SonomaBouliste wrote:Probably quite good. Syrah and Zinfandel both make nice table grapes, unlike a lot of wine grapes.

[insert standard response/question here]

bridgeresq wrote:Daystar is right - they responded to me within 24 hours. Woot customer service is one of the best out there. While I haven't gotten the replacement bottles yet, and wouldn't have ordered a wine that I wasn't anxious to enjoy now, they did at least respond. You might want to email them again or check to see if their response went into a spam folder or something. It is getting close to the 2-3 week time frame, so hopefully my Ty Caton, Twisted Oak & Dry Creek will ship soon!!

I've emailed 4x. Sent a few over the form on the web site just to make sure. Used different emails just incase it was blocked. still NOTHING. I've never had a delay like this either. In any event, that is the case. My wine was damaged in transit and i have not gotten any word back since it was returned. Now I leave to go out of town and its summer and hotter than H3LL here. I'm just trying to get some notice which is why I'm crying out here. I just want this resolved so I can move on. I don't have time for this. sigh... i just want my wine! Y is that so hard. ;)

bhodilee wrote:I hope Jwhite got in on the resevoir dogs shotglasses. It only seems fitting.

I did! I did! Thanks!

Loweeel wrote:Feel... myself... slipping.... argh. Must... resist...

Ditto ... was so not in, and then I ventured too close to the forum.

Ugh!

clayfu wrote:when i think of shiraz i rarely think of it pairing with food, just so overpowering. (the wine that is). What matches with it?

The classic carnivore match is lamb (wouldn't you know it?). I like it with winter vegetable stews, ratatouille, grilled veggies, mushrooms. I think it's at least as versatile at the table as Cab. Try it with something you''ld match with one of those trendy big Cali. Pinots.

Loweeel wrote:[insert standard response/question here]

Sorry, Loweel, your fave would only be good for eating if you wanted a little local anaesthetic prior to a novacaine injection They're seedy and the skins are tough also.

Corrado wrote:This one's pretty awful. Last Starfighter was Oscar-worthy by comparison.

make sure that when you venture to watch "MANOS HAND OF FATE" that you buy the mystery science theatre 3000 version, where this guy and his space robots goof on the film while watching it........its a pretty bad flick, so make sure you have a few before viewing!!

Corrado wrote:This one's pretty awful. Last Starfighter was Oscar-worthy by comparison.

Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang, the original, not the Gary Busey/Ice-T remake (Which though I haven't seen, sounds like it could be even worse).

SonomaBouliste wrote:Sorry, Loweel, your fave would only be good for eating if you wanted a little local anaesthetic prior to a novacaine injection They're seedy and the skins are tough also.

PS could probably make decent preserves though. I feel like if they can make jelly and 'wine' from concord grapes pretty much any other varietal has to be some kind of step up.

andyduncan wrote:Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang, the original, not the Gary Busey/Ice-T remake (Which though I haven't seen, sounds like it could be even worse).

Don't forget the Bill Maher classic Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death. It has its moments.

Loweeel wrote:Feel... myself... slipping.... argh. Must... resist...

hey hey looks like you like parker wines too!

SonomaBouliste wrote:Low alcohol? They're 14 and 14.5%!

for a shiraz silly guy~

SonomaBouliste wrote:The classic carnivore match is lamb (wouldn't you know it?). I like it with winter vegetable stews, ratatouille, grilled veggies, mushrooms. I think it's at least as versatile at the table as Cab. Try it with something you''ld match with one of those trendy big Cali. Pinots.

i dont eat food with big cali pinots for exactly the same reason as i don't eat it with shiraz. It doesn't compliment your food. I don't think it's anywhere near a cab, it's just too fruity it overpowers everything you eat. There are some wines that just aren't meant to be eaten with food. You can force food on anything if you really wanted to.. doesn't mean it really enhances the experience.

andyduncan wrote:Venison, wow, I didn't even know Australia had deer

I was so blown away to see the convergent mammalian adaptation to ecological niches in isolated biomasses like australia as compared to most of the rest of the world.

