The Auswine Forum

2005 Red Edge Degree Shiraz from Heathcote

Just wondering if anyone has tried the range from Red Edge. I have become a lover of the 'Degree Shiraz'. Its around the $25 and is for true lovers of peppery wines. It is a sensational drop for the price and contains a strange blend of Shiraz, Mourvedre and Riesling

It has a deep crimson colour with aromas of spice and plum, followed by black pepper with just a touch of white pepper as an end note. The palate is quite ‘joosy’ but with soft tannins. Delicious!!

Any other suggestions to try which are similar.

Leigh

You lost me with the riesling. I had a McLarenvale Blackbilly shiraz viognier 04 recently (damn it, I didn't read the back label ) one of the few I've had of this blend, the Black Chook was better, a Yalumba 02 better yet - perhaps it was the viognier but it was very ordinary after a Forest Hill Estate cab/merl 04.

I prefer to drink white wines made from white grapes, red wines made from red grapes.

daz

Hi Daryl,

Yes, the Riesling component spun me out too! There's no way that I would have detected Riesling on the palate without reading the label.

The label describes the wine as "A full bodied Heathcote Shiraz, showing deep, dark, inky concentration on both the nose and the palate. Although designed for early drinking through the softening influence of the Mourvedre (12%) and the floral notes of a small Riesling component (3%), the 2005 will continue to mellow and evolve in the bottle for years to come".

It's a wine that won't appeal to everyone especially those that aren't keen on the pepper flavours, however its a favourite of mine.

Cheers
Leigh

Craiglee's shiraz from Sunbury.

Quite a few Victorian shiraz wines have pepper as a characteristic (white or black). Jamie provided a good example. Mount Langi is another. Old World, you can also look to North Rhone.

cheers

Carl

2004 Cape Mentelle Shiraz.
Talk about going to it with a pepper shaker.
Extremely enjoyable though.

Cheers,
Dr - 307.