NZ wines in the USA

It's definitely not news that New Zealand wines hold international appeal, particularly our iconic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with its grassy, gooseberry, passionfruit zing and that is definitely true of our friends in America. New Zealand was recently announced as the third biggest importer of wine into the US after Italy & France, now considering we make 1% of the world's wine & France & Italy each year vie for the top spot of who produces the most - well that's kinda saying something. It is important to note that this 3rd place status is based on value, not volume. Which is even better as it means that customers in the US are prepared to pay more for a New Zealand wine as a result of our reputation for quality, innovation and sustainable winemaking practices. Our clean, green image overseas means that Americans are prepared to pay more for NZ wine. All that and we gave the world Lorde.....why wouldn't they love us?

Without doubt, the US holds great appeal for NZ winemakers, it's a huge market to conquer but it's definitely not without its challenges as each state has different laws when it comes to the distribution and sale of alcohol.

But we're not here to get into all of that, are we? Nah we want to know which NZ wines do Americans love the most and even more important than that again - what wine are American celebs drinking...

First, the most popular. Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is the number one selling New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in America selling almost 815,000 cases per year. It's also New Zealand's number one selling Sauv as well. It's easy to see why this wine is popular as it ticks all the boxes of a typical Marlborough Sauvignon blanc, citrus, passionfruit & green capsicum, plus in the US you can pick this up for less than $10 and for about $14 here at home. 

Oyster Bay, owned by Delegat is the second biggest seller in the US and growing selling 560,000 cases per year, in addition, their Chardonnay is seeing growth in sales & they launch their Pinot Gris stateside this year. Sauvignon Blanc was the first wine Oyster Bay ever created & it has lots of citrus & high acidity teaming with delicious tropical fruits & passionfruit that jumps out of the glass to tell you it is Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is widely available for about $16

So we know Americans are drinking and loving these wines, but what are the A-List drinking? Well as it turns out at this year's Governor's Lunch - which is the lunch where they announce the nominees for the Academy Awards - they were drinking none other than our very Own Loveblock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc! True Story! You know what's even cooler? Loveblock is the wine that is made by Kim & Erica Crawford formerly of (yup you've guessed it), Kim Crawford wines! After Kim & Erica sold Kim Crawford to Constellation Wines they set up their own boutique, organic, vegan winery called Loveblock which was the white wine chosen for this prestigious event.

The best part is that the team at Loveblock found this out via Instagram - (Dontcha love social media?), so they actually weren't any part of bidding for this wine to be chosen, it was picked on its merits. This wine is not short on merits, while it has the grassy freshness and distinctive passionfruit we love from Marlborough Sauv you are not overcome by its acidity as everything just seems in balance. This is an elegant wine and definitely deserving of its place on a table full of VIPs. Makes the purchase price of $22 seem like quite the bargain when you know you're drinking like Speilberg! 

Click the link below to hear my chat with Wendyl about our NZ Sauvignon Blancs doing great things in the USA

"Irish" Wines

I'm a pretty proud (new) Kiwi, but I'm also very proud of being Irish. With St Patrick's Day happening tomorrow I thought I would put a focus on some wines that have an Irish connection, as there aren't really any actual Irish wines as despite the fact that Ireland is an EU designated wine growing country, we commercially produce no wine. The main reason I can see is the weather, as a small wet island nation stuck between the Atlantic, the North Sea & the Irish Sea, it was just never going to happen!

However I have managed to find three winemakers, all of whom were born in Ireland who have are living their wine dreams here in New Zealand, much as I am.

I have to admit, not all of these wines are that easy to find, so perhaps this was a vanity project for me or maybe I hope everyone is a romantic like me who will go to the trouble to seek them out.

My first Irish wine maker is Darragh Hughes originally of Sligo in the West of Ireland. Darragh came to New Zealand & managed bars & wine lists where his passion for wine developed, so he studied winemaking in Gisborne. After doing the flying winemaker thing to France & California Darragh returned to Hawkes Bay where he started making Pig’s Back and Maxim Wines - the reference to “Pig’s Back” made me smile as this is such an Irish-ism

Darragh’s big passion is Chenin Blanc, he thinks we can make great ones here in NZ and would love to see more of it around, so to honour Darragh’s passion I’m recommending the Maxim Chenin Blanc 2016, this wine is so clean, so fresh & bone dry with a tonne of stonefruit and apple aromas, delish & only $29.

