Our expert Wine Merchant, Ben, talks us through the latest wine from our Winemakers Release range.
Just like that, the Winemakers Release has returned for its second instalment. And if you happened to snag a bottle of the first release – a Coonawarra cabernet sauvignon – you'll know that this shiraz is one to look out for, especially if you're a fan of all things Barossa.
To celebrate, we spoke with Ben, a Dan Murphy's Wine Merchant, about the Winemakers Release range and the new shiraz. He's based in South Australia, so he's all too familiar with Barossa shiraz and the winemaker Richard Quodling. Here's what he had to say.
"I'd splash this into a decanter before dinner and wouldn't tell people what it is," says Ben. "It'll open up beautifully and everyone will be shocked when you tell them how much you've paid for it. It's definitely got the quality there."
When it comes to food, there are always classic shiraz pairing options like pizza or barbecue. But for Ben, this wine goes really well with vegetarian food. "Something like a vegetarian pasta with tomato sauce or anything with eggplant," he says. "I've drunk it with a Sicilian capanata and it was pretty amazing. Even a more robust, Japanese-style dish like agedashi tofu would be a winner because the umami flavour works really, really with Barossa shiraz, as there are enough savoury notes going on."
