Wine with Meg + Mel
The fun + frank podcast which helps you navigate the world of wine. Hosted by Australia's first female Master of Wine Meg Brodtmann, and self-titled Master of Sabrage Mel Gilcrist.
Wine with Meg + Mel
Grape Identity Crisis: Shiraz v Syrah
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Producer Austin joins Meg for a spirited exploration of Shiraz/Syrah variations from different regions, discovering how labeling influences expectations and uncovering surprising stylistic differences.
• Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape variety, with different names indicating stylistic differences
• The French Crozes-Hermitage exhibits lighter body, higher acidity, and fresh spicy character with crunchy red fruits
• Spinifex Barossa Syrah surprises with its true Syrah style despite coming from a warm region traditionally known for bold Shiraz
• McLaren Vale "Syrah" disappoints by presenting classic Shiraz characteristics despite its French naming
• Classic Barossa Shiraz from Greenock Creek delivers on all expectations with rich jammy fruit, oak influence, and aging potential
• Serving temperature significantly impacts how these wines present, with cooler temperatures helping manage alcohol perception
If you enjoy exploring regional wine variations, try our recommended Spinifex Syrah from Barossa Valley ($30) for an exceptional value wine that delivers true Syrah character with Australian flair.
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Welcome with Producer Austin
Speaker 1Hello and welcome to Wine with Meg and Mel. You are joined by, not Mel. Today you are joined by producer Austin and Meg Brotman. Meg, how you doing.
Speaker 2Good, you've got a very deep voice, mel. So poor Mel is stuck in Sydney because she's had children getting sick and she couldn't fly home. And Austin bravely stepped up to decide that he was going to do it. And we all put it together. What 12 hours ago? What are we going to do? I asked Austin. He came back. I said all right, I ordered the wines, picked them up this morning. Good to go.
Speaker 1Wines on a Friday, I mean you just can't go wrong with that, though.
Speaker 2That's right. It's set up for the weekend Exactly, and it means that we've got something to drink over the weekend. And I did ask if you're still on your no alcohol pre-Europe, losing the kilos weight?
Speaker 1yeah, so that you can.
Speaker 2You won't put them do my best. Yeah, but you must eat and drink a lot. Yeah, I'm sure you will.
Speaker 1I'll be sending lots of photos to make the Wine with Megan Mal audience jealous.
Speaker 2I just like the food. I sent my sons in doing his trip through Asia and I said I just want food photos. So he sent me a big photo of like a mountain of momos. Is he in Nepal now? No, that's so weird. Okay, so he was in Malaysia then, but I guess Malaysia is such a blend of cultures and everything Unbelievable food. It is amazing. It is amazing, do you have a holiday coming up. Actually driving in here. I was thinking you know what I haven't. We went to Singapore for a week.
Speaker 1Yes.
Speaker 2But I haven't got a holiday planned and I kind of think I need one. I'm sort of feeling like you know, but I don't know where to go, Right.
Speaker 1I mean, the chill of today has made everybody want to leave, true, I?
Speaker 2think that's fair. True, it's blustery and freezing cold out there today. Although it's been quite warm. I actually was wondering if we're starting to get budburst in the Yarra, because it is so warm and dry. What's budburst? So it's when the vines start to come alive again, okay, but no, no budburst, thank God Right. Because if it's then cold like it is now, with those frosty nights, you know it's really clear it can be really dangerous for the young little baby leaves that are emerging. Okay, spring's a dangerous time.
Speaker 2My husband, who's always a doomsmonger, says we're going to get a big frost and all that, lose all that fruit and it's like okay, but every year he says it's going to be the worst summer on record and it's going to be bushfires and it never happens, so we don't listen to him. He's not a very good truth sayer, okay.
Speaker 1And we're getting the truth with Meg today. That's right, so we've got a very fun episode today. We are going to be going through Shiraz from different regions. But to get us started, meg, what have you been drinking?
Speaker 2I had the other night a 2023 Famil, huguel. So Huguel's in Alsace Pinot Blanc. It was 40 bucks, I think, and I've forgotten. Pinot Blanc here didn't have that oily texture that this had and it was just such a beautiful, beautiful wine. I'm definitely going back buying more. I'm going to see if I can get it on special, because $40 if you buy, you know half a dozen, you're spending a bit of money. So I'm sure it'll be on special somewhere, but go out and buy it. I don't know where I got it from.
Speaker 1It's $40 somewhere and we also know with Meg. Add $15 to that amount.
Speaker 2No, no, it is actually $40 because it had the chalk mark on it, so I've obviously got it from some bougie shop Maybe.
Speaker 1Maybe around here, maybe Brunswick. No bougie shop Maybe. Maybe around here, maybe Brunswick.
Speaker 2No, maybe. Oh yeah, that's exciting. Maybe Bereakin Hillsville, I don't know. I don't know, but we are recording for the first time ever because Austin's got us organized in a podcast studio.
