Beginning of The Wine Diary – Jacob’s Creek 2010 Shiraz

I really believe that if you want to become familiar with the flavors used in food and drink, that it is important to keep track of what you have tasted.  This “diary” if you will should document a little of what the professionals think of the item, what the maker says the flavor profile includes, and the flavors you find when drinking it.  It doesn’t matter if the drink is a $200 per bottle extravagance, or a cheapie $5 bottle you see the whinos buy at the corner market.  The idea is to practice understanding the various products out there, and what it say to you.  According to many other people who have taught me, this is how you develop a palate.

So in the interest of this, I am starting a wine diary, a beer diary, and a liquor diary.  Not all at once, you understand.  One must start somewhere, and here is where I start.

 Jacob’s Creek Winery’s 2010 Shiraz, from Australia.  Now don’t laugh, but the only reason we tried this wine was at a baronial council meeting after a work day that was pretty brutal for Erika and I.  We sat down to order dinner before the meeting started and blurted out, “I’m ordering wine” which is unusual because normally she just asks, “How do you feel about <insert drink here>?” which is her way of gently saying, “I am thinking about having something to drink with dinner, how do you feel about joining me?”  If she denies it, I am sticking with the story.

In any case, she proceeded through the bottle and it made the evening quite enjoyable. I don’t remember much about the wine right now, but I remember we liked it.  So much that Erika went looking for it at the store and found it for $5.99 a bottle (much less than the $20 we paid at the restaurant).  Again, quite good but I can’t supply any critical thinking on the subject.  I guess I will have to buy another bottle just to report on it.

The bottle claims that it is a “medium bodied wine with plum, pepper and spicy fruit flavors with subtle hints of toasted oak.  Enjoy with any red meat dishes or hard cheeses.  Well we will just have to see.  But I would recommend this wine to try for anyone into reds.  It’s not remarkable enough to spark memories quite yet (other than Erika that first night we tried it…she was funny, I must say).