The Optimist Shiraz Cabernet (2008)

January 25, 2010 — Tom & Melody

We opened this delicious Australian blend last night and I am finishing the last couple of swallows tonight. I like this wine very much. I have  mostly enjoyed Shiraz and Cabernet blends and this is no exception. On the one hand, you have the very fruity, spicy Shiraz, and on the other hand, you have the complexity and prominent tannin quality of the Cabernet. It’s a great combination. This wine is easy to drink, and bursting with fruit. For lack of a better explanation, it is a happy wine!

A bright purple in the glass, the nose is refreshingly minty. The taste is big fruit on the front with pepper and oak on the finish.

For dinner, I am sauteing shitake mushrooms in red wine (from my food co-op) and reheating a leftover beef/noodle dish (that I had made from a slow-cooked pot roast). I am also stir frying asparagus. . .and then I want to watch House. Gotta see what’s up with my favorite grouchy doctor.

Happy Monday everyone. Only four more days until the weekend.

Posted in Australian wines, Blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Over $10, Shiraz. Tags: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Black Opal Cabernet Sauvignon (2008)

January 13, 2010 — Tom & Melody

It’s Wednesday night. We both worked hard today. After talking about our days, we finished off Friday’s Wall Street Journal crossword puzzle. . .for me, this is a good way to get my mind off of work and onto something else — which I needed to do after my day today!

So, for dinner, I am going to work on finishing off some leftovers. I have some leftover pork roast from Sunday night, mashed potatoes and sauteed red cabbage; to that, I will also add sauteed spinach and a tossed salad. And, I have peeled and sliced some kiwi for our fruit.

Tom purchased this Australian fruit bomb at our local grocery store. It’s what I would say is your somewhat typical Australian Cabernet: super fruity, soft tannins and delicious. I like it! What keeps this wine from being something I swoon over is it’s lack of complexity and depth. But, this is more than adequate for any occasion and I would never turn it down, that is for sure. Absolutely no complaints!

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Red Knot Shiraz (2007)

January 8, 2010 — Tom & Melody

We opened this Red Knot Shiraz 2007 as a big wine to go with the steak stir-fry Melody is making.

We got this bottle as a cool stocking stuffer from my folks at Christmas.

It has big dark fruit — typical of an Australian shiraz — but it also has a pleasant (and surprising) bitter taste (as opposed to the stereotypical sweetness of Australians).

Very nice, and a nice complement, I’m sure, to the steak stir-fry.

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Lindemans Shiraz Cabernet (2008)

October 27, 2009 — Tom & Melody

We have had this wine several times before but I always try to record my tasting notes each time I have a wine. It is my little diary. . .

So, it is a Tuesday evening. We just had a martini while working on the Wall Street Journal crossword puzzle. (In the past, we would have been reading the Ann Arbor News, but now that the newspaper is only published twice a week, we have switched to working on the crossword puzzle.) Now, we are having a glass of this Australian fruity wine. For dinner, I am making pesto chicken with asparagus and red peppers and angel hair pasta. This wine will hold up well to the strong flavors of this pasta dish.

This is a new-world wine with lots of fruits — especially cherries and raspberries. Soft tannins and a timid finish. . .but absolutely fun to drink and enjoy.

Posted in Australian wines, Blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Under $10. Tags: , , , , . 2 Comments »

Lindemans Shiraz Cabernet (2008)

October 1, 2009 — Tom & Melody

It is Thursday night and we have both had a hectic week. It’s been a very busy fall and I have not been posting our wine tastings consistently. But tonight, Tom is outside grilling and I have a few minutes to spare before I work on the final touches for our meal.

The weather has recently turned much cooler. It is October 1 and last night I had to cover my tomato and lettuce plants with old sheets because we had a frost. Yay, the sheet coverings did the trick! Now, at 8:00 p.m. it is 50 degrees. Rather chilly for being outside grilling. . .thank you, Tom!

Tom must have picked up a couple of bottles of this lovely Australian wine today because they weren’t here yesterday. I really like this blend, in general, and Lindemans in particular has done a nice job with this. Talk about fruity! This is bursting with juicy fruit flavors, especially cherries and raspberries. Although this is considered very “new world”  and catering to our new world tastes, I have to admit that I enjoy this wine; it’s so easy to drink and enjoy. Very fruity with soft, gentle tannins. Yes, it is simple, but it is easy on the palate! This would be a great wine for new red-wine drinkers to dip their toes into…

For dinner, I made a rub out of brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. I rubbed this on two pork loin chops and let it rest for 1 hour. Now, Tom is grilling the chops. I am going to serve this with sauteed asparagus, mashed potatoes and a salad with my own freshly-picked lettuce, green onions and tomatoes, plus my “store bought” avocado and peppers. . .tossed with my homemade salad dressing. Yummy! Tomorrow is Friday!

Posted in Australian wines, Blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Under $10. Tags: , , , . Leave a Comment »

Lindemans Shiraz Cabernet (2008)

September 22, 2009 — Tom & Melody

It has been a long time since Tom & I opened a Lindemans bottle of wine. We became fans of red wine together while drinking Lindemans’ various red wines. Recently, in our eagerness to try as many new wines as possible, we have ignored Lindemans; but Tom purchased a  bottle of the Shiraz Cabernet blend last weekend. What a delightful reminder of why we started out our love of red wine by enjoying  the Australian wine! Certainly, it all starts with the fruit flavors. This is typical, Australian fruit-forward wine, bursting with plums and berries on the palate. The finish is very smooth.