Speaker 1We are, and it looks great. There's a lot of red velvet, more than I was ready for, but on the video, you will be able to see us, so keep an eye out for those.
Speaker 2And I think we've got the lights that make us look beautiful, so Mel's going to be so excited.
Speaker 1I put a lot of work into these lights to make me look pretty, and it's less computery, like it's just so much easier Because I said to Austin where's your computer?
Speaker 2And he went. I just put this.
Speaker 1What's it called Micro SD?
Speaker 2card, micro SD card, into the thing and whatever it is with all the lights and it records. So hopefully we're recording. If not, you'll just be listening to silence.
Speaker 1Yeah, absolutely. Well, we're very excited to get going. Oh, and one more thing Fun fact, fun fact.
Speaker 2I don't. Yeah, it just so. In China they tried to introduce like a Costco version and it was called Hema, and Hema is a big supermarket chain in China and they do. They have one called Fresh Hippo which is a really bougie, high-end kind of Leo's, of Q food. When I've been there it's been a lot of foreigners shopping there. I mean just stunning, like abalone and crayfish and hideously expensive. But they tried to introduce a Costco version and they've just shut their last store in Shanghai, I think, and I think there are 179 stores across China. So clearly the model didn't work.
Speaker 1I mean, is China still our biggest exporter of wine?
Speaker 2No, it's still USA and UK they still buy most of us up.
Speaker 1Yeah, they go between.
Speaker 2But China is back in growth. Don't forget. We've had to start from a zero base again after the tariffs.
Speaker 1Thanks.
Speaker 2Donny, yeah Well, donnie, yeah, it's well. Anyway, don't start me on the tariffs.
Speaker 1Although.
Wine News and China Stories
Speaker 2New Zealand's been hit with 15. We've only got 10. Great, yeah, it's really hard. Anyway, so HEMA has shut down Costco and I was thinking it's because they can't buy in bulk, these people, their houses, their apartments are tiny. Yeah, okay, like I can shop at Costco because I've got plenty of cupboard space and I've got a deep freezer and everything, so I can do it. But I mean, I don't know, do you live in an apartment or are you in a house? We're in a very small house, right, but you probably don't have enough storage to have, you know, 60 packets of me goring.
Speaker 1Yes, yeah, that's right. In my uni days I would have had 60 packets of me goring, but I'd get through them in a week. I'd get through them quick enough.
Speaker 2Wow, okay, really interesting, yeah, so I just what I thought when I saw HEMA shut stores, I thought it must be the fresh hippo because it's so bougie. Shima shuts stores I thought it must be the Fresh Hippo because it's so bougie. But then I guess there are a lot of wealthy people in China as well. But I think it's just a space thing, and the rich who have got the space aren't going to shop at the Costco equivalent.
Speaker 1Yeah, fresh Hippo. What a name. As well, I know that's terrific.
Speaker 2I know when we were told because we were there anyway last year sometime and they said, oh, we're going to do a visit to Fresh Hippo. I'm just like, oh, what's that? I'd rather not. Yeah, they had a wine section, was it a good section. Yeah, it was, but there was no one in there. Okay, like it was just, there was a beautifully dressed man working in there and no one. No one there.
Speaker 1Wow.
Speaker 2And it was like one o'clock in the afternoon, so it wasn't like you know, when the store just first opened, sure, so I don't know how big the wine. I don't know where there are wine shops in China. This was in Shanghai, but I don't know where they normally buy their booze. Probably online, I guess.
Speaker 1So Everything else is online and delivered. Yeah, and it makes sense, especially if you're in these like tiny shoebox houses. Yeah, exactly, you probably don't want to be walking through elevators and everything with it?
Speaker 2No, that's right. Well, they have. There are vending machines with wine in them in China.
Speaker 1Fantastic, bring that here.
Speaker 2Well, the thing is because it's got facial recognition and all of China has facial recognition because of WeChat, it can recognise that you're over the right age. Stop, yeah. Whereas here we would have to introduce an ID card scanning thing. We actually, with my old boss, we looked at them because we thought in hotels and stuff would be great, but no, no such luck.
Speaker 1Too much red tape, I know. Yeah, they have my identity already. You guys can use this at least to help me get wine.
Speaker 2I mean the supermarkets are facial, recognising you every time you use the checkout. I feel like going in, like you know, wearing a balaclava so they can't see me, and you always look so ugly.
Speaker 1It's brutal. That is bad lighting.
Speaker 2It is awful, tins and oh no anyway, shall we talk about the wine?
Speaker 1sure. I mean, if we have to, I know let's get started, let's do it.
