Scarborough 2009 yellow label Chardonnay (magnum)

That's a BIG bottle! No,  I didn't drink it all... 

Well, sadly,  I'm just not sold on this one. Which is a pity because Scarborough do some outstanding bottles of Chardonnay. 

It's overly rich,  it is frighteningly heavy, yellow, and leaves a slimey bitter taste at the end. 

Saying that,  I reckon this is a great bottle for  a party.  It is a good quoff if you like a typical Ozzie Chardonnay, and just because it isn't too my palate doesn't mean it is a bad bottle.  

Liqourland: McGuigan Black label 2014 (red)

RRP:  $8.00

Lets start by stating the bloody obvious.  This wine was $8.  Yup, 8 dollars. Furthermore, a quick search on good old google brings up the 2013 for a mere $5 on Dan Murphy's.  

I'll be blunt; I tend to not buy wines that don't list the the grape varieties used on its label, and i'll be honest in saying that I didn't buy this bottle.  The bloke needed a cooking wine and bought it without supervision. I'm so glad he did as what a lovely surprise!!  It is drinkable, it is fruity, it is medium bodied with a nice finish and it has no real harsh chemical toilet taste either. Win win so far... I could happily have a glass or two of this by itself, and I reckon it would go lovely with pasta.

  

Having a guess at the grapes used, I'd say that there is a decent dollop of merlot and cab sav.  Possibly some grenache or colder climate shiraz as it does have some length.  This wine is definitely NOT a harsh, young, full of tannin hunter shiraz that scrapes down the back of your throat. Give it a shot, its enjoyable and versatile enough for drinking AND cooking!  That's a first for me :)

Warning: it is def not a dry red, and some might say it is sweet.  I don't think so, it is just a lot more flavoursome that some might expect.

I reckon it will give you a stonking headache though... hopefully there will be some left after cooking for the test!