A Brief Australian Fling

by Peter Pharos
I love Australia, because it shows you what California would look like if the South had won the Civil War. You get so few good counterfactuals in history. And I love...
90

2016 Specially Selected Maremma Toscana Riserva, Maremma, Tuscany

( £7.99, 14%, Aldi )

How does Aldi do it? Very few, if any retailers are as good at sourcing bargain wines from around the world. This is an ambitious Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese with 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz and Alicante Bouschet from coastal Maremma. Rich, serious and dense, with classically savoury tannins, plum, raspberry and tobacco leaf flavours and a dusting of cinnamon sweetness.

BuyDrinking window: 2021-25Similar Wines: £5-£10, 90-94, Italy, Red, Alicante Bouschet, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Shiraz
93

2020 Bugalugs by Tim Smith, Barossa Valley

( £18.95 or £17.95 by the case, 14%, Lea & Sandeman )

If you think Barossa Shiraz is all about power and intensity, this wine from Tim Smith will come as a welcome surprise. Graceful, elegant and refined, it’s deceptively forward and easy to drink with the faintest touch of oak, fine-grained tannins, bramble and red berry fruit and impressive poise and precision. You could tuck some away for a few years and it will reward patience. There’s still some of the very good 2019 on the market, but wait for the 2020 if you can.

BuyDrinking window: 2021-26Similar Wines: £15-20, 90-94, Australia, Red, Shiraz