Maglieri Shiraz - SA

I don't know what it really is about these Shiraz' coming out of South Australia that makes them good. People cite the weather - climatic conditions etc. Whatever it is, it is good for us. We get to taste these beautiful wines. Maglieri Shiraz 2008 is a fine example of another good, honest wine that came out SA. It comes with a cork though...

Open it up, have a glass and then leave it sitting for an hour. Have another glass. You feel the life in the wine. You'll notice it has grown. And this is it. This is what keeps us wine lovers attached to this beautiful world of wine.

Taste - nice, subtle and easy to drink, it is not a strong, full-on Australian Shiraz

Price - around AUD $12 - 14

Alcohol - 14.5%

Origin - McLaren Vale - South Australia

Mariner Pinot Noir - Marlborough, NZ

Pinot Noir is a tricky wine. Everyone wants to grow this grape. Recently, I came across a winemaker from the Pemberton area, WA and he told me that they grow this grape and make pretty good Pinot Noir. I tasted the wine he so graciously gave me. I told him it wasn't good. He probably doesn't like me that much any more but the reason I told him that was simple - I told him the truth. He came back with "this is not the top range, mind you" and told him that's good because I would've been worried about his winery if it was.

Mariner Pinot Noir is a wine that has a feel-good wholesomeness to it. It is something that you'd want to take for a nice sunny lunch in the winters. Share it with friends and family. This is the wine that'll make you a star if you take it to a dinner party. It's not easily available and that's the downside. It's extremely likeable. Easy to drink and goes very well with food. Try it with whatever you like. Personally, I think you need to drink a good wine with something that you like. Lamb, Chicken, Steak, Pork - vegetarian stuff. Anything. Even fish, if you're a seafood person. Mariner uses this new thing called a zork. It's a rubber cork-screw cap combination. I quite like this idea - no cork (which is always good) and it's better than a screw cap as it fits back in quite nicely.

Witches Falls 2007 Syrah

Most people don't know this but there is a region in Queensland that grows a considerable amount of grapes and a lot of wine comes out of it - the Granite Belt. Wineries are scattered all over the place and also spill over to the nearby areas such as Mt. Tamborine. Witches Falls is located in that region. The actual vineyard is minuscule. Owners get a lot of grapes from the Granite belt and mix it up.

The 2007 Syrah is their premium range. The bottle I bought at the cellar door set me back by $48. It's nothing like your usual Barossa Shiraz. It tastes very different - you can tell. Was it good to drink? I can't say I enjoyed as I enjoy the stuff out of the Barossa but having said that, it's not a bad drop. We had it with dinner. Spicy Asian cuisine. It went down very well. It wasn't bold and powerful at all. I thought it was quite mellow, subtle and easy to drink. We had a glass or two after dinner, on its own and it was again, easy to drink, even without food. Price is a bit high - if you've got a Dan Murphy near you, you could easily get something far better in that price range.

Chris Ringland Shiraz 2008

Chris Ringland is back with his new Shiraz. Going for around $20-$25 at this time, its a typical good Barossa Shiraz. If you like Barossa Shiraz, it can be had on its own. Otherwise, enjoy it with food - lamb, duck or mild Asian-style stir-fry or noodles. Grab as much as you can, this is a very good price. Robert Parker has given it 92, don't know what Mattinson will come up with but I think it'll be right up there in the 90s.