“Wine, dear boy, and truth”, Alcaeus, 625-575 B.C.
Historically, European criminals were banned to the remote continent of Australia. Their Wild West-type mentality prospered, and they began tinkering with a variety of occupations, including winemaking.
For a large part of the 20th century, wines were either sweet or cheap and had brain-liquefying levels of alcohol. With constant attention to details and quality, Australian wines by the 1980s had established a worldwide reputation. Today, there are 1,115 wineries operating primarily in the cooler southern part of the continent, making wines of every pedigree and style.
As the quality of wine grew over time and the world took further notice of these oenological gems, production of the fairly priced beauties increased tremendously, far outstripping demand and depressing prices. A few of my favorites today are Fox Creek, Jacob’s Creek, Norman, Penfold’s, Rosemount and Wynns.
And now, on to my tasting of some Down Under Dolls. I’ve scored them using my normal “A”-“F” ratings. They are available at various Milwaukee wine stores such as Otto’s, Pick & Save, Piggly Wiggly and Ray’s:
1. Jacob’s Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, $5.99: Light to medium body with a lightly fruity nose. Clean, medium-rich fruit and finish. Nice. B
2. Penfold’s Grange (used to be called Grange Hermitage until the Frenchmen in Hermitage sued these purported criminals to have the Hermitage removed). Older vintage tasted from memory, but the 2001 is available at Ray’s for $249.99. Incredibly deep, purple hue with huge body. Dense, deep notes of violets and plum on the nose. Explosively, almost impossibly fruity flavor. Long, hedonistic finish. Buy it if you can find it! A+
3. Barossa Vines (Grant Burge) Barossa Shiraz 2006, $15.99-$16.99: Dark purple hue with heavy body. Deep. jammy nose. Rich fruit with notes of spice. Balanced and brooding. This kept improving in the glass for hours. A
The winner: Penfold’s Grange. A close second: Barossa Vines (Grant Burge) Barossa Shiraz. The price/value winner: Jacob’s Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
Cheers, mates!