Dermot McCollum originally from Derry in Northern Ireland boasts the oldest Syrah vines in New Zealand, I know, I was pretty impressed too! He owns Stonecroft in Hawkes Bay with his wife and is the winemaker and viticulturist of this fully organic winery in Hawke’s Bay. Their Gimblett Gravels Serine Syrah 2015 at $31 is a wine with great potential, it has lovely blackberry and red currant flavours but it’s quite a dense wine, so this is one I would recommend to buy now, but perhaps cellar for a few more years to let the tannins soften & the fruit shine through!

No story about great Irish winemakers & NZ Wine would be complete without the founding father of Central Otago Alan Brady. Alan came to NZ 1959 from Northern Ireland to work in in newspapers as a journalist and bought land in Gibbston, central in 1976 as a haven away from his busy life. Didn’t take long for him to realise that that’s where he wanted to be so he became a freelancer in 1977  so he could move full time to Gibbston.

In 1981 Alan started experimenting with plots of grapes, it’s probably really important to realise that Central Otago wasn’t the mecca of wine that it is now, then, no one waw growing wine there and at that time Marlborough was just starting to take off. Alan discovered pretty quickly that Pinot Noir grew pretty beautifully there and he sold Central Otago’s first commercial Pinot Noir in 1987 under the name “Gibbston Valley Wines”. The brand is still hugely successful but Alan has since retired to….well, to keep making wine… Alan makes his own small release wines under the name Wild Irishman.

Seeing an Irish term of endearment on the front of a bottle of wine made my heart soar. “Macushla” is a term of endearment in Ireland back in Ireland which essentially means darling or love (from a chroi mo chusla - the beat of my heart)

‘Macushla” is as beautiful inside as she is out and has silky tannins, and an earthiness balanced with the fruit that is my favourite style of Pinot Noir. A wine that you could drink now or drink in a few years. I know this one is a little pricer at $60 but imagine lighting up the face of your favourite Irish person with a bottle of “Macushla"

Click the link below to hear my chat with Wendyl on the eve of the most Irish day of all :)

A celebration of wines made by women for International Women's Day

There is no doubt about it, the women's movement is in the middle of a shift that is so powerful, so profound that I can actually feel it in my day to day life.  #MeToo, Time's Up, the Women's Marches....all of it is creating a new reality for women. It's a genuinely exciting time to be alive but this International Women's Day has caused me to reflect once again on the role we have to play as women when it comes to supporting over women. I actually believe that the biggest change will come when women put more thought and effort into supporting other women.

Me & My fellow Women In Wine

It's unavoidable to see that women are competitive with other women and one opinion theorises that this competition is hardwired into our DNA as a result of being programmed to procreate, essentially, it says, we're still competing with other women just in case sperm becomes a limited commodity.

Sadly this "Mean Girl" behaviour is not limited to high school, As a professional woman I have most certainly experienced cattiness, back stabbing, bitching & even being blocked from advancement by other women. I used to respond in kind...."She said that? Well wait until I tell you about her..... "but in recent years I have called "Time's Up" on my own behaviour by refusing to play the game anymore, by holding myself to a higher standard & by using my energy to support and uplift the amazing women I know deserve it & distancing myself from the people who don't. This change in my energy has made me happier, opened more opportunities for me and brought even more amazing women who want to support & uplift me into my life. Perfect.

So, after that long introduction this week Wendyl & I this week celebrate just some of the amazing women making wine in New Zealand. There are so many of them out there so I have picked three, all of whom are quite different from each other, but the one thing they have in common is that they make pretty amazing wines.

Renee Dale is a funky young surfer gal who describes herself as the "wannabe love child of Amelia Earhart and Jamie Oliver". After she got her Bachelor of Wine Science she moved to Napa to work but luckily for us back her in NZ she was unable to secure a US Visa to stay, so home she came & now makes Moi (Moment Of Impact) wines in Auckland.

The Moi wine I have chosen is their Rose which is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot based Rose teaming with flavours of wild berries & red fruits. At 8 grams at residual sugar it is just off dry and this delish drop was my personal choice to drink on NZ Rose day this year. Renee is also very environmentally conscious and as a result her wines don't have labels, but are screen-printed with a beautiful design on the front & a cheeky poem on that back and costs a mere $22. Renee believes every bottle should be a piece of artwork & no doubt she has hit the nail on the head with her wines that are gorgeous inside and out.

