Yalumba, Galway vintage, Shiraz, 2022, Barossa Valley, Australia
The Barossa valley in Australia is known as a fantastic wine region and produces superior red wine. This dry red has strong tannins with depth and flavours of plum, blackcurrant, oak and hints of chocolate. It’s a good wine but nothing to make it stand out. At £15 a bottle I would like more subtle flavours and texture. Think of it as a Ford Focus car.
Crooked Mick, Shiraz, 2021, South Eastern Australia
Good quality Australian Shiraz is the best I can come up with for this Crooked Mick Shiraz. Its not bad, dry with reasonable amount of black fruit, spice and hints of leather and chocolate. At under £10 a bottle its a good wine at a good price. Think of a cheap Skoda car, solid.
Aldi, Grapevine, Shiraz, Australia
Aldi do sell some excellent wine but this isn’t one of them. Sure at £4 is cheap but not much flavour or aroma, some length, mild tannins which isn’t necessarily bad. Another late at the party opening wine.
Brothers in Arms, Shiraz, 2019, South Australia
Another Australian heavy red wine yes but it’s rather good. Its bold and dry with decent tannins and plenty of fruit. There’s red and black fruit, oak, spice and hints of chocolate and leather.
It’s a red for food, a lump of red meat or a big red sauce pasta dish. At £12 a bottle it’s reasonable value.
Bird In Hand, Two In The Bush, Shiraz, 2020, South Australia.
Another over oaked red wine from Australia or a fabulous Shiraz at a great price? well this Shiraz from the Bird In Hand in South Australian is more the later, smells and flavours of blackberry, plum, pepper and other spices with hints of chocolate, licorice and eucalyptus. Its dry with medium tannins and good length.
At £14 a bottle from Tesco its pretty good value, better when its on offer though.
Brand’s Laira, Blockers, Shiraz, 2013, Coonawarra, Australia
Coonawarra produce great, bold, flavourful red wines and this is good, not outstanding but it wont embarrass you if you served this with a chunk of red meat. With aromas and flavours of red and black fruits, pepper and oak. Its bold and pretty dry but 7 years on its smoothed out and is easy drinking. Have it with red meat or game bird and I’m sure you will enjoy drinking it, its worth taking your time and at £12 a bottle its OK value.
South Africa does some really good Merlot and Shiraz and this blend brings some good qualities. That’s not a huge amount of aromas on this blend but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You do get flavours of raspberry and plum with more red fruit in there.
It’s a decent red just for drinking ?.
Crows Fountain, Shiraz, Merlot, 2018, South Africa
Languedoc, France make some of the most wonderful Rose wine in the world and this Joa, from Gérard Bertrand shows off what you can expect. Its made with shiraz, Grenache and Cinsault grapes.
Its very dry, light, a little acidic, crisp and has subtle aromas and flavours of wild strawberry, redcurrant, melon and floral hints in there.
At £13 a bottle its a little overpriced, but it a bio wine and therefore expect to pay that little bit more.
Gérard Bertrand, JoaRosé, Languedoc, France
McGuigan wines are known for cheap and readily available and that’s a fair comment.
That doesn’t mean that they are not any good, but be realistic. This cellar select Shiraz is no different, enjoy it for what its worth, a £7 Shiraz. Its a one dimensional red wine with lots of black fruit, medium dry tannins with reasonable length but nothing else. No complexity and no multiple flavours.
This is not a great wine but a supermarket £7 red that is inoffensive and easy.
McGuigan Cellar Select Shiraz 2016, Australia
From the minute you pour this wine and see the deep purple colour and then smell the black fruit, vanilla, spice and smokey notes you get the impression that this is an impressive wine.
Its a pretty rich tasting wine with loads of black fruits, blackcurrants, plum but also redcurrant. There spice and smoothness with a little dryness that compliments the whole package.
This is a very good wine and at £11 a bottle pretty decent value.
Grillhouse, Shiraz Pinotage 2017, Western Cape, South Africa