I have to admit upfront that I don’t like Shiraz but I like Hermitage. Ok its the same grape. Let re-phrase myself – For a number of years I have tried to experiment outside the golden brotherhood of French, Spanish and Italian. In fact, I can honestly claim that I have spent thousands of pounds trying to educate my taste buds with “new world” wines but my conclusion is that I still prefer old world wines.

This week, I have put up 14 different bottles of shiraz from my cellar at a tasting at Reading University. The purpose is two fold: to see what people think and secondly, to get rid of some of the excessive stock I have.

The story goes something like this: In 2003, I was in Australia following England in the Rugby World Cup. Like most tourists, I went for a walk around “The Rock” where David Campese owns a “shirt” shop. As I walked towards Circular Quay, I noticed that there is a wine shop cum wine bar opposite the ferry terminal. I walked into the shop and looked around. The manager and I chatted and I said to him that I didn’t like Shiraz. Well, I left 30 minutes later with 10 cases to be shippped to England.

For the past 6 years, I have struggled to consume these 10 cases. Well, there are wines I began to like e.g. Two Hands but the vast majority was : I would drink it but I would not buy it again. As a nearly a bottle a day man (for the past 30 years), you can tell that its not my favourite drink.

The winers on show this week are:
2002     Bella’s Garden,
2002    Lily’s Garden, Two Hands Wines, McLaren Vale, Walkerville, S. Australia   

2002    E&E Black Pepper Shiraz, Barossa Valley Estate, Marananga, S. Australia   

2001     Oscar Semmler Shiraz, Dutschke Wines, Lyndoch, S.Australia   

2000    Estate Shiraz Special Release, Paringa Estate, Mornington Peninsula, Victora

1999    The Octavius Edition X, Yalumba, Angaston, South Australia

1998    Ampelon, Bowen Estate, Coonawarra, S. Australia

1998    Lawson’s Padthawy, Orlando Wines, Rowland Flat, S. Australia

1998    Metala, Langhorne Creek, Saltram Wine Estate, Angaston, S. Australia   

1998    Petaluma Coonawarra, Piccadilly, S. Australia

1998    Rosehill Shiraz, Mount Pleasant Wines, Pokolbin, New South Wales

1998     St Andrew’s Shiraz, Taylors Wines, Clara Valley, Auburn, S. Australia

1997    Eight Songs Shiraz, Peter Lehman Wines, Barossa Valley, S. Australia   

1994    Stonewell Barossa Shiraz, Peter Lehman Wines, Tanunda, S. Australia

I’ll tell you what everyone thinks later this week.