WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It’s time again for that awesomest of the awesome tasting announcement! It’s the Carpe Vinum Awesomest Awesome Friday Tasting Announcement and Awesomeish Newsletter! This week we’re tasting Awesome Aussies! It’s seven awesome wines from the warmest parts of an already warm and dry continent/island/country. And are these wines dry, just like the landscape? Absolut- . . . er . . . yeah, kinda. They’re dry red wines, yes. But they’re fruity, juicy and, like, totally awesome. Let’s discuss.

Okay. Remember the eighties? Where, like, suddenly everyone was, like, totally saying, like, “awesome” all the time? Remember that? Well okay. Perhaps it’s now time to stop using the word. I just used it in the title because it’s alliterative to Aussie. And if I called it Auspicious Aussies, no one would know what I’m talking about. I’m afraid the word has been used to death. Sorry “awesome” . . . it’s time we parted ways. Don’t worry. It’s not you, it’s the rest of us. So in what way should we describe the awes- . . . uh, tremendous power of these Australian red wines? And how do we keep it alliterative? Merriam-Webster suggests Amazing, Astonishing, and Astounding. That’s a good start. And it’s all we get from a free internet thesaurus.

So. Moving on from the linguistic eulogy of that one word that shan’t be uttered again . . . Here we are at one of the most exciting wine regions of the earth: Australia! Really, as a New World wine region, Australia has taken wine styles from around the world, and turned them on their heads. Some of the best they have to offer are the French Rhone varietals of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre. The grapes may be the same, but these are akin to the wines of the Southern Rhone on steroids. And to bring us back to the Eighties, and the words of a famous Australian band, these wines are, like, totally “six-foot-four-and-full-of-muscles”. They may even wash down a good vegemite sandwich. (Or rinse the taste out. Yeeargh.)

The selection this week are the wines that caught my attention. As Australia has become the world’s largest exporter of wine, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of Shiraz. That’s why I leave all the Aussie Shiraz to a separate tasting. This one is focusing on a number of other varieties. I’m starting with a Cabernet Franc. Firstly because I love a good Cab Franc, and secondly because I’ve seen very few varietal Cab Franc wines out of Australia. Also, I also get distracted by the names of some of these wines. Therefore I couldn’t pass up a wine called “The Bitch” Grenache. I don’t know why it’s called that, but perhaps in thinking back to the Eighties again, it’s “bitchin’”. Also, and to fill out the rest, are some of the awe- . . . er . . . superb Rhone-style blends that we know and love about Australia.

R.I.P. “Awesome”. We had an awe- . . . uh . . . we had a swell time.

So Friday, January 19th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Awesome Aussies!!! (Just one last time.)
Hanenhof 2005 Cabernet Franc, Barossa Valley
R Winery 2004 “The Bitch” Grenache, Barossa Valley
Hare’s Chase 2003 Red Blend (Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Franc), Barossa Valley
Cimicky 2005 Trumps Grenache/Shiraz, Barossa Valley
Lengs & Cooter 2004 “The Victor” (Shiraz/Grenache), Clare Valley

Awesomer Awesome Aussies!!! (Okay, last time . . . really.)
Torbreck 2003 The Steading GSM (Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre), Barossa Valley
Kaesler 2005 Avignon GSM, Barossa Valley

A stellar deal at $10 for the First 5, $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!

Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Spanish Wines of the Levant: Jumilla, Yecla, Valencia, Etcetera!

M