I'm hosting an Aussie wine tasting...

[Jenise]

...on Saturday night. The tasting will be this Saturday (so no time to order from afar), and I've had to wait till this week to shop because I was away last week and had to find out if I were shopping for one table or two (up to 12 people vs. up to 24). I've billed the tasting as a "vinuous tour of Australia's major wine producing regions", but I'm limited to six wines for the sit-down part of the tasting (I know, I know, but you have to understand that these people are wusses). I can serve a 7th as what you might call a cocktail wine. I can spend $200 per table.

To represent Margaret River, I have already bought Vasse Felix, and for either Barossa or the cocktail wine, I have the Piping Shrike which I've not tasted but know Parker to have thought well of, which may also mean that I don't care much for it. Will likely be too gobby in the fruit department for me, but it will no doubt suit some in the group.

I have yet to drive around town to assess the breadth of what else is available, but a possibility for the McClaren Vale is a wine I've not tasted, 2001 Maxwell "Four Rivers", I think it is, and if that's not right it's four something elses. Would my good friends here think it a reasonable wine to represent McClaren Vale style? It's attractively priced at $18 US.

Another wine I know is available, which I presume might be neat based strictly on price--I'd get it for $42 US, is the Penfolds RWT, not sure of vintage but I think '00. I say 'neat' because it's a pricey Penfolds and it would be cool to put a big name on the table, but I haven't a clue what the RWT is all about or what region it would be representative of or if in fact it's a single region vs. a blend.

Any information or opinions any of you can offer on either of these two wines, I'd appreciate greatly.

Thanks,

Jenise

[GraemeG]

Hi Jenise,
Can't help with Maxwell, but Pennies' RWT is all Barossa, even if not a single vineyard wine.

Not sure that showing shirazes from both Barossa and McLaren Vale will demonstrate a great divergence in style - depending on the specific wines, of course. It's hard to offer advice without knowing what's available in you local shops, but maybe looking at a shiraz from central Victoria (Bests, Tahbilk), the Hunter (Tower Estate, Brokenwood) might be a greater contrast. Even the Clare Valley in SA might be different enough - although I'm not sure what you could find locally...

cheers,
Graeme

[Kieran]

RWT was unimaginatively named as "Red Wine Trial" when Penfolds were first experimenting with the idea and the name stuck.

It's made with the same amount of care as Grange, but while Grange is all about power and concentration, RWT is about style and finesse.

In Australia, it's rarely sold for less than $A100 (about $US75)...under $50US is a great price.

Kieran

[ChrisH]

Piping Shrike

I had to check it wasn't 1 April Jenise. Maybe a "Parker special" export ?


To assist, you don'rt have a list or website of what you can get do you ? Pointless suggesting wines you cannot access.

regards
Chris

[AlanK]

I have had the Maxwell Four Roads before.
It is actually a Shiraz/Grenache blend and made in the early-drinking style. It's not a bad wine, but not a good representation of what McLaren Vale can do.

[Jenise]

Answering all of you at once: I know it would be hard for you to recommend wines to me without knowing what's here, which is why I asked you to comment on specific bottles. I *do* plan to include a Coonawarra/Padthaway, Hunter and a Victoria, too, if I can find bottles from either in town (I live in a small town in northern Washington state that's surprisingly well-supplied with international wines, so I have no idea how lucky I'll get when I go shopping today). Best's won't be here. Taltarni's around, though. Thanks for the description of the RWT--sounds like one I should take. And I'm not at all surprised that Piping Shrike is an export model--figures, since Parker loved it. It sounded "Parkerized" to me, but that's not totally wrong for this tasting--it's part of the lesson, I think and therefore worth doing as long as it's a cheap lesson. I hope you'll all be comforted to learn that Marquis Phillips IS on the shelves around here, and I've refused it. Maxwell's a blend? Then I won't use it, I want 100% syrah--thanks for that detail.

I'll be back after I do some shopping.

[Ian S]

Ran a similar tasting recently ("uniquely Antipodean"). I went with

Tyrrells Steven Semillon 1997
Cloudy Bay SB 2002 (a favour to one attendee who loves it)
Tahbilk Marsanne 2000
Tatachilla Foundation 1998
Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz 1986
Chambers Rutherglem Muscadelle (Tokay)

The sheer variety went down well & might be an option if you want to awaken some interest from those that wish to dismiss Aussie wines as "all the same".

[oops - just seen your quote about 100% Syrah, so ignore my comments on SB, Tokay et al!! - I guess something like Bannockburn Shiraz might give some balance to proceedings...]

Just a thought & hope you have fun

Ian

[Jenise]

I hear you about the "they're all the same complaint". Although the topic in this case is syrah, when I shopped yesterday I was delighted to find some less-usual suspects in the white department to serve as a cocktail wine, a verdelho and a all-French oak chardonnay both from the Hunter Valley.

I've dropped the Piping Shrike from the tasting since it's an export-only wine--not authentic enough--and added the 2001 D'arenberg Footbolt.