Australian red wines

[Lefty]

This evening I purchased 2 bottles of imported Australian red wine, and doing so took my mind back to earlier more carefree times when I had the distinct pleasure of dining on Indian cuisine with my good friend Pacman on multiple occasions, while he kindly shared some of the red wine he'd brought with him from home. The image of Pacman spoon feeding me lamb's brains is as clear as any other single thing I did in Pattaya, :)

So there is a brand called Yellow Tail, and I bought one bottle of Shiraz and one bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. I am wondering if these were good choices. Pacman, can you remember which variety of red wines those were that you shared with me? Usually I buy Merlot and sometimes Pinot Noir. Most brands here do not offer a Shiraz as an option, so I thought I'd try it along with the Cabernet that I'd not purchased before either. Any suggestions on which ones to try from the Yellow Tail assortment would be welcomed. 

 

http://www.discoveryellowtail.com/

[pacman]

The image of Pacman spoon feeding me lamb's brains is as clear as any other single thing I did in Pattaya, :)

 

Ha Ha Ha. OMG, I will never forget that night either khun Lefty. The choice of restaurant was yours & a damn fine establishment it was. I rated it the best Indian restaurant I had been to in Pattaya. Better even than that place upstairs in Walking Street which had all the buzz. Obviously the Indian & Muslim community knew better because we had the last table available.

 

Our host welcomed us warmly & surprised us with his offer of a free taste of lambs brains. I had eaten brains on two occasions before in my life but never did I expect them to be used in a curry dish. There was nothing else to say but accept his sincere offer. They were very nice indeed. Knowing how rich they are in cholesterol I haven't rushed back to order more but I was most surprised at how tasty they were.

 

I don't remember feeding you but if I was being extra polite, maybe I did. I dunno, it has all disappeared in the mists of time. And the wine we drank that night was several grades better than Yellowtail but that isn't the point either. It was a Penfolds from memory, one of those great Australian shiraz's. Sunshine in a bottle as we refer to them here. I just had some this evening, bloody lovely it was.

 

Yellowtail is made in large quantities for the export market, it is very drinkable. Whether it would pass muster for a bunch of wine snobs is another story, perhaps if they didn't see the label but it doesn't matter. All I can say is it is a good selection if you enjoyed it. If you didn't, try something else. I don't know what Australian wine you have available locally & what prices you are paying. Only then could I offer an opinion on what you might like or what you should purchase. 

 

My Australian friends who have spent time in the US complained that the Californian reds they drank were for the most part overly ripe. They considered the wines to be "stewed". If only one had made the comment I would think they made a bad choice but there were several people making the same observation. I don't know if that is a style the locals like or if they had an unfortunate run. 

 

I expect Americans can buy Australian wines at a better price than what I discovered them to be selling for in Norway. A popular Australian wine, Jacobs Creek that was selling for about $6 a bottle here was a bargain there for $125. I couldn't believe it. Equally we have our prices being undercut by wines from Chile. I was praising a red wine of theirs as being equal to some very good reds made in Australia. My friend who was offering it had bought it online for $9 a bottle. Unbelievable. There's always someone undercutting the price. 

 

Thanks for the memory Lefty, it was a very fine meal. And I enjoyed the other nights too whether I fed you or not. (I didn't, did I?)

[SiamSam]

I'm one of those "wine snobs" and IMsnobbyO Yellowtail is awful.

[Quietguy]

Can't say I can tell the difference after the second or third glass.

[Lefty]

I will look to see if they sell Penfolds locally. The Shiraz was acceptable but for my tastes, I seem to like the Pinot Noir and Merlot a little better. 

[pacman]

Penfolds make wines from cheap to expensive. Their flag bearer, The Grange is retailing for $800 a bottle for its latest vintage. It did sell for years on release for $500 or so until the wealthy Chinese discovered it, now they demand that it is supplied at all their important functions. Big face as the Thais say.

 

It's bad enough they have forced the prices up & taken the bulk of the production (I hear it retails for about $2000 a bottle in China) but the Chinese palate is so unsophisticated that to drink it, many of them are mixing it with Coca Cola. Words cannot express my outrage.

 

Back to Penfolds for us mortals, Lefty, see if you can locate their Koonunga Hill or Rawsons Retreat. They are made for a wide market at affordable prices. They come in several grape varieties & depending on which vintage, they range from good to very good. If you come across Penfolds Bin 28, Bin 128, Bin 407, Bin 389 or Bin 707, any of those will be good drinking indeed. Those last two, the 389 & the 707 will be expensive but you may come across a vendor with old stock who doesn't know their true worth.

 

A long shot but I have heard it happening several times over the years. Australian wine in a foreign country where the retailer had no idea what the stuff was worth today. 10 to 20 year old stock that still had its original price on it. Needless to say, the whole supply was bought quicker than the guy could google it.

[Lefty]

As for the Yellow Tail, I opened the 2nd bottle, the Cabernet, and found it more to my tastes than the Shiraz. I may say now that Cabernet is also preferred over Merlot or Pinot Noir, according to my taste buds. 

 

I will check the local market and see if they have any grade of Penfolds and report back to you for your feedback. If I can spot any other imported Aussie wines I'll let you know what they are and ask for your analysis on them too.

 

I decided to mix in some different fonts, since I know my good friend JD enjoys seeing them so much. 

[Lefty]

I found no Penfolds at the local market. I bought a bottle of Yellow Tail Sangria. Not impressed. But will finish it. I guess this is not considered a dry wine but I cannot call it sweet either. 

 

I bought a bottle of local wine called Rascal. Pinot Noir. It is pretty good. One guy I talked to while buying wines said his method is to only buy wines with an animal on the label. Sounds pretty scientific to me. ;)

[pacman]

Yellow Tail is made to a price for the export market. It isn't something I would recommend but they sell a hell of a lot of it which means someone likes it. And the company have invested in state of the art equipment, they wouldn't want to throw away their business by selling crap.

 

It was once described as doing more damage to Australia's reputation for producing fine wine than anything else. I am incredulous that someone would try a bottle of Yellow Tail & judge all our wines to be the same but that's human nature.

 

As for your choice of Sangria, I have never seen a wine label with that on it before. My understanding is Sangria is a mixed drink of wine, fruit & brandy or some other spirit. I have only ever drank it in Mexican restaurants & that was a long time ago. I googled Yellow Tail Sangria & there's a lot of talk about it being a fruit based fun wine for summer but not a mention of what grape varieties are used.

 

If Penfolds aren't represented in your local liquor outlets, there must be something of quality from Australia. I can offer plenty of names of wineries but it is easier if you post what's available. Plus the grape variety. 

 

And I approve of your next choice of wine, the Pinot Noir. Though I can offer no opinion of the label or its reputation. I rarely drink Pinot for two reasons. It is very often too thin on the palate for my liking. Cheap Pinots drink like they have been watered down. The second reason I tend to avoid them is I have learnt over the years to get a good Pinot, one has to pay for them. Here in Oz that means $25 plus. And the ones that get raved about are 50 to 100 dollars on average. 

 

I will stick to my 'sunshine in a bottle', the reliable Shiraz, a grape that grows so well in our hot climate. May I suggest you look for a South Australian Shiraz for your next sojourn into Australian wine. McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Clare Valley, Langhorne Creek, any of those names on the label will be a good start. The next guide will be the price. I would be very suspicious if it's too cheap.

 

   Cheers Lefty.