We're always looking for an inexpensive yet satisfying wine, right? Maybe you're having a get-together or maybe you just want to keep something decent on hand. You've seen those big bottles in the wine shop. Did you pass them by?
My thoughts on the big 1.5 liter bottles have always been a little snobbish. I didn't think they were worth checking out. Lately, however, encouraged by our little economic downturn, I've taken another look.
Here's my rule of thumb: if the company does not also make a reasonably popular selection of normal size 0.75 liter bottles, stay away!
Why bother with the large size? Cause it's cheaper to buy the big bottle than to buy two of the smaller bottles, that's why. (After all, we're talking cheap wine here.)
So following my rule, we were led to Yellow Tail. They have a large selection of varieties in both bottle sizes. Our first choice was the Shiraz. We had a party, we served the Shiraz and there was wine left over. As a result we were able to drink the remainder of the bottle over several days.
The Shiraz was a simple quaff with hints of the things that make us like Shiraz so much. Yes, there was fruit, primarily cherry, and some spice but only hints of what would be available in a more up-scale Shiraz. Tannins were sorely lacking and there was a note of sweetness that was not necessary. On the other hand, the wine was light, easy to drink, had no annoying undertones and didn't deteriorate over several days.
After that reasonable experience, we decided to pick a large bottle of the Shiraz-Cabernet blend. We thought that maybe the addition of the Cab would add a little "oomph" to the simple Shiraz.
Unfortunately, the Cab didn't add as much as we'd hoped. Nevertheless, the blend was getting us in the right direction. The hints of tannins were a bit more noticeable, the fruit was still upfront and, though still a pretty simple wine, there were at least a few nice notes of plum and raspberry (as promised on the label).
These wines seem best as accompaniments to informal food. They're fine with burgers, chicken, a simply prepared pork loin or even pizza. They don't quite have the heft, though, to stand up to really serious food. (Note: the Yellow Tail Shiraz Reserve is plenty rich and sophisticated enough to go with a big steak or a spicy grilled salmon. But that's for another review...)
The Yellow Tail Shiraz and Shiraz-Cabernet are simple but pleasant wines. They are in the category of lowest common denominator wines that are acceptable to everyone and for good reason - they really aren't bad! Grilling in the backyard, throwing a party or just having a simple glass to relax with after work - these wines amiably fit the bill. And they are certainly easy on the wallet. If your budget is as tight as ours, you could do a lot worse than Yellow Tail.
Value: 7.5 out of 10
P.S. -- in Part 2 of this series, we'll tell you about the Gabbiano Chianti. Stay tuned!
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We are a typical suburban husband and wife with
two children, a dog and a cat. We also like good food and, not incidentally, good wine. It is no coincidence that we
met and fell in love over gourmet meals and fine bottles of wine. Wine tasting was one of our favorite activities.
There are two aspects to value. First, does the wine taste good? Cheap wine doesn't have to
taste cheap or nasty. Second, is it worth the money? Could we have found a similar tasting wine for a lot less money?
Could we have found much better tasting wine at the same price? These are subjective criteria but we'll give you our
opinion.
