Tom and Melody's wine blog » Australian wines

Nine Stones Shiraz

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:45:21 +0000

It is Sunday night and Tom is packing for a business trip so I picked out a nice wine for our before-he-leaves night. This is so interesting. When I first poured the wine, I found it to be incredibly subtle with a velvety texture and soft tannins. But, now, after dinner has been eaten and the dishes washed, the wine has opened up and changed quite dramatically. No longer subtle, it is fruity, tannic and intense. Delicious.

For dinner I made baked pasta with steamed broccoli. I also needed to use up some milk so I made a baked brown rice pudding with lots of custardy filling with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Kelly Country Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:54:12 +0000

Melody made an excellent ground beef, tomato, and pasta dish, with sides of beets and cucumbers, and we had this Kelly Country Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 from Victoria, Australia. (I think this is a wine from the Wall Street Journal wine club.)

This wine is quite good. Tannic, fruity but not fruit-bomby. I tasted a bit of cigar ash. Melody tasted some licorice. It served as a great table wine with Melody’s hearty dish.

We were both feeling tired (even though it’s only Monday!), so the good food and wine helped.

(By the way, this wine is named for the armour-wearing Australian outlaw Ned Kelly.)

Lindeman’s Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 13:32:26 +0000

A long and arduous day at work today but happy to be home and relaxing. We are having this Lindeman’s Bin #45 Cabernet 2010 tonight with a dinner of grilled Brats, sauteed red cabbage and potatoes. We enjoyed sitting on the patio with our glass of wine, listening to the birds and feeling the soft, summer breeze while the Brats were grilling. I like this wine very much.

Tom & I used to purchase this regularly when we initially started enjoying red wine. This is a great value. Authentically fruit forward, soft tannins and juicy on the palate with a long finish. Happy news: Tomorrow is Friday!!

Lindeman’s Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon (2010)

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:46:53 +0000

We are back from a spectacularly wonderful Werner family reunion in Texas. We had the best time together — talking, swimming, cooking, eating, talking, laughing, swimming, eating, drinking, shooting, hiking, talking & laughing, stargazing, eating & drinking, listening to classic-country music and watching for falling stars while sitting at the pool kicking our feet in the cool water. It was GREAT!! I LOVE our family.

So tonight we are back home. I had taken a small zip-lock bag out of the freezer with some left-over country ham. I used the ham for a ham & noodle dish recipe that I came upon. It was very easy, tasty and filling. Along with the main dish, I cooked fresh beets from the food co-op and sauteed dandelion greens (from my neighbor). All in all, satisfying and comforting. Speaking of comforting, I purchased an old favorite, Lindeman’s Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, at our grocery story tonight. Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the first wines that Tom & I enjoyed together many years ago. We had read that this was a great value and we enjoyed it on a regular basis. It was fun to pick it up again. Although simple, this is a fun, fruit-forward Australian red that is a easy to drink and quite delicious.

Penfold’s Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet (2008)

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:24:26 +0000

Tonight we are having this Penfold’s Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008 blend. This wine has become a standby for us because it is a good value and a quintessential high-quality Australian big, juicy red. We stock up when we find it on sale for about $10 at our local grocery store. I enjoy the taste of plums & blueberries coupled with dry, pucker-producing tannins. The dark chocolate finish is so satisfying, who needs dessert?

For dinner, we grilled chicken breasts that I had rubbed with a mixture of brown sugar, chili powder, oregano and olive oil. I heated up leftover cheesy potato casserole and I also steamed fresh green beans. It made for a very tasty dinner which we thoroughly enjoyed. We really enjoy sitting on our patio enjoying our wine while Tom does the grilling.

The Full Fifteen (2010)

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:49:58 +0000

The Full Fifteen 2010 is a nifty Australian red with quite a spicy punch. It is abundant with fruit. Full bodied and delicious.

(It seems to be some kind of blend. Amazingly, no varietals are listed on the label.)

This went well with our dinner — a ground beef casserole and fresh sauteed spinach.

Peter Lehmann Layers Red (2008)

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:28:10 +0000

We have had a couple of very busy weeks and, as a result, our blog has been ignored. Tonight we change that. Tom opened this Peter Lehmann Layers Red 2008 from the Australian Barossa Valley for our dinner of spaghetti casserole and sauteed green beans.

I bought this wine at World Market for $14.99. It is a combination of several different grapes. The result is a somewhat simple red table wine.

However, there are distinct layers of flavors that keep this from being a run-of-the-mill blended wine. I noticed cedar on the nose, raspberries in the mouth and dark chocolate on the finish in this medium-bodied wine. There is a slight syrupy texture that is not my cup of tea. But, in spite of that, this is a good wine.

I am not going to put it on my “buy again” list but, then again, I am not going to waste a drop while we enjoy this bottle!

(We recycled the bottle before we could take a photo, so here’s a cheat shot…!)

Black Stump Durif Shiraz (2010)

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:13:00 +0000

This Black Stump Durif Shiraz 2010 is certainly our first ever 2010 wine.

I went back to work after a break today and had a very busy one. So tonight is a good night to chill ands enjoy this dark, fruity wine from the “sticks” in Australia.

I am making an unusual dinner tonight. I had purchased an organic ham steak (of all things) at our local Farmer’s Market this summer and threw it in the freezer. Tonight I am baking that with potatoes and will steam some broccoli for a simple, but what I hope is delicious, dinner.

This wine is yummy. Fruity, lush, not sweet. Just a rich and full-flavored Shiraz sure to please most any red wine drinker.

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Cabernet Sauvignon (2009)

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 11:33:01 +0000

We are in the midst of a full- blown winter blizzard. The wind is gusting and the snow is horizontal. We have shoveled twice.

I planned ahead and made the perfect dinner for tonight. I started a loaf of bread first thing this morning. And by tonight we had a crunchy, fragrant loaf to go with the pot of chili that I started this afternoon.

This South Australian Penfolds Koonunga Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 was on sale for $9.99. We bought it today while we loaded up on a cartful of groceries to carry us through the week.

The wine is delicious. Lots of fruit, especially blackberries and cherries, with just a feint touch of licorice.

What a beautiful winter night. In spite of the blowing snow, I can see the Christmas lights across the street!

A.R.H. Family Shiraz Cabernet Merlot (2009)

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:50:21 +0000

A wonderful weekend and lovely Saturday night. I am listening to “my” football team on the radio and hoping for a big win.

We both worked hard around the house today and completed many chores on our to-do list. Now, a well-deserved relaxing evening.

This A.R.H. Family Shiraz Cabernet Merlot 2009 is our choice for a cozy fall evening. This is rich in plum flavors with a tobacco finish. This goes well with out dinner of ground turkey/black bean/pasta which I served with fresh sauteed spinach and some homemade baked beans.