Syrah vs Shiraz Explained
Speaker 2Talk me through it so what we decided to do today after our conversation, um, you suggested that we do region and variety, so I thought okay. And then I thought you know what? I don't think that we've ever covered off shiraz sirah conundrum. So I've got got one classic Australian Shiraz from Greenock Creek and then I have a Syrah from McLaren Vale and a Syrah from Barossa and then a Crozet Métage.
Speaker 1So obviously the one that stands out there is the Syrah from McLaren Vale, normally a really Shiraz-heavy region.
Speaker 2Yeah well, it's interesting because, for those who don't know, syrah is the French name for Shiraz-heavy region. Yeah well, it's interesting because for those who don't know, sirah is the French name for Shiraz. It's exactly the same grape variety. When it was brought to Australia, the Australian early settlers, the pioneers, believed it originated from Shiraz in what was then Persia, which is now Iran. They were wrong. I did read where it's from, but anyway I can't remember. So we've called it Shiraz here, but it's called Syrah in France.
Speaker 2Now, in, I reckon, probably the 90s, when people were making Shiraz in cool climates, it didn't look like those big jammy fruit of the warmer climates, like McLaren Vale and Heathcote and Barossa. So they started using the French name Syrah because it was showing more of that black pepper character, spiciness, crunchy red fruit, rather than sort of jammy red fruit, sure, so they use it as an indicator of style. The name Syrah as an indicator of style and we were just discussing this was a mistake. I went online with Dan Murphy's, I got all these at Dan Murphy's and it had Mr Riggs, adelaide, hill, syrah. And so I thought hills, cool climate, yeah, I'll get that. And then I pulled it out and went no, it's bloody McLaren Vale. But actually it'll be interesting because, as you said, I don't know anyone in McLaren Vale who are using Syrah.
Speaker 1Here we go.
Speaker 2So we'll start with the OG, which is the Croze Hermitage. Let me just have a look who it is. Is the Croze Hermitage? Let me just have a look who it is. It's Maison Les Alexandrines from Tannes-le-Hermitage, so I think it's Carved de Tannes 2022, Croze Hermitage. Now, Croze Hermitage is hang on, the biggest Appalachian Undivine in the Northern Rhine, or maybe Saint-Joseph. No, I think Crois-et-Hermitage is, and for me is the most stalky, stemmy kind of um Syrah from the Northern Rhine. When you refer to the North, like around Cornas and Hermitage, there's more of a baked earth character, cooked fruit character, and I think it's because their yields are lower.
Speaker 1Right, how north is Rhone in France? Is it quite up there? It gets that much cooler climate, or?
Tasting French Crozes-Hermitage
Speaker 2No, it's not really. I mean it's still middle Rhone, sort of Lyon. Yeah, okay, yeah, but it is cooler climate than the southern Rhone because the southern Rhone has obviously the Mediterranean influence and is more open and gets a lot more heat. Yeah, it's also the northern Rhone. A lot of it's planted on the hills of the Rhone River, so you're getting some cooling effect from that. And they do it. They actually do it for a heating effect because that Rhone River absorbs a bit of heat and lets it out at night so they extend the growing season but it is noticeably cooler.
Speaker 2Yields are lower. They use a traditional in the Northern Rhone, it's called a Christmas tree trellising, so they actually grow the vine up, sort of a stake so that it gets more exposure of the leaves so they can get enough ripeness. Now, obviously climate change has changed all of that. But croissanetage is more on the flats, bigger appellation and for me I always used to say it was stalky, stemmy and over-extracted. But I think they've pulled back on that extraction a little bit. You rarely see really evident new oak in these wines.
Speaker 1Okay, let's give this one a crack, because it tastes fantastic, but I can't quite put a finger on why I love it so much.
Speaker 2There's a lot of licorice in there. The first thing I think you notice is that the colour even though it's that sort of ruby red, it's a lot less dense than an Australian Shiraz. You know how a. Brosson, shiraz will just ink the glass. Basically, this you can. I can see my trainers through it.
Speaker 1That's because you have very bright trainers.
Speaker 2I know they are very clean. I bought those trainer wipes C.
Speaker 1That's because you have very bright trainers. I know they are very clean. I bought those trainer wipes Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2Crap wipes. No, Seriously, I think they're just sneaker wipes. I think they're called. Okay, but I think they're just overpriced baby wipes yeah, of course they are.
Speaker 1I think it does exactly the same thing. But it's in a sneaker wipe container. I mean, we're not ones to point our nose up at marketing. We love it. I love the colour. It is gorgeous.
Speaker 2It is beautiful and it is much spicier. Smell it, it's sort of like more spicy dark cherry. I always get a cranberry. There's a distinct licorice character in there as well, but it's not that jammy fruit profile.
Speaker 1No, yeah, that banana seed is gorgeous.
Speaker 2And there is. It's beautiful, I'm going to say fresh oregano. There's a fresh green woody herb in there. I had a wine last night. It was a Pinot and I was saying to my husband what is that smell? Is it menthol?
