Knowing a local restaurant that has a well-balanced wine list can present an excellent exploring opportunity. If you make yourself familiar with a restaurant’s wine list by taking a few minutes to look it over during each visit, it becomes easier to spot changes and try new wines.
Good restaurants know that “changing it up” is one way to keep people coming back. This especially applies to imported wines because the good ones don’t usually receive a lot of press here in the U.S. Good examples of this are the Australian wines. Because of the ever increasing number of brand names and general taste consistency, is has become more of a challenge to find an Aussie that’s a little “different”.
A standout at one local restaurant’s wine list is an Aussie Shiraz from the Yangarra Estate Vineyard. Yangarra comes from Southern Australia’s “McClaren Vale” region, well-known as a locale for top wine producers. Its soil and climate often introduce an earthy forest character that turns their Shiraz’s into award winners and perfect food companions.
With an earthy bouquet of loam, peat, and rocky soil components expertly integrated with the Syrah grape fruit, Yangarra’s 2007 McLaren Vale Shiraz stands out from the standard Aussie fare. When combined with food containing mushrooms, garlic, beef, and cheese, this wine is perfect. Its body is a well-balanced combination of fruit and acid that provides a short but interesting finish.
You can find the ’07 Yangarra at BevMo for $25 and the ’08 should be available soon.
Article by Tom Peiffer, Phoenix Wine Shopping Examiner at Examiner.com
View more of Tom’s articles on Examiner.com by visiting his writer’s page.
