shiraz Archives : Me, Annie Bee.

Weekly Winedown #33 The Whale Caller

Anna — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 20:13:15 +0000

Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy Hello Friday you sexy thing you! We have been waiting, what took you so long? I always look forward to the weekend. Someone once asked me why when I don’t work and every day is like a weekend. OH HOW I LAUGHED. Take my children and come tell me how weekend like it is! I like the weekend because there are more grown ups around to talk to and I get to share the daytime parenting. However, I don’t recall the last time I had weekend plans though, unlike Rory who is off at some fancy ball as we speak. I know right?! He’s off larging it at some event in his tux leaving poor old me here, all alone to fend for myself. Meh, I’ll get over it. I’ve been a bit poorly this week which must be the ONLY explanation for my wine selection. Let us say Goeienaand to The Whale Caller, a shiraz cabernet sauvignon from South African. Interesting fact, the guy who delivered my shiraz today was called Shiraz! This particular wine comes in at £4.99 a bottle. Not on sale, just always £4.99… I’m no wine snob, OK just a bit, but I tend to rule out a bottle of wine if it doesn’t have a punt (indentation) in the bottom of the bottle. It doesn’t REALLY make a difference, it’s pretty much pomp but this bottle doesn’t have one and I found myself coming out in a cold sweat when I realised. I’m such a punt. The Label All the right colours – red, white and black. The font is unoffensive which is always a bonus. There is a picture of a whale and a man with a horn, who I assume is the Whale Caller. I don’t know why the Whale Caller is important enough to have wine named after him. Maybe he’s a pretty big deal in South Africa? The Blurb “As you savour this rich red wine, with dark berry fruits and hints of chocolate and spice, you may just catch the strains of the Whale Caller’s horn, blowing on the southern wind.” Well, if this wine makes me start hearing horns I’m going to question whether it is wine. I like a drink, I’m not adverse to getting a little tipsy on occassion. Heck I’m all for getting mortalled if the situation requires BUT I don’t want to start hearing things, nevermins whale horns on the breeze. That aside, I’m quite liking the ‘hints of chocolate and spice’. This wine could be amazing. It could also not. It’s not. The aroma is a bit plasticine like. It smells synthetic and not the most pleasant. The blurb offers promise but promises can be broken. There is a distinct lack of spice. It’s a very flat taste, almost watered down. As a wine lover, I’m not a fan. As a Yorkshire woman, I’ll drink it as not to waste the money. Name – The Whale Caller Price – £4.99 Colour – A nice dark red Smell – A little plastic/synthetic Taste – NOT spicey. Kind of flat and watered down. Goes well with – Nothing, absolutely nothing. Overall score – 1/5

The post Weekly Winedown #33 The Whale Caller appeared first on Me, Annie Bee..

Weekly Winedown #21 Jam Shed Shiraz.

Anna — Fri, 06 Oct 2017 19:26:55 +0000

Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you and offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. October has arrived! This excites me so much. I’m not the hugest fan of autumn and winter but the glimmer of joy and hope that is Christmas nestles amongst them so I can tolerate them. Now that it’s October I’m allowed to start getting giddy and making lists. I warn you now but make no apologies that for the next three months I’ll be a bit Martha Stewart, without the criminal record. I’ll be making, baking, singing and watching trashy festive made for TV films. I’ll be like a pig in poop. Until then, let’s say G’day (for that’s what all Australians say) to Jam Shed Shiraz. £7 a bottle (though I believe it can be bought for £6 in many establishments) and hailing from the New South Wales region of the land down under. I’m going to put it out there. This wine is the most beautiful looking thing to come out of Australia since the Koala! Yes, this wine is visually stunning. The Label I’ve said before that I have been known to choose wines based on label alone. This is a fine example of me doing just that. The label is a gorgeous China blue background with cream, burgundy and gold detail. It has a real vintage vibe to it, like those lovely advertising tin signs you can buy from the olden days. It literally is the most wonderful label. I would probably buy ANYTHING with this label on, even liver. The blurb The only downside to the label is the sheer amount of writing on the back. The complete history of the manufacturer. Taking it down to just the important bit though “…this medium sweet shiraz is jam packed with rich, opulent, sweet red berry flavours balanced with a subtle hint of vanilla and spice…” The description is talking the talk but will it walk the walk? I need to point out that due to the name, I am fully expecting to chew it. It did provide all it said it would. Sweet red berries and vanilla. The texture was smooth and chocolatey and the wine was thick (you know I hate a thin wine) but it failed to deliver. It was really sweet, like actual jam. I’ll admit that as we talked and drank it got more palatable but it was far from what I had hoped. I am going to keep the bottle for the beauty but suggest this wine would mostly be enjoyed by a white wine drinker. Name – Jam Shed Shiraz Price – £7 Colour – Deep red, full of promise. Smell – Smooth and vanilla-y Taste – Sweet, thick and jammy. Goes well with – Good company Overall score- 2/5 for the wine. This post contains an Amazon Affiliation link. Check out my disclosure & privacy policy for further info

