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What type of red wine to buy from Australia ?

Because of this question that someone asked me few months ago ... I decided to do some studies on red wine ... Also, include some pictures from the previous visit in the National Wine Center in Adelaide ...

Different varietal of grapes ... are displayed

















Different taste and aroma of wine ...














I don't drink red wine often ... recently bought a 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon ... Obviously its not a very good choice if I want to buy something significant from Australia. However, I bought it because my mom used to drink Shiraz all the time ... Just for a change of taste for her.

That bottle of wine is still perfectly alright standing on a shelf at home ...

To begin with ... here are few types of red wine ...

1. Light-bodied - Fewer tannins present and less presence on the palate.
Beaujolais Nouveau

2. Medium-bodied - More tannins than the above Beaujolais Nouveau.
Merlot, Shiraz, Chianti.

3. Full-bodied red wines boast the highest tannin (and often alcohol) content.
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc

Merlot (Mare-lo)

Main features of Merlot is its softness which make this varietal an introducing wine for beginners like me. Merlot is originally grown in Bordeaux, France and often used to soften the character of Cabernet Sauvignon in red blends, Merlot has taken center stage in the United States as a smooth, soft, drinkable red wine low in tannins. In Australia, Merlot is used as the better half to reduce a Cabernet Sauvignon's stern nature. There are some unblended versions, with the better ones found in Barossa Valley and the McLaren Vale, much like Shiraz.

Syrah/Shiraz (Shir-Az)

Shiraz excels in California, Australia (where it is known as Shiraz) and France's Rhone Valley.
The principal Australia wine regions congregate in the southeast part of the country—South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria. For Shiraz, the top regions producing the seductive and full-blooded wine are in the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, and Coonawarra in South Australia and Hunter Valley in New South Wales. Among this group, the Barossa Valley and Coonawarra vie for top rank but with distinctive characters.

The Barossa Valley produces big fruit, herbaceous, and peppery Shiraz. Coonawarra's Shiraz wines are intense with spicy flavors. Wines from both regions have sturdy tannins.

Cabernet Sauvignon (Cah-bur-nay Saw-vee-nyonh)

Cabernet Sauvignon “King of Red Wine Grapes", originate from Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes tend to favor warmer climates. Cabernet Sauvignon are often an ideal wine for aging with 5-10 years being optimal for the maturation process to peak. They are ideal candidates for blending with other grapes, primarily Merlot. This blending softens the Cabernet, adding appealing fruit tones, without sacrificing its innate character. A young Cabernet Sauvignon may be fruit-forward and very bold, but still be very drinkable with potentially heightened tannins. A ten- or twenty-year old bottle will have the huge fruit notes tamed with time, showing more subtle flavors possibly of dried herbs and earth, muted berries, and integrated spice.

In general, light-bodied wines tend to “feel” more like water in the mouth. In contrast, “full-bodied” wines feel heavier, more like milk, this effect is due in large part to the higher tannin (alcohol) content.

In short ...

The conclusion is ...

For people like me, who wants to buy wine as souvenirs or beginners in wine ...
Obviously, we would just simply choose a wine from the bottleshop depending on how the packaging appear to be attractive to us ... that is quite normal ... or maybe choose something based on the alcohol content ...

Some recommendations ..

1. For people like parents who are not frequent drinker of red wine ... Maybe a Merlot which do ...
2. If you want to buy something where you can say ... Australia is famous for it ... Maybe a Shiraz is good enough ... For white wine, maybe a Australia Riesling ...