With syrah (shiraz) and cabernet/merlot blends, it's often worth observing the gorgeous colour. Tip the glass so the surface of the wine is oval and hold it against something white.
Admire the lovely velvety deep garnet colour of the wine and the bright cerise or brickish colour at the edge. Generally the younger a wine, the brighter and more cerise or purple the edge, which fades to garnet or brick as it ages.
BEST UNDER $20
$19.95
A lightish wine with a peppery hint, pleasant juicy fruit and background oak. Simple, decent and very drinkable with much of the character, if not the concentration, you expect from Hawkes Bay syrah.
Average value
Two stars (out of five)
BEST VALUE
$30
Deep velvety colour with hints of blackberries and raspberries, pepper, chocolate, spice and mint, this is a deliciously harmonious wine with firm but fine-grained tannins cushioned by the dense but not overwhelming fruit.
Good value
Four stars (out of five)
$16
A blend of shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and malbec from Victoria, this is lighter in colour and weight than the others in this tasting, with soft, edgy fruit and a savoury undertone.
Average value
Two stars
$32
With aromas of berries and spice - and a hint of nail polish remover which soon disappears, this wine is lively with luscious fruit, hints of chocolate and cherries, and supple tannins.
Below average value
Three stars
$30
Concentrated with big fruit - dark berries and a peppery edge, backed by big, spicy oak and firm, grippy tannins with underlying savoury hints of chocolate and mint. For those who like big, punchy wines.
Average value
Three-and-a-half stars
$55
An impressive first release from a new organic producer, this was fragrant, concentrated, lively, and silky textured with juicy fruit, oodles of spicy oak, supple tannins and a lingering aftertaste when first tasted. For lovers of big, oaky wine.
Average value
Four stars
ANOTHER GLASS
Penfolds Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2007
$32
A big, over the top wine, overflowing with buckets of dark fruit, and knocking you in the teeth with planks of oak and tooth-sucking tannins. Heaven for those who like this big, muscular, Australian style (it'll put hairs on your chest), but too much for those who prefer something more harmonious.
Below average value
Three stars
Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations. charmian.smith@odt.co.nz
Two stars - simple, clean, enjoyable wine; three stars - good wine with varietal characteristics; four stars - very good wine with some outstanding
characteristics; five stars- outstanding wine with balance and harmony that leaves you with a sense of wonder.
