Bangkok and wine friend Peter recommended McGugian as a good bet but I don’t recall if we picked this one up shopping with him in Perth or on our recent Gold Coast jaunt.
Either way, it’s the nicest red I’ve pulled from the wine-chest in quite some time. If it was a Peter-wine it’s been maturing, or stewing in the Bangkok heat, for more than a year, and if not, buy this and drink ’em while they’re hot.
There is a clutch of trophies attached to this bottle, with a stick-on-later sticker which I always think is a good sign. But it’s a total blend with no grape varieties listed. They’re not giving anything away! That’s considered a little gauche in the wine world, but in this case it’s a sub-Bt500 bottle aimed at a specific, wide market and hits the bull’s-eye.
While this example of 2017 Australian blendy-wine isn’t something I’d usually approve of, it’s a pleasantly fruity and sweet (not sticky) basic red that’s easy to pair. In the restaurant trade they’d call is a bridging wine and it would certainly make a good house red with it’s easy swallow and low-ish (this is Thailand) cost.
I suspect this will be a goodie to pick up at the bottle-o on your way to a dinner party or as an apology bottle to a wronged partner for its presumed consistency (it’s a blend) and mid-range price. Come to think of it, it’s a perfect one to say ‘thanks’ for a favour, since it is very adaptable, but not if the recipient knows anything about wine, in which case they will think you a barbarian.
Full disclosure, I have two bottles of this in the wine chest now. For weekdays.