For dinner tonight, I have cut up three boneless, skinless chicken breasts into chunks  for sauteing.  I will be adding onions, artichokes, chicken broth, fresh mushrooms and spices and tossing with linguine. I am also making a fresh salad with lettuce, tomatoes and green onions from my garden.

We are counting down the days until our son, Tony, returns from his year-long job in Paju, South Korea. He comes home this Saturday; I am beyond excited to see him.

Posted in Australian wines, Blends, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Under $10. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Lindemans’ Shiraz (2008)

August 1, 2009 — Tom & Melody

This Australian Lindemans’ wine has been on sale for $5.99 at our local grocery store. So Tom has been picking up a couple bottles each time he stops to buy groceries. He poured me a glass of this tonight after we sipped and enjoyed a lovely, ice-cold martini. It is Saturday night and we just returned from a weeks’ vacation in Northern Michigan. We had so much fun! We waded in crystal-clear Lake Superior, ate Whitefish in a small upper-peninsula town, and hiked in lush, green forests out in the middle of nowhere! Now we are home and have unpacked, done the laundry, grocery shopped, etc., so that we are ready to go on Monday when we both go back to work.

This wine is truly new-world. It isn’t shy about being fruit-forward. The wine is uber-plummy and full bodied with a smooth finish. (That use of “uber” is in deference to my running partner, Jeanie, who taught me that word.) Jeanie, Pat and I went for an 8-mile run this morning. None of us were feeling particularly energetic so we were all happy when we finished.

Today was one of those rare days when I couldn’t think of anything to cook for dinner. . .so, in desperation, I took a meatloaf out of the freezer. (Whenever I make meatloaf, I make two and put one in the freezer.)  So that is in the oven now along with a couple of potatoes. This wine is perfect for a meatloaf dinner.

Cheers!

Posted in Australian wines, Shiraz, Under $10. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Lindemans’ Cabernet Sauvignon (2008)

July 19, 2009 — Tom & Melody

Tom bought this wine at our local grocery store for $5. It’s been a long time since we have had a glass of Lindemans. After a life-replenishing martini, I was heading to the wine stash and Tom said, “I would like a new-world wine tonight.” A funny request. But, one that I could accommodate! Lindemans’ is a very popular new-world Australian wine that is widely available in most grocery stores.

It is Sunday night and we are relaxing after a lovely day. I ran 13 miles this morning with my running partner, Jeanie. Tom spent quite a bit of time watching the British Open and then he, too, went for a run. I also went to my neighbor’s house and Michelle and I played a great game of scrabble. She won. But, we both had some impressive words.

So now it is night time and we are relaxing. I have some chicken in the skillet for dinner. It should be pretty close to falling-off-the-bone tender by now.

This wine is full of fruit. It has a velvety, minty finish that is quite luscious. You really can’t go wrong with Lindemans’.

Posted in Australian wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, Under $10. Tags: , , , . 2 Comments »

Down Under Shiraz (2008)

May 31, 2009 — Tom & Melody

It was a perfect day. I have tried to imprint it in my mind so I can remember it always! The weather was gorgeous. I ran a good 1/2 marathon with some of my girlfriends. Our son, Tommy, and his girlfriend, Amanda, came over for dinner. This was my kind of day!

Tom & I started our cocktail hour with a cold and fizzy gin & tonic with a fresh wedge of lime. Then, out to the grill to start the steak. We opened a bottle of this Down Under Shiraz, which was the perfect choice for our steak dinner. I also made oven-roasted potatoes (potatoes cut up in chunks with skin, mixed with olive oil and freshly ground salt & pepper, then roasted in the oven for about 90 minutes), and a really delicious fresh salad.  I grilled aspargus on the grill, as well. I also made brownies for dessert with ice cream. Everything tasted delicious.

But, back to the wine. A perfect choice for a grilled steak — full of berry flavors with a  generous complement of black pepper and hints of oak. Excellent!

Posted in Australian wines, Over $10, Shiraz. Tags: , , , . 2 Comments »

Westend Estate Down Under Shiraz (2008)

April 3, 2009 — Tom & Melody

This Australian Down Under Shiraz is our pick for a cold and blustery Friday night in Michigan. We Michiganders are tired of cold weather and today was really COLD! But, we are home and snuggled in for the night so we can’t complain.

For dinner tonight, I browned pork loin chops in hot olive oil until brown (in a heavy cast-iron skillet) then I added potatoes (cubed, with skins on) and a sauce of chicken broth and mushrooms (thickened) and it has been simmering for over an hour. I will add a vegetable when we finally decide we are done reading the paper and ready to sit down and eat.

Happily, this wine is a treat. The nose is big and bold and the color is inky. On the palate, this is bursting with black pepper with oak on the finish. It is truly an Australian Shiraz from start to finish. A great complement to our dinner tonight.

Gigi, you would like this one!

Posted in Australian wines, Over $10, Shiraz. Tags: , , , , . 5 Comments »
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