Speaker 1and then I said it's rosemary in a Pinot gorgeous, weird, not good though.
Speaker 2No, I thought it added to the interest of the wine, but I don't think I've ever written rosemary in a Pinot. Anyway, we're on the Syrah, the thing that you want from these wines. See how it's much more light-bodied.
Speaker 1Yes, much more.
Speaker 2It sort of sits on your palate. It doesn't have that high alcohol that you also expect from the warmer climates in Australia. It's definitely. The acid is higher than you would expect if you do your dribble test.
Speaker 1Yeah, I remember the dribble test.
Speaker 2Remember the dribble test, so it's just crunchier. It's almost like you know when we talk about these chillable reds Everyone loves a chillable red now. I reckon this could kind of work on a chillable red side. The closest thing I can think of in terms of structure of this wine is Barbera.
Speaker 1Yes, you know how it's got that real yeah crunchy crunchiness.
Speaker 2This is actually a really beautiful wine. I'm very impressed. I was not holding out much hope.
Speaker 1What's the price point for something like this?
Speaker 2That's how you always ask me that I'm just you know I'm for the people I'm going to say $40 and you're going to say it's $15 more, but I have actually got the receipt here, so let me you keep talking while I search for my receipt.
Speaker 1I can happily keep talking while I drink this. That's right, because I'll get through the bottle before the end of the episode. A little peel back the curtain of the show. Today we are shooting in the morning, which is very interesting for a wine tasting at least for me. Okay, wine tasting, at least for me Okay, $50.
Speaker 2You'd happily pay $50 for that, see, and it says won by Mr Riggs, piebald, adelaide Hills, syrah. False advertising. I should take it back and get my money back.
Speaker 1Sure after we drink half of it.
Speaker 2Well, good, because we don't have mail to divvy the wines up with.
Speaker 1Oh, of course, yeah, we can get through these. This is gorgeous. I with. Oh, of course, yeah, we can get through these, this is gorgeous. I really like this. You taste a massive difference between an Australian Shiraz and this straight away. Would you pick this as a Shiraz? No, I wouldn't. Yeah, I wouldn't at all. I would say it's much.
Speaker 2If you drunk a lot of Northern Rhone, Crozet, Moutage and Saint-Joseph they're about the two closest in terms of style. One of the reasons I find Croisimitage a bit often over-extracted is they tend to crop fairly high and they're trying to squeeze as much out as they can. But this has got beautiful, fine-lined tannins. They're not like those rounded I was going to say sweeter, but they're rounded, softer. Tannins of Shiraz it's more of a. Barbera-ish sort of.
Speaker 1Without that, I guess heft that you had from Barbera, Like that was a lot higher alcohol. Yeah, there was.
Speaker 2I'd say this is probably about 13.5%. Oh, so not far off. Delicious wine, gorgeous, okay, next one. What are we doing? Okay, next one. What are we doing? Okay, so, in the interest, of transparency.
Speaker 2This is SpinFX, which is Pete and Magalie. She's not Shell, but anyway the Shells. I don't know if they've ever married. I went to uni with Pete, okay, and Magalie. His partner, slash wife did wine marketing. She's French, pete is a Kiwi and Spinifex is his brand. That he started, oh Jesus, probably about 20 years ago now. He was leasing vineyards, buying fruit, and it's grown. He now actually owns fruit and he has. A lot of his wines have French names.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2I think because of the association with Mags, his wife partner. They do go back to France every so often and make wine over there as well, and I got this because it had Syrah on the label and you very rarely see that out of the Barossa yeah, straight away smelling it, though it smells more similar to what we had, just a lot more of it, that woody sort of smell, stemmy.
Speaker 2Okay. So what he's done here, I would suggest, is carbonic maceration. So yes, you're right with the stems, smell it, and does it smell a little bit like cherry lollies or like a confected fruit aroma?
Speaker 1I'm not getting it as much.
Exploring Spinifex Barossa Syrah
Speaker 2Hang on. I'm leaning forward to see if he gives us any information. Okay, no, a very rare back label that says nothing. What's the alcohol on it? 8.3, so it must be 14. 14% alcohol, okay. So I would suspect that this has had a little bit of whole bunch slash carbonic maceration. So carbonic maceration is an intracellular fermentation which makes the fruit profile look really confected. Bubblegum is often a descriptor for wine, so think about Beaujolais Gamay wines.
Speaker 1Yep, yep.
Speaker 2But we're seeing it more and more in Syrah slash Shiraz in Australia. You see it a lot in the Northern Rhone. Okay, so there was a winemaker called August Leclap and he makes a wine called Leclap and it was just all whole bunch, really, really stemmy, and so you get that sort of greenness, like that geranium stem smell, as well as the confected fruit, and it's just to give the wine lift really it's very nice as well.
Speaker 2Mmm Mmm, oh's very nice as well. Mmm Mmm, oh, mate, buy that. That is delicious. Now, where was this?