Kangaroos take the place of deer/venison. You even have predators like the tasmanian devil, which APPEARS so similar to canids, despite being wholly unrelated to them and more related to its prey than to its placental analogues. (all the marsupials are more closely related to each other than any of them are to any placentals. just like the echidna and the platypus, as monotremes, are so distantly related to all other mammals. I <3 taxonomy and ev.bio)

SonomaBouliste wrote:The classic carnivore match is lamb (wouldn't you know it?). I like it with winter vegetable stews, ratatouille, grilled veggies, mushrooms. I think it's at least as versatile at the table as Cab. Try it with something you''ld match with one of those trendy big Cali. Pinots.

And the SoCalers get my lamb on 8/15!

andyduncan wrote:Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang, the original, not the Gary Busey/Ice-T remake (Which though I haven't seen, sounds like it could be even worse).

frak me, I remember reading that short story when I was really really young. I remember nothing about it other than the absurd title and Jacob being a really small kid and the hooded fang turning out to be innocuous. (my memory is kind of absurd)

clayfu wrote:hey hey looks like you like parker wines too!

I think his take on PS is much closer to the mark (though still not spot-on) than he is for other varieties.

Loweeel wrote:I was so blown away to see the convergent mammalian adaptation to ecological niches in isolated biomasses like australia as compared to most of the rest of the world.

Kangaroos take the place of deer/venison. You even have predators like the tasmanian devil, which APPEARS so similar to canids, despite being wholly unrelated to them and more related to its prey than to its placental analogues. (all the marsupials are more closely related to each other than any of them are to any placentals. just like the echidna and the platypus, as monotremes, are so distantly related to all other mammals. I <3 taxonomy and ev.bio)

Does your brain hurt all the time?

bhodilee wrote:Does your brain hurt all the time?

Only when I'm not using it. I really need to have constant intellectual stimulation or I start climbing the walls.

You know, I had some elk steaks last time I went to visit my dad in Colorado, and they were fabulous! I'm thinking elk would make a hell of a pairing to these shirazes. shiraz... Shirazzes?

Well anyway, these wines.

So.....Can anyone comment on this wine? Had it before? Worth the price point? Worth me wootlegging it from NC to OH?

Loweeel wrote:Only when I'm not using it. I really need to have constant intellectual stimulation or I start climbing the walls.

Ah, see I enjoy the downtime, it's why I used to watch Wrestling. No thought required.

Loweeel wrote:Only when I'm not using it. I really need to have constant intellectual stimulation or I start climbing the walls.

Which leads one to wonder, "What are you doing here, then?"

clayfu wrote:when i think of shiraz i rarely think of it pairing with food, just so overpowering. (the wine that is). What matches with it?

Hi - first post (go easy). I was introduced to Aussie Shiraz in the late 1990s while working in Japan for 3 years. Given the extensive trade between countries and the weak Aussie dollar, they were among the best bargains. I always found that good quality Shiraz doesn't need to be expensive, especially if you're drinking while it's young as a table wine. It seems to stand up very well with mexican dishes, especially if you have a bit of guacamole and salsa, and generally with spicy dishes. I also prefer sometimes with a NY strip steak (marinated with olive oil, worcestershire, soy and balsamic, with dijon as emulsifier) - instead of trying to cut thru a big Cab Sauv, a young, fruity Shiraz would be an easier complement.

I will say, I agree with the comment about not pairing with food, but more in the case of mature Shiraz. One of our (richer, hipper) Aussie friends would break out classic, crazy wines (think Penfolds Grange) that were dark (literally), smokier, tar(ier), with much more complexity, than the wines I was drinking. These were wines that were best sitting around and sipping, maybe with some nibbles.

I am torn on this one, since I had bad experiences with Norman back in those days (I remember some Cab-Shiraz that were undrinkable - admittedly a much lower price point wine), so I'll pass. I drank a Cockfighters Ghost Shiraz recently that is findable and a great wine at a reasonable price. As a PS, if you have the chance to see Hunter Valley (a couple hours north of Sydney) it's most spectacular! Cheers.

clayfu wrote:i dont eat food with big cali pinots for exactly the same reason as i don't eat it with shiraz. It doesn't compliment your food. I don't think it's anywhere near a cab, it's just too fruity it overpowers everything you eat. There are some wines that just aren't meant to be eaten with food. You can force food on anything if you really wanted to.. doesn't mean it really enhances the experience.

