Wine Review: Yalumba Cabernet Merlot 2lt Cask

Booze at around $13 a cask... thats good value in anyone's books... Yalumba is Australia's oldest Family owned winery...founded way back in 1849 by Samuel Smith. Being family owned you can expect a good quality vino - in line with what you pay. So in this case, although it is a cask, the wine is a pretty good quaffing wine.

The packaging is nothing to write about.. its pretty plain... like others colour coded. Aussies invented the cask, and they still excel in what goes in it. When I worked in the winery I recall bottling wine for Tesco's (Pommy Supermarket Chain) which we had bought cheap from New South Wales which (in my view) was putrid. This wine far exceeds the quality of wine sold there!

Marketing states"

"Cabernet and Merlot make for the Perfect partnership. Merlot produces wine with round fruit flavours and supple tannins, coupling perfectly with the elegance and power of Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is rich and generous with intense blackberry, plum and spice characters. Try with spicy beef asian dishes"

I could just imagine this with a black bean stir fry.

Again, the tasting notes are pretty spot on, the spice is there, as well as the blackberry/plum combination. Tannins are more than you would expect from a cask wine.

Selfie.... and not a good one!

Yalumba is a great Barossa Winery, and in this case has produced a wine that is good value. The equivalent of 3 bottles of wine for $13 - from a family owned winery. The family would have to try pretty hard to make any wine a bad one... I mean.. South Australia is Australia's premium wine state, and one of the worlds premium wine districts. To make a bad wine here would take planning.

What can I say? Quaffing wine.. but EXCELLENT Quaffing wine.

Score: 9/10 for value

           10/10 for TIM (truth in marketing)

I wont go on with the usual marking.. at the end of the day.. its worth the dollars if you are looking for a good value cask wine to accompany the BBQ.

Cheers

Rob

Wine Review: The Winesmiths Shiraz 2012 2lt Cask

I had never heard of the Winesmiths. I had worked in the wine industry for 3 years (as a cellarhand, vineyard worker, distribution manager and production manager), had an appreciation of wine (read: MASSIVE appreciation) for the last 25 years, and yet this is my first encounter with Winesmiths.

Their website, http://www.thewinesmiths.com/ is very rudimentary, it almost looks like a work in progress.

It appears that the company is new, it boasts no bottled wines. 

"The Winesmiths want to give you reason to believe in the cask. It ensures a consistent quality, and the certainty that every glass poured is a true representation of the wine we’ve worked so hard to make.

It’s clever: there’s no wine pack which is more convenient, lightweight or portable. It’s great in your fridge or to take camping." (Ohhh yeah.. cask of wine next to the campfire while spinning a few yarns, nothing better)

Stays fresh: the tap keeps air out keeping your wine fresh for several weeks; from the first glass to the last.

Value: our wines are exceptional value. Bottle quality in a convenient pack."

The subject of todays review - the 2012 shiraz is described as follows:

"Our Shiraz tastes as good as it looks. Bright ruby with aromas of ripe plummy fruit, and flavours reminiscent of cardamom seeds, oak and chocolate which leaves a delicious spicy taste in our mouth long after you've put down the glass."

I particularly like this bit

"But if, like us, you care more about the taste than tasting notes, it's time to stop reading and start pouring"

The tasting notes are pretty spot on. 

Colour was excellent for a cask wine. Nose was pleasing - giving hints of the wines characteristics. On Tasting, there are almost overwhelming plummy characteristics, so if you want to know what that tastes like this will hit you like a length of 4 x 2 in between the eyes.

I detected undernotes of spice, the oak is definately there - likely to have been through the use of staves in a tank, or chips during the ferment. Not sure about the cardamom though. Acid is pretty high, but acceptable.

I reckon its a pretty ok cask wine, suitable for when the in-laws come for dinner or such similar occasions when you want to have a decent wine but something that wont keep them coming back for it.

It gets the Bogan Stamp of Approval for everyday use.

I particularly like their attitude - its in line with the Bogan in all of us - keep it simple, keep it real, don't let marketing, dollars and science complicate things....

Wine Review: Banrock Station Cabernet Merlot 2lt Cask

When picking a wine to accompany a meal it is important to consider whom you are entertaining and what is on the plate.

In this case, imagine you are serving up a plate of bangers (sausages for our American Friends) and chops on a Saturday arvo before the Footy match commences.

 

Leave them in the Shed

You could bring out the carton of West End Draught Tinnies stashed in the shed that the boss gave you last Christmas (the beer favoured by many in the 1960's) - which would be expected, OR you could impress your mates by sporting a glass of red in your hand.



On the glass side of things - it does make a difference to the taste of the wine depending on what you serve it in. For instance, there will be a difference to the taste if you serve it in a pint glass compared to a red wine glass. However, if you dont have a wine glass, use the pint glass - because its not OK to drink from the tap.

Packaging: The 2lt cask design makes it easy to fit in the cupboard. The colour coded branding makes wine identification easy - in this case the purple represents the Cabernet Merlot. The non gloss finish will appeal to those with an environmental mind - as will the conservation message on the side. The serving size on the side located above the tap is critical to count the 21 standard drinks that lies inside. (not that anyone really measures their wines when pouring, but it will explain something if you start swaying in the breeze).

Description: Marketing have a way with words, in this case, they describe the contents as "soft blackcurrant and cherry flavours". and "A soft medium bodied wine with blackcurrant, plum and cherry flavours".

So how does it stack up?

Colour: when held to the light, light red.

Nose: you can really smell the booze in this wine.at 13.5% alcohol it packs a punch.

Taste: OK.. this is the wine that tastes better than the Hotel "house wine". I mean, house wine is the worst wine they can find, so you have one glass of $2.90 House Wine which induces you to buy the $7 glass of bottled wine. So, considering this wine cost $15 for 2 litres (or $15 for 21 standard drinks - you do the math, I couldn't be bothered), its not a bad wine at all.

I can taste the black currant, and vaguely the cherry but you really have to have a clean pallet (ie: have clean mouth - not one that stinks of a freshly eaten yiros) and concentrate hard - focus and think of Ribena. It is pretty high in acid - which is a little disappointing considering it is described by the company as "soft" - but that might be a result of the chunk of cheese I just ate.

Overall?

Packaging: Easy to operate, has an "earthy appeal" 8/10

Taste:  4/10

Value for Money: 6/10

Overall: 5/10

Summary: You could siphon the wine into the empty bottles you have saved from your last party and make a real statement... nobody will know!!!

Really? Its an OK quaffing wine perfect for the BBQ before the footy.

Warning: I always drink plenty of water with wine to avoid the dreaded night sweats.


This product earns the Bogan Seal of Approval for Everyday use.