Speaker 1Where's this one located? This was.
Speaker 2Barossa, this is Barossa. And that is definitely Syrah-esque, and that was before you ask $30 at Dan's.
Speaker 1Oh see, this is you get a 12. That's, you get a full dozen. These are gorgeous.
Speaker 2Yeah, absolutely, and it's one. You cannot even notice the alcohol. The wine is probably a bit cooler than some people would be drinking their red wines. I agree, I love it cool and I think that it adds to the crispness and the freshness of the wine. And also, if your wine's a little bit chilled I mean it's not cold, it'd be probably 17 degrees maybe yeah, maybe a little bit.
Speaker 2If the wine is a little bit chilled it'll dumb down the alcohol, which I think helps this wine because I think at 14%, if this was warm, you'd see a lot of the alcohol whereas we're not seeing that here?
Speaker 1No, not at all.
Speaker 2It's just fresh and crisp and I'm thinking sausages, but I think sausages all the time.
Speaker 1You really do. I know that is a running thing. Is something like this a lot higher tannin than what we had before, or around the sort of same mark? I feel a little drier but I mean, you know, what do I know?
Speaker 2I think you're right. I think the tannins are drier and more drying than in the first one. They're probably. That's probably because it is stem tannin, and stem tannin is well, imagine biting a rose stem.
Speaker 1I always do.
Speaker 2But have you ever done that? Or geranium? Yes, I put it in my mouth and then dance up to my partner?
Speaker 1Yeah, all the time, but no, I do know what you mean.
Speaker 2That's what this tannin profile is like. It's that raspy, slightly drying tannin. I don't mind it, but that's why I'm going towards the pork sausagey, fatty thing because Something fatty too yeah. Because I think you need that to even out the tannin. I mean, even a steak or even a really good burger would be good, as long as you don't put that shitty burger sauce on it. I hate that burger sauce.
Speaker 1What is it? What's?
Speaker 2in it. It's sweet. My kids use it.
Speaker 1I guess it's like pickles and ketchup and mayo mixed together. A little bit of mayo. Yeah, Maybe some mustard.
Speaker 2I'm going to look at the ingredients. We have it in the house. It's horrible.
Speaker 1It's just so sweet. The colors are natural.
Speaker 2We shouldn't be eating something that color, and I get the one from Aldi because I'm not spending any money on it. It's shit. So I'm not spending any money and I get the one from Aldi because I'm not spending any money on it.
Speaker 1It's shit, so I'm not spending any money and the packaging is as bad as the colour of the sauce.
Speaker 2It's like it's really shouting at you from the little bottle in the fridge and it just sort of sits there until the kids make a burger. But I was reading the other day because smash burgers apparently are the big thing, oh yeah. And this summer in the US, big smash burgers and you should not have any sauce.
Speaker 1Sure Okay, it should just be the meat that's talking.
Speaker 2They're European. Well, that's working on the premise that you actually make your own burger. I mean, really, if you're having burgers at night, you're buying those things from the supermarket.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2Even the fancy Wagyu ones. Anyway, back to the wine. That's why the drying tanner that you said, I think it's not look, it's not super astringent, it's not bitter or anything, it is just drying. It does just say to me I need some food.
Speaker 1But everything says that to me that is phenomenal.
Speaker 2I really enjoy that. What I'm amazed about is it is a true Syrah style. Really, it is like I was expecting, expecting Shiraz, just labeled Syrah. Well done, pete. It's a beautiful wine. $30, I agree, buy. If you can't afford a dozen, buy half a dozen, but it's almost. Would you age this wine?
Speaker 1I was just thinking that I don't think so Is it to?
Speaker 2appeal in its youth.
Speaker 1I kind of think it is. What vintage is it?
Speaker 2Although not that this would be.
Speaker 1A little young, a little cold.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1And it's gorgeous. It goes down far too easily, in fact.
Speaker 2I know. Well, that's, you know, one for tonight Burger night, without the sauce, of course, I don't know. We're so pompous, aren't we such prudes? I'm about to swill it down because I think I have to finish the glass, but actually I have a table that I can put the glass down in, though it's just not in my nature, so I will have another sip.
Speaker 1It's very new. We're in a new space. This makes sense. We're figuring it out. I I always feel fancy.
Speaker 2This is Mel, if you're listening. Oh, you'll be home by the time this comes out. We are so doing this, and also, a1 Bakery is down the road.
Speaker 1I love A1 Bakery I grew up. I'm Lebanese, so I grew up on A1 Bakery. We used to live around the corner.
Speaker 2Oh, wow.
Speaker 1So, oh, that place is my happy place.