As with Pinots, Syrah styles vary greatly. Big fruit bombs, whether they're Cab, Syrah, Pinot or anything else, aren't going to complement very many foods. In their favor, Syrahs typically aren't as heavily oaked as Cabs.

jwhite6114 wrote:Which leads one to wonder, "What are you doing here, then?"

Imparting his wonderful knowledge to the rest of us lowly scum. Now hush before you make him think he's too good for us and should just leave

so...are we going to get some detour love today? Or has that already been asked and answered?

jkwest wrote:so...are we going to get some detour love today? Or has that already been asked and answered?

It has been asked and answered.

Did I miss the wootoff wine?

Loweeel wrote:Feel... myself... slipping.... argh. Must... resist...

C'mon. You know you want too....all the cool kids are doin' it!

JOATMON wrote:It has been asked and answered.

sooooo......?

What was the answer?

jkwest wrote:sooooo......?

What was the answer?

You could say there might be a detour. Hasn't happened yet. But WD suggested vaguely that there will be.

andyduncan wrote:I have no idea, I don't drink much Aussie Shiraz. I've only ever had a couple cheap ones and they were a little one-dimensional and super fake-fruity.

From Susan's description it seems like these would pair similarly to a big extracted Syrah or Petit Sirah given their "huge, fruity, tannic" qualities, big strong steak like a good strip steak with lots of pepper or some well seasoned Santa Maria style tri-tip?

Gerard? Susan? Pairings? Or is this one a quaffer?

Big ol' hunk of meat, baby. Or grilled veggies. Anything with some fat or olive oil in it that will work with the tannins and have a party in your mouth. Check this, I asked the chef at Beringer to put this together for us: http://www.cellar360.com/cellar360/page/pairingred.jsp

cheron98 wrote:You could say there might be a detour. Hasn't happened yet. But WD suggested vaguely that there will be.

Yes! I didn't miss it. I hope it's good. Or... I hope I don't want it so I don't spend more money? I'm so confused!

mander77 wrote:I've emailed 4x. Sent a few over the form on the web site just to make sure. Used different emails just incase it was blocked. still NOTHING. I've never had a delay like this either. In any event, that is the case. My wine was damaged in transit and i have not gotten any word back since it was returned. Now I leave to go out of town and its summer and hotter than H3LL here. I'm just trying to get some notice which is why I'm crying out here. I just want this resolved so I can move on. I don't have time for this. sigh... i just want my wine! Y is that so hard. ;)

I've been very lucky in getting quick and helpful responses from service@woot.com, putting my order no. in the subject line. Basically, I provided my user ID, the vintage, winery, type of wine & no. of bottles damaged. They will order it from the winery directly and then the winery will send the replacement directly to you. You are supposed to receive communication from the winery once they ship the replacement bottles. I hope this helps some. Maybe you can start fresh with a new email from the account associated with your user ID, your order no. and a thorough explanation of what was damaged.

Winedavid39 wrote:one would think.

Yes!!! Found it....

susan360 wrote:C'mon. You know you want too....all the cool kids are doin' it!

All of 'em? Cuz I am still pondering ... but if ALL of 'em are in, then I'd better jump in soon, too. The trick, this week, is the price -- it's definitely on the high side for two bottles, and I have no foundation for evaluating these. I like the sound of them so far ... but what about the oak? How prevalent is it in these wines? You have already indicated that these were 2 - 3 years in oak, but I am curious how this has transfered in the flavor.

INTLGerard wrote:And there's a 1.5% +/- tolerance on the label to boot! That said, the GNR I’ve tasted was not overwhelmingly hot and actually fairly well balanced considering. I do pick up those eucalyptus aromas/flavors that are so unique to Aussie Shiraz and add to that menthol sensation without the burn.

Those who have not seen it check out SB’s Random Ramblings Blog on the subject of wine and alcohol. Very informative stuff!

Hi - I agree, a lot of Aussie wines are "hot". This particular one is so fruity, it covers the alcohol. I looked it up - the 2001 is 14% and the 2002 is 14.5%. I'll see if I can find the full tasting notes for you guys...