Did you do your homework this weekend? The wine assignment was open-ended: just find a bottle of Penfolds from Australia and enjoy. The cheese assignment was also enticing: a nice wash-rind raw cow's milk cheese called "Hooligan" that our Cheese Monger suggested pairing with beer. Homework has never been this easy!
We did our homework and I must admit, I still feel the same about Australian Shiraz - it's just not my favorite. Big, ripe, juicy berry fruit with lots and lots of oak, which created some chocolate and caramel flavors. Too big, pronounced and artificial for my subtle leanings but there was nothing obviously wrong with it. In fact I think it was a perfect representation of Aussie Shiraz.
Jenny,
What bottle did you try?
Actually I attended a tasting and tried nearly all of them: Bin 128, Koonunga Hill, Thomas Hyland, Magil Estate and the RWT Barossa Valley. There were obvious variations between quality levels but the core fruit and oak styles remained constant.
I went to the Union Square Farmer's market and bought Hooligan from Cato Corner Farm's. It was so good that it was worth the trek outdoors in that horrible weather.
i didnt have the time to go out and buy cheese or wine for this, but! i did end up at a bar that had penfolds merlot, so i gamely gave it a try
i generally find merlot sweet and inspid, but this actually wasn't too bad
i'm assuming it was the lowest priced line, but i don't know for sure!
sorry to have not particpated more enthusiastically
but Jenny, i finally went to crossroads, and, oh man! i felt like alice in wonderland!
that is an amazing wine store!
i wish i knew a bit more about vintages/grapes, etc, bc i bet you can find some real gems in that place!
I am so glad you went to Crossroads! Befriend Willy, if you can, he'll help you find the gems.