$5 Black Swan 2009 Shiraz Australia Stater Bros.

I was so impressed with the Black Swan Cabernet Sauvignon I was excited to try the Shiraz. The color is a nice, deep burgundy and it smells of toast and jam. The first sip is bold and brazen with slight jamminess to it that quickly gave way to a slightly bitter finish. There is almost a syrupy texture to the wine which makes it seem very fruity, but the tannins overpower it so it is very conflicting, and not in a particularly good way. After a few sips, my palate adjusted and it became quite tasty. But the finish always came across a bit harsh.

I give this wine a 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

$5 Black Swan 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Australia Stater Bros.

Okay, okay, so this one is usually priced at $6.99 (out of my usual $5-or-less budget) but it was on sale this week for $4.99 so I picked it up. It actually goes on sale quite often, so wait for the sale and stock up instead of buying full price. I poured a hefty two ounces and gave it a swirl. It smells of sweet dried cranberries and maraschino cherries. There is a toasty, woody note too. It has a heavy, slightly syrupy mouth feel at first and tastes of blackberries and black cherries. It has a nice contrast of tannins and sweetness with a well-rounded medium finish. I am quite impressed with the complexity of this wine for under $5. I would definitely get another bottle... and soon!

I give this wine a 5 out of 5 stars!

$4 Lucky Duck Shiraz Australia Walmart

This one has a strong, bold berry aroma with black cherries and a bit of black coffee. It's pretty tasty. After swirling it around briefly, I took a small swig. There are immediate flavors of sweet red peppers and tart plums. After a few sips I noticed a nectarine taste which complimented all the tartness and berry flavors quite nicely. This shiraz has a nice medium finish and leaves me with a lingering taste of olallieberries. This is a fairly bold, yet ever-so-slightly jammy wine. I would buy it again.

I give this wine a *4 out of 5 stars.

*I might have given this one a 5 stars, but there was an annoying plastic shrink-wrap over the top (is plastic the new foil?) which was a pain to remove. And the bottle did not mention the vintage (year) so there is no telling if 6 months from now, it will be the same.

$5 Black Swan Shiraz-Cabernet South Eastern Australia Stater Brothers

I have been a fan of Black Swan wines for some time now. For the price, they had a lot to offer... this one was decent, but failed to deliver the usual goods. Super-fruity nose... ripe, fresh fruit such as apples and cherries with a few undertones of over-ripe plums (yes, that would be prunes.) It does smell pretty interesting. The first sip renders a mild fruitiness a bit watered down, with a strong bite towards the end. The second sip is more mellow, with a softer berry fruitiness that gives way to an over-ripe plum. All in all, there is not much to this wine.

I give this so-so wine a 3 out of 5 stars.

$6 Shiraz/Cabernet 2006 Black Opal South Eastern Australia Safeway

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This wine has a straightforward nose of coffee and maple. The first sip tastes of bold fruits and has an underlying peppery flavor. A quick, dry finish wraps it up nicely. After a few more sips, the flavors didn't change much... still peppery (and I mean green bell peppers... not ground black pepper) but I think it would make a good table wine with a big dish of spaghetti.

I give this wine a 3 1/2 out 5 stars.

$5 Merlot Black Swan Australia Albertons

This wine is a pretty standard Merlot. Fruity with berry notes and a slightly mapley finish. A few notes of figs and raisins are noticable after a few sips. This is a pretty decent merlot. I would buy it again.

I give this wine 4 out of 5 stars

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$5 Merlot Little Boomey South Eastern Australia 2005 Albertsons

This bright red wine smells sweet with hints of chocolate and cocoa. Upon tasting it, I don't pick up any chocolate, but plums and berries are strong. There is even a bit of citrus flavors that pop out towards the end of the sip. There is definitely a grassy quality to this wine, but it's pretty good overall.

I give this decent wine a 4 out 5 stars






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$5 Reisling 2005 Yellowtail South Eastern Australia Safeway

Hmmm... I have to be honest I was not impressed with this Reisling at all. After a few sips, the barely-there Reisling flavor was completely overpowered with sour notes and strong Sauvignon Blanc dryness. While German Reislings are known for being dry, this was not dry in a good way. So to sum it up, this one is better left on the shelf. However, I do have to point out that Yellowtail on the whole is a decent brand, but as far as the Reisling goes, it's only going to get a paltry 2 1/2 stars.

$5 Shiraz Banrock Station South Eastern Australia 2005 Albertsons

It's becoming apparent that Australia is one of the biggest (and in my opinion- best) Shiraz producers. This one is a deep purpley red and when I swirl the glass, the wine sticks nicely to the sides and doesn't drip much. It smells lovely of peppery notes on top of slightly unripened raspberries and sweet blueberries. So far so good, so I go in for sip. the immediate taste is of espresso and a bit of cocoa. The second taste brings even more strong coffee flavors with a bit of almond and a touch of berries. I take a third sip hoping for a bigger array of flavors, but the coffee flavors are taking over. About half way through the glass the coffee-ness subsides and the berry flavors begin to come through along with some subtle caramel. All in all, it's a good wine for the price and I would recommend it. Especially if you like coffee and caramel!

