Tasting - Concannon Shiraz

Name: Concannon Shiraz
Variety: Shiraz
Region: Central Coast, California
Country: USA
Year: 2008
Price: $7.95
Review: This is an extremely rich, full-bodied wine with a dark fruit core. Aromas of blackberry, blueberry, cassis and dark cherry are followed by more berry fruits and chocolate and mocha on the palate.

My Review: I thought this wine had a very dark fruit smell at first, but that quickly gave away to a vegetal or almost dirt-like component to the aroma. I thought it was spicy on the first taste but it didn't have a whole lot of power to finish out the rest of the palate.

Food? I did not have this wine with food.

Tasting - Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz

Name: Emeri de Bortoli Sparkling Shiraz
Variety: Shiraz
Region: South Eastern Australia
Country: Australia
Year: NV
Price: $9.95
Review: A relatively light, fresh style of sparkling Shiraz, with berries and hints of chocolate picking up just a touch of sweet vanilla on the finish.

My Review: The wine smelled like grapes or Concord grape jelly. I thought the taste was very nice, but the sparkling part of the wine was just strange. It wasn't bad, necessarily, but the bubbles were just not expected for that heavy of a wine. It did have a good aftertaste.

Food? I did not have this wine with food.

Tasting - Black Opal Shiraz

Name: Black Opal Shiraz
Variety: Shiraz
Region: South Eastern Australia
Country: Australia
Year: 2011
Price: $5.95
Review: The Black Opal wines are sourced from vineyards found in South Australia along the Limestone Coast, at Langhorne Creek and in the infamous Barossa Valley. Black Opal Shiraz is rich red in the glass. Aromas of blackberry, pepper and spice followed with rich plum flavors round out the palate. Soft tannins give structure to the fruit-driven palate.

My Review: Definitely a darker smell than the previous red I tasted (the Meditrina). Upon the first taste I thought that the wine had a tang to it. Then I was able to taste the pepper and spices, which I thought made the wine very heavy and not as good.

Food? I did not have this wine with food.