I bought a bottle of this
Australian
red wine at a standard "corner booze store" for either $6 or $9 (i forget which) and wasn't expecting much, especially considering the other one I bought there (
2000 Bella Sera Pinot Grigio) was
mediocre at best.
Pleasant surprises are ever so nice.
The wine itself is a deep purple and looks like grape juice. It enters fairly easily, although not as gentle/smooth as some wines I've had. Still, there's an explosion of fruityness to this wine. I definitely taste plums, maybe cherries or blackberries as well. Tasty. As far as wine goes, I'd say it's medium bodied, leaning towards light. It's not overly complicated. It's sort of like a newspaper...it just lays itself out for you and you take whatever you want away from it. Sometimes, that's a good thing.
The finish is smooth too and makes me want to pour another glass. (Which I did a few times while writing this...)
As with alot of wines from "non-traditional" wine places (such as Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa), you can sometimes find a quality wine at a low price. At the same time, you can end up some horrible wine that way too.
I recommend this particular wine. It's not the best I've tasted or really even close. However, for the price, it's solid and a pleasant surprise.
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