2005 ALICE WHITE SHIRAZ

2005 ALICE WHITE SHIRAZ

Introduction

Well, my previous post about the European wine surplus due to competition from newer wine exporters is a good segue into this wine discussion since it is from Australia. I did select it especially because it was from Australia and I do want to discuss (and learn about) wine producing regions all over the world. I paid $12.99 for a 1.5 liter bottle, which right in the middle of my most common range.

Wine Impressions

Being a red wine lover, I did like this wine. It has a nice deep purple color, but with a light aroma. The wine was dry, yet somewhat fruity. I had the wine with beef stew and it seemed to taste sweeter with the stew than when drunk alone.

The wine comes in an average bottle, and with an artificial cork, colored red. There is a kangaroo figure on the label. One interesting feature: the label has an excerpt from “Adventures in a New Land,” and references the company’s web site for more Alice White adventures.

The Company: Alice White

The bottle says that the wine is imported by Alice White, Woodridge, California. The web site says, at least on one page that the wine is imported by Alice White Winery of Gonzales, CA. The introduction to the web site indicates that it is owned by Constellation Brands. The web site also explains that the wine is named after an actual person who moved to Australia in 1848 with her parents. She was very adventurous. The history of the company is a little unclear, but the wines were apparently introduced in 1996. The web site says sales have increased 60% per year since 1998, becoming one of the fastest-growing wine brands in the U.S

There is a Roo Ranch in Australia, which is apparently the home of Alice White wines. Grapes from many parts of South Eastern Australia are used to make the wines. In addition to the Shiraz, Alice White makes Chardonnay, Cabernet-Shiraz, Cabernet-Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Lexia, and Semillon-Chardonnay.

The Region: South Eastern Australia

This region consists of the four smallest states of Australia and the home to three quarters of its people. The states are Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The island of Tasmania is also part of this region.

Its cities include Sydney (the largest city in Australia) as well as Melbourne, the capital and second largest city. Sydney has more than 4 million people, including many immigrants from the United Kingdom, China and New Zealand. Melbourne has about 3.6 million people. According to Wikipedia, it is ranked among the second tier of “world” cities with such cities as Montreal, Osaka and Prague. It has many international students, behind only London, New York and Paris.