$4 Jacob's Creek 2007 Shiraz California CVS

This wine is an earthy burgundy color and it smells of port and ripe cherries. The first sip is a little tart and kerosene-ish. It continues to be bitter with very little fruit or flavor. Okay, I'm going to call it. This wine is garbage. Leave it on the shelf for some other guy who doesn't read this blog.

I give this wine a 1 out of 5 stars.

$5 Barefoot Shiraz California Stater Bros.

I love a good Shiraz, so I was excited to try this one. The color is a nice, translucent red-burgundy color. It smells of damp grass, raspberry vinaigrette and ripe, red peppers. It has a bright raspberry flavor to it with a nice, long finish. After a few sips it starts to become a bit more fruity with almost a jammy quality coming through. The dry finish brings some pine and redwood with a slight touch of grassiness.

I give this wine a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

$4 Purple Moon 2008 Shiraz California Trader Joes

I was so excited to try this Purple Moon Shiraz as the last vintage I tasted, Purple Moon 2004, was stellar. This one is kind of a dull, deep red and smells very grassy. It is slightly bitter, but mellows out after a few sips. It tastes of nutmeg and half-ripe cherries. I decided it was in need of some aeration, so the next glass I poured through my Wine Soiree to clean it up a bit. The aeration helped it quite a lot and it helped bring out some of the subtle cinnamon, blackberry and black cherry notes. It is definitely bold, and complex but it needs the aeration to really open it up. It doesn't live up to the 2004, but is still intriguing.

I give this a 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
But, I give this a 4 out of 5 stars when aerated

Check out my friends thoughts on the same wine at ZinbytheSea

$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.

$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.

$3 Shiraz Chasing Clouds Trader Joes

The nose is quite astringent making it difficult to discern any other aromas. I detect a bit of fruit, but it's hard to say what kind. The first sip is strong with raspberries and a hint of apricot and dried figs. It is a very green wine and I expect it might be better in a few years, unless the fig overpowers it. It's also quite bitter and I think this is one better left on the shelves.

I give this bitter Shiraz 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 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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$5 Shiraz 2005 Kumala South Africa Safeway

Yum... I picked up some cinnamon-y aromas while pouring this light red wine. A bit of watermelon came through too. Upon the first sip, a sharp bite of rich and robust flavors (chiles, earth, smoke, tomatoes, peppers, a hint of caramel) came through with a long, dry finish. I immediately thought this would be a great wine to pair with some hearty, tomato-ey Italian pasta dish. It is dry, tangy and flavorful... a great bottle! This is not a subtle wine, it is an in-your-face wine.

I give it a 4 1/2 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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$4 Shiraz Purple Moon 2004 California Trader Joes

This shiraz is fabulously fruity and dry, a great combination. It is extrememly smooth and vibrant with a lot of blackberry and raspberry flavors. There was a even a subtle buttery undertone to it that sealed the deal for me. I will definitley be buying more of this wine and highly recommend it.

I give this fabulous wine a 5 out of 5 stars.


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$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.

$2 Shiraz 2006 Charles Shaw California Trader Joes

I know many a wine-buff that snubbed their nose at the mere mention of a cheap "Two-buck Chuck" but I have always loved Charles Shaw for it's good no-frills wine. It may not have 20 layers of flavors... but the flavors are robust and overall astringent. I broke open a Shiraz this evening and I immediately wanted to sit back and relax. I swirled the wine to reveal it's very thick, almost syrupy legs. It smells faintly of black pepper and a hint of cinnamon. The first sip was smooth and earthy. Very mild tannins and smoky grapiness lend themselves to this mellow and affordable wine.

I give this mild-mannered Shiraz 4 stars out of 5

$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.