WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to another edition of the Carpe Vinum Wine Tasting Bonanza and Newsletter of Fine Wine Extravaganza! This week we’re wrapping up this soggy month of May with a wonderful treat from “Down Under.” It’s sunny Australia! And more specifically, it’s the spectacular, super-special, stupendous, sensational, splendid, and s . . . uh. . fruity. . .Shiraz! I thought I might do this one a bit differently because. . .well. . . I do that kind of thing!

Shiraz, for anyone new to the list or needing a refresher, is a grape variety. (Whee! Isn’t learning fun?) Elsewhere in the world it’s mostly known as Syrah. Why the two identities? We! Don’t! Know! The grape has its origins in and/or around the city of Shiraz in what is now modern-day Iran. Considering that it is named after its hometown, I suppose it is more of a mystery why it is called “Syrah” at all, although I’m assuming it has to do with the French pronunciation of it over a couple of millennia. This is considering France was the first recipient of the grape, and is from there where everyone else got it. So if the French call it “Syrah” and everyone else got it from the French, why does anyone still call it “Shiraz”? The answer is simple it that — Hey, what’s that over there? Ah, nothing. Soo. . .what was I talking about?

In the past I’ve done tastings of Australian Shiraz, and what I’ve discovered is that Australia is one powerhouse of a wine market. We’ve all seen a huge influx of Aussie wines; waves and waves of good deals and tasty wines. Sometimes they’re so consistent in quality, that it becomes a bit nondescript between producers. I noticed that although there are a great number of different regions within Australia, the majority of the ones I see are coming from two big-names: Barossa and McLarren Vale. These are two of the major wine areas within South Australia, Australia’s largest producing and exporting region. Wines here account for 50% of the country’s exported wine. So we see a lot of it.

With this in mind, and considering I never like to take the easy way out, I decided it would be more interesting to put together Shiraz examples from all of Australia’s wine growing regions, rather than having all similar wines from one region. This way we can get an idea of the regional terroir and Shiraz styles of each region. . .within reason, that is. Seven samples out of 1800 wineries is just a drop of wine in the proverbial bucket. But the wine here will be served in regular glasses. Not buckets.

So Friday, May 26th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Aussie Shiraz!!
Nine Stones 2004 Shiraz, Hilltops, New South Wales
Wildberry 2004 Shiraz, Margaret River, Western Australia
Indis 2003 Shiraz, Great Southern, Western Australia
Mt. Langi Ghiran 2003 Billi Billi Shiraz, Grampians, Victoria
Thorn Clarke 2004 Shotfire Ridge Shiraz, Barossa, South Australia

You Bet Shiraz!!
Akoomi 2002 Shiraz, Frankland River, Western Australia
Coriole 2002 Shiraz, McLarren Vale, South Australia

Next Friday tasting is The Pinot Family: Pinot Noir! Pinot Gris! Pinot Blanc!