The Heady Delights of a Good Shiraz - LINDEMANS Bin 50 Shiraz 2007. (Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz 2007)

Member Name: treaclepins

Product:	Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz 2007
Date:	14/07/08 (470 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good wine, good price.

Disadvantages: None if consumed in moderation.

Until I was in my 30's I never appreciated the taste of red wine, but then my partner bought me a bottle of Shiraz and I was hooked. That's not to say I've become an alcoholic, I have neither the money nor the inclination, but a nice glass of Shiraz, in my opinion, is the perfect ending to the day.

I have a number of favourites, but the one I happen to be drinking at the moment is LINDEMANS, so I will review this one for you and you can get tasting.

The Grape:
Syrah, is a classic French grape used in the production of wine. The Syrah grape is known by the Australians as Shiraz (after the town of Shiraz where it supposedly originated).

The Wine:
Bin 50 Shiraz 2007 is a full bodied, well balanced wine with plum and spice flavours. It is a medium wine - not overly sweet but certainly not a dry wine. This wine is a multi-region blend, but don't let that put you off, the fruit may be sourced from a range of wine growing regions but the blend is perfect. The wine is matured with American oak which makes it smell slightly like treacle.

Packaging:
The bottle is the usual dark green glass with a rather tasteful label. Screwcaps are used to 'guarantee freshness' the label informs us - I still prefer cork. The bottle contains 750ml. of wine.

Colour: Plum with crimson highlights.

Nose: Dark fruit aromas - mulberry, plum, spices, vanilla.

Palate: Medium to full bodied with plum, dark chocolate, spice and vanilla flavours.

Wine Analysis:
Alc/Vol: 13.5%

Food Matches:
pasta, red meat dishes, dark chocolate or cheese.

Regional Source:
sourced from wine regions across south east Australia.

Health/ nutrition:
those who drink red wine in moderation have a decreased risk of heart disease. This is believed to be due to the polyphenols, including tannins in red grapes which seem to provide an antioxidant and antiviral action. This wine contains sulphites.

Calorie content:
175 ml glass = around 119 kCal. 0g fat. A 75cl bottle = 510 kCal.

* Dieters beware - with 7 calories per gram, the number of calories in alcohol is second only to fat (9 cals/g). The calories in alcohol are metabolised first by the body, ahead of burning fat - which is not desirable if on a weight loss diet.

LINEMANS history:
LINDEMANS was founded by Dr. Henry J Lindeman, a graduate of London's St. Bartholomew's Hospital who was apparently extremely interested in the health-giving properties of wine. In 1840 he moved to Australia and embarked on winemaking. By the 1860's Lindeman had gained international recognition at the London International Exhibition and the Paris Exhibition. 100 years after Dr. Henry Lindeman planted his first vineyard in the Hunter Valley, LINDEMANS became a public listed company. In 1973 the LINDEMANS Winery at Karadoc was built to cater for increasing consumer demand. LINDEMANS Bin 65 Chardonnay was created for the Canadian/ US markets and launched in 1985 in response to the popularity of the LINDEMANS style of wines in the northern hemisphere. Following its success LINDEMANS Bin 65 was 'brought home' to Australia in 1991. The company is now known internationally as quality wine producers.
(The above history of Dr. Linderman and his company is a potted version of that on the LINDERMANS site - see the site for more info: www.lindemans.com)

LINDEMANS (in my opinion) produce complex, high quality wines at affordable prices (in this case between £6-£7) and the Shiraz is one of their best. Look out for special offers in most of the large supermarkets. This wine is lovely and well worth the price.

Dr. Linderman said, 'the one purpose of wine is to bring happiness ...' and it certainly seems to work for me.

Please don't forget to recycle your bottle.

Summary: This is a lovely spicy plum and vanilla flavoured wine at an affordable price.