Just a little point to consider when thinking about buying your wines by regional reputation. Content laws state that only 30% of the bottle's contents must have originated from the region it is stated as ie: Coonawarra, Barossa, McLaren Vale, Hunter Valley, Margaret River.
With the emergence of super wine conglomerates like Constellation, McGuigan Simeon etc. it is worth noting that the majority fillers in their product are actually products of Merbein, Buronga, Loxton etc. , not the areas listed on the bottle. These plants produce massive vintages of B grade grapes, which make up the majority of what's in your bottle. You now know why it is so easy to find a good regional wine at a lower than expected cost. This of course does not make the product any less palatable on many occasions, but there are also some disastrous blends that really just don't work at all. Let your taste buds guide you and you can't go wrong, let the region guide you and you can be misled.
Also worth noting the increasing trend of bottle shops to stock 'Cleanskins'. This used to be a great way to buy excess stock or special label excess stock, but it is now in many cases, being used to deceive buyers into thinking that they have a bargain. Again the rule of 'Let your palate guide you' applies. Any good bottle shop will have tastings periodically and many are prepared to crack a bottle for you, if you intend buying bulk.
Hope this helps anyone who is discovering the joys of the grape.
With the emergence of super wine conglomerates like Constellation, McGuigan Simeon etc. it is worth noting that the majority fillers in their product are actually products of Merbein, Buronga, Loxton etc. , not the areas listed on the bottle. These plants produce massive vintages of B grade grapes, which make up the majority of what's in your bottle. You now know why it is so easy to find a good regional wine at a lower than expected cost. This of course does not make the product any less palatable on many occasions, but there are also some disastrous blends that really just don't work at all. Let your taste buds guide you and you can't go wrong, let the region guide you and you can be misled.
Also worth noting the increasing trend of bottle shops to stock 'Cleanskins'. This used to be a great way to buy excess stock or special label excess stock, but it is now in many cases, being used to deceive buyers into thinking that they have a bargain. Again the rule of 'Let your palate guide you' applies. Any good bottle shop will have tastings periodically and many are prepared to crack a bottle for you, if you intend buying bulk.
Hope this helps anyone who is discovering the joys of the grape.
