I've got a head cold, am slightly cranky and, quite frankly, couldn't take another cheap wine last night. So instead I opened a bottle of Collector Marked Tree Red. Thus sated, I can once again turn my attention to our value priced offerings. Here is a South Australian Shiraz from Angove's, a Renmark-based winery with a broad portfolio of products. At $A6.60, it's one of the least expensive wines in the dozen.
An attractive deep ruby colour, not overly dense. The nose speaks of black pepper and spice as much as fruit. Not the high toned floral spice of a cooler climate wine, but deep, rich spice that tends towards the brown, nutty type. Fruit character is subservient, dark and straightforward. The palate has good impact and its upfront acid brings more spice to the fore, at least on entry. Fruit emerges on the mid-palate as dark and slightly jubey in character, simple but certainly clean. A hardness becomes apparent at this point, and the wine never relaxes as much as its flavour profile needs. More pepper washes over the after palate before fine, well balanced tannins add some welcome texture to the adequate finish.
A neat wine. It's well made, varietal and avoids the industrial confectionary flavours that can afflict less expensive red wines. Its structure also suggests food-friendliness (I shall test this in a moment). Given the price, I'm more than satisfied by this wine.
Price: $A6.60
Closure: Stelvin
Date tasted: August 2008
I like Shiraz, this sounds delicious. Visit my website at www.walterswine.blogspot.com