A South Australia Verdelho

Verdelho, a different white...

Verdelho Grapes

Our stock of Australian wine is slowly but surely getting lower. Along the way there have been both positive and negative surprises. Today’s wine comes from a major Australian winery that was founded by a medical doctor well over 150 years ago. As you will read below, the (white) Verdelho grape was originally Portuguese. You might want to visit the producer’s website for lots of detailed information on their wines. However, because I bought this wine about three years ago the site does not provide information on this specific wine and vintage. Hunter Valley is north of Sydney in southwestern Australia. Despite its fertile soil, hot climate, and high yields its wines are often quite good. Today’s companion wine is a South African Chenin Blanc priced at about $10.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed
Lindeman’s Reserve Verdelho 2005 13.5% alcohol about $14

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Description: The Verdelho grape made the journey from its native Portugal to Australia sometime in the 19th century. Today, it remains an important variety in Hunter Valley where it makes vibrant, full-bodied wines like this one. Perfect for summer time, it’s fresh and fragrant with tropical fruit aromas and flavors, lively acidity and a clean, lingering finish. Enjoy with pasta salad. And now for my review.

Just so you know, I needed a serious pair of pliers to twist off the cap. At the first sips this wine was very powerful and tasted of honeysuckle. The initial meal started with tomatoey barbecued chicken wings. In response the Verdelho was long and mouth filling. When faced with a similarly prepared chicken breast, this wine provided honeysuckle and some tropical fruit. With the accompanying potatoes roasted in chicken fat its honeysuckle taste intensified and it offered good acidity that dealt well with the grease. When paired with a fresh tomato the wine was sweet and barely acidic. I tasted honey as well as honeysuckle.

My next meal was a boxed vegetarian lasagna containing ricotta and mozzarella cheese to which I added lots of grated parmesan cheese. The Verdelho was very long and multilayered. It offered honeysuckle, but was slightly harsh. Could this be the taste of unripe honeysuckle? Now its acidity was round and I tasted slightly green apples. The first dessert of fresh strawberries brought out the wine’s sweetness and softened its acidity. When faced with the second dessert, chocolate macaroons, the wine weakened but was still round and somewhat fruity.

My final meal centered on an omelet with plenty of ground chilies. The Verdelho showed round acidity and had good length and light fruit. In the presence of black Kalamata (Greek) olives the wine tried to assert its presence but wasn’t really there. When paired with a store-bought, somewhat spicy, guacamole, the wine provided a little more fruit with each sip.

The first cheese was a bland white cheddar. In response, the wine was light and tasted of apples. When facing a Muenster, this wine was long and pleasant.

Final verdict. I would definitely buy this wine again, perhaps because I am partial to Verdelho. Some of the pairings were quite good.

Access the companion wine A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wine - A South African Chenin Blanc

About the Author

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine websites include
www.theworldwidewine.com    and    http://www.wineinyourdiet.com

Visit his website devoted to Italian travel www.travelitalytravel.com

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