Bluemelon First Adventure : Ingoldby Mclaren Vale Shiraz 2017

MYTH: All wine gets better with age

Quick Fact Guide: A lot of wine in Australia is made to drink within 12-18 months. There’s a real trend at the moment, especially with reds, for winemakers to craft young, fresh wines to drink immediately rather than to age. You can still find wines that are made to age for decades, with Hunter Valley Semillon and Australian Shiraz being great examples.  

Getting to know my Shiraz 

Shiraz is a grape variety that’s synonymous with Australian wine. This universally-planted grape is extremely versatile and can be turned into affordable BBQ reds to premium, world class vintages. It is our country’s staple red grape from which the most popular reds are made. Aside from this, the Australian Shiraz is also the centre of the wine exports in Australia.

Shiraz wines have an easy-drinking nature and ripe, bold flavours. There is a group of highly dedicated and a creative winemakers who ensure that this wine gains popularity as a high quality wine; they do this by bringing to the fore conventional hands-on winemaking techniques that lend the Shiraz its unique personality and distinctive character. 

About Australian Shiraz

• Shiraz requires a very warm growing season in order to ripen completely.
• Interestingly the most elegant and aromatic Shiraz’ are grown in the regions where the nights are cooler and the diurnal temperatures are high such as in Yarra Valley, Adelaide Hills, Mornington Peninsula and the Canberra District.
• When it’s grown in hot or warm regions, Shiraz has more plum fruit, blackberry and jammy characteristics. These wines don’t have the subtle aromas that are a distinctive trait of the more premium varieties.

Shiraz characteristics

The typical flavours of Australian shiraz are spice, red fruit, black fruit and pepper. If a winemaker is looking to produce a full-bodied style, then you can expect rich, ripe and intense fruit flavours.

My first adventure

I started my first adventure with a bottle of Shiraz. I bought 2 bottles of Ingoldby Mclaren Vale Shiraz 2017 for AUD20 from Vintage Cellars in South Melbourne.This bottle retail price normally goes for AUD17. I thought that this is a pretty good deal and I read some articles mentioning Mclaren Vale produces pretty good Shiraz too. I consulted the staff working in Vintage Cellars and he told me that Ingoldby produces good wine but he is not sure about this one as he has not tried it before.   

My first impression 

It smells fruity and peppery but not too empowering. It makes me feel like I am being invited to a casual party with light finger food by a very friendly host. I feel comfortable and relax. Then, I took the first sip, I tasted the berries and a bit of the peppery taste.Then it follows with a sour note but not too sour. It felt light in my mouth. When I swallow it, I felt a burning sensation at the back of my throat. My overall experience is great. It felt really smooth and light. 

I kept some for the next day and it taste even better, there is no more sour note and it is just a pure joy to drink it. 

If I to compare my first love, Sorby Adams - The Thing Shiraz 2014, with Ingoldby, I feel that Ingoldby is much lighter and less complex. Everything about Ingoldby is so easy to read. It is like watching a Romantic Comedy. But, Sorby Adams on the other hand is more mysterious, complex and fascinating.

I will definitely buy a few more bottles of Ingoldby Mclaren Vale Shiraz 2017 to serve to my close friends when they come over for a game night or a casual dinner. 

I am no Sommelier but just a novice who took interest in wine, please do not judge me harshly.