Speaker 2I'm going straight there after this. My first fancy. Well, I'll come with you. My first fancy restaurant that I ever went to was Lebanese House. It used to be in Russell Street Okay, in the city. I was probably 17. I went with my drama teacher from school and not that it was fancy, but I was in the city in a restaurant and I went back to that restaurant every month for years and years and years. It was the first Lebanese restaurant, middle Eastern restaurant to open in Australia in 1956. Wow, and the food. I doubt that it's there now. It was unbelievable. Wow, it was unbelievable. But A1 Bakery yeah, I'm going down there.
Speaker 1Follow-up question how did you do in drama that year?
Speaker 2I actually got an A for drama. So when I did my HSC it was as it was called back then I did drama, but in year 11. So it was HSC drama in year 11. So when I finished my final year in high school I had six subjects but drama didn't count towards your score. I need that, but I did really well. But I did actually kind of go down the path a little bit to do acting. I went and I auditioned at NIDA.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2Many years ago and it didn't get in. And then I auditioned at it was a drama college in Clayton or something. I think it was a teaching college. Didn't get in Went and did science, that is the craziest jump. I figured I you had to be really pretty to get into. You know drama and acting school and stuff and you know this face is made.
Speaker 1Well, no one believes that it's made for radio.
Speaker 2Darling, I'm a great communicator, but it's made for radio. I think I'm gorgeous, so I did science Anyway, which was fun, and now I'm doing wine Pretty good. Yeah, exactly Okay.
McLaren Vale Syrah Disappointment
Speaker 2Next one, mr Riggs, piebald, mclaren Vale, syrah. Now if you go online to Dan Murphy's it says it's Adelaide Hills. It's like just saying so McLaren Val Sherez, for me, has this real earthy yeah, sort of a baked earth character and it's, you know, usually high in alcohol, 14.5%. Usually has quite moderate acidity, bearing in mind we can't add acid here in Australia. It's also got that more plum prune fruit character.
Speaker 1Yeah, so first on the nose, this smells more like a Shiraz than what we've had just before. Yeah, and the colour is definitely deeper. Yeah, so first on the nose, this smells more like a Shiraz than what we've had just before.
Speaker 2Yeah, and the color is definitely deeper.
Speaker 1Yeah, and all the way through, you're not seeing shoes through this.
Speaker 2That's Shiraz. That's Shiraz Labeled as Syrah. You know when, with the Spinifex one, because it was Barossa, I was thinking, oh yeah, that's going to just be. Yeah, sure is, but definitely the Mr Riggs. I think this was a bit cheaper, although if I'd known I was paying for McLaren Vale. Oh no, it's exactly the same price, okay.
Speaker 1So you'd definitely be going for Spin. How do you say Spinifex? Spinifex, it's the same price. Okay, so you'd definitely be going for Spin. How do you say Spinifex? Spinifex, it's a weed and it's a great name. Yeah, it's, you know.
Speaker 2Spinifex weed. It's like that tumbleweed. No, okay, it's a big weed in South Australia on the beaches oh lovely, it's like a grass thing.
Speaker 1Yeah, it is a great name.
Speaker 2It is Gorgeous, mr Riggs, piebald, mclaren, raval, syrah, very much Shiraz. You can feel the alcohol. It's got like coloured tears. It's stained right to the edge of the glass. Restrained oak, though I would have expected a little bit more new oak, but it does have some licorice spice red licorice to it.
Speaker 1Yeah, no, I'm getting that. It's not a bad Shiraz. I just think calling it a Syrah is a marketing stretch.
Speaker 2Yeah, a little bit of false advertising.
Speaker 2I would be disappointed if I bought that as a Syrah. Yeah, it's interesting because McLaren Vale is so associated with Shiraz, but I guess the brosser is what is it in it for them to call it Syrah? Because they've made a style of wine that for me screams Shiraz. So why not shout it loud and proud from the label, so that when someone buys it they know what they're getting? Whereas if you put Syrah on the label, so that when someone buys it they know what they're getting, whereas if you put Syrah on the label, we have an expectation of it being a certain thing and then we're just kind of disappointed.
Speaker 1Yes, which you're right. It's probably not fair to this wine. I'm sure this wine is a good Shiraz. The wine is good.
Speaker 2Yes, it is. It is absolutely delicious. It's got lots of plum. The fruit profile's not jammy. It it's got lots of plum, the fruit profile is not jammy. It's not pruney, it's got lots of plum, a little bit of plum compote. It's got that sort of bit of licorice spice Touch of oak, but it's really, really restrained.
Speaker 1So I have a question that doesn't necessarily relate to this wine, but I'm seeing it a lot, I guess more recently. Gsms, what are they and do they mostly make up? Are they mostly made up of Syrah grape or is it a full blend 33, 33, 33?