The post Weekly Winedown #21 Jam Shed Shiraz. appeared first on Me, Annie Bee..

Weekly Winedown #8 Deakin Estate Shiraz.

Anna — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 18:40:44 +0000

Welcome to the Weekly Winedown. Each week I selflessly drink wine for you offer a review. Please don’t expect anything professional, I consume a lot of wine but I’m no pro. The only real ‘rule’ I’m putting in place is that the wine is to be under £8 a bottle. #keepitclassy. I fear I may have cheated again, sorry. This weeks wine should have been £11.99 a bottle BUT I got 50% off so it was £5.99 for you mathsphobes out there. I did this before, I still can’t decide if I’m breaking my own rules but there we go. What’s done is done and I’ll drink it anyway! Today we’re going for a little Antipodean. No, I’ve not got Kylie coming for tea, but I’ve chosen a Deakin Estate Shiraz. The Blurb “This is distinctly Shiraz, with layers of plum, raspberry and chocolate; and there’s a complex spiciness to give it a fine, savoury appeal. This wine is great with Moroccan or Australian lamb.” I am not too fussed either way for Australian wine, I’ve never found one that blows my mind but I don’t recall being massively offended by one either so that’s always good. The label is also pretty lame, I see what it’s trying to do, be minimal and classy but it looks more like a candle label. This is all a bit deja vu isn’t it? If you’re a regular reader you’ll remember I had these issues last time I ventured to this neck of the woods, wineophorically speaking. I did end up with a pleasant surprise so I’m still holding out hope. The wine is distinctly Shiraz. What does that even mean? It’s a most unhelpful description in my opinion. If you know nothing about wine and Google ‘Shiraz’ you discover it’s a city in Iran. Is the suggestion that this Aussie wine is distinctly Iranian? That makes no sense! Let’s crack on. Oh. My. Word. This wine is immense. It is most definitely plummy and chocolatey. I’m learning to love the term ‘spiciness’ in a blurb, it seems to stand for ‘lovely’. It’s a really, REALLY smooth wine, totally drinkable. Warming on the old cockles and tasty too. I’ve always been a bit ‘what’s the point in a more expensive wine?’ (yes £11.99 is expensive in my world) but this. THIS is the point in expensive wine. If I were rich I would drink this daily. Maybe even bathe in it. I’m still not a fan of the label though, more effort needed and distinctly Shiraz still isn’t good enough a description. Even ‘try it and like it’ would be better than that. This is a fantastic wine to take to dinner at the house of people you really like (assuming they will share) or to give as a gift (49 sleeps until my birthday. Just putting it out there). I’ll definitely get this again (at half price) and I may even try another Australian soon! Name – Deakin Estate Shiraz Price – £5.99 (£11.99 full price) Colour – Red like hearts and love Smell – Corky and cocoa-y Taste – Like angels dancing in my face. Goes well with – Life and a potentially dubious coalition (I’m looking at you May) Overall score – 5/5 Yes, I’m giving it a perfect score.

The post Weekly Winedown #8 Deakin Estate Shiraz. appeared first on Me, Annie Bee..