Matties Perch White Shiraz

No Vintage, SE Austraila, $5.50 for 750ml

Blush Wine

Lately,  I’ve noticed that a lot of companies are putting out new varietal versions of the White Zinfandel that has been so loved since the 1970’s.  Wine stores now offer all kinds of interesting permutations like White Merlot or White Shiraz.   Makes sense I suppose since Merlot and Shiraz are both abundantly-grown grapes that may have more product than the red wine market knows what to do with.  (In case you are new to drinking blush wines, varietals such as White Zin, White Merlot or White Shiraz are all made with the red grape of its namesake.  The juice of the red grape is bled off with the skins still on.  This allows the juice to absorb some of the red pigmentation and a bit of the flavor from the skin before being vatted separately.)

I decided to give Matties Perch White Shiraz a whirl.  I like the rich, thick flavor of Shiraz and was interested in finding out how much of that richness might carry over to its blush counterpart. 

Well, I have to say that the flavor left me feeling a little flat.  It was rather bland and uninteresting.  Almost like water.  It didn’t have the sweet zingyness that most White Zinfandels contain and lacked a tartness found in many white wines.   

I’ll say it is refreshing to sip on a hot day, but otherwise, I found the flavor to be too mild.  Not unpleasant, just not very interesting.

But, if you are throwing a pool party or a beach party or something equally active and outdoorsy, this might not be a bad wine to have in your ice chest.  It won’t cost you an arm and a leg and  the mildness of this quaff might be just what your guests are after.

Bottom line?  Pass it up if you are after an interesting blush to sip on.  But, if you are looking for a refreshing, cold light wine to bring to a summer party, it’s worth a try.

wine’s website:  http://www.mattiesperch.com/

2006 SE Australia, $5.50 for 750 ml

(Red Wine)

The Little Penguin Shiraz was such a pleasant surprise that I thought I would give their Cabernet Sauvignon a run for the money. Plus, I like thinking of cute little penguins wobbling around in hand-knit sweaters somewhere in New Zealand (see Little Penguin Shiraz post). It makes me happy.

True to Cabernet form, I detected that pleasantly sour, blackcurrant flavor and a nice acidic bite. The tannins were a bit lower that I would have expected from a Cabernet and I discovered this with some level of disappointment. I’ve grown to enjoy a nice dose of puckering tannins in my Cabernet Sauvignon.

While the flavor was pleasant, I preferred the denser-almost chewy-Little Penguin Shiraz to their Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet was less complex and the flavor was of a sharper, less rolling-deep sensation.

Bottom line? I’m still KO’d by the Little Penguin. While the Shiraz is my favorite so far, the Cabernet also offers good value for the price.

wine’s website: www.thelittlepenguin.com

(no vintage) California $4.24 for 750 ml

(Red Wine)

What’s in a name?  Well, if the name is “earthy,” there are certain expectations that accompany it.  Earthy should mean rich and layered. Maybe a little thick and with round, dusty flavors.  And when you name a red wine “earthy”, but in French, well, then, you’ve really upped the ante.  It just seems that much more poetic, right?  At least, that’s probably what the goal was.

Despite my hopes for this inexpensive Merlot hailing from Woodbridge, California, I was quickly let down by the first whiff of La Terre Merlot’s ascetic acid and nail polish remover fumes. Sharp, sickly sweet-sour and without any depth of flavor, this wine has no redeeming qualities that I can think of.

I’d say that maybe it was just a bad year, but since it doesn’t have a vintage, I can’t really blame it on that, either.

Now, to be fair, I tasted La Terre Merlot with a fellow wine drinker who admittedly does not share my acute dislike for any hint of ascetic acid flavor. To him, the wine tasted “okay” but that was about as positive as the tasting notes got. For me, I downright disliked it and truly, I can’t even offer a description of fruit or woody or any other common flavors as I was simply overwhelmed by the sharp, ascetic acid domination.

