Tait, The Ball Buster Proprietary Blend, Barossa Valley, Australia, 2020

Katie here. I honestly don’t have anything against Mondays, but sometimes you come to the end of a Monday and you think to yourself, Gosh, wouldn’t a glass of wine be so wonderful right now?

Enter:

Tait, The Ball Buster Proprietary Blend, Barossa Valley, Australia, 2020

This spicy little wine is called a blend, but this is 93% Shiraz, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Merlot. This is a rich, warm wine that warms you up to your toes. It gives you flavors of warm dark plums, like you’ve left them out to warm in the sun and they’re really juicy. Or think about picking dark cherries off a tree in the heat when they’re nice and ripe (I don’t know if you pick cherries in the summertime, but imagine you do). Personally, I don’t get the meaty notes you find in many Syrah/Shiraz wines, but this one to me almost makes me think of Cocoa powder as well. This Shiraz does give you the impression of just a little spiciness, as Shiraz/Syrah often does. This wine reminds me of taking a walk on a hot summer day. I’ve had this wine on several occasions now, and it’s always a pleasure.

This wine sells for $21 at Jacob Liquor.

Happy Veteran’s Day to all our veterans, and thank you for your selfless service! This also happens to be the feast of St. Martin of Tours, patron saint of vintners!!