Barossa: the Land of Wines

The picturesque Barossa region located in the South Australia, is one of the main wine-growing regions in the world. It incorporates the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley which lends it a uniqueness in terms of the climate having both warm and cool climate neighbouring regions. Hectares of land covered with the beautiful vineyards make it a favourite tourist spot. The Barossa Valley region houses more than 150 wineries of which some are very old and renowned. One can find some of the award winning wineries and restaurants in this region.

The Barossa region has a rich history which dates back to 1842. The first wine was introduced here by the European immigrants who left behind them a rich legacy of wine and food. With seven generations of wine-makers having been worked upon this land, it inhabits some of the oldest vines of the world and around century old cellars. World’s oldest vineyards of Shiraz wine are located in this region. Australia is known throughout the world for its best Barossa Shiraz wines. Apart from the star performer Shiraz, this region is also known for grape varieties like Reisling, Grenache, Semillon,  Mourvedre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Fortified wines.

Some of the best Barossa award winning Shiraz wines are listed below:

Wine	Award	Price
Bethany GR12 Reserve Shiraz 2008	Gold Medal	$93.17
Rolf Binder Icon Hanisch Shiraz 2012	97 Points	$97.99
1847 Pappy’s Paddock Shiraz 2013	Trophy and Gold Medal	$40
Jacob’s Creek Centenary Hill Shiraz 2012	Gold Medal	$65.36

With some of the oldest and world’s best winery along with great contemporary food artisans, Barossa region can be pronounced as a perfect gastronomic delight. This rare collection of world’s best Shiraz wines is exclusively available on Just Wines website. Try it now!

All you Need to Know About Organic Wines

What is an organic wine? Organic wines are the ones in which the grapes used are grown using organic methods of farming. Thus, the grapes are grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. Environment friendly methods are used to produce grapes. For instance, they allow small sheeps in their farms in order to clear the weeds and grass. Even the winemaking process in making organic wines includes minimal interference where the wines are fermented by natural yeast. 

The organic wines help in sustainable growth. The chemicals over a period of time depreciate the quality of soil. The organic methods not only help in preserving the soil but it also lends unique characteristics to the wine. With no use of chemicals, it offers a pure and clear essence of the varietal used and reflects its terroir. Today, best organic wines in Australia are produced and known worldwide. 

Their are legal certifications which the wine maker needs to get in order to promote their wine as organic. Promoting a wine as organic without getting it certified is illegal. These certifying organisations carry out audits to check whether the vineyards producing organic wines comply by the rules laid down by the organisation as well as the department of agriculture. The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA) and Australian Certified Organic (ACO) are prominent organic certifying bodies in Australia. Before buying an organic wine, one must check whether it carries the certification marks on the label.

Earlier, organic wines did not had a good reputation in Australian wine markets. However, these days there is a growing interest towards organic wines with some of the best organic wines coming from Australia. The customer today has become more aware and educated showing a growing interest towards the organic products.  

The art of tasting a red wine

Talking about wines, Red Wines are the most popular of all around the world. From vine to wine, it goes through long procedures to achieve that particular luxurious taste. The winemakers have been practicing and experimenting with the techniques to create their masterpieces. Tasting a red varietal in itself is like an art. Here are a few tips on how to taste a wine.

The label:
Even if you are not a wine expert, you can know a lot about the wine from its label. A few things which you can notice on the label are
The vintage- it tells you when the wine has been harvested.
Its origin- whether it comes from a colder or warmer region affects the taste of the wine.

Pour and tilt the glass:

Tilt your glass and notice the colour of the wine over a white background. The colour of the wine tells us about its age. A wine with more vibrant or intense colours is younger and as the wine ages it tends to lose its colour.

Sense the aromas:

Take a sniff of your wine. But before doing so, swirl the wine once. It would help the aromas of the wine to rise. Now bring your nose closer to the glass and smell the aromas. The aromas tell a lot about the flavours you can expect from that wine. You may feel fruity aromas or floral aromas. Maybe aromas of leather, spice or earth as well.

Taste the wine:

Finally, it’s time to time to taste the wine. But do not swallow it altogether. The wine consists of various flavours. It might be sweet, acidic, sour or dry. Allow the wine to stay in your mouth for a while so that you are able to enjoy all the flavours.

Finale:

Here comes the conclusion where you can talk about the texture, taste and your overall experience with the wine. The above wine tasting process can be followed for different wine varietals like the reds progressing towards whites, sparkling, and fortified's. Experimenting with different wines will make you smarter wine taster over time. It will help you to discover the subtle aromas and flavours present in wines.