By Margaret Swaine
Spring 2007 ClubLink NewsLink
After a good game of golf on a hot day there’s nothing better than a cool one – either beer or white wine. With a meal however many of us turn to red. Red wines match best with the meats and BBQ fare ubiquitous at charity golf tournaments and mixed members days. Summer heat is a factor though so I prefer and recommend reds that have mellow tannins with ripe berry notes. Wines with these characteristics include Australian, Californian or Chilean shiraz, shiraz blends or cabernets.
It’s a natural then that one of Australia’s top wineries, Penfolds, is linked to golf. This is the third year of Penfolds’ sponsorship of the Canadian Open and the CN Canadian Women’s Open. Divot tools can be found on the neck of some of Penfolds’ Koonunga Hill wines and other golf give-aways are part of Penfolds golf programming. The winery, founded in 1844 is one of the most famous Down Under. Their premium reputation was firmly established in the 1950’s when Grange and later the Bin label wines were created by Max Schubert, the winemaker at the time. Grange is an icon, recognized by wine experts and collectors as among the finest reds on the planet. This year Penfolds Grange will celebrate its 51st commercial vintage with the release of the 2002 vintage in May. However as Grange sells at around $300 a bottle I tend to look to the Bin series and other Penfolds labels for my imbibing.
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Thomas Hyland Shiraz 2004 is bargain priced at around twenty dollars. It’s plummy with notes of chocolate, oak and vanilla in its interwoven savoury flavours. The smoky warmth, spiced berry aspects and smooth tannins add to its appeal. Even more value priced is the Koonunga Hill line from south eastern Australia that sells in the sixteen-dollar range. Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2004 has fruitcake tastes with savoury berry and smoky spice, all well balanced and ready to drink. Koonunga Hill Cabernet Merlot 2004 has soft sweetness that tempers its herbaceous flavours.
In a similar fashion, value priced red wines from Chile include those of Carmen, Errazuriz, Santa Rita, Casa Lapostolle and Casillero del Diablo. The latter, a label of Chilean wine giant Concha y Toro sponsors a golf event in Ontario and has developed a line of golf related give-aways. All these Chilean producers have reds under twenty dollars which are consistently good. With these kinds of choices there’s no problem finding that smooth, flavourful red to marry with a protein rich chunk of meat.