Cabernet Franc is not a style that we often see vinified as a single varietal, but when it’s done well, it can be at least the equal of its better-known cousin, Cabernet Sauvignon. Most frequently, Cabernet Franc is used in the classic Bordeaux blends to provide charm, aromatics and fragrance to what is my all-time…
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The Wrattonbully wine region is sandwiched between Coonawarra and Padthaway in South Eastern South Australia and, just like its neighbouring districts, enjoys regionally distinctive terroir and abundant underground water. The Terra Rossa soils and limestone ridges have proven to be an ideal environment for growing Cabernet and Shiraz, but also Merlot wines of unusual power…
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When a light weight red is the order of the day, it’s hard to go past a youthful Pinot Noir. But as any winemaker will tell you, being a low yielding grape and troublesome in the vineyard, it’s a style which is notoriously expensive when you are looking for a wine of reasonable quality. And…
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Wow. It’s not often that I try a wine for the first time and immediately search for descriptive superlatives, but the Deisen Barossa Grenache 2010 left me in an adjective free zone and bordering on speechless. Grenache is a style that is normally used in Bordeaux blends which on its own can be floral and…
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Maybe it was the cheap Chianti cloaked in a straw basket that we drank in the ‘90s that gave me such a poor first impression of Italian wines but having recently tried some of their modern-day reds, I am glad I gave their viticulture a second chance! Where the old-style Chianti was very dry, loaded…
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Riesling from South Australia’s Clare Valley has been putting the area on the viticultural map for years, but it wasn’t until I recently took a field trip to the region that I realised the emphasis that local winemakers place on their red wines as well. Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz do very well in the Clare,…
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I have to admit to being somewhat of a novice when it comes to South African wines, but having discovered the Diemersfontein Pinotage 2012, I’d be happy to become a more regular oenological tourist to their viticultural shores. The Pinotage grape is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault and has become somewhat of a…
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If you’ve never heard of Saperavi, then I’m possibly not alone! No, it’s not a Spanish swear word, but rather a grape native to Georgia (as in the former Soviet Bloc State) and as old as the hills it grows in! I’d never tried one until I recently happened upon the Massena Saperavi (2010) at…
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Bright as a button, the vibrancy of the colour is overshadowed only by the spicy sweetness of the fruit. Lifted violets on the nose pre-empt the prettiness of the wine but it’s the plump red cherries in the middle that give this wine its mojo. There are fine tannins at the end, but they struggle…
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The Lost Wine Found – It may not be a well-known style but Carmenere is a wine set to stage an almighty comeback thanks to its rise as the signature varietal of the Chilean wine industry. Carmenere is often referred to as the ‘lost grape of Bordeaux’ as a result of the vines being wiped…
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