McGuigan Estate Shiraz 2010 Red

McGuigan's Estate wines have won prizes. I am afraid that McGuigan Estate Shiraz 2010 Red, they also make a Rosé, will not be winning any prizes from me. This wine is bog standard Shiraz from the New World and shows no regional character whatsoever. It is produced from red grapes from various parcels of vines throughout South Australia. It tastes as if it could come from anywhere warm. I have even tried wines from the South of France, which were produced from the Syrah grape, and which taste very much the same. Syrah in France equals Shiraz in the New World.

This is not bad wine but it is of standard quality. It is very fruity and tastes of the plum and blackcurrant indicated on the label. It also has a spicy taste reminiscent of the Syrah or Shiraz grape. The wine is reasonably well balanced with medium plus tannins and well integrated acidity. It is full bodied but is not particularly strong in alcohol which at 13.5 % alcohol by volume is a good thing as the wine does not taste hot. The wine also has an oak flavour, so it must have been close to some sort of wood. The problem with the wine is that it is a bit jammy tasting and half a bottle with some home made Chinese food was about as much as I could take. But the spice went down quite well with the food. Two evenings later we finished off the other half of the bottle with some home made Cornish pasties which were also spicy. If the wine is unremarkable it is at least versatile. If I am given another bottle I would be quite happy to drink it again with some strong food.

I have seen this wine advertised on websites between 5 and 10 pounds a bottle. In these straitened times 5 pounds seems about right.