Wine on the Radio - October 14, 2004

Wines of Victoria                         Recommendations           

Did you know that Australia is almost the same size as the continental United States ?    Why would we ask?   Well, Australian wines are so popular that we thought we would highlight just one of wine growing regions of Australia for you - Victoria.  

Victoria is a small region located in the southeastern corner of the country.   Melbourne is the gateway and the neat thing is that you can easily access the wine areas from there.  

Victoria has all the popular wine varieties but seems to particularly delight in chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. The undulating topography makes for all kinds of variations in the growing conditions.   This means that those warm weather grapes thrive but so do cooler weather types like pinot noir and Riesling right along side them - especially in the Yarra Valley area.  

Victoria wines epitomize New World style with ripe fruitiness and easy, everyday drinkability . . . and prices that are real user-friendly too.  

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Some Wines of Australia's Victoria Region - Our Picks . . . All Prices Approximate

2002 Greg Norman Estates Chardonnay Yarra Valley   $12
Wine Enthusiast 88, A solid wine with presence, not too big or overblown. The nose...we found subtle nut and chalk notes...the palate offers up plenty of sturdy pear fruit, with shakes of nutmeg and chalk. Lingers on the close, with more nut flavors

2002 Sticks Cabernet Sauvignon Yarra Valley     $12
Sweet black currant and blackberry fruit flavors and a slippery texture that offer appeal in this moderately dense wine. A bright, berry-ish red with a good balance of sweetness and acidity

2001 Cheviot Bridge Pinot Noir Victoria     $14
WS 87 points, Bright in aroma and flavor, packed with currant and white pepper character, showing a lot of oak on the finish, echoing the flavors nicely

2002 Coldstream Hills Sauvignon Blanc Yarra Valley     $14
Fragrant bouquet with a varietal mix of gooseberry and passion fruit. Crisp yet intense, with an excellent balance of the ripe fruit flavors

2000 Clayfield Shiraz Victoria     $32
WA 88+ points, A peppery, raspberry, cherry, and currant-scented bouquet with noticeable new oak emerges from this dense ruby/purple-colored Shiraz

2001 Yeringberg "Yerinberg Red" Yarra Valley   $52
IWC 94, Complex, deeply perfumed nose combines red and black berries, dusty herbs, and notes of cedar, chocolate and vanilla. Velvety-smooth and lavishly concentrated on the palate; displays exceptional power, purity and focus

2001 Yarra Yering "Dry Red Wine #1" Yarra Valley     $58
IWC 95, Delicately perfumed aromas of cassis, sweet plum and violet, with subtle oak notes of chocolate, cedar and vanilla. Supple and fine, but steeped in almost searingly intense blackcurrant and mulberry flavors of essence-like concentration