04/09/08 Australian Wine Pt.2

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Today we are continuing our chat about the wines of Australia. Okay so yesterday I admitted to my longing to visit Australia and the wine country. I also recommended you search beyond the everyday grocery store brands to discover some of the gems from the wineries not as well known to us. However, today I want to ask that you think also about searching out a wine grape variety which is not heavily promoted but just so happens Australians are doing a very good job with and that is Grenache. A natural and traditional blending grape with Shiraz it tends to have greater depth in Australia and stands on its own quite well. As most of us know it is a grape that has always played a dominant role in Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Cotes-du-Rhone. Some are actually saying it could be the next Pinot Noir. I am not willing to go that far but I will concede it is coming into its own and I credit some of that with the Australian's willingness to let it shine. Make no mistake the wines from Australia bear little resemblance to the wines from France or Spain. Clarendon Hills and Yalumba are two of my personal favorite producers of stand alone Grenache. Both seem to be well received by the critics. The reference I made earlier to the ability of Grenache to blend well with other grapes is also significant. Keep your eye out for wines from Australia which include Grenache in the blend and I promise you will be pleasantly surprised. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at Vine to Wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.