He's definitely sick. He just didn't realize at the time. Poor Craig just didn't realize his taste buds were coming down with the flu. It's the only logical explanation for his reaction to tasting the Shiraz.
A Shiraz! The go to red wine when you don't know what else to bring to a dinner party and you want to make an impression but not come across as a wine snob but also be able to impress the host and attendees with a decent bottle of wine. You can't go wrong with the Shiraz! Or can you? Craig, the youngest of our clan, has put doubt in my mind. He is a sick man (literally).
Okay, so here's a bit of the back story without the melodrama. Kristin and I love Shiraz wine. It has been our go to wine for a while as we really can't go wrong with it. I thought this wine was a slam dunk win.
The winery is
Nugan Estate in Australia. Their wine is called
Vision and the grape is the
Shiraz grape (also known as Syrah) a very popular grape grown in Australia. It is a very dark wine, quite red, even perhaps described as burgandy (and not to be confused with the French wine region of Burgandy) but the dark colour comes from the dark skin of the grapes.
The wine itself always has very distinct and toned tastes to it. Often it's very earthy or peppery. There is nothing subtle about this wine. Both Kristin and I enjoyed this wine as we usually do. I can't believe Craig couldn't even drink it. My mother told me it took a few shots to get him to take a decent picture without a crinkled brow (and I've chosen the random picture with my other brother Jim getting his mug into the pic- just because that's how my family rolls).
So I only got four words out of him "I don't like it." Well I did. We have another split decision. There's only one way to solve this problem- drink another Shiraz! And I have just the bottle in mind--we'll defer back to the no fail winery of all wineries- Layer Cake! I have the bottle sitting and waiting in my wine cabinet and I'll whip that bottle out at the next family get together (luckily for us we have two birthdays coming up so the opportunity is upon us soon...).
Kristin and I drank this wine on Halloween and I have to say it goes very well with chocolate, even at 12:30pm at night and with a four year old hyper kid who refuses to go to bed! (though I have to give credit where credit is due and inform my loyal readers that Owen officially took this picture of me drinking the Shiraz all by himself). We may just have a future photographer on our hands- he certainly does not inherit the skill from his maternal grandmother! Oh we kid (and besides, she is very aware of her mad skillz with a camera...) I just really enjoyed this wine and found it very easy to drink and went very well with the pasta. It had an earthy taste to it which I do enjoy when it comes to a red wine. It wasn't overpowering in taste and was very typical of the shiraz I had in the past. Shiraz's are often. It's moderate in acidity but is considered a heavy wine for red so it is an acquired taste (but again, a safe bet when it comes to a red).
Being that it was Halloween, dinner was not a huge priority so Kristin made a huge pot of pasta for the family! Homemade sauce is hard to beat and her dinner was still very good, even when made en mass! But the point of the night was to enjoy our wine and send the little kiddies on their merry way to get us some chocolate. I've included some pictures for you to appreciate the cuteness that is the next generation of my family (note: I have not in any way shape or form contributed to this next generation, I only write about them).
The next grape is another grape and Craig better be better and taste buds healed...it's the Barolo grape!
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