Hello friends and wine lovers!

This is one tasting not to miss featuring 7 Shiraz from Australia for under $10, and the tasting is only $8. More bang for the buck, is what I call it.

Under the most rudimentary definitions, if you happen to be unfamilliar, Shiraz is the same grape as Syrah, the star performer of France’s Northern Rhone. The wines tend to be large and powerful with a heaping mouthfull of fruit and spice. Personally, I find that the Australian versions of this varietal tend to be a bit more over-the-top, bolder and, if nothing else, much, much cheaper.

A friend recently asked me why some call the grape Shiraz, while others call it Syrah. After a bit of research, I found that there was no definate explanation for the name, either way. Most believe it was a grape that came from the city Shiraz in Persia (modern day Iran). Why Australia and South Africa call the grape Shiraz, and not France (where it is Syrah), the country that gave the other two regions the grape, is unclear. What is clear is why California wineries might call a wine Shiraz, rather than Syrah. . . .In a word: Marketing.

Friday’s Lineup:
Kanga’s Leap 2002 Shiraz
Andrew Peace 2002 Shiraz
McWilliams Hanwood Estate 2001 Shiraz
Barossa Valley Estate 2001 Spires Shiraz
Woop Woop 2001 Shiraz

And the Extra 2:
Grant Burge 2001 Shiraz
Yalumba “Y” 2001 Shiraz

The tasting is the low, low price of $8 for the first 5, and the low, low price of $3 for the Extra Two.

The pouring starts at 4:30PM, and continues until 9:00.

Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!
M