Curator Marananga Vineyard Barossa Valley Shiraz 2016

I'm gonna ruffle a few feathers here with this one and go MERLOT!!! Mer-what? I know, I know, merlot hasn't got the best of reputations these days but honest to god there are some crackers out there! Often massed produced and definitely overdone in California at least it has grown out of popularity somewhat. WELL, prepare to have your mind changed in a matter of mls!! 

This might seem like a strange one, but I can honestly say that this combo really works. Usually, when you think of burgers you lean towards a beer, or even a nice glass of red. The freshness of the apple, spice coming through from the tomato jam, and the addition of pork had me leaning towards a Riesling. 

Just 60km northeast of Adelaide, the Barossa Valley is one of Australia's oldest wine regions. Warm and dry, it is renowned for producing the distinctive Barossa Shiraz, a full-bodied red with notes of chocolate and spice. The valleys and sloping hills create several temperature ranges. But in summer, take it from us: it's just plain hot.

The soils range from clay and loam in the cooler areas to the classically South Australian sand and red-brown loam in the valleys. Irrigation is often required, but with water supply an increasing problem, many growers are practicing dryland farming, relying on what falls from the sky and clings from night fog. Couple this with the number of very old vines in the region (which produce limited quantities of grapes), and the result is fruit with deeply concentrated flavour which quickly ripen. A great foundation for some of the world's most acclaimed reds.

History

Shiraz (which is essentially Syrah) is a dark-skinned grape grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce powerful red wines.

Wines made from Syrah are often powerfully flavoured and full-bodied. The variety produces wines with a wide range of flavor notes, depending on the climate and soils where it is grown, as well as other viticultural practices chosen. Aroma characters can range from violets to berries (usually dark as opposed to red), chocolate, espresso and black pepper. No one aroma can be called "typical" though blackberry and pepper are often noticed. With time in the bottle these "primary" notes are moderated and then supplemented with earthy or savory "tertiary" notes such as leather and truffle.

"Secondary" flavor and aroma notes are those associated with several things, generally winemakers' practices (such as oak barrel and yeast regimes).

History

It is called Syrah in its country of origin, France, as well as in the rest of Europe,