Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz (2007)

For the inaugural review, we have Lindemans Bin 50 Shiraz, an Australian offering that's regularly $11.49 but I scored for $5.99 at my local Jewel grocery store.

So I tend to like wines that are dry but fruity, and wines that have some body to them, and I've found that Shiraz/Syrah wines tend to fit the bill. What's interesting about this wine is that it's quite sweet but yet I still really enjoyed it. More specifically, it has a strong dark cherry/stone fruit flavor when it hits your tongue, but a tart, meaty (maybe oaky?) finish that seems to balance the sweetness. I'm bad with the whole tannin thing, so maybe it's the tannins that balance out the sweetness, but I don't think so. That being said, wikipedia says Syrah wines are known for their high tannic content, so I'm probably wrong. Whatever it is, I really like this one, and if you're fortunate to find one for the price I paid, I'd grab it in a heartbeat. On the patented Chibebräu Wine scale (skip it, only if it's on sale, or buy it again), I'm rating this one: buy it again.

So there you go, the first Chibebräu wine review. Here's to many more!

Welcome to Chibebräu Wine!

Just a quick introduction... Leah and I are homebrewers who blog at chibebrau.blogspot.com. Despite our love of beer, we occasionally crave a good bottle of wine (usually red, usually dry, usually under $15, usually with Italian food). My method of purchasing wine can be described as follows:

1. Decide if I want a red or white.

2. If I want a white, skip to step 6.

3. If I want a red, go to local grocery store/drug store (or, if I'm feeling fancy, the local liquor store).

4. Find every wine that's regularly more than $10 but is on sale for less than $10.

5. Pick the wine with the largest difference between regular price and sale price (skipping Merlot unless it's a way expensive Merlot that's significantly on sale).

6. If in the mood for a white, decide if I want a Riesling or something else.

7. If I want a Riesling, pick the cheapest one that's Trocken (dry) or Halb Trocken (half-dry). [Note: this usually requires going to a halfway decent liquor store.]

8. If I don't want a Riesling, or if I can't go to a good liquor store, look for any white that's under $10 and described as dry and, preferably, oaky.

So there you have it. As you can tell, I'm not a very sophisticated wine consumer. However, I'm planning on using this blog to keep track of the wines I try so I can be a more informed consumer in the future. If you happen to stumble upon this blog, I hope you find it helpful (either for buying wine yourself or curing insomnia). If you're a wine expert and you can't believe I think a certain wine is good, take pity on me. And if you're a wine expert whose idea of a good beer is Heineken or Stella Artois, consider us even.