Speaker 2Very so. It's GSM stands for Grenache, shiraz, mouverdre or Mataro, same grape variety. We just Mouverdre is the French name, mataro is what we use here, Sure, it is a mimic of the Southern Rhone blends.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2Which tend to be Grenache dominant, just because Grenache is a little bit easier to grow. Yeah, Versatile Can handle, you know, fairly high yields pretty well Comes in earlier. Fairly high yields pretty well comes in earlier. So yeah, GSM's they tend to be Grenache dominant. Yeah, okay, Grenache is cheaper than Shiraz, Okay cheaper, easier to grow. Muvedra slash Mataro is less common so there's less of it around and that adds some structure and acid to the wine.
Speaker 1The.
Speaker 2Shiraz adds the colour and also some tannin. The Grenache brings that beautiful berry strawberry raspberry fruit.
Speaker 1Is it rare to find just 100% Mouvedre wines?
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, okay, there are a few out there, just 100% Movedra wines Yep, yep, okay, yep, there are a few out there, I'm just trying to think Windery, really old school label, I think they do. 100% Mataro, Okay, which is kind of one of these rare unicorn wines which is on allocation. It's really hard to get Okay.
Speaker 1Communication that's really hard to get.
Speaker 2I remember having it when I was a student and it was designed to be put like, not put down, laid down aged Okay. And so it was just this huge. Oh my God, it's so tannic, but all wendery wines were like that, and there was someone else that did one. It was a really old school label but you don't see many of them. There's not a lot grown Okay. And in the Southern Rhone I mean, there's 19 different varieties that can go into a Southern Rhone blend 19 different varieties 19.
Speaker 2I used to know them all. A few of them are white. There's like Tourette Noir and Tourette Blanc, I think. Is it maybe Pitbull, I can't remember Is that just because of availability.
Speaker 2I think historically mixed plantings. Okay, because I was actually looking at this yesterday. In the Roussillon they use a lot of Grenache and there is a lot of Grenache Gris, who most people don't know that Grenache comes as a pink variety as well, and they probably heard of Grenache Blanc, but within the vineyards, because these are dry grown, ancient vineyards, within the vineyards. You'd go out there and you'd be sampling and you'd go that one's red, that's pink, and so you'd say to the grower well, are you picking this all together? Yep.
Speaker 1Wow.
Speaker 2And I'd say that that's probably historically. You're hedging your bets a little bit. So, if the Grenache Noir doesn't do really well, the Tourette. Noir might be okay, the Shiraz will be all right. So they just mixed plantings, I guess you know. Don't want the potato famine where you just have one clone of potato and they all die. No, I won't start on the history of the potato famine. I didn't realize that the English forced them, took all their food and forced them to plant potato.
Speaker 1Yeah, the English aren't great people historically.
Speaker 2No, we always say in our household, you'll barrack for anyone in any team except the English.
Speaker 1Famously.
Speaker 2So you know, Pete obviously goes for the Kiwis, and it's the Aussies, and then it's the Scots or the Welshmen. Just go down the list. I do like English people, but the history has not been great.
Speaker 1Anyway, mr Riggs, the wine. Back to wine, the wine, back to wine.
Speaker 2Are you going to the UK in this trip? No, no, I was going to say it'd be interesting to go and visit some wineries and let me know what the wine's like.
Speaker 1No, but I'll be in France. I'm going to try some Greek wine as well. We're in Greece for a little bit. Is it on Greek wines?
Speaker 2Mel loves them. I know she wants to do an episode, yeah, another. I think we've done one. Assyrtiko, oh, okay, she absolutely adores. Moscafilero I like because I think it's really fresh, and Zinamavero is a stunning variety. Okay, I think if we do it, we need to really source the wines so that we are showing the best and also just to spoil Mel.
Speaker 1I'll send them back from Athens, you do.
Speaker 2You just bring them in you can bring wine home. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You can Just put on the no customs people listening. Just put on the box samples no commercial value. Okay, and list your.
Speaker 1Can I do that for anything?
Speaker 2I'm sneaking through customs, yeah, and when you bring your job back and when you fill in that form, not everything darling, some things you just don't declare when you're bringing your write, your form. Write wine podcaster, because it relates to your job Anyway how to dodge the taxes in the Australian custom system.
Speaker 1Let's move on, you get everything on this podcast.
Classic Barossa Shiraz Experience
Speaker 2That's right. Let's move on from this one and have a look at the OG Australian version of Greenock Creek 2021 Shiraz. Okay, so we've got the 2021 Greenock Creek Shiraz. So Greenock Creek is a sub-region really of the Barossa, but it's also a brand. It's classically a lot of dry-grown fruit around here.
Speaker 1You'd expect high alcohol, high barrel, oak jammy fruit profile, you get all of that straight away in the best possible way for a Shiraz, but very jammy afterwards.
Speaker 2That's exactly what it?
