WTN: There is always hope

I have been searching for a food match for an Oz wine that I found, well, a bit over-the-top. I took a cue from a note posted here earlier that matched a fruity zin with a spicy meal.

Deep garnet red fading to a purple pink edge. Wonderfully fruity nose of dark bramble fruit and purple plum. Fruit forward wine of jammy black raspberry, raisins, and blackberry on the midpalate. Silky tannins and moderate acidity. Nice medium long fruity finish. A bit out of balance with fruit dominating the profile.

Wine: Kaesler 2004 Grenache, Shiraz, Mouvedre, Barossa Valley, 15.5% abv

As Otto would say this is a spoofulated wine. Food match for this fruit bomb: Spicy hot shredded beef enchiladas. The over-the-top fruit matched well with the spicy beef and resulted in a nice combination. I was pleasantly surprised that even the high alcohol did not seem to burn the palate at all and it was my impression that the fruitiness seem to keep it in check. There is always hope if you keep trying.

Tom
Yes this sort of combination does seem to be gaining wider acceptance (and yes I think the concept works). However much it improves the wine though, I can't help feeling that I'd prefer a different wine to drink. Aussie Grenache in particular is something I really struggle with, being often over-sweet, over-alcoholic and with little to counterbalance those features. This I might add, coming from someone who is normally very much a fan of aussie wines.
regards
Ian

Hi Ian,

I tend to agree with you on this specific Oz wine. I thought it was just too much sweet fruit. I have had some really nice GSMs from Oz, however. I remember one in particular from Penfolds that I really liked. And I tend to be a fan of Oz wine style too, if they are balanced. Unfortunately, they don't all measure up.

I am just starting to warm up to the fruity red and spicy food match. My favorite match with spicy Mexican is a sparkling wine like Prosecco or Sekt.