It is my absolutely privilege to consider the next Women In Wine my friend, Anna Flowerday is one half of the husband and wife team that makes up Te Whare Ra in Marlborough, one of my favourite NZ wineries. Anna is unbelievably knowledgeable & a remarkably talented winemaker, with a quick wit & an awesome sense of humour. Annas is also mother to not one, but two sets of twin girls. She is a powerhouse.

Te Whare Ra wines are all organic, vegan, biodynamic and handpicked. Anna once said to me "I don't know if I'm a good mother, but I'm a good winemaker". I am happy to reassure her that she is kick-ass at both!

Anna's favourite wine is the Te Whare Ra "D" Riesling which is their dry Riesling with flavours of apple, lime & citrus. I had to admit to this also being one of my favourite Rieslings & it's widely available for $28.

No list of female winemakers would be complete without mentioning Jane Hunter, the indomitable "First Lady" of New Zealand wine. Born in South Australia, Jane came to NZ to be a viticulturist for Montana Wines. She then met her husband Ernie Hunter who at the time owner Hunter Wines. After Ernie was tragically killed in a car crash in 1987, Jane took the reins & turned Hunter Wines into the iconic New Zealand brand that it is today.

Jane has been the recipient of an OBE for Service to Viticulture. the Wine & Spirits Women in Wine Award, the Companion to the New Zealand Order of Merit, was the first woman to be inducted into the New Zealand Wine Hall of Fame and most recently won Wine Marlborough Lifetime Achievement Award. She is quite frankly a legend of wine.

Jane's favourite wine is the Hunter Gewurtztraminer, and boy oh boy this is everything a great gewurtz should be...flavours of lychee, cinnamon, turkish delight (and happiness).

Click the link below to hear my chat with Wendyl on RadioLIVE about these amazing women in wine

Viognier (Pronounced Vee-Own-Yay)

Viognier is a white aromatic grape which originates from the Rhone in France. It's a aromatic varietal which is sometimes added to Syrah in small quantities to give it perfume. Just some of the aromas you will get if you stick your nose in a glass of Viognier include roses, tangerine, stonefruits, honeysuckle and an array of spices.

Viognier is full bodied and usually aged in oak, so it's a good alternative for Chardonnay drinkers but it has a distinctive oiliness in the middle of the tongue, I know that sounds weird, but trust me, it's a good thing.

We don't see a lot of Viognier in NZ as it's not that easy a varietal to grow, it can be prone to mildew and needs long warm days for growth, hence why we mostly see it in warm Hawkes Bay.

For the most part Viognier is a early drinking wine and not intended for aging. Serve it cool but not too cold or you will deaden the multitude of amazing flavours that flood out of each glass of this gorgeous wine. Once chilled serve with grilled white meats or spicy foods.

As mentioned there aren't a huge amount of Viognier here at home in NZ but it's no surprise that all of my picks are from amazing Hawke's Bay, including this one from Saint Clair, which even though the family's home base winery is in Marlborough they have a vineyard site in the renowned Gimblett Graves region of Hawke's Bay. Their 2015 Viognier has lush flavours of peach, apricot and lavender with the slightest hint of cinnamon spice and available for $22.

The team at Elephant Hill in the Te Awanga region of Hawke's Bay have the most remarkable winery you could imagine; modern, stylish & state of the art with a solid commitment to sustainability (including a system that recycles winery waste water).

Their wines are pretty spectacular too. This 2016 Viognier is bone dry with a residual sugar of only 1.1 grams and once again has flavours of peach and nectarine and hints of spice and ginger. Their vintages regularly sell out so waste no time in picking up this beauty for $29

I love guys at Element so much & upon my last visit to Hawkes Bay they gave me such a warm welcome (& filled me with so much wine...), I genuinely now consider them friends. For such a tiny winery (2.2 hectares) they put so much love and passion into what they do and make some amazing wines. This 2015 Viognier smells of apricots and citrus blossom with a rich, full body. Delish! This wine is $25 a bottle but only available online, however the awesome Dom has, once again, provided a discount code for anyone who would like to purchase these wines can get a 20% discount for the next week by using the code "Mermaid" (well what else!) at www.elementwines.co.nz

To hear my chat about Viognier with Trudi Nelson on RadioLIVE click the link below.

