Recipes To Share

Posts Tagged ‘shiraz’

Friday lunchtime is nearly upon us. This week seems to have been very long and busy.

The hours are counting down to the weekend and that means a few bottles of my favourite wine will be drunk.

Well if the truth be told, it’s normally a few bottles on a Friday, then a few more on Saturday and unfortunately just the one on Sunday. On a Monday morning I have to be up bright and breezy ready for another busy week at work.

I am still a bit of an amateur when it comes to choosing the right wine and I will admit to sometimes getting it wrong. Occasionally I have been known to serve a white instead of a red.

For Friday’s dinner I was thinking about dishing up a nice cut of steak. To accompany this I think I should be choosing a nice Cabernet Sauvignon. However my predicament is I am an absolute lover of any sort of Shiraz, so perhaps I should get a couple of bottles of this.

This Saturday we have a family celebration and I will be laying on a nice finger buffet at my house. I find that when I host a party at my house my family never seem to bring their own wine with them, so I always end up having to get extra supplies in. Cava is my favourite wine, so I will probably go for this. My dilemma will be should I get Rosado Cava or Reserve Cava, or perhaps, as it’s a big event, I should just get a case of each.

On Sunday night there will be just be the two of us and I think after our weekend of heavy drinking we will just enjoy a nice cup of tea.

I can’t believe it but that is another weekend done and dusted. It will soon be Monday morning again, which means the alarm will be buzzing nice and early ready for another stressful week at work.  Oh roll on Friday.

The Barossa is primarily known for its red wine, in particular Shiraz (Syrah). Large proportions of Barossa Shiraz is used in Penfolds Grange (Australia’s most famous wine). Henschke Hill of Grace, another high profile Australian wine, also uses Barossa Shiraz in its production.

The Barossa is situated about an hours drive north of Adelaide. The Barossa is made up of two different regions – the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley.

The Barossa Valley is generally less than 400 metres above sea-level and stretches from Williamstown in the south to Kapunda and Truro in the north. The red-brown soils are more fertile than those of the Eden Valley but rainfall here can be up to 50% less.  The temperatures in the Barossa are usually 2ºC warmer than the surrounding regions.

The Eden Valley region starts from the north at Truro and goes all the way south, down to Mount Pleasant. On average the land ranges from about 400 to 600 metres above sea level with a majority of the wine growing land located in the higher sections of land. Soils are rocky and acidic and winter rainfall is plentiful, averaging 255mm more per annum than the Barossa Valley. Temperatures are cooler therefore the growing season is longer.

When this is all added together, you end up with a great concoction for grape growing!

There are about 550 growers in the Barossa, some of them sixth-generation Barossans.  When combined, the total growing area is over 8,000 hectares which yields around 55,000 tonnes of grapes each season.
The Barossa has remained phylloxera free since growing first started here. This has allowed most of the wineries in the area to keep their original root stocks and has some of the worlds oldest vines.

Even though the Barossa represents about 5% of Australia’s national crush, the fruit produced is premium quality. The history of the Barossa and its disproportionate presence in the super-premium categories make it Australia’s most influential and internationally recognized wine region.

No wonder Barossa Shiraz is revered around the world.

Follow the link for more information on Barossa Valley Shiraz .

Popular Varieties Of Wine

There are many types and varieties of wine available. For anyone wanting to try and match a great wine with a specific type of meal, then you can’t go wrong making your choice form one of the more popular varieties around.

Oh, and before we get started, if you love to try new wines, then you can’t go wrong with a wine of the month club, they’re fun and you’re always expanding your wine palate.

Let’s take a look at some of the more popular wine varieties:

Cabernet Sauvignon

Known to many as cab sauv for short, this is a flavorful, full bodied red wine which originated in France. This is one of the best known and most popular wines on the market.

This flavorful red is perfect with steak, roasted lamb and just by itself while unwinding.

Merlot

Merlot should ideally be a very soft red wine that is also quite rich without the high tannin levels of other reds. Whether on its own or blended with a great cab-sav, merlot is lovely served with chicken or can an excellent drinking red wine.

Shiraz

Also known as Syrah, Shiraz is a deep red colored, medium bodied wine whose flavor includes hints of black pepper and berries. This is one of the best wines to go with barbecue as well as many other meat dishes. Shiraz can be aged for a long time and improves well with age.

Originally from Iran, this grape is now very much associated with the Australian Barossa Valley region, where some of the world’s best Shiraz is produced.

Served with peppery or mustard-based sauces on spicy, garnished meats, Shiraz is the perfect complimentary red wine.

Grenache

This soft wine has plum and black pepper flavors and is also a good partner for spicy foods. It is often seen in blends with Shiraz, especially those from France and Spain.

Pinot Noir

Pinot noir is a stunning light- to medium-bodied red wine with a fine fruity aroma. When this fine wine is well aged, it can develop lovely floral flavors.

Chardonnay

This is one of the most popular white wine varieties. Chardonnay makes a lovely wine on its own and it is often blended with other white wines. Chardonnay has notes of melon and lemon, as well as oak; the wine is generally aged in oak for between one and three years. This wine is the perfect complement to salmon and tuna dishes.

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon blanc is a tart, assertively flavored wine with lemon and gooseberry notes. This is a great wine for seafood or on its own, well chilled.

Semillon

Very popular in France and Australia, this grape is less popular outside of those countries. Boasting a mild, honey and toast flavor, this wine is often seen in blends with Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

Riesling

This is a German wine which has found favor worldwide and is now grown in many different countries. This is a white wine with a pleasing green apple and lemon flavor which may be either dry or sweet. The dry varieties of Riesling are excellent paired with spicy foods.

Now get out there, start trying new wines (join a wine club if there are no vineyards nearby), and enjoy.