Even if you have yet to visit Sydney it is likely that you have some mental picture of one part of it. That will be the part with the famous opera house and the harbour bridge. In between those to iconic structures lies the port area known as Circular Quay. It is an area full of attractive things, from excellent restaurants, bars and views, to those catering specifically for tourists, like the didgeridoo players in traditional body paint and accompanied by less traditional drum and bass loops.
This is also where cruise ships are berthed when visiting the city and it is only when you stand next to one that their sheer size becomes apparent. Anyway, just over the road from Circular Quay, towards the city, is Alfred Street where I found the Australian Wine Centre, down a flight of steps and in a basement.
I was looking for this week's selection and had already decided that my chances of finding a bottle of Wildbacher were slim, so was expecting to make my selection on a basis other than grape variety.
I found something relatively local and also something I had never tasted before.
Week W (2014) is Woodstock, McLaren Vale Vintage Fortified Shiraz. 2005. $24.90 (~£13.70) for a half bottle.
As I have said before, I like dessert wines and I like Port, so I was expecting to like this. It is 18% abv, so I was glad this was a small bottle and I wasn't going to have to wrestle with myself about whether it would be worse to waste some or to have a monumental headache.
The colour is deep, dark and intense purple and it leaves tears clinging to the side of the glass reflecting the strength of the wine.
It smells interestingly like blackcurrant Christmas cake, with hints of other things and I could be persuaded that one of them was a dark chocolate mint KitKat.
On first reading you may think 'alcoholic Ribena' may be a damning description, but it isn't intended to be so. It does have powerful blackcurrant flavours and unmistakable alcoholic content, but it also has spicy complexity and a great long finish.
It is mouth-filling and has almost enough body enough to chew so it is possible to enjoy it by itself, but so much better with a creamy blue cheese. It won't replace Port in my affections, but I would certainly buy it again if it ever came within reach.
This is also where cruise ships are berthed when visiting the city and it is only when you stand next to one that their sheer size becomes apparent. Anyway, just over the road from Circular Quay, towards the city, is Alfred Street where I found the Australian Wine Centre, down a flight of steps and in a basement.
I was looking for this week's selection and had already decided that my chances of finding a bottle of Wildbacher were slim, so was expecting to make my selection on a basis other than grape variety.
I found something relatively local and also something I had never tasted before.
Week W (2014) is Woodstock, McLaren Vale Vintage Fortified Shiraz. 2005. $24.90 (~£13.70) for a half bottle.As I have said before, I like dessert wines and I like Port, so I was expecting to like this. It is 18% abv, so I was glad this was a small bottle and I wasn't going to have to wrestle with myself about whether it would be worse to waste some or to have a monumental headache.
The colour is deep, dark and intense purple and it leaves tears clinging to the side of the glass reflecting the strength of the wine.
It smells interestingly like blackcurrant Christmas cake, with hints of other things and I could be persuaded that one of them was a dark chocolate mint KitKat.
On first reading you may think 'alcoholic Ribena' may be a damning description, but it isn't intended to be so. It does have powerful blackcurrant flavours and unmistakable alcoholic content, but it also has spicy complexity and a great long finish.
It is mouth-filling and has almost enough body enough to chew so it is possible to enjoy it by itself, but so much better with a creamy blue cheese. It won't replace Port in my affections, but I would certainly buy it again if it ever came within reach.
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