Wines from the USA

After a recent conversation with a friend where we bemoaned the state of affairs in the United States after (yet another) school shooting and unnecessary loss of innocent lives, I reflected on the fact that although things are definitely not ideal in the US - they do make a bloody good wine or two! 

The US, in fact, is the fourth largest wine producing country in the world (after France, Italy & Spain) with over 800 million gallons of the good stuff produced. So why don't we see more of it then? Well simply put, because, with a population of 150 million people, they have such a strong domestic market, they don't have to export to survive (unlike us here in lil' ol' NZ)

When we think of US wine the area most commonly known for wine is California, with Napa and Sonoma being synonymous with American wine. But what if I told you that almost every American state made wine in some shape or form - yup it's true. Every. Single. State. However the breakdown is  85% comes from California, the next 10% comes from Washington State, New York State & Oregon & the final 5% comes from - well, everywhere else. 

Wines from Washington, New York & Oregon are really growing in popularity and in renown as these more northerly and cooler states have the ability to provide wines in contrast to the ripe styles that come from warm California. 

As a result of the fact that so much of US wine comes from California, it should come as no surprise that the top drops Americans love are Cab Sauv, Chardonnay and Zinfandel (mostly white "Zin"). 

I've talked about Robert Mondavi before and I have very little doubt that I will at some stage talk about him again. The Godfather of New World Wines, Robert Mondavi took on the snobbery of the old world wines and set about making wines that would make the world sit up and take notice. And boy did he! We as a new world wine nation owe Mr. Mondavi a debt of gratitude for his pioneering spirit. How best to honor the great man? Drink his wine - and you can start with this Robert Mondavi Private Selection Chardonnay available widely for $19 (seriously). Typical of warm climate Chardy this delish drop has flavours of baked apples and poached pears with a nice toasty oak that isn't overwhelming and oh so drinkable.

Remember I said American's love Zinfandel (or as the cool kids call it "Zin") well they do but they mostly drink White Zin. Personally, I avoid White Zin as it's much too sweet for my palette. I am told dry examples of White Zin exist but I've never encountered one so I stick to the red. The Sebastiani Zinfandel 2014 is a good example of a Red Zin. It's a big wine with lots of ripe raspberry flavours and pepper spiciness. Traditionally speaking these wines are medium bodied but the spiciness & flavours & alcohol makes it appear bigger than it actually is, this one is no exception with a large 14.8% ABV, so beware if you are having more than a glass as that higher alcohol can creep up on you! If you are looking to up your wine to the next level of gruntiness but are not quite at Cab Sauv just yet - try this Red Zinfandel for $20. 

I'm pretty excited about this final wine the Charles Smith Boom Boom Syrah 2015 from Washington State for a number of reasons. Firstly the winemaker has the coolest story to tell ever. Originally from California, Charles Smith spend the 90's managing a Danish thrash metal group & toured Europe trying amazing wines as he went, when it came time to return home to the US, he opted on Washington state to start making one of his favourite varietals - Syrah.

Charles Smith makes some SERIOUS wine and under 6 different labels, but this wine is from the Charles Smith range which is a range of accessible wines to drink now. This "Boom Boom" is delicious - full of blueberry & hallmark Syrah spice with a "meatiness" to it that you would associate with Syrah's of the Rhone, the influence of Smith's time in Europe is definitely coming through. The other thing I love about this wine and the others in the range (Kung Fu Riesling & Eve Chardonnay) is the artwork. It's fun, funky, simple & eye-catching - this is most definitely my type of wine. 

Click the link below to hear my chat on RadioLIVE and why I'm reccomending these amazing American wines.

Gris because we love our Green Goddess

So as you may recall we covered off some Pinot Gris' before Christmas, but this was when our lovely Green Goddess Wendyl was away and as it's her fav style of wine, we thought we should cover it off again. Also, it is a varietal that EVERYONE seems to be making these days and it's definitely the wine I get sent the most. Unsurprisingly it is NZ's third most popular white. 

Our easy-drinking friend Pinot Gris is a white wine made from red grapes, which is why sometimes you will see a tinge of pink every now and then in some Pinot Gris. This just means that in the winery the winemaker has left the skins on the grapes just a touch longer to get some of that gorgeous colour. 

