Where do I drink from here? It’s a question anyone who enjoys wine will inevitably ask after they’ve bought a particular bottle for the umpteenth time.
The easiest way to expand your wine horizons is to stick with what you already know. There isn’t a single winemaker who’s a one trick pony and just about every wine you like will have a bigger (and supposedly better) version of itself waiting in the wings.
But what do you get if you work your way up the liquid ladder?
Let’s take Wolf Blass as an example. For many, its 2007 Yellow Label Shiraz ($16.35 – $18.99) — with its dark black fruit and licorice spice — is a textbook example of what made the grape famously Australian. It’s created from fruit grown all over South Australia (a huge area) which helps keep it under $20.
The Wolf Blass 2006 Grey Label Shiraz ($34.80 – $39.99) takes the Yellow Label’s personality and increased it by, like, a thousand. Being made from grapes grown in one particular South Australian sub-region (McLaren Vale) gives it more concentration and depth to go along with its higher price tag.
Prices reflect the range across the country. Some products may not be available in all provinces.
Peter Rockwell is the everyman’s wine writer, working in the liquor industry for more than 25 years and travelling the globe looking for something to fill his glass and put into words.
