Beyond the punt... (Punt Road Shiraz)

Member Name: anwar7

Product:	Punt Road Shiraz
Date:	06/05/09 (201 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see review

Disadvantages: see review

I usually drink white wine, as I prefer it to red or rose. However sometimes I fancy a change. A few weeks ago finding the cupboard bare of any of my favourite white wine I opted to share a bottle of red with my husband. I am no expert when it comes to red wine but know what I like and this red ticked all the boxes! The wine in question is a gold medal Shiraz from Australia that goes by the curious name of Punt Road. Before I give you my opinion on this wine I thought I'd tell you a bit of background.

Background.
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Punt Road is the name of a family owned winery situated in Coldstream, Victoria. I was intrigued by the name so a bit of research revealed the Punt Road is major Road in the middle of Melbourne. In the 1850's Punt Road was just a dirt track that ran into the Yarra River. The only way to cross to the other side was by Punt. A bridge now links the Road and sadly there are no longer any punts!

The Punt Road winery is fairly small with 75 hectares producing several good quality wines including chardonnay, merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. If you are ever in the area they welcome visitors! The Yarra is a famous wine producing area, as the climate is usually perfect for several varieties of grape that produce so-called cool climate wines. However in February this year the vineyard came close to being destroyed when wild fires swept through the Yarra valley. Vineyard owners in the area reported watching tractors blow up and the fires came closer. Only a change in the wind direction saved many from financial ruin. 130 people died in the state of Victoria, several in the Yarra valley. However I digress, so back to the all important taste test!

The wine.
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The wine comes in a fairly plain green bottle with a white label. It has a screw top that I actually prefer as it is so much easier for me to open! This wine was awarded a gold medal at the 2007 International wine and spirit competition, so it comes highly recommended by the experts!

I love its rich dark red colour and could actually detect a whiff of blackberries. On looking on the label I see that the wine should give me aromas of white pepper, mulberries and blackberries. I didn't know white pepper had an aroma and can't say I detected any peppery smell! The same applies to the Mulberries. But to suffice it to say the wine did have a nice fruity scent.

My first few sips confirmed that this was a classy wine. The taste is very smooth and completely different from the house reds you normally get in the local pub! The tasting notes say that the flavours are that of dark berry fruits with warm hints of spice and French oak. I can't say I detected any oak or much spice, but the wine did taste wonderful! It was like drinking a rich, smooth blackberry juice with a large kick!

Talking of that kick at 14.5% this wine needs to be treated with respect or you could end up with a very sore head! It is easy to drink and goes well red meat, or bread and cheese. I drunk it at a family BBQ and didn't find it too heavy as I do some red wines.
I bought this wine from Tesco.com in a case of 6. I paid £48 for 6 bottles or £8 per bottle. It usually retails for £75 for 6 bottles so quite a saving at the moment! I would highly recommend this wine and definitely think its worth every penny!

Summary: red wine from OZ