Bottom line? Pass this Merlot up. From earth it came, and to earth it should return.

wine’s website:  couldn’t find

2006, SE Australia, $8.00 for 1.5L

(Red Wine)

Amazing! For the price, I was so very happy with the Black Swan Shiraz.

I had read a review in the past that eschewed inexpensive wines as nothing but plonk and used inexpensive Australian versions-particularly naming Black Swan wines-as an example of cheap cost=cheap quality wine. So, maybe I entered into this tasting with lowered expectations. Or, maybe, my Black Swan was just trying to prove a point….

According to my research, the term “Black Swan” is a saying used back more commonly in the day when folks in Western Europe sipped their afternoon tea with curled pinkies. Apparently, it was (and still is) an expression employed when one meant to state that something was impossible or did not exist. As in, “a unicorn is nothing but a black swan.”

Well, leave it to the Australians to actually discover a species of black swan in the 17^th century! In fact, black swans in Australia are a pretty common form of fowl. Kind of turns around the meaning behind the metaphor a bit, doesn’t it?

It makes me wonder about unicorns, too….

With such an independent spirit behind the name, it should come as no surprise that my Black Swan Shiraz defied expectations.

Was it inexpensive? Yes, very.

Was it poor quality? Not at all.

The Black Swan Shiraz isn’t necessarily a layered and complex wine, but it is definitely a berry filled, slurpy drink that is friendly and very easy to enjoy. Less caustic on the tannins and acidity, it still has a nice, easy going balance filled with juicy, almost strawberry-like flavors. It’s a pleasant sipper for an evening book reading, or as an accompaniment to dinner.

Bottom line? Good bargain and recommended if you want an easygoing red wine filled with lots of berry flavor. At least for this inexpensive and delicious Shiraz, harmony of economy and quality is not an impossibility.  It’s just a Black Swan.

wine’s website: www.blackswanwines.com

(no vintage) California $5.50 for 750 ml

(Red Wine)

I have been a singer of praises for the Barefoot Cellars line of varietal wines. They’re inexpensive and reliably good. And when I discovered that they also have a Zinfandel, I was even more pleased. It’s pretty hard to find a good, inexpensive (as in, under $10.00) Zinfandel.

I pranced home with my newly acquired Zin and prepared for an inexpensive and tasty wine review. Worried that my Barefoot reviews were beginning to sound redundant, I paused before pouring a sample to consider how else I could review this varietal without readers suspecting I was being paid off or something…

One sniff put my worries to rest. The aroma had a bit of a sickeningly sweet smell that was not pleasing. A sip confirmed this aroma and while the Barefoot Zinfandel also had a pleasant spicy cherry and black tea flavor, the sickeningly sweet taste really ruined the wine’s potential.

I tried this wine again the next day and found that the unpleasant sensation had wafted off a bit. In it’s place, the deeper, spicier flavors that make Zinfandel so yummy were displayed. Still, it’s a bit rude to make a gal wait for so long, don’t you think?

Bottom line? The Zinfandel isn’t one of Barefoot Cellar’s finest varietals, but worth a try. I recommend letting the bottle breathe for a while before sipping.

wine’s website:  www.barefoot.com

I’ve tried to think of something great to say about Liberty Creek’s Cabernet Sauvignon. But, I just can’t.

It’s not horrible; it’s just not that good. For a Cabernet, this wine is missing some umph.

It’s higher in acidity than a lot of Cabernet and rather thin-bodied. It tastes like the wine has been watered down a bit, and the tannins left a lot to be desired as well. In fact, I had trouble locating them.

The overall flavor of this Cabernet was a bit one-dimensional and I was left feeling like someone forgot to put half of the wine’s flavor into the bottle. Does that make sense?

Bottom line, Liberty Creek Cabernet Sauvignon is not a repulsive wine and for the price, some might want to at least give it a try. But, if you are desiring a layered and full-flavored experience, don’t take a dip in Liberty Creek.

wine’s website: couldn’t find

The Delicato Cabernet Sauvignon is a medium-bodied wine imbued with blackcurrant flavor.