I give this wine 4 out of 5 stars

<sub>***Note- I enjoyed this wine after my husband sprayed grout sealer on our kitchen tile so our house smells like nail polish remover. I did my tasting away from the kitchen, but it may have affected my palate anyway.

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$4 Pinot Noir 2006 Lindemans Bin 99 South Eastern Australia Safeway

The fragrance of this wine is smoky and peppery and it has brown tones to it's rich, deep red. I swirled it around for a moment and for those of you who care, it had nice thick legs that took their time dripping back down into the glass. The first taste is a bit bland. The second and third tastes brought out some subtle pinot flavor and.... not much else. I'm a bit disappointed, it smells so much better than it tastes. Still a drinkable wine though.

I give this uneventful wine a 3 out of 5 stars.


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$5 Merlot The Little Penguin South Eastern Australia Albertsons

This wine has a nice, mellow, fruity nose with a bit of green pepper. The first sip is smooth and a bit sweet. Not very dry at all with some raisins, fig and apricot flavors. This is a good table wine but nothing to write home about. I also had a piece of that wax-wrapped Babybel cheese with it about half-way through the glass, and it made the cheese taste moldy. It might be a good wine to make a sangria with!

I give this wine 3 out of 5 stars.


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$5 Shiraz Matties Perch South Eastern Australia Safeway

When I smelled this wine I was expecting nothing since the Cabernet/Shiraz of this same brand had no nose whatsoever... but I was pleasantly surprised. It smelled of berries and raisins and I could smell the dryness too. It was the very picture of a shiraz with bright peppery overtones and softer berry undertones. The label promised me vanilla but what I picked up on was a bit of coffee. It had a nice long, dry finish. I would definitely pick up a bottle of this wine again.

I give it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

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$5 Cabernet/Shiraz Matties Perch South Eastern Australia Safeway

Interestingly this wine has very little "nose" to offer. The first sniff got me nowhere and the second one picked up next to nothing as well. Not impressed by the lack of aromatics, I chug on in hopes of a turnaround. As I taste the wine, I am immediately greeted by a sweetness and raisins and figs. I deduct the blend must be about 80% cab. But it is good nonetheless. I go on to taste more but it's pretty much the same flavor over and over again. There is an interesting tanginess towards the end and a quick finish. I think this is a very drinkable red despite it's lack of aromatics.

I give this consistent wine a 4 out 5 stars.


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$5 Pinot Noir Pepperwood Grove South East Australia 2006 Albertsons

This wine had a particularly brownish tone to it upon pouring. It had an astringent berry fragrance to it and thin, spindly legs. I was expecting an earthy taste because the color was so rich, but it actually had a light and fruity flavor. It is very smooth with a strong melon flavor which is quite nice for a red. There were also greenish flavors to it like green grapes, grass and tomatillos. This was a great wine for a great price!

I give this fruit-foward wine 4 out of 5 stars.

$4 Shiraz Blue Reef 2004 Australia Sprouts Farmers Market

Let me start off by warning you that this is a screw-top wine. That being said, put your reservations aside because this wine is superb! After I poured a bit, I stuck my nose in and took a big whiff...the first thing that came to mind was the beach. I smelled seawater and a beachy/briney scent. (Interestingly enough it is named "Blue Reef.") I was so intrigued by the first smell, I went in for another and was greeted with the same beachy scent along with garden flowers. I couldn't wait to try it out. The first sip seemed a little metallic, and I wasn't sure where it was going. On the second and third sips I picked up on an earthy, leathery taste and it was very silky. After a few more sips, a caramel note came through that was very thick and mapley. This wine also has a nice mouth-feel which adds to it's character. Definitely a winner.

5 out of 5 stars

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$6 Grenache/Shiraz/Mouvedre Blend "The Contortionist" SideshowAustralia Albertsons

Sideshow wines are perfect party wines when you want to bring a bottle to go with the conversation, not start it. This particular red blend was pretty good. The first taste was quite dark, with a lot of deep chocolate flavors but as I continued, the flavors got a little lighter and a hint of grassiness came through. Normally Sideshow wines are around $9, but I got it on sale...so it still counts as a bargain!

I give this blend a 4 out of 5 stars.

$4 Shiraz Black Swan Australia 2005 Trader Joes

I wanted to start this lovely blog on a postive note, so I am starting with this Australian Shiraz. On the first taste I was greeted by an immediate sweet grapiness that is uncharacteristic of a standard shiraz. As I drank the glass, the sweetness diminshed and a nice fermented grapiness became the top note. There were some underlying flavors of honeysuckle and chocolate... so overall, not your average shiraz. But soooo good nonetheless.

I enjoyed a second glass of this wine on May 5th and much to my suprise, it was just as delicious as the first.

I give this wine 5 out of 5 stars for it's smoothness and grapey flavors.