, becuse they charge less than the $19 cellar door price, and are therefore evil.

Brokenwood Shiraz

Brokenwood is always good for a quality wine. We went, a year or so ago, to a members' dinner (courtesy of friends who are members), and had a rip-roaring good time, tasting around seven of their wines along with matched food. We have been fans ever since.

This is one of their good standard plonks, a blend of shiraz from several different vineyards. It's lightly spicy on the nose, with chocolate and mulberry aromas thrown in. The palate is light too - coming after the Koonara, in fact, it was a bit overpowered, but it has a pleasant smooth oakiness, and red berry and pepper flavours. I would say this wine would improve over a couple of years in the cellar; but I don't have a cellar, so my recommendation has to be drink now!

Food: Veal cutlet.

Price: According to Brokenwood's website, $28 a bottle. You could probably find it for less.

Koonara Reserve Cab Sav.

I've been hanging on to this bottle, and another like it, for a while, so what better occasion than christms dinner to crack it open?  It's a satisfying bottle, which gives the impression of high quality; including a gold "museum release" sticker.  Those sharing the bottle were suitably impressed, and I had to hope that the wine itself did not let them down.  

And it didn't.  Assuming the grapes are from the same vineyard as the Temptress (if not they'd be close, so share the same conditions), a few years has only improved the wine.  It has become richer and more complex.  The Koonara website says tobacco leaf and violet, but I smelled cinnamon and jammy blackberry.  The mouthfeel was smooth and creamy, with firm lingering tannins, and flavours of plum, boysenberry and chocolate.  I can't wait to drink the other bottle.  

Food: Lamb, and more lamb.

Price: $27 a bottle.

Delamotte Blanc de Blancs Brut

Ah, Christmas.  A time when all the stops can be pulled out, and we can obey our government by consuming expensive manufactured goods.  Never mind if your money is sent overseas - they're people too.  

We were invited to a Christmas dinner at an excellent local restaurant, and saw no reason not to accept, so turned up as requested, only to find a bottle of this stuff on the table.  And what stuff it is too.  Made of chardonnay grapes, it smells fresh and herby, with a nice citrus acidity.  The bubbles are fine and even, like they should be, and the tingle on your tongue is accompanied by a big and juicy palate full of pear and cashew flavours, which lingers on and on and on.  This is an aboslutely top drop.  

Food: a lovely soft ripe Camembert...

Price: Luckily I wasn't paying for this bottle, so I have no idea.  More than a bottle of cheap Tuesday night plonk, I should imagine.  

Redstone Ridge Verdelho

Again, no photo for this one - but never mind, because the label didn't exactly blow me away. I picked this wine up from where it was lying in the grass next to Freshwater beach on Saturday. Either wines spring up their of their own volition of a weekend, or it was brought by someone to the picnic we were having to celebrate a friend's birthday. I assume the latter, but you never know.

We didn't drink it on the day, which was a shame, as it's not a bad drop, and a cold glass of verdelho is just the ticket when you've been alternately roasted and plunged, not to mention had the wind make you look like Young Frankenstein. But no, we filched it and brought it home, and drank it the next night. And very nice it was too - despite having a label which made it look rather generic. A Hunter Valley verdelho, it was fresh and floral on the nose, and the palate was filled with tropical fruit and citrus, and a crisp mouthfeel.

Food: You don't even need food with this. Blue cheese and crackers, perhaps.

Price: Free from the ground near Freshwater.

Marist Merlot Cabernet

Keeping with the ecumenical theme, but moving on to something with a bit more substance, we come to the Marist Merlot Cabernet, a generous and hearty red.  There's no information on what percentages the blend represents, but whatever the ratio, they've done a good job.  The cabernet adds body and strength to the wine.  The French oak it's matured in doesn't hurt either!  

Aromas are full and spicy, plum, blackberry and liquorice.  The palate is smooth and full-bodied, tastes like chocolate and berries, and lingers wonderfully after you've swallowed - which I did, repeatedly.  

Food: Maybe a spot of venison.

Price: $20 a bottle, and like the last one, as far as I know it's available only at the cellar door.  

Marist Suvignon Blanc

Driving through the southern highlands, B was telling me about the Marist monastery thereabouts, which he remembered from visits many years ago. Seeing a banner hung at the bottom of their driveway proclaiming a cellar door, we ventured in. The monastery is placed in an idyllic setting, with cattle snoozing under the trees, and butterflies filling the air. We hoped that the vines growing here were imbued with something of the spirit of the place.

Their sauvignon blanc is an excellent "drink now" wine. It is light and fruity, and goes down a treat. The nose has citric grapefruit and melon aromas, which fill the glass. The palate does not have that sharp flintiness which you find in Western Australian Sauvignons, but it does have strong tingly acidity and flavours of ripe pear and apricot. It is quite a fruity wine, with a bit of lingering heat.

Not the best S.B. you can buy, but it's not bad, and it's made by monks, so you can't lose.

Food: Salt and pepper squid.

Price: $15 a bottle at the cellar door - which is well worth a visit.

Koonara "Angel's Peak" Cab Sav

This is another of Koonara's amazing creations. At this price point, this has got to be one of the densest, richest cabernet sauvignons money can buy. The Coonawarra is known for its cab savs, and you can taste why. The dry conditions produce an intensity of flavour lending itself to big reds.

