The White Ribbon
Shiraz – 2014
Since following the The Wine Wankers, I’ve made an effort to pick up a bottle of Australian wine when stopping at the wine shelves. The Wine Wankers would probably agree that along with boxed wine, Shiraz is considered the national wine of Australia. In other parts of the world Shiraz is generally known as Syrah.
February 18, 2016
On opening the bottle there’s a slightly sweet smell mixed with the usual grape smell. Opening is rather easy as the bottle is capped with a trendy screw cap (just when I’ve gotten really good with a corkscrew). As might have been true in the past, screw caps are not an indication of the quality of the wine in the bottle. Screw caps are probably better than cork as a means to seal a bottle – fewer things to go wrong.
The first glass presents a nice mild taste with a little burn going down the throat turning to a medicinal taste. The wine is medium-dry, leaving that slightly puckered feeling in the mouth. Any sweetness in the wine escaped with the first opening.
The wine tasted differently from sip-to-sip and from day-to-day, whether taken with or without food. While each sip started out relatively good, by the end of the sip a slightly harsh bad taste was left in the mouth.
The overall taste issues may be connected with the medicinal taste noted above. Another reviewer, with a more positive review, notes “phenolic violet undertones”. While the meaning of that term is not entirely clear, a phenolic taste is generally considered a wine fault, most often produced by an unfavored strain of yeast, “Brett”.
In summary, this is not a bad wine, but also not a very good wine. If in the mood to try an Australian wine, I’d leave this one on the shelf.
Price $6.99
The White Ribbon
Shiraz – 2014
Tags: australia, hunter valley, price, review, reviews, shiraz, syrah, tj, tj's, trader joe's, white ribbon shiraz, wine
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