This radio show aired on June 8, and yes, I’ve fallen behind on my blogs. I blame it on summer and Hawaii from which I just returned. However, the grilling season is still on so here’s another great barbecue wine: Shiraz. And when I say Shiraz rather than Syrah, I’m talking about Australian Shiraz, which is where that term was coined. Then we cover cocktails paired to film noir in our book review of Noir Bar.
Australian Shiraz: A Great Barbie Wine
The last blog I covered California Zinfandel. This week, since my barbeque season is still on, we cover Aussie Shiraz. Few places can produce a bigger, badder Syrah-based wine than Australia and they’ve been doing it for over 170 years.
Major wine regions
In Australia there are only six wine regions, but many important subregions to explore. One could easily say that the southwest coast and the southeast extension of the country is where it’s at.
- Western Australia: The wine growing area around Perth and the Margaret River excel at unoaked Chardonnay, Shiraz and Bordeaux blends. One of our wines comes from here.
- South Australia around Adelaide is known for their excellent Shiraz and mineral-driven Riesling and our second wine comes from here.
- Victoria around Melbourne is the southernmost part of Australia and makes fruity Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in its cooler regions. Loved the Yarra Valley when I was there.
- New South Wales above Victoria produces lean, mineral Shiraz and Semillon from Hunter’s Valley
- Queensland above Brisbane is a very small region known for Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.
- The island of Tasmania produces Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the coolest climate as well as an ill-tempered Devil.
Wine production
Australia has 420,000 acres of vines under cultivation as of 2019.
- South Australia accounts for half the acreage
- New South Wales has about one quarter
- Western Australia covers about 18% and Victoria another 10%
Australian Wine Laws
- Grape varietal must be 85% (75% in US with exceptions)
- Regional wines named must be 85%
- Blends of below 85%, each named in descending order: Cab-Shiraz or Shiraz-Cab
- Blended wines list percentage of each grape
Australian Grapes
- Whites: Chardonnay, Semillon (Aussie pronounced Semi-Lawn), Riesling
- Fortified whites: Muscat, Tokay
- Reds: Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Pinot Noir
- Significant blends: Cab-Shiraz, Cab-Merlot, GSM Rhone-style, Chardonnay-Semillon
- Rhone Syrah versus Shiraz. Shiraz more intense, more fruit-driven, but same grape
Terroir: Who needs it?
Unlike European winemakers, Australia is committed to blending wines from widely different regions.
- Grapes are made in separate lots by quality level and then blended
- Provides a consistent “style” of wine, little changed from year-to-year
- Leading the way: Screw caps on virtually all Riesling and many Shiraz wines
- Penfolds’ Grange: Sourced from within a 300 mile range; no climats here
South Australia Region
This very popular wine region has 18 subregions and produces over 50% of Australia’s wines. It’s also home to two of the most prestigious locations for great Shiraz: Barossa Valley and the McLaren Vale as well as lesser-known subregions producing distinctive Shiraz along with prized Riesling and other varieties.
Barossa Valley is synonymous with great Shiraz. A warm-growing region 38 miles north of Adelaide, it does offer cooler-climate grapes such as Riesling at higher elevations.
Adelaide Hills, below Barossa Valley and above the city has a cooler climate and Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are a primary focus.
Eden Valley, just east of Barossa, is home to some of the world’s oldest Riesling vines. Here, the temperatures at night plummet even lower than in the Clare Valley. Eden Valley’s vineyards often contain loamy sand, clay and gravel soils which help produce lithe Rieslings with bright fruit and delicate floral notes, paired with a talc-like texture. These wines often age well.
Clare Valley, north of Barossa and further inland with vines planted at 1300 to 1600 ft elevation insuring cooler nights for their signature Riesling wines. Cab and Shiraz are also important grapes.
McLaren Vale
- McLaren Vale is home to some of the oldest vines in the country, dating as far back as 1850. The Mediterranean climate, huge array of soil types and proximity to the ocean with the resultant cooling sea breezes make it an idyllic location for wine grape growing.
- Best known for Shiraz, McLaren Vale also excels in the production of premium Grenache and Cabernet. Mediterranean red varieties such as Tempranillo and Sangiovese are also very well suited climatically, as well as the whites; Vermentino, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier.
- Over one third of the 70 cellar doors – that’s Aussie speak for a winery tasting room – offer local produce as part of the tasting experience. From high-end, starred restaurants to casual platters, there is a wine and food combination to suit any taste.
For your consideration: Pozzy Shiraz 2016, 14% ABV, $7.99 Trader Joes
The name and label make this a typical Aussie wine. I shared this wine at a friend’s house and paired it to her pot roast. This wine need an hour or more breathing time, but showed good spice and fruit.
From the label: McLaren Vale is home to sustainable wine growing and world-class wines. The region’s Shiraz is widely perceived as Australia’s premier grape varietal.
Pozzy has an impressive array of savory aromas and flavors, beginning with blackberry, raspberry, and plum along with tantalizing hints of wild herbs, cracked black pepper, and exotic spices.
From the Reverse Wine Snob:
The 2016 Pozzy Mclaren Vale Shiraz certainly smells like Australian Shiraz with a nose of ripe berry, plum and those signature black pepper notes plus a little smoked meat and spice.
The wine tastes similar to the nose with lots of very ripe fruit and the smoked meat note continuing. And while it’s definitely smooth and easy to drink, it could use a bit more structure. This is a nice one for Australian Shiraz lovers but probably won’t convert anyone over to this style.