You really want to try sniffing this one out of a few different glasses. A more open glass gave us berry and spicy nutmeg flavours, but when we tried it from a narrow rim, it smelt like rum and raisin. Amazing! The palate was great too, with flavours of mulberries and chocolate, with a lingering taste of hazelnut Lindt balls. The tannins were soft but rich, balancing the thickness of the fruit flavours. This wine is just brilliant, and will drink well for years to come.

Food: Scotch fillet.

Price: This is the best bit - only $16 from the cellar door!

Basedow Semillon

The other night, in mood for something a little refreshing, I popped down to the local and picked up a likely-looking white. I like drinking wines I've never tried before, so went for something I'd never even heard of previously - Basedow. It's a winery in the Barossa, dating back to 1896, with a charming history.

I didn't aim high with this one - it was only for quaffing with a simple dinner - and it certainly isn't spectacular. The nose is very strong on the lemon-lime kick; there's a hint of fig, but not as much tropical fruit as I like in a Semillon. In the mouth there are flavours of red apple and citrus fruits, and it's quite zingy and acidic. There is certainly a hint of creaminess showing through from the time spent in French oak, but it doesn't balance the acid enough. It will probably develop a little further in the cellar. Of course, at this price point, all I wanted was drinkable, and it was certainly that!

Food: We had it with atlantic salmon fillets. Delicious.

Price: $13 a bottle.

Rolf Binder Cab Sav Merlot

This wine surprised me. I mean to say, we tasted it before we bought it (at the Good Food & Wine Show), but it's been on the rack since then, and for some reason I wasn't expecting much from it. I remember tasting most of Rolf Binder's wines (very personable were the staff, too), and retained only that their more expensive wines were incredible, but unaffordable to a chump like me. So I thought I'd bought the runt of the litter, so to speak.

Not so! While I'm sure it doesn't equal their best wines, it certainly delivers. The nose is thick and sweet, with aromas of blackberries, cherries, and strawberry jam. It may be a little too jammy to be perfect, but I won't quibble - I have a particular fondness for thick sweet reds. The palate is equally rich, delivering spicy pepper, plum, cloves, and candied orange peel, with a bit of tannin and a lingering mouth feel.

I really liked this wine, and I'd buy it again in a snap.

Food: Pepper steak

Price: To be honest I don't remember, but is was probably around $20 or so.

Metala Langhorne Creek Shiraz Cabernet

In need of a cheeky red to take to dinner, I popped into a bottle shop and picked up this little number on the strength of its label, and the fact that I'd seen it advertised the day before. Yes, I am a slave to consumerism and superficial beauty.

But superficial beauty is not all this wine has. The Metala vineyard is at Langhorne Creek in South Australia, and has a long and decorated history. This white label is about two thirds shiraz, some sourced from the original 1891 vines, topped up with cabernet. It is oaked in American and French barrels.

This is a heavy, dark wine, and fills the glass with peppery blackcurrant and strawberry flavours. The mouth feel is pleasantly oaky, with long, lingering tannins that don't overpower the sweet berry and chocolate flavours. This wine is terrific value, and should smooth and intensify even more with a couple of years in the cellar.

Food: Juicy roo steak.

Price: Only around $16 -$17 a bottle!

Koonara "The Seductress" Shiraz

Yes, Koonara again.  We first tried this wine in its last vintage, and were immediately seduced.  It, along with their "Temptress" cab. sav. (which will show up on this blog fairly soon), became one of our regular drinking wines, and I had no hesitation in shelling out for the new vintage, taste untasted.  Believe me, I was not disappointed!  The 2005 vintage is, if anything, better than the previous year's.  And you'll have to trust me on that, because this wine is not available in bottle shops, so you'll have to take the plunge and grab a case from the cellar door.  

The Seductress is 100% Shiraz, and shines a deep ruby red.  The nose has rich spices, mulberry and cherry.  On the tongue, it's thick and peppery, and your mouth is filled with chocolate and cherry which lingers on for ages.  

Food: Roast lamb and chunky roast veges.

Price: Koonara's website shows it at $20 a bottle, but we got it at $16 at the release of the vintage. Give the winery a call - they're super friendly :-).  

Koonara Single Wing SBS

We came across Koonara at the Sydney Good Food & Wine show a couple of years ago, and they immediately became one of our favourite wineries.  A small family-run affair in the Coonawarra, with low yields, they make some absolutely terrific wines.  

This Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, we'd never tasted, but knowing how good their Sauv. Blanc was, and it being on special at the local wine shop, we bought a few bottles on spec, and weren't disappointed.  It's very easy to drink, and drinks best young, so our few bottles didn't last long!  

The nose is lovely and smoothly buttery, but mildly so, with aromas of citrus and tropical fruits lending it some nice freshness.  The palate is passionfruit and pear, and a lovely tingly acidity from the Sauv. Blanc, balanced by the nuttiness of the Semillon.  

Food: Great with fish, salads, or by itself!

Price: Normally around $20 in the shops, though we paid $13, and it's $15 from the cellar door.  

Introduction to Winerrific

I like wine.  Now, there's nothing so unusual in that - I am one wine fan in a vast host of enthusiasts.  There are thousands of other wine blogs, all doing, I've no doubt, something very similar to this one.  Nevertheless, I'm doing this for my own pleasure, and whether I manage to find a unique tone or not, I hope that whoever stumbles across (or is forced to read) this blog will enjoy reading it even a tiny fraction of the amount I'm enjoying writing it; and hopefully pick up a few ideas for what wine to try next.  

Right, with no more ado, let's get started!