Published on August 27, 2009


Two values from down under

A red and a white to help savor the remaining days of summer

With the days growing shorter it’s painfully obvious that the summer of 2009 is quickly coming to an end. Don’t let that get you down, just think of it as the start of a new harvest! Celebrate by exploring some offbeat wines sure to bring a smile to your face.

Today we’re going down under but to keep things interesting I’ve found an Australian white and New Zealand red for you to explore. These two wines are great, and so well priced you can afford to share them, so load up for this weekend and next. Make this Labor Day weekend an event to remember!

About these regions

When you search outside the box, in this case for unusual wines from renowned wine regions, you are liable to find some great deals. While there is a limited market for these wines they tend to be a labor of love for the winemakers.

Discovered a great "outside the box" wine lately? Tell us about it in the comments!

Two differing expressions from down under

Priced from $9.69
Wonderfully aromatic on the nose with fresh notes of peach, tropical fruits and citrus oil with like flavors that follow through on the tense palate. A gloriously refreshing and harmonious mid-weight white that is great on its own or with simply prepared shellfish.

Priced from $9.99
One the best values of the year. Packed with bright cherry, plum, earth and cigarbox flavors and rich with the aromas of baked blackberries, gravel, coffee and vanilla. Fine-grained tannins and precise acidity give this great freshness. Bordeaux meets the new world! A great wine for lamb and beef dishes.

View More In...

Comments


  • I had a Malbec the other day at a wine bar after realizing I hadn't touched the stuff in a while. Thanks for the Mills Reef recommendation.

    Aug 27, 2009 at 2:37 PM


  • Get to know what a great white wine from South America can add to your summer pleasure...Torrontes..

    Aug 27, 2009 at 8:11 PM


  • Back to my original question: Does Taylor Wines or Snooths still make the great Sautern white table wine?

    Demarko

    Aug 27, 2009 at 10:25 PM


  • I'm a novice I'm the first to admit--but to read that a wine tastes like "earth" and "cigarbox", with an aroma of "gravel" doesn't sound like a recommendation, but a turnoff! Who thinks up these kind of descriptors?

    Aug 28, 2009 at 12:19 AM


  • I used to work for the Australian distributor of Primo Estate and usually found that La Biondina was best drunk whilst young and vibrant.

    The opportunity of drinking the 2006 in 2009 isn't something I ordinarily would have been excited over. They usually have lost a lot of fruit by this stage and a stale oxidised character starts to appear.

    Perhaps Joe Grilli has tightened the screws on this wine since I last tried it.

    In any case, if it tastes good, then enjoy it.

    Cheers,

    Matt Johnston

    Sydney Australia

    Aug 28, 2009 at 2:23 AM


  • @Chefdemarko - Snooth doesn't produce wine. I suggest you reach out to Taylors if they once produced the wine you enjoyed

    @Jennym - those are some pretty standard descriptors. they represent elements that add complexity to the wine. It gets very difficult to distinguish between wines if all one can sense is blackberry or strawberry, for example.

    Some element, the cigarbox for example, point to wine making techniques, in this case aging in new, toasted oak barrels.

    Gravel is a classic descriptor as well, in particular for Bordeaux. It's one of the elements of this wine that made me compare it to Bordeaux.

    @ Matt Johnson,

    I was a little surprised as well. a 4 year old white based on Colombard but this bottle was great. Admittedly I enjoyed it with friends and food over a great weekend. It came from a friends storage unit as well so certainly may have benefited from perfect storage at 55 degrees.

    Thanks for your comments though!

    Aug 28, 2009 at 10:31 AM




Add a comment

Please confirm your comment before posting


Search Articles

Sign up!

Sign up and receive Snooth's FREE daily emails about value wine picks, commentary from wine insiders, and occasional special offers from Snooth about trusted affiliates.

Thanks for signing up!

We won't ever sell your email address.
Preview a recent email.



Related Articles


Related Profiles


Related Talk Posts


Related Popular Wines


What we're reading elsewhereMore