As an aromatic, you can expect there to be a bit going on in the nose of a Gris with pear, apple, honeysuckle, and spice being frequent descriptors and unlike its light & quaffable European cousin Pinot Grigio NZ Pinot Gris is fuller in texture and tends to richer & more fruit forward. 

This wine is one that I just tried last weekend in Hawkes Bay & it's a 2017, so a brand new release!  The Brookfields Robertson Pinot Gris 2017 (named after winemaker - Peter Robertson) is fresh and teaming with aromas and flavours of pear and honey with just a hint of spice and off-dry at 7 grams of residual sugar. The team at Brookfields also reckon this beauty will cellar for up to 6 years. A pretty sweet drop for only $17

Organic winery Darling Wines in Marlborough have created a full-flavoured 2016 Pinot Gris will all the hallmark flavours of a Gris - apples & pears. It's also off-dry but only just at 5 grams of residual sugar. This wine is available for only $23 which especially considering it is organic is amazing value. 

To date, I haven't featured very many Auckland wines, but I am definitely looking to change that as the humid north has some stunners - case in point Kumeu River 2016 Pinot Gris is delicious in the extreme, apples, pears, spice, with a wonderful texture and weight in the mouth. This wine is a typically Gris in the best possible way with just enough sweetness at 6 grams of residual sugar all for $25. 

No doubt about it Gris is becoming more and more popular and I feel it's a great introduction to other aromatics, who knows Gris today, Gewurtz tomorrow! 

Click the link below to hear my chat with Wendyl about great Gris'

What else for V-Day than Rosé Bubbles

Oh come on now, you didn't think that this die hard romantic Mermaid was going to let Valentines Day slip away without a mention did you?

As far as I'm concerned the most romantic of all drinks has to be champagne, and the only thing that could make that more romantic? Pink Bubbles of course!

Rosé Bubbles is essentially made the way that all Rosé is made, it can be made by either soaking the grapes with the skins on in order to extract the colour or if the colour can be pressed off the grapes (carefully as skins contain tannin & you do not want tannic rosé!). Here in New Zealand you can even mix white and red wines but that's not really that common. Blending is only allowed in France if you are making a Rosé champagne.

Two of my choices are are New Zealand Methode Tradionelles which if you remember means they are made in the style of a Champagne and as such must age for 18 months minimum, both of these winemakers have actually opted to aged their Rosé sparkling wine for two years.

First romantic cab off the rank is the aptly named PINK from Hawke's Bay winery Squawking Magpie, this Rose has all of the hallmarks of a great Rose wine, it's light and refreshing with delicious flavours of strawberries and cranberries and it is bone dry at 2.5 grams of residual sugar. All that for $30 and the bottle looks amazing too with white glass contrasted with black foil & a stylish white label. Impressive.

Cloudy Bay Pelorus from Marlborough is the first NZ Sparkling Rosé that I ever tried & and for me it (as well as it's non-Rosé) counterpart are staples in my wine collection. Cloudy Bay wines are consistently good. This Rosé Sparkling is Pinot Noir dominant and a delcious pale pink teaming with typical strawberry & cherry flavours. Still dry but a tad sweeter at 9 grams of residual sugar this bottle is available widely for only $40. Drink with Japanese food. Yum!

Ok, ok, ok, this one is a bit pricey but if your love isn't worth a splurge on Valentines Day when when are they? If you are looking to really impress pick up a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rose Champagne for $99 (although I have seen it as low as $79 so shop around!). This is a fine french Champagne with flavours of raspberries and strawberries and a wine with a remarkable heritage.

Did you know in 1803, Madame Clicquot at the tender age of 27 took over running the Champagne house when her husband died, a truly audacious act for a woman at that time in history. In fact the word "Veuve" means Widow in French. Throughout her career Madame Clicout Innovated, invented, and encouraged people to “Act with Audacity". I love nothing more than an audacious woman!

Veuve Clicquot Rose is the world's first blended Rose Champagne and this year Veuve are celebrating 200 years since it's creation.

I know this is a pricer option but as myself and Wendyl say in the audio below, sometimes some cheap & cheerful food but an amazing bottle of wine shared with just the two of you is more romantic and special than a meal at a top class restaurant.

Happy Valentines Day lovers!

