My extremely hilariously funny Aunt Nancy has this great line for dodos who ask questions with obvious answers. "Are you new?" is her version of 'duh!', and Nancy if you don't mind I'm totally stealing this line from you. "Are you new?" is what the wine gods sneered at me as I fell in love with my first few sips of Shiraz. Oh heavens! Mama's got a brand new bag!
Forgive me if you're one of those readers who hates it when people personify wine. If you dislike this trend in wine description, you should probably go read another blog, 'cause I'm not likely to stop likening wines to men any time soon. And this wine is totally my Rhett Butler. Now I've had Shiraz (Syrah) in blends before, but this is the first time I've experienced this handsome devil on its own. Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible, calls this grape 'manly yet elegant'. That description is so totally spot on.
The bottle that landed in my lap was from a winery in Beamsville called Peninsula Ridge (2008 vintage). Beamsville must be an oasis of vines and men in chaps to produce such wine. I'll book my tour presently. In the meantime, I'll enjoy this wine and its leathery, smoky scent, with a surprising berry-plum ka-boom! on the tongue on the first sip--and every sip thereafter. Such a sneaky wine, it doesn't taste like it smells! It was a bargain at $14.95; I found it in the Ontario wine section at our puny LCBO.
If you need me, Rhett and I will be cuddling on the couch.
'Til next time,
B.
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