For the price, I found this vino to be a pretty good deal.

While it doesn’t have the rolling layers that many other Cabernet Sauvignon offer, I found the Delicato Cab to be pleasant and a little less demanding, too. The flavors were smooth enough to offer the versatility of a wine to be sipped alone or with dinner.

That said, I’ve had other similarly priced Cabernet Sauvignon (think: Little Penguin or Barefoot) that I enjoyed better.

Bottom line: For the price alone, the Delicato Cabernet Sauvignon is worth a try. However, given similarly priced options that I find to be more complex and interesting, I don’t have a compelling reason to buy this again.

wine’s website: www.delicato.com

Even if you’ve had a bad day, when you pop open a bottle of sparkling wine, you’ve just got to feel like you’re celebrating.  And in my case, I actually was! 

Not only does Jacobs Creek sparkling wine make a birthday meal seem that much more celebratory, but I also found that it is hard to get depressed about aging when you’re sipping on such a tasty beverage.  Now, that ‘s what I call strategy!

The taste? The JC Chardonnay-Pinot Noir was crisp and refreshing with a bit of green apple zing. I suppose that was the Chardonnay talking.  Although this wine was dry, it did have just a hint of sweetness that gave this bubbly a friendly, festive flair without hitting one over the head with cloying sugaryness as some sparkling wines are apt to do.

Bottom line? A bargain dry sparkling wine.  This sparkling JC Chardonnay Pinot Noir was actually served with a  turkey dinner, so the drier nature went well with our meal.  If you’re looking for a dessert sparkling wine however, (or just something a bit sweeter), I would go with something labeled “Sec”, “Demi-Sec” or for really, really sweet, “Doux”. For more info on Sparkling wines, see antiwinesnob’s article on What’s the Difference between Sweet Wine and Dry Wine and look to the last section on Sparkling Wines.

wine’s website: www.jacobscreek.com

The Little Penguin Shiraz packs a lot of flavor into such an inexpensive bottle. And, while its namesake might be the smallest species of penguin in the world (Little Penguins only weigh about 2.2 pounds!) this wine has a presence that’s anything but lightweight.

The color is velvety red and the taste reflects this opulence. Flavors of blackberry and oak—mixed with just a bit of spiciness—simply roll through your mouth (okay wine snobs, your palate) and leave you wanting more.

What’s not to like about this Shiraz? According to its website, it even helps support a penguin protection, rescue and rehabilitation group called The Penguin Foundation. Awww. Now, that just makes me feel even better about drinking this stuff. Am I a sucker for marketing or what?

Bottom line: Excellent wine for the price. And, it’s really fun to sip on while you research obscure facts about Little Penguins…. Did you know that they’re also called “Fairy Penguins” or that they often mate for life? Or that there are environmental groups that knit sweaters for them? Seriously. Or that their feathers are actually not black but blue? … Okay, I’ll stop.

wine’s website: www.thelittlepenguin.com

2005 Mendoza Argentina. $4.25 for 750 ml
(Red Wine)

Normally, I prefer Cabernet Sauvignon to Merlot. I just like that extra bite that Cabernet offers. But in this case, I preferred the Marcus James 2005 Merlot to my earlier tasting of the Marcus James Cabernet Sauvignon 2006.

How so? Well, as my previous review mentions, the Cabernet version had an underlying acetic acid flavor that rendered the experience unpleasant. Not the case with this Merlot. It was smooth, a tiny bit tangy (in a good way) and full of round, plumy flavors. I was quite surprised to discover how much I liked it.

Bottom line? The 2005 Marcus James Merlot is a bargain. For the price, I challenge you to find a better tasting Merlot. Actually, I hope you do. And if so, I hope you tell me about it. After all, anti-wine-snobs need to stick together….

wine’s website: couldn’t find