I had already ordered another 4 cases after the tasting when the first 4 arrived. I have a cellar my father built, so they will nestle there very nicely. I was beginning to worry that with all the promotion on here I may not be able to get another four!!
For a long time I didn't drink wine much at all and if I did it would be a white. My (then) husband was away a lot, and one evening I went down to the cellar and pulled out a bottle of wine which had been a gift to him some years earlier. He hardly drank at all either so I didn't think it would really be a problem. Anyway, the wine, a Shiraz was divine. I recorked the bottle and had another glass the next night. When he came home I raved about the wine. He, unfortunately, was furious about me opening his prized vintage Henschke 'Hill of Grace'. So, to do the right thing, I sourced 4 dozen more of the same wine, but the then current vintage which was $40.00 a bottle. The vintage was 1990, released in 1994. As luck would have it, a stellar drop from a stellar year for this Shiraz. A cursory glance on google shows it is now worth $749.00 a bottle. The bottles were even brought up in our property settlement, whereby his Barrister asked the judge "I'm not sure if Your Honour is familiar with Hill of Grace" to which she replied "I'm very familiar with Hill of Grace thankyou Mr. ......."
So thanks to that 'accidental' opening, I became a convert to Shiraz - but not all shiraz's are created equal. You're very naughty, Fluffy, playing those tricks on your friends. ;-)
I thoroughly concur with Len Evans advice too. I thought of him the other day when my mother decided to plant some grape varieties 'down the back' on the farm, right next door to State Forest. In an article I read some time ago, written by Len, he wrote that he was apparently driven off his winery by the little native birds (I think it was the silvereyes primarily) who pierced the grapes with their little beaks, thereby destryoying the fruit. His property was right next door to State Forest land. I'm not telling my mother about the little birds, as I'd like to see the grapes grow and the little birdies get a sweet feed. I've also heard that wild deer can cause havock in a winery where their antlers get caught in the netting. Note to self: Don't buy a winery, just enjoy the wine.
