SHARKTOOTH’S A SHIRAZ WITH BITE

SPECIAL occasion treat with flame-grilled fillet of beef.

Wc14Jan13

David Ellis

WHEN you’ve made wine in the USA, France and Italy as well as Australia, and you’ve a Jimmy Watson Trophy under your belt as well, it’s saying something when you describe fruit from a particular vineyard as “the kind of thing winemakers dream of.”

But that’s how the McLaren Vale’s Serafino Wines’ Chief Winemaker, Charles Wish sums up fruit from the company’s Sharktooth Block vineyard that goes into its flagship Sharktooth Shiraz. “When I joined Serafino in 2009 I was blown away by the exceptional fruit off that block,” Charles says. “It definitely was the kind we winemakers dream of.”

For Shiraz buffs, Charles’ Serafino 2009 Sharktooth Shiraz really is quite outstanding, deep purple in colour and with a palate that’s full-bodied, rich and intense with wonderful dark berry fruit flavours.

GREAT buying at $10.95 to enjoy with Italian antipasto platters.

While not cheap at $70, it’s certainly more than rewarding for that special occasion, teamed with a good flame-grilled fillet of beef or simply on its own.

ONE FOR LUNCH:  WE’VE long been fans of the consistently excellent Richland label Pinot Grigio crafted by Bill Calabria at his Westend Estate at Griffith in the NSW Riverina. And his latest from the 2012 vintage lives up to what we’ve come to expect from its predecessors: the product of Bill’s excellent fruit and his winemaking expertise, this is a drop that’s quite pungent with ripe pear and lemon aromas, and has a palate that’s richly full-bodied with crispy apple, lychee and spice fruit flavours.

Excellent-value at just $10.95 to enjoy with a range of foods from – naturally –  traditional Italian antipasto platters, to Asian Pad Thai and noodle dishes.

NEED A FOOD/DRINK IDEA? Check out  http://www.vintnews.com )