Theme: Australian Wines
About: The Australian wine industry is the world's fourth largest exporter of wine with approximately 750 million litres a year to the international export market with only about 40% of production consumed domestically. The wine industry is a significant contributor to the Australian economy through production, employment, export and tourism.
Wine is produced in every state, with more than 60 designated wine regions totalling approximately 160,000 hectares; however Australia's wine regions are mainly in the southern, cooler parts of the country, with vineyards located in South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland. The wine regions in each of these states produce different wine varieties and styles that take advantage of the particular Terroir such as: climatic differences, topography and soil types. With the major varieties being predominantly Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Semillon, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc. Wines are often labelled with the name of their grape variety, which must constitute at least 85 percent of the wine.
Bring: TWITs should bring a bottle of Australian Wine in the specified price range (Up to $20/bottle for Singles, between $20 - $40/bottle for Couples). We did our usual blind-tasting format, and then unveiled the wines at the end.
Why did our hostesses pick this theme? Why Australia?
Angela's fiance' Nerino is from Sydney, and as they say, "It's God's Country!" It also gave Angela and Kat a fun time cooking some authentic Australian food. We had meat pies, sausage rolls, Marmite, and Pavlova (a dessert). Australians are known to put beets on their hamburgers. Did you know a Didgeridoo is a wood instrument, naturally hollowed out by termites? We learned that a "Larican" is an urban hooligan, or gangster / prankster. Someone joked "Have you ever been to the Outback?" and one replied "The bloomin' onion is amazing!"
Tasting Notes:
Welcome Wine: 2012 Dynamite Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon $6.99 ~ 12.99 @ Whole Foods.
Delightful at a great price point.
1) 2012 Vinaceous "The Red Right Hand" Margaret River, Perth, $15.99 @ Total Wine
69% Shiraz, 23% Grenache, 8% Tempranillo - 14% alcohol
nose: Australian! light, sweet, faint berry, prudish nose (joke: It's Michael Jackson's nose, not much there, too much rhinoplasty)
palate: pinot noir-ish, a little tart, a bit bitter, some oak on it, "I don't love it", needs to breathe, has some heat, needs some meat, dark cherry, higher alcohol, dry, non-descript, thick-legged Scottish, nothing to write home about, olivey, briney, not showing anything, carbonated, like a soda, table wine, nothing special, Tuesday night wine at somebody else's house, this has to come back from a long way, maybe Cleveland. some green privet bush, licorice, pulls on your tongue, disappointing finish, hay.
2) 2012 Vinaceous "Snake Charmer" McLaren Vale - $15.99 @ Total Wine
100% Shiraz, 12.5% alcohol
mineral water, cherry, smooth on the tongue, grapey nose, dark, deep syrup, dark chocolate, tart, soft, cassis-y, syrup, earthy, like dirt, a bit dirty, dirt track rubber, dried dusty dirt, from the outback, would pair with dark chocolate, beet juice, cranberry
3) 2013 Mollydooker "Maitre 'D" McLaren Vale ~ $30 @ Total Wine
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15.5% alcohol
(Mollydooker is slang for "Left Hander") good nose, floral, the legs stain the glass, inky, purple, black currant, berry, cassis, punches you in the face and caresses you, "Chris Brown wine, tastes like velvet, like any good first date, good from start to finish, delicious, high alcohol, warmth at back of the tongue, viscosity, all around winner, menthol finish, camphor, guessing it's a Mollydooker,
4) 2013 Mollydooker "Blue Eyed Boy" McLaren Vale ~ $44 @ Total Wine
100% Shiraz, 16.5% Alcohol
(named for Sarah and Sparky's son)
smells yummy (with 3 M's!), the alcohol is like YEOW! this wine is enormous! high alcohol, dark chocolate, super cassis, cassis-bomb, anise, strong, high alcohol, licorice, needs more air, alcohol-bomb, like a scotch, it burns, tastes smooth, punches you in the face than caresses you, I hit you because I love you, too warm, you could light this on fire, you'll regret it in the morning, 'the wine before fireball', smoky, heavy, the heavy set, a wine with a self-righteous 20-something New York Attitude, Jam-bomb, two tense
5) 2013 Mollydooker "Blue Eyed Boy" McLaren Vale ~ $44 @ Total Wine
100% Shiraz, 16.5% Alcohol
antiseptic, hospital, bandaids, it burns, cassis-ish, yet smoother, "the wave cheers", "I like this 'effin' wine, Kampai!, Mushrooms in marsala sauce, earthy, tart, olive/brine finish, with cherry, chocolate, pear and pepper on the finish, like dirt, dirty beast, powdery chocolate, not much nose, derp-face, smells like a "white walker".
6) 2011 Michel Chapoutier "King of the Rhone" Tournon, Shays Flat Vineyard Pyranees Shiraz - $23.99 @ Toco Giant
He has Braille on the bottle. 100% Shiraz, 14% alcohol
dirty underwear, perm solution, mature wimes (ha), toilet water, funky, french toilet, slow your swirl, effervescent, does NOT pair well with dessert, petrol, new tupperware, latex, condoms, sharp turn down under left, we've cleansed Johnny, no do it again, velvety, not hot, older, browner, pretty much no one liked it except Abbie, (clarification, I'd like it on a different night).
7) 2012 Red Knot Shingleback Shiraz McLaren Vale - $15 @ Bottleshop on Collier
100% Shiraz, 14% alcohol
olive, sticky sweetness, cloying, rubbing alcohol, not a good finish, band-aid also, mud, swampy mud, asphalt, malbec?, older, grounded, very clean, antiseptic, rain on the ground, pavement, bitter finish, medicinal, Nyquil, not feeling it, hard to like, harsh, "you get no pleasure from drinking this" "the blue balls of wine", knotty.
8) 2010 Mollydooker "Two Left Feet" $25~30 @ Total Wine
72% Shiraz, 16% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon
16% alcohol
dark, elegant nose, this is nice, smells dirty, it doesn't taste as dirty as it behaves, it's a freak in the streets, a lady in the sheets, a Jedi in the streets, a Sith in the sheets. A Dorothy in the streets, a Blanche in the sheets, a Charlotte in the streets, a Samantha in the sheets, "This is pithy goodth", it's puppy tongue!
Photos:
Australia Wine Map