It ends dry and with good length. It wasn’t quite as good on day 2 so drink up!
One of the things I like about Jon Thorsen’s wine notes is he takes the time to try the wine the following day to see how it holds up. In some cases he mentions that the wine was better on day 2, which means give it lots of air on day 1!
For your consideration: Mollydooker: The Boxer, 16% ABV, $30
‘Mollydooker’ is old Aussie slang for a left-handed boxer and our Boxer always punches well above his Fruit Weight™. Did you notice he has two left-handed gloves?
The 2022 Boxer boasts a robust foundation of dark fruit, black cherries, mocha, and a hint of clove spice that comes alive in the glass. Its velvety texture delivers notes of fresh plum, balanced tannins, and a subtle touch of toasted oak, all of which enhance the richness of the fruit. This wine offers a complex experience with multiple layers that are sure to impress.
The grapes were grown on vineyards in McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek. Langhorne Creek is a small subarea above and to the west of Lake Alexandria with an obvious marine influence. The Boxer was Barrel fermented and matured in 100% American oak, using 38% new, 49% one year old, and 13% two year old barrels. Or whatever else they had lying around.
Eddie Muller’s Noir Bar
Previously, Eddy loaned me his copy of this fast-reading, fascinating look at film Noir paired to craft cocktails. Muller is the host of Turner Classic Movie’s Noir Alley and a professional bartender so this was right up his alley.
- He begins by covering the well-stocked bar; spirits, liqueurs, bitters, mixers and garnishes.
- Then the tools of the bartending trade; glasses, shakers, strainers and stirrers.
- You might need to take out a loan if you plan to fully-stock your bar.
And finally, how to make a cocktail before launching into a series of noir-classics paired to cocktails. Some named for the movie they’re paired with, cocktails from famous mixologists and some of his own concoctions inspired by the movies. You’ll also learn interesting tidbits on some of the beloved classics of noir. Four movie + spirit examples follow:
Angel Face (1952): Dir Otto Preminger, Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, Mona Freeman
Ambulance driver Frank Jessup (Mitchum) is ensnared in the schemes of the sensuous but dangerous Diane Tremayne (Simmons).
Mitchum was second only to Bogart in embodying all the elements of the noir anti-hero and doomed man. His hooded eyes foretold his bleak future in every noir. However, those eyes did come alive for The Night of the Hunter (1955) and Cape Fear (1962).
Cocktail: Angel Face – In a shaker combine 1 oz. of Gin, Calvados and apricot brandy. Strain into a coupé and add a lemon peel twist. That makes a pretty strong drink so make sure to use plenty of ice and shake rather than stir to slightly dilute it.
The Breaking Point (1950): Dir Michael Curtiz, John Garfield, Patricia O’Neal, Phyllis Thaxter
An otherwise moral captain of a charter boat becomes financially strapped and is drawn into illegal activities in order to keep up payments on his boat.
Muller chose this Hemingway-based noir because the noted drinker had several cocktails named for him; including the Cubre Libre and Mojito, but here pairs the Hemingway Daiquiri. I still remember seeing Garfield in Body and Soul several times; totally empathizing with the predicament that ensnares him.
Cocktail: Hemingway Daiquiri – In a shaker combine 2-1/2 oz. white rum, ½ oz. grapefruit and lime juice and ¼ oz. Maraschino liqueur. Strain into a coupé and add a lemon wheel.
D. O. A. (1949): Dir Rudolph Mate, Edmond O’Brien, Pamela Britten, Luther Adler
Frank Bigelow, told he’s been poisoned and has only a few days to live, tries to find out who killed him and why. The movie was remade in 1988 with Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.
I watched this as a child and was frozen to the screen watching O’Brien trying to find his killers in the seedy underworld. No matter what movie he was in later, I still recalled this one. Some of the full page and 2-page displays of cocktails in the book are inspired. The glowing test tube the doctor shows Frank comes with the chilling words, “you’ve been murdered!”
Cocktail: The Last Word – In a shaker, add ¾ oz. of Gin, green Chartreuse, Luxardo Maraschino, and lime juice. Strain into a coupé and garnish with a Luxardo Maraschino Cherry. Muller suggests serving it in a test tube, but if they’re watched D.O.A. they might pass on this one.
The Lady from Shanghai (1948): Dir Orson Welles, Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles, Everett Sloan
Fascinated by gorgeous Mrs. Bannister, seaman Michael O’Hara joins a bizarre yachting cruise, and ends up mired in a complex murder plot.
It’s easy to see Rita as a femme fatale; that stunning red hair, the challenging look, the wry smile when she knows she’s got you. Except Welles had her shorten it and turn it blonde. Welles saw his globe-spanning 155 minute movie pared down to 87 minutes by the studio. I’d love to see the original.
Cocktail: Sailor Beware – In a mixing glass add 1-1/4 oz. Irish whiskey, ¾ oz. brandy, ½ oz. green Chartreuse. Using a Nick & Nora Charles glass (I’m sure you have plenty of those around) pour a little Absinthe, tilt & rotate and then strain contents into the glass. Garnish with a fresh lemon peel twist, rubbing it over the rim.
I don’t know about you, but I’m keeping my copy next to my bar for whenever I want to craft a noir-inspired cocktail.
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