Gossips 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

This bottle is a great drop. The alcohol content is 13.5%, which means a bottle is approximately 8 standard drinks. The wine is a medium bodied style cab sav, with fruity berry flavours to start with. These soon fade away, however, with the after taste. A good wine to have with steak.

Hardys R&R Merlot 2007

With 8 standard drinks in the bottle of 13.5% alcohol content, this drop from Hardys is a beautiful soft wine with plum flavours that linger on nicely. Excellent value for money at between $5 and $8, this wine goes great with steak or pasta dishes - so grab a bottle for your next spag bol night, or a BBQ at your friends'.

Stonefish 2005 Merlot

At 13.8% this bottle of wine is approximately 8.2 standard drinks, boasting rich plum flavours that quickly fade away after reaching the back palate. Goes very well with a cheese platter, and makes a reasonable wine for under $10.

Rolling Cabernet Merlot 2005

This drop comes in a bottle with a 14% alcohol content, making it 8.3 standard drinks. It's a full bodied style of wine, with rich berry flavours and the merlot providing a soft smooth finish. This flavour lingers on nicely in the back palate (the after taste). It is great with Asian dishes. Can be found for $16 but sometimes on special for $13, making it a bargain drop.

Fatso's Revenge

Fatso was a wombat on a popular Australian television series called 'A Country Practice' that was on many moons ago. The 'practice' was a vet's surgery operating in a beautiful place called Wandin Valley, and it is after these two that Wandin Valley Estate (located in the hunter Valley, New South Wales) and its wine are named.
That said, Fatso's Revenge is a red wine, a blend of cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and merlot. On the nose (i.e. when you smell it) there are aromas of pepper and spice, with black berries. In the front palate (when you first sip it) you experience a slight tingle, and then spicy and peppery overtones. The mid palate offers a fair bit of dryness, and it finishes off with the merlot mellowing out the wine. There is a long, lingering aftertaste of blackcurrants and raspberries.
A bottle of Fatso's Revenge contains 13.5% alcohol, which means there is approximately 8 standard drinks in a bottle - definitely one to drink with friends, or, lock away your car keys.
Wandin Valley Estate is found on Wilderness Road, Lovedale.

Rutherglen

We recently travelled to the Rutherglen wine region in northern Victoria. I love the area, not only because of the wineries (the toquays and muscats - mmmmm!) but because it is such a nice side of the country. I'll be reviewing some of the wines and fortifieds we sampled here, so stay tuned!

Wolf Blass Eaglehawk Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

This is an enjoyable everyday wine, which is light yet with a dry finish. It has flavours of blackcurrant and mint, with a hint of dark chocolate. The alcohol content is 13.5%, which is pretty usual, and equivalent to 8 standard drinks. It should be readily available in most bottle shops for around the $11 mark, but look out for it on special as low as $7.