Water into Wino

The Wishing Tree Shiraz 2004

The Wishing Tree Shiraz 2004
Australia, Southwestern ($11)

My recent interest in Aussie wines as well as my desire to never miss a best buy led me to this bottle. Made up of 66% Western Australia grapes and 34% South Australia grapes, this wine has been listed as a bargain, and with 20,000 cases made, it seems to be easy enough to find. Even though it's sealed with a screw cap, I still picked one up. My traditional preference for corks isn't always practical, so if I am going to just open the wine when I get it home anyway, a screw cap is okay I guess.

I found this wine to be very drinkable. Aromas of cranberry, blackberry, and pepper are evident. Nice smooth palate of ripe cherries and blackberries. Spicy notes follow with a lingering peppery accent. This wine has a lighter body than I expect in a Shiraz. The tannins are very soft, leading to what I feel is a mouth cleansing finish that would compliment food easily. There was a slight fizz in the texture when I first opened it. Pouring it into my decanter and waiting twenty minutes took care of that, giving way to the supple texture I enjoyed. My grade: B

Southern Style BBQ

International Night reared its hungry head at my place last week. It was my girlfriends turn to cook for us. Breaking away from the not so unusual themes of French, Italian, and Latin, she made BBQ pork sandwiches with cole slaw, baked beans, and roasted potato wedges.

My choice of wine for the dinner was one I had drank before. My recent Spanish wine kick taught me that a wine imported by Jorge Ordonez is never a let down. So I chose a $10 tempranillo at a neighborhood liquor store. A friend of mine brought over a California Rosso table wine and another brought an Australian Shiraz.

Niebaum-Coppola Francis Coppola Rosso Classic 2004 California ($9)

Deep violet color and medium bodied. Cherries and berries are evident with an almost refreshing fruity taste. Definetely not complex but a decent table wine. Had some sharp white chedder with it. Probably not a best buy at $9.

Penfolds Shiraz Thomas Hyland 2003 Australia, Southeastern ($15)

Dark berry nose with a fleshy plum and berry taste. Subtle spice and well rounded tannins make this a pleasurable wine that has a long satisfying finish. I tasted some spice at the end from the oak which was very well balanced with the fruit and alcohol. Went very well with my BBQ pork sandwich. A $15 price tag doesn't make this a best buy but a predictably good buy that delivers. My grade: B

Elaborado Y Embotellado Manoamano 2003 Spain, La Mancha ($10)

100% tempranillo aged in french oak for six months creates this well balanced robust wine that was just what I needed to down the last bites of my BBQ pork dinner. There wasn't as much spice as in the previous Shiraz, and wasn't velvety like the Shiraz, but it was as complex a wine as I would need as the night came to an end. I wouldn't dare try to score this wine because my judgement was overwhelmed from stuffing my face. It gets my nod of approval and it will end of on my table again in the future.

Sextant Red 2004

Sextant Red 2004 Australia, Southeast ($7)

In an attempt to find a "best buy of all table wines" that fits my taste buds and budget, I have found myself again at Astor Wines in NYC. This wine was a staff pick there and for $7 bucks there was no thought needed. A blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Mataro. This was an all around decent red table wine, both the nose and palate had dark red fruits and blackberries with a hint of pepper. Nice smooth texture with a dark red color. Short finish but perfect for everyday drinking. My grade: B-