Monday, May 02, 2005

Value in The Aussie Shiraz?
Its 100% shiraz but the 2000 Penfold’s Grange comes from one of the worst vintages in South Australia in memory, and yet consumers can expect to pay up to $700AUD/bottle. That is if they can find a bottle. The quantity made is only about 25% of the 1999 vintage and the availability is the lowest since the 1960s. Winsor Dobbin, writing in the Sydney Moring Herald, described how several local wine shops were dealing with the limited supply. "Dan Murphy's liquor chain is selling the wine at $499 a bottle with a limit of one bottle per customer, Vintages Cellars is asking $499.99 but says some shops will have just one bottle, while Kemeny's at Bondi says it will sell the wine for $700 a bottle. "

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Against this frenzy, let us quote the words of Jeremy Oliver on this wine: "An overworked and chunky shiraz clearly made from fruit that failed to reach physiological ripeness. Wonderful new American oak fails to revive this blocky, concentrated and hard-edged wine whose underlying greenish capsicum-like thread is only too apparent despite its pumped-up tannic backbone. Acceptable at best, but not as Grange."