#vine collective

[butwinenot]

We kinda feel like chocolate tonight. So if you’re on your couch enjoying an episode of your favourite TV show... why not sweeten the deal with this fine drop? Let us know what you think!

[butwinenot]

Since Shiraz is the most grown kind of grape in Australia, it’s probably good to get to know more about it. When Syrah (Sih-Rah) arrived in Australia from its birthplace in France, Australian winemakers took to calling it Shiraz (Shi – RAZ). Probably it is just due to the Australian habit of making words more fun to say. Shiraz is one of the darkest red wines on the market and has a large amount of mouth-drying tannins. It is known to be full-bodied, which means that it feels heavy in the mouth. Berries, pepper, tobacco and smoked meat are flavours frequently associated with Shiraz. While Syrah is the perfect accompaniment to meat, it really goes well with anything, which may be a reason for its popularity. A great bonus to drinking Syrah is that due to the high level of tannins present in the wine, Syrah has one of the highest level of health-benefiting antioxidants. There it is again: wine drinking is healthy! Nowaday French Syrah is propably the most expensive. In contrast, due to the larger amount of land devoted to the grape in Australia, Australian wineries have been able to produce the wine much more affordably. And affordable is always good. If you’re feeling French (price-wise) then you could try the 2011 Black Dog Shiraz. If you’re more down to earth-in the real world-kinda mood then maybe try the 2013 Gravel Pit Shiraz.