The Auswine Forum

certainly tasted unashamedly ripe, yet the 14.5% alc. was not hot in any respect. Quite cuddly in its fruitfulness[not confectionery] with a nice clean simple finish. Not nectar of the gods perhaps but i reckon some angels might be tempted to take a tipple or three.

the fruit had a nice stwed plum dimension and had that somewhat savoury Italian quality. Good garnet tones. almost a marzipan or red currant touch somewhere beneath the finish. De Bortolli are to congratulated for not going down the road of gross out vanilla or chippy oak confounding the mix thank heavens. Maybe not everyones cup of tea but i found it a pleasant alternative drop and think it would hold up pretty well until 2007-8 i reckon. i think that a little bit of cabernet wouldnt harm the wines prospects either. this is par for the course in Tuscany so i believe. a 85-15 mix giving it a bit more tannin tightness and backbone[for longevity].

i had this vino with a rigatonni tuna and roasted yellow capsicum pasta with loads of kwal olive oil and home grown garlic. it went down a treat and i recommend it for people looking for something different in the lower price bracket.

To use the term entry level is often a euphemism for 'not very good', but I believe that this is an appropriate term for this wine. But let's not damn it with faint praise.

De Bortoli's Windy Peak Sg is very good; certainly is better than most other Australian reds at the price, about $15 a bot.

Unlike didgidee, I don't think this particular wine is all that similar to the Italian style, there are many other Australian SGs which have more in common with the Tuscan styles. To my palate there is just a bit too much ripe fruit to compare it to the Italians. this is not a criti cism of the wine, but I think that it needs to be compared to Australian reds rather than Italian reds.

But if you want to launch into this variety the Windy Peak is good place to start. The variety is gathering steam, with about a hundred or so producers in Australia, and we all have to start somewhere, so my advice is "spend your $15 bucks and give it a try, and then look for some other SG's" You won't be disappointed.

My best yet Sangiovese is Crittenden's Pinocchio 2003, up in price at about $24 but well worth the money.

Cheers