Ravenswood Vintners Blend Australian Shiraz 2003

Ravenswood, the Sonoma County winery best known for its blockbuster Zinfandels has taken its "No Wimpy Wines" credo down under! The California winery has released this Australian Shiraz under its Vintners Blend label. This blend for Ravenswood comes mostly from the McLaren Vale and Barossa regions -- about 40 percent from each, then bottled in Australia and shipped to the United States.

The idea for the new bottling came about when Ravenswood winemaker Joel Peterson was in Australia visiting BRL Hardy, a winery also owned by Ravenswood's parent company. Like many wine producers around the world these days, Hardy had some excess juice, and after tasting through a few samples, Peterson became intrigued by the possibilities. The result is a delectable red wine, soft and tasty; excellent with grilled sausages.