Brown Brothers Moscato Rosa 2010

For years Australians have been enjoying Moscato, their own take on Italy's Moscato d'Asti.

These wines are enticingly sweet, perfumed and spritzy; always served well chilled and always in the sunshine.

Now that we're headed for summer, I think it's time to throw this pink Moscato from Brown Brothers into the mix. Right now it's on offer at Waitrose at £5.59.

Appearance: Pale salmon pink.
Aroma: Musk and Turkish Delight.
Flavour: Vibrant acid balanced by lush grapey sweetness. Sparkly bubbles and long perfumed finish: Geranium, rose, grape.

Wine Name: Brown Brothers Moscato Rosa

Producer: Brown Brothers

Grape/Blend: Muscat of Alexandria, Cienna

Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 7%

Country: Australia (Victoria)

Bought at: Waitrose

Price: £5.59 (20% off £6.99)

Value for money: ♦♦♦ Good
Over all rating: ♦♦♦ Good

Jacob's Creek Shiraz Cabernet 2008

Appearance: Medium red.
Aroma: Faint red fruits, peppercorns.
Flavour: Traditional Australian blend showing cooked fruit and spice characters on top of strong oak and persistent tannins.
Plum, blackcurrant and woody spices.

Wine Name: Jacob's Creek Shiraz Cabernet 2008

Producer: Orlando Wines (Pernod Ricard)

Grape/Blend: Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon

Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13.5%

Country: Australia (South Eastern Australia)

Bought at: Co-Op

Price: ~ £5

Value for money: ♦♦♦ Good
Over all rating: ♦♦♦ Good

McGuigan Bin No. 578 Merlot 2010

Appearance: Bright purpley red.
Aroma: Simple and clean black fruit.
Flavour: Medium-bodied merlot with smooth tannins and nice savoury oak. The hot climate has produced flavours of caramel and stewed plums.

This is currently sitting on the end of the isle in my local Sainsbury's along with others in the same £4.00 - £5.00 price range. Not worth the £9.99 SRP but at the moment £4.99 gives you a reasonable, no-thrills wine.
 

Wine Name: Bin No. 578 Merlot

Producer: McGuigan

Grape/Blend: Merlot 
Vintage: 2010 

Alcohol: 13% 
Country: Australia (South Australia)

Bought at: Sainsbury's

Price: £4.99 (Half Price)

Value for money: ♦♦♦ Good
Over all rating: ♦♦ Average

Hardy's Crest Cabernet-Shiraz-Merlot 2009

Appearance: Bright crimson.
Aroma: Tarry oak, ripe berries and pepper.
Flavour: Sharp fruit and oak take centre stage, supported by plummy sweetness with a herbal twist. Feisty mouthfeel, fresh finish. Juicy!
Fruits of the forest, mint and fennel.


This blend is focused on what Australians do best: Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz and has the effect of softening the wine and filling out the body. Here however, it doesn't really achieve this and is dominated by the other two grapes. The wine is also a little too sweet, though this probably isn't noticed when it's gulped down with a big meal.

Whilst it's not the best buy at the full price of £9.99, I really recommend buying this when it's on offer. It's young, vibrant and juicy and at the same time pretty powerful and serious - qualities which will make this wine appealing to a broad range of people. There's plenty of weight on the palate and it packs a powerful alcohol punch so it's best to enjoy it with a fat-laden meaty dinner. This bottle is a safe gift for a dinner host!

Wine Name: Crest Cabernet-Shiraz-Merlot

Producer: Hardy's

Grape/Blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot

Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14%

Country: Australia

Bought at: Sainsbury's

Price: £4.99 (50% off 9.99 SRP)

Value for money:♦♦♦♦ Very Good
Over all rating: ♦♦♦ Good

Virtue Chardonnay Colombard NV

Next up is a white blend from Waitrose, marketed under its Virtue brand. In order to reduce carbon emmisions, Waitrose is bulk shipping wines in huge 24,000 Litre tanks from wine producing countries and bottling on British soil using partially-recycled thinner glass bottles.

Appearance: Palest yellow, bright.
Aroma: Appealing citrus fruit.
Flavour:  This is a young, zesty, unoaked wine. It is stongly acidic and I felt this was too much to bear, even with food. Not much else going on: lemon and green, leafy flavours predominate.

Wine Name: Virtue Chardonnay Colombard

Producer: Waitrose own-brand

Grape/Blend: Chardonnay Colombard

Vintage: Non-Vintage

Vintage: 13%

Country: Australia

Bought at: Waitrose

Price: £4.17

Value for money: ♦♦ Average
Over all rating: ♦♦ Average