How long has it been since you’ve tried a really good Australian Shiraz? As it happens there are plenty of them out there but they sometimes get lost in the ocean of bulk wine that Australia also produces, replete with critter and/or supposedly humorous names. The bulk wines are what they are, but I’d like to remind you that Australia also produces wine of great quality.

            Case in point: the Oliverhill Winery. Oliverhill was founded in 1973 and has been owned and operated by Linda and Stuart Miller since the early '90s. It is located just north of the township of McLarenVale in a sub-region known as Seaview. They are small, quality producers who have been receiving terrific scores and ratings all around. Their 2007 Jimmy Section Shiraz scored 92 points from Steve Tanzer and was described elsewhere as “liquid sex." Similar scores were given to their '07 Clarendon Shiraz and their '07 Mt. Benson Premium Estate Shiraz, while their '07 Petite Sirah (sometimes known as Durif in Australia) scored 93 from Robert Parker.

            The wines are typical of the great McLaren Vale terroir – generous but not over the top, big and juicy with rich flavors of dark fruit, beautifully balanced and with exceptional fruit intensity. All of their wines are both vegan-friendly and cruelty free. Oliverhill never produces a lot of wine, but what they do produce is always of the highest quality.  Now, for the first time, they offer a quality wine at a friendly price-point – Oliverhill Red Silk Shiraz 2008.

            For less than $20 this is a really beautiful Shiraz. Robert Parker scored it at 91 points and described it as “rich, concentrated and layered on the palate, it is loaded with sweet, savory black fruit (and) spices.” 

            Pick up a bottle soon and see what Australian Shiraz is really all about.

Bill Stobbs, ABC Wine Supervisor, West Coast