This wine is a bit of a mystery – there’s no mention of a “Jacko’s Blend” on the Geoff Merrill website, but there is a regular 2003 McLaren Vale Shiraz that could certainly fit the profile of the wine described as the Jacko’s Blend at a shiraz tasting last week. None the less, very easy-to-like [...]
Sure it might only be five shots and probably isn’t deserving of its own volume – but last night crept up on me and the thought of sleep sounded much more tempting that updating my piece of cyberspace. Now a little preface: McLaren Vale’s d’Arenberg is one of my favourite wineries. Ever since that night [...]
Yes it’s somewhat geeky, but one day I’m sure I’ll be glad I put together this small online photo album of shots from our trip to McLaren Vale. At the very least, I hope it inspires people to set aside some time while in South Australia (or even make a trip specifically) to visit this [...]
Named after a disease that slowly reduces one of a vine’s “arms” to wood (thus rendering into the other shiraz grapes into mega-concentrated superhero berries of sorts), the Dead Arm Shiraz is d’Arenberg’s flagship red wine, and with good reason: typically powerful, intense, thick and multi-dimensional, the Dead Arm represents all that McLaren Vale shiraz [...]
You’ll notice in my recommendations that the name d’Arenberg comes up quite a bit. Some might argue that with the thousands-upon-thousands of winemaking ventures in Australia and indeed the world, I should be dedicating webspace to other wines, but I can only review what I taste and I’d much rather harp on about the many [...]
This is the kind of drop you like seeing on wine lists when you’re eating out: something with real interest at a price that’s within reach of most drinkers, even with the huge mark-up of restaurant wine. For your money, you get a multi-regional South Australian blend consisting of fruit from vineyards in McLaren Vale, [...]
When you think of McLaren Vale shiraz, it’s hard not to imagine a big, gutsy red wine that’s big, brash and loaded with generous plum flavours. With that in mind, this release from Davey Family Wines is a pleasant surprise and will leave you licking your lips and your glass for more. For a McLaren [...]