But like many iconic French wines, a good bottle will set you back a pretty penny and the product of the more famed producers is priced out of reach for most of us. But the good news is that the \u201cAustralian version\u201d of Ch\u00e2teauneuf-du-Pape is not just delicious, but also inexpensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While many regions will produce a so called \u201cGSM blend\u201d, the Barossa Valley<\/a> in South Australia is perhaps the premier producer of grenche and shiraz in the country. So it stands to reason that if you are looking for high quality grenache, shiraz and mataro (or mourv\u00e8dre) fruit, then the valley to the north east of Adelaide is the obvious place to start your search. While the winemakers of the southern Rh\u00f4ne are bound by AOC rules to use and blend any of nine different red varietals, they typically make blends that are dominated by grenache and supported by varying amounts of syrah (shiraz), mourv\u00e8dre (we call it mataro) and a few other \u201cbit players\u201d like cinsault. Perhaps one reason for the dominance of grenache in the French style is the sheer volume of grenache they grow \u2013 it accounts for over 70% of vines in the region!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Barossa<\/a>, shiraz is the dominant grape by area under vine \u2013 and by a large margin. So it probably makes sense that many winemakers prefer to make a \u201cSGM\u201d blend in which shiraz dominates. But if you ask me, to borrow an Aussie colloquialism, that\u2019s just not cricket! I much prefer a Rh\u00f4ne blend in which the perfumed grenache can open the batting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During a recent visit to the Barossa<\/a>, I tried more than a few of our version of the Southern Rh\u00f4ne blend, and one of the stand-outs was from a winery in Greenock called Murray Street Vineyards<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their version of the \u201cHoly Trinity\u201d sells at only around $30 a bottle and is a very approachable wine in its youth. Sold under the name 2017 Red Label “The Barossa”<\/a>, the blend is 60% grenache, 38% shiraz and laced with 2% mataro. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s little of the stalky leathery characters that are often seen in the froggy version of the famed blend, but plenty of spice on the Does anyone have Frasier Crane\u2019s postal address? If he enjoys a Ch\u00e2teauneuf-du-Pape, I reckon he\u2019d love this one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Murray Street Vineyards 2017 Red Label \u201cThe Barossa\u201d Fans of the comedy series, Frasier, would be acquainted with the French style, Ch\u00e2teauneuf-du-Pape; the red wine that Frasier Crane is frequently observed ordering while eating out at French restaurants. It\u2019s a blend of red varietals from a region in the southern Rh\u00f4ne area near Avignon which… ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/travisschultz.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Travis-Schultz-Murray-Street.jpg\")
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