I enjoyed Majestic’s Lady Sauvignon from Chile, and as this wine had the same label artist I thought I’d give it a go. Once again, my tendency to be won over by label art is not something that I’m proud of and not a strategy I’d recommend to others … but it’s so pretty.
I do worry about the youth of today, imagine buying music based entirely on the hideous tinny noise that comes out of ear buds and MP3 players, with only PR driven social media feeds to look at. Cover art was a big part of my record buying youth. I thought the shift down to CD sized art was a low point, but I was wrong. If your cover art will only ever be seen at postage stamp size on a phone, if at all, why not just chuck up a selfie and be done with it. Perhaps I should start a charitable organisation for photographers, artists and graphic designers put out of work by a decline in the need for good cover art. In the meantime I’ll support wine label artists instead. I digress.
Mr Shiraz is a fresh ripe purple colour. It smells of vanilla and black fruit. It’s dry with a medium acidity. The tannins are soft. The alcohol level is just above medium, which gives it a bit of extra mouthfeel and warmth. This wine tastes almost like a merlot in its plumminess, the fruit is forward and fleshy. There’s spice too, a light pepperiness that sits nicely with the sweet vanilla.
If it was up to me I’d probably call this Senor Syrah rather than Mr Shiraz.
At £10 a bottle I’d say this wasn’t a good deal, but I’ve never paid more than £7 at Majestic, and at that price it’s a good deal. And pretty too.
Oh, if you came here looking for “Mr Shiraz”, Leeds punk sensation then I’d hate to disappoint you, so here you go …
