Oxford Landing Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz 1996
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
It takes an amazing amount of vision to look at a patch of sunburnt red soil and imagine a vineyard bursting with fruit. That's exactly what the late Wyndham Hill-Smith did when he founded Oxford Landing in 1958.
Few things in life have the power to capture a sense of place and community like wine. As places go, Oxford Landing is something special. Set on the banks of South Australia’s majestic Murray River which winds its way through the rugged rural landscape rippling with life and promise, the Oxford Landing vineyard and winery were aptly named after the precious patch of land they call home. A sense of community is the heart of the South Australian region, and the river is the lifeblood that keeps it flowing.
By nurturing the wine every step along the journey from bunch to bottle, Oxford Landing crafts quality, consistent, and authentic wines. Taking a 'small scale' approach with methods usually reserved for boutique winemaking, the winemakers use wild fermentation with yeasts native to the vineyard and blending with barrel-aged wines. Minimal handling of the juice also means the fruit is processed gently, yet quickly. Thinking small does make a lot more work, but the Oxford Landing team takes pride in working hard to craft great wine.
Oxford Landing is also committed to the protection of the environment, and all their wines are 100% vegan with zero animal products used in their production for more than 12 years. The Oxford Landing team also works to reduce their carbon footprint by absorbing more carbon than the winery generates. Through their revegetation program they have planted over 200,000 native trees and shrubs to benefit local wildlife.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
South Australia is the historic heart of Australian wine, a great wine capital of the world, and home to some of the most famous regions. It produces more than 80% of Australia’s premium wine from some of the oldest vines in the world. There is an abundance of varieties and wide spectrum of styles to explore. From the rogue to refined, discover Australian wines that are far from ordinary.