Yering Station 2005 Shiraz Viognier

Friday evening I had a most enjoyable time with new friends. A short elevator ride to the 11th floor and I was graciously welcomed in. My hosts were originally from Australia and did have some lovely Australian wine to share.

Those familiar with my Washington wine blog, know that I am partial to Syrah. Quite fond of in fact, I was pleasantly surprised when a bottle of Australian Shiraz Viognier was opened and shared. This is my third week living in the United Arab Emirates. My consumption of alcohol here has been minimal, and my intake of wine has been non-existant, until Friday night.

I am not an expert on Australian wines. Back home, only the basic bulk Australian reds are usually available (certainly not the best examples of what Australia produces). I was quite intrigued by the bottle of Yering Station 2005 Shiraz Viognier my host presented. Intrigued? Anxious, eager and salivating with anticipation is more like it. It had been almost a month without any Syrah/Shiraz! I was not disappointed.

We were instantly greeted by enticing fruit and a whif of earth, a touch of taragon gently expressed itself the longer the wine was open. Not that the wine was open for long. The bottle went faster than usual, I could barely restrain myself. While not a formal tasting, and the pace was a bit faster than usual, I have to admit that I really liked this wine. I did a little research and found a link to the tasting notes for this vintage, see following link:
http://www.yering.com/cpa/htm/htm_mod_link.asp?id=1478

I have no idea what this wine costs here. I can't even purchase a bottle of wine at the liquor store yet. But when I can, I'm going hunting for the Yering Station Shiraz Viognier. Recommended!

*note: We also opened a bottle of Chilean Malbec (no I don't remember which one) and it was also very good (I remember mocha in the mid-palette) I'll look out for that one again and write about it when I find it.

Cheers!

Taste Washington Seattle 2009

April 4 and 5 Seattle, Washington

If you are in the Seattle area, or can get there easily, then Taste Washington Seattle is a not to be missed event. Last year, I was a volunteer at the Washington Wine Ambassador booth, during The Grand Tasting on Sunday.

What can I say? It was an amazing experience. Details follow this link: http://www.tastewashington.org/seattle/

Hope you can make it.

My review from last years Taste Washington Seattle follows, http://wild4washingtonwine.blogspot.com/2008/04/back-from-taste-washington-seattle.html

Cheers!

Tempranillo Rose - 2007 Spanish Wine

I'm not sure how much use this post is. But I did enjoy dinner tonight with a Spanish rose wine. 100% Tempranillo. Very dry, tart with a strawberry finish . I must carry something to write with when I go out here.

Hope to do better next time.

Best.

Bogle 2006 Petit Sirah

Bogle 2006 Petite Sirah, California, USA

Those who know me, know that I'm a big fan of Gary Vaynerchuk of http://tv.winelibrary.com/. I even met Gary last year at Taste Washington Seattle - great guy, great event. So, I was surprised when on his Petite Sirah - Episode #609 he dissed all the wines, even the expensive one, in favor of the Bogle 2006 Petite Sirah. He said you could find it almost anywhere, so I went hunting. There was only one bottle left on the shelf, but I did find it locally.

To me, the label is boring (I just found a photo, so you can see what I mean). But it's what's in the bottle that counts. You'll enjoy this wine best if you decant and let this wine open up before drinking. Follow the one hour rule.

So, what do I think? Was Gary correct? More to the point, do my tastes in wine match up with his and does it matter? What matters is, "drink what you enjoy drinking." My bottle of Bogle 2006 Petite Sirah held up for three days. On day three it was still a grippy wine, I love it when my teeth squeak. Joy for tannins.

One of my discoveries with this bottle is, I don't know Petite Sirah. I can't remember the last time I had a Petite Sirah (years ago). This is a bright wine, it has too much acidity for my evening sipping wine, but man, does it go great with food! Dark color, round flavors, blackberry, dry finish, yeah there's oak, but it is nicely balanced with the fruit.

Not bad for $10.50. Way to go Gary. I hope to discover more wines that "stretch" my palette and Washington wine bias.

Cheers!

Wine Reviews Not Biased on Country of Origin

Now that I'm relocating half way around the world, I can no longer continue my biased reviews on Washington wines. This blog is a place for me to review any and all wines, from Washington and California to Rioja, Burgandy, Greece and beyond.

My comments will always be honest and positive. I look forward to this new voyage of discovery.

Cheers!