Words from a Wine Glass

Thanks to social media (gotta love it) I was introduced to Main and Cherry.  I found one of their wines in a local bottle shop but only one.  I contacted the owner/winemaker Mike Sexton about getting some of his other wines and, hey presto, not a problem.  He was so easy to talk to and deal with.

This particular wine, however, was the result of a swap I did with Mike.  I received a great  mixed six pack of his wines in exchange for some Tassie juice.  I reckon I did alright (understatement).

Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre blends are becoming very popular, but it still pays to have a good look around for the damn good ones!

The 60% Grenache in this wine comes from 70 year old vines which tells me they are serious about the blend.  32% shiraz from Blewitt Springs and the rest made up with McLaren Vale Mourvèdre (8% for those not so good with maths).

This is a juicy little number with some really good fruit.  It has a distinct spicy/savoury note to it thanks to the Grenache and Mourvèdre and the shiraz gives a really good fullness on the palate.  It is still medium weight but packs a nice, subtle punch on the finish.

I hope you are sitting down at this point because I’m about to reveal the price.

$25 – True as I’m sitting here typing this.

Get on their website and find out where you can get it in your state, capital city, local bottlo, wine merchant, supermarket or restaurant.  The other option of course is directly from these guys.  Snap it up I say!

http://www.mainandcherry.com.au

The title of this wine could be foreign to some people, so let me break it down a little.

Izadi – the brand name of the winery (like Wynns, Taylors etc).  Crianza – the level it fits in the brand’s portfolio (like Penfolds Bin Series above Koonunga Hill).  Rioja – what’s in the bottle (in this case, predominately tempranillo).

This level of Rioja usually spends a year in oak and up to another year in bottle before it’s sold.

In the glass it smelt delicate and pretty. I know that sounds strange but the aromas themselves just seemed so soft I think my olfactory senses were purring.

When the wine hit the palate, that was a totally different story and had to be taken seriously.  Yes, it had the expected tannins of Tempranillo but they were fine and had the fruit to carry them.

If you are familiar with aged Hunter shiraz then you will understand when I say, leather. Not overtly so but a lovely little hint that rides on the (still) primary fruit of spicy cherries and blood plums (a bit reminiscent of a gutsy pinot noir actually).  At seven years of age, this is a good indicator of the cellaring potential of this variety.

As is the case with Tempranillo, this is a very food friendly wine.  Tapas is an obvious choice of food because of the beautiful spices they use when cooking the various dishes.  Why not try it with mexican food and even something as simple as barbequed lamb chops with a spicy tomato relish.

The Spanish have been making world class Rioja for a very long time and this is a great aged example at $35 a bottle.  We thoroughly enjoyed it. Salud!

This wine sample was courtesy of http://www.simplywines.net.au

My first contact with Susan and Michael was via Twitter.  I was keen to try their wines and they were keen to get a hold of some Tassie Pinot Noir.  So, we swapped some wines, easy.  As a result one of the wines I received was this very cool red.

Then, on a trip to the Barossa, I took along some more Tassie Pinots and called in to see them.  What great people they are!  Personable, engaging and so generous with their time.

The 2014 Sete Di Vino is a blend of Primitivo (78%) and Barbera (22%) it spent 14 months in old French Oak and was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Okay, it is just medium bodied but gee it has some really nice juicy fruit on the palate and what a crowd pleaser!  I took it to some friends place on the weekend because they were firing up their pizza oven.  I took three wines including this one.  Well, the response I got were pretty amazing.  Everyone wanted more of the Sete Di Vino.  Comments such as, “That is gorgeous” and, “Ooooh, that is good. Did we only have one bottle?” says it all really.

Yes, it goes well with pizza and maybe it is a pizza wine but to me it is more than that and it deserves to be treated so.  I reckon it would go okay with Chilli Con Carne or even some lamb koftas.  I’ll have to get some more and find out.

Sete Di Vino “a thirst for wine” and at $25, I definitely have a thirst for more of this wine. Get on it!

http://www.yellandandpapps.com

Bob and Rita Richter have a small vineyard on the west Tamar in northern Tasmania.  They have 18 different grape varieties growing on their 3.5 hectare vineyard and three of those have been used in this blend.

Consisting of Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, this wine has an amazing dense, glossy purple colour. It begins with a lovely floral lift, quite plummy and very inviting.  The palate is medium bodied, full of red and blue fruits and finishes with a touch of sweet, creamy oak and fine tannins.

I described it on social media as “wanting to let people know how good it is but was too polite” (a bit like Bob and Rita actually).  At $30 a bottle is very good value for money and is a very versatile wine to say the least.  You could have it with sausages, eggs and chips or osso bucco or with a block of good hard cheese.  This beauty should cellar for 6-8 years.

This wine was purchased directly from the cellar door but sadly, no longer available.  The current release is available at www.greysands.com.au