matt7215 wrote:tonight my wife and i shared a bottle of LA PUERTA SHIRAZ, LCBO # 614636. i found this to be hella drinkable. a new world shiraz with some wood and earthy notes. no artificial vanilla like some of the aussie shiraz. not mind blowingly complex but enjoyable for the price. my wife loves shiraz and when i can get her into either South African or Chilean/Argentian i enjoy it more. any other recommendations?
Hey Matt,
Your wife might like Bellingham Shiraz Viognier. It is from South Africa, LCBO # 554360. It is $13.95. Pretty good stuff when weighed against some of the other SA wines that the board carries.
And there is another grape variety coming out of South Africa that has been compared to Shiraz, and it is called Pinotage. You might want to try one if you can find one. There aren't a whole lot of them around, but the LCBO carries about 20 different ones in total. Some hard line wine people say that pinotage has no place in a vineyard, but other people, mostly South African winemakers, have embraced it, and made it their own.
If you can't find one, try Goats Do Roam Red. It is a vintages essential. LCBO #718940, $12.95. Excellent value here. It is made with mostly Pinotage but also contains Shiraz, Cinsault, Grenache, Gamay, Carignan, and finally Mourvèdre.
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