You’re no April Fool if you indulge in these wines

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This article was published 01/04/2016 (3666 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A young friend of mine shared a story with me recently about having a glass of wine at a friend’s place, thinking it was good — but just good — and then being shocked to discover what she’d been served was a beverage that was $150 a bottle.

She and I had a long discussion about my contention, stated more than once in this column, that a wine that’s $20 should taste twice as good as a $10 one, and a $50 wine should darn well taste twice as good as a $25 one, and so on. So I’d expect a $150 bottle should be six times as good as a $25 bottle. And honestly, that rarely happens.

Although cost is usually a good indicator of quality, it’s not the only determining factor — the size of a wine-making operation, its location, costs, shipping, tariffs, the age and aging potential of a wine, etc. can all play a role in the ultimate price tag.

And while many beverages that are expensive (at least from my perspective) don’t follow my ‘formula’ and aren’t worth double or triple or six times the money, there are a few gems that truly are.

I had the pleasure of trying a few of those recently, one courtesy of overly generous friends who have great taste and who spoil me frequently with new-to-me wines and who have to stop! (I’ll have that discussion with them privately rather than in this column). Don’t get me wrong — I LOVE trying the fabulous wines they share with me (and the good news here is I know they enjoy these high-quality beverages themselves, so perhaps I’m being immodest to suggest they’re buying these superb wines just for me, because we do consume them together), but there’s no need for them to go this far.

But the wine we tried a couple of weeks ago was absolutely superb. The 2013 Heartland Directors’ Cut Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia is perfectly luscious, full and round — a perfectly balanced wine. And talk about layers upon layers of flavour! Black fruit gives way to a blend of spices, to liquorice, finishing with the faintest hint of mint. I was — and am — madly in love with this wine. Even at $36.69, I think it’s worth every penny.

Then, of course, there’s the Francis Ford Coppola Director’s Cut (what is it with directors and their cuts, anyway?) Zinfandel, another full-bodied and juicy treat that combines mixed berries, especially sweet red cherries, with plums, delicate anise, chocolate, and peppery nutmeg. At $35.45, it’s not a wine I can afford often. But when I have it, I adore every prolonged sip. And believe me, I do my best to make the bottle last for hours.

And then there’s this beauty: the 2012 St. Hallett Blackwell Shiraz from Australia. The “little brother” to the famed and acclaimed St. Hallett Old Block, this is a big, fruity, forceful, in-your-face Shiraz that’s deep and opulent. Everything about this wine is intense, and yet it still manages to be smooth and oh-so-drinkable. Fabulous to sip on its own, the aromas and flavours of chocolate, blackberry, and raspberry, with hints of clove and anise the clove and anise notes really won me over — are irresistible.

The price tag is a little hefty for most of us — $41.99 a bottle — but again, it’s a case of you get what you pay for. And the St. Hallett Blackwell Shiraz is a delight.

It’s not foolish to invest in memorable experiences. And these wines provide just that. So go ahead. Indulge. Spoil yourself. You’re worth it. And so are these wines.

Diane Nelson is a longtime journalist and former Sun staffer who really likes wine. A lot.

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