Organic Wines - First, The Whites

Organics are taking off in a big way, this is no longer a trend but something that is really becoming a way of life. Some people believe that as we are such a small country in New Zealand we should really be setting the standard for the rest of the world when it comes to organics, but I'm not sure it's that simple. Due to New Zealand's long thin geography & variety of maritime influences,  the country has in fact a number of different climates & disease pressure (& as a result the need for pesticides) is much higher in the humid north than it is in the South.

Biogro is the New Zealand gold standard and once you have it you can call yourself “Certified Organic”, however the process to become certified is lengthy so there are a lot great wineries who are still in the conversation stage (which can take 2-3 years) who are genuinely making organic wines, so don't discount them just because they don't yet have the Biogro stamp of approval.

This is one of the topics I get asked about most frequently so today I am going to feature some whites and at another date I will recommend some reds.

From the cool kids at Supernatural Wine Co comes Pacific Potion Sauvignon Blanc 2017, I've recommended these guys from Hawkes Bay before and I have no doubt I will again. This is Sauv as I think Sauv should be, it's Zesty with gooseberries & stone fruit & just the right amount of tropical flavours. It's gorgeous on a sunny day and a steal at $25.

This & it's Pinot Gris offsider were actually wines that them team made in 2015 for exclusive use in KLM's Business Class cabin in 2016. It really was supposed to be a one off but once it was out there and people got a taste there was no way it was going to be a one off.

Waipara are really leading the charge when it comes to Organics in New Zealand and this Greystone - Sand Dollar - Pinot Gris 2016 is gorgeous, it's off-dry with flavours of apples, pears, peaches and just a hint of honeysuckle. Divine. Greystone maker Dom, just won the Gourmet Traveller WINE - winemaker of the year. Though this award has been around internationally for twenty years this was its first year in NZ - what an honour for Dom to be the inaugural winner. Easy to see why he won producing quality wines like this gem - available for $27

Another one from the Waipara, my premium pick is from The Bone Line. The first time I met owner and winemaker Vic (at a wine event, shocker) I instantly liked her, she is such a cool chick, funky & fun & boy can she make wine! The Sharkstone Chardonnay 2016 is made from some of Waipara's oldest Chardonnay vines and has the citrus flavours of grapefruit along with peach and it's buttery but not too buttery.

Another classic example of the best wines being those with balance. Elegant and moreish and a bargain at $35 I reckon!

Click the link below to hear my chat with the Green Goddess herself Wendyl Nissan on the Long Lunch about Organic wines.

Beauties from the Barossa

To celebrate Australia Day lets have a look at the most prestigeous of the Australian wine regions - The Barossa, South Australia. The Barossa is North of Adelaide and boasts some of the oldest vines in the world as by some miracle it was never affected by the outbreak of Phylloxera in the 19th Century. Therefore some of the vines are in excess of 170 years old. The grape that Shiraz is made from is the Syrah grape but Australia is the only country to call it Shiraz.

Barossa Shiraz is known for being big, jammy, tonnes of ripe blackfruit & lots of pepper. It's unapologetically unsubtle and full bodied.    

I have always been a fan of Shiraz and as far as I know there is nothing better than Shiraz with meat!

The first of my picks is the Peter Lehmann, The Barossan 2015, this is an exciting new label from the stalwarts of the Barossa, Peter Lehmann wines and it is big, rich beautifully decadent with smells of blackberry, plum, vanilla, and chocolate that is typically Barossa. Available for only $25, drink this wine with BBQ pork ribs or slow roasted BBQ meat.

Aged in American & French Oak for 12-18 months and then transferred to scotch barrels. the Jacobs Creek Double Barrel Shiraz 2015 is a premium offering available for only $24. This double barrelling process adds flavours of plum & fruitcake to this deliciously drinkable wine. I enjoyed a bottle of this with Brisket & other meaty deliciousness at Ponsonby BBQ restaurant Miss Moonshines recently and it was the perfect combo           

For those who are not a fan of the jammy, OTT style that is typically Barossa, my next pick the 2016 Shiraz from Woods Crampton is a more elegant expression of Barossa Shiraz with a clear focus on drinkability. These are old vine wines, rich yet elegant with loads of delicious flavours of blackberry, vanilla but with slight hints of violet.

So what better way to celebrate our fabulous Aussie cousins this 26th of January than to crack one of these Barossan beauties and enjoy with some BBQ'd meat delights. You can even drink it chilled if you wish - yup, that's totally something you can do - even Wendyl thinks so, click the link below to hear our chat at Shiraz.