Speaker 2says on the bottle, that is, I mean these wines. I work with a guy and he's of a certain age and he is just insistent that the Shiraz and Cabernet have a home, and they do, but it is dying. Endeavour, and he is just insistent that Shiraz and Cabernet have a home, and they do, sure, but it is dying. Endeavour just released a fantastic report called State of the Grape. I should send it to you. Looking at their sales and they've shared it to anyone in Australia, which is really generous of them, really generous of them, yeah, and you can see that Shiraz is a boomer grape variety. Okay, a little bit of the older Gen Xs. I'm a Gen X but we're the lost generation. No one cares. But this is a really, really delicious wine. But again, it's got that deep colour. You can almost smell the alcohol on this wine and it's got plum blueberry almost.
Speaker 1And you can smell A lot of plum I mean, it's mostly plum and a lot of wood too, so the wood smells a little bit charry charcoal-y.
Speaker 2There's a little bit of smoky bacon in there and I don't know where that comes from. I remember someone telling me once where it came from. I don't know whether it's an oak character.
Speaker 1Yeah smoky, definitely yeah gorgeous.
Speaker 2But you know, when you buy a proper bacon that's been smoked, you open up the packet and you can sort of smell that smokiness like liquid smoke that the Americans use on their barbecues, because you know, phenomenal accent. I just digress. It's like I haven't talked to anyone for months. We just watched Untamed with….
Speaker 1Eric Banner yeah, was it good.
Speaker 2Very good, but Sam Neill's American accent love him is terrible. He was never good at it. Okay, I don't think he was ever good. Was he American in Jurassic?
Speaker 1Park. He was Right, he was, but it was a it's a very Australian thing where you can get away with just sounding a little gruff. So Russell Crowe does it a lot.
Speaker 2Where he just sort of if you make your voice a little shaky.
Speaker 1Gravelly, you can get away with most accents as an Australian. Was Eric Banner's accent good? I heard it wasn't.
Speaker 2Look it's jarring because you expect, we know him. That's right, Eric, and he's funny. Do you know what I mean? Like so he's very, very serious in this. You know that tortured bloke bullshit which we're all a bit over. Yep, who does good and is fantastic but is tortured, harry Horley from you know those Joe Nesbo novels? Have you read those?
Speaker 1No, no. The Joe Nesbo novels.
Speaker 2Yeah, harry, horley, horley. It's the Swedish, so you've got to say it with the Swedish chef accent. Anyway, sam Neill's accent terrible. Mine not too bad. I did want to be like an actress.
Speaker 1So you know, oh yes, We've covered that. And after half a glass of wine it comes out more and more.
Speaker 2This is really, really, really delicious.
Speaker 1It is it, it's really really delicious, it is it's gorgeous and it went straight to my head, I will admit. I think that higher alcohol really comes through.
Speaker 2This was $45. It's not bad One. I think that you would lay down in your cellar that's going to last. It's 2021. It's showing absolutely no tertiary characteristics and it's four years old. The alcohol is definitely proud. If you want a classic Australian Barossan Shiraz and to support a family-owned winery, then definitely go with it. Pick of the wines what was your fave?
Speaker 1So, oh, it doesn't feel right, but the one from your classmate not in drama school in uni.
Speaker 2Yeah, I agree, although I did like the Crozet Mitage as well, which is rare for me. I've usually bagged Saint-Joseph and Crozet Mitage, but I think that who haven't you? Bagged. Yeah, true, I try to be generous.
Speaker 1No, I agree. Yes, those first two were stunning, were really beautiful and just a fantastic representation of Syrah.
Speaker 2Not to say that the other ones. Well, I think the Mr Riggs using Syrah on the label is a little bit don't bother but Greenock Creek, loud and proud about the fact that it's a Baross and Shiraz and is delivering on all fronts and it is a gorgeous wine and is just perfectly put together and something that you could age. So we've got through our first podcast without Mel.
Speaker 1We've got through it. I'm sure that the listeners will come back and absolutely miss Mel and Mel. We wish you all the best with Billy and we hope everything is going well on your end. And if you were fine with my voice, please let everyone know.
Speaker 2That's right. Give him a shout out on our Insta page because I'm sure there'll be lots of good feed because we've got the good lights, we look beautiful. Mel's going to be so excited.
Speaker 1I know I love that we found a place. This place has been terrific.
Speaker 2It's awesome, and so quickly and easily.
Speaker 1It was fantastic. It was really good. Now, what's on for weekend?
Final Thoughts and Weekend Plans
Speaker 2My weekend Absolutely nothing this weekend. I think Last weekend was crazy. My sister was down from Canberra so I had Decompress time. Running around time fitting in with her time frame, which is, you know, we had yum cha and we all went to a good restaurant, so we had good food. So this weekend my husband's been a bit sick, so we're just going to have a quiet one.
Speaker 1I think that's very good. I think that's wonderful. Well, mel, we miss you. Yep, we will be back next weekend, next Friday.
Speaker 2And, in the meantime, enjoy your next glass of wine and drink well, bye, bye.
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