Maybe my favorite Australian Shiraz under $25? Certainly up there. Typical Aussie fruit of over-ripe cherries and plums, but balanced beautifully with clean acidity and gentle handling. Great with food or as a sipping wine.

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First a side statement: I used this wine during an educational talk on wine and many of the participants (the non wine professionals) enjoyed it. Especially with the food. Therefore if you like wine that has what one might describe as an 'old world' flavor, this might be worth the try. I just think it's too expensive for bad wine. What I, and the other wine professionals (winemakers) in our group, noticed was that this wine is bursting with brettanomyces (for those not in the know this a destructive yeast that can infect wineries for years and years). The aromas are of strong, dirty mushrooms and barnyard with a slight hint of fruit. The palate picks up a sweet/sour flavor backed by tannins that completely fall apart on the end, giving a 'dirty' mouth feel. The main problem with brett--because a lot of people do like the 'off' flavors produced by it (barnyard, mushroom, dirt), is that it ruins the wine. The gritty tannins on the finish here indicate that this wine is rapidly falling apart. If you happen to have some in your wine reserve--drink it quick! Or take it to a party....

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Intense blueberry flavors matched with a strong smokey backbone. Nothing fancy or complex here, but nice with rich stews, bbq beef and a good one for burgers.

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I'll admit that I'm a huge fan of riesling so I'm a bit biased towards the grape in general. However, when I first met St. Urbans-Hof as a wine buyer, I loved it immediately: beautiful apricot balanced by that awesome slate quality. But I was unwilling to purchase it from the distributor saying "We have too many high end riesling". I should've looked at the label to see that it was a QbA. When the distributor told me it retailed for under $20, we bought five cases and sold out immediately. Each vintage since has been a pleasure to drink.

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This can probably best be described as 'grandma wine'. Light, slightly sweet, sparkly--kind of like a wine spritzer. BUT, so much better than any wine spritzer I've had, and much better than the Strawberry Fields you may be thinking of...more along the lines of an Italian Brachetto. A desert wine, or a wine to have for brunch or an early afternoon tea. Ideally served with cheeses, lots of fruit and some sweet treats of chocolate, tarts and cakes.

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