ONLINE TASTING - Down Under Delicacies

Our love affair with Australian wines has been going on for several years now, and despite the presence of other countries on the shop shelves, wines from Down Under remain hugely popular. The reason? Flavour. Flavour in generous amounts, and with a smile on its face. But it's a huge mistake to think of Australia as one homogenous blob. After all, it takes five hours to fly from Perth on the west coast to Sydney on the east. Burly reds may be the first style of wine that comes to mind, but this vast country also boasts delicate Pinot Noirs, refined fizz and a growing number of fascinating reds & whites made from Italian & Spanish grapes - and that's without mentioning the magnificent fortified wines... For this online tasting, you're invited to bring a bottle, pull up a chair and discover more about Australia and its wines. Actually make that two bottles, as over the course of this one-hour session, we'll be digging into a white and a red. For the white we're going to look at not Chardonnay (even if it is Australia's most widely planted white grape) but at Riesling. Those who think they don't like Riesling because it's sweet are for a pleasant surprise. It CAN be sweet (as can Chardonnay) but most Aussie versions are bone dry and clean as a whistle - which makes them great with fish & chips! For the red, we'll be focussing on Shiraz/Cabernet, a blend not uniquely Aussie, but one which works extremely well in the warm climes of South Australia. I would recommend buying in advance:

• 1 bottle of Australian Riesling, ideally from the Clare Valley (Aldi has one in its Exquisite Range, Lidl has a Winemaker's Selection bottling, while Tesco stocks Tim Adams) 
• 1 bottle of South Australian Shiraz/Cabernet (Penfolds Koonunga Hill is perfect, and is in Asda, Sainsbury's & Tesco).

If you fancy something to nibble alongside the wines, by all means stock up on charcuterie and hard cheese (mature cheddar, old Gouda, Parmesan) if you feel like it, but both of these should go well with good quality (but not-too-spicy) crisps. Or you could go down the fish & chip route… One ticket will entitle everyone in your household to attend this tasting – make sure you have enough wine to go around!