Wine Review - McGuigan Black Label

Wine is an acquired taste, some people hate it, some people love it. My personal taste? I love it! Today I decided to review McGuigain Black Label, an Australian made wine. I took a trip to the ‘little BOTTLER’ just down my road and bought myself a bottle, which set me back around $11. I poured myself a cup, here are my thoughts…

The Appearance:

McGuigan has a nice distinctive red-black colour. It has a very concentrated colour that can easily be seen through when being poured.

The Smell:

McGuigan smells delightful; it has a nice, soft, subtle scent of cinnamon and vanilla, accompanied by a distinctive red berry and raspberry scent.

The Taste:

When first taking a sip, I immediately notice the wine holds a soft velvety texture. It is immediately followed by an overwhelming taste of berry, partnered up with a subtle trace of cinnamon and vanilla. The taste is exquisite, perfectly balanced and a pleasure to the taste-buds.

Drinkability:

The wine makes a beautiful double combo when eaten with a steak (cooked medium rare, just the way I like it!). By itself, it still makes one hell of a wine. I look forward to finishing off the rest of this bottle.

Overall:

Lovers of wine would absolutely adore this fine bottle of McGuigan Black Label. The flavours, aroma and texture of the wine make it a pleasure to the tastebuds and nose. It is a must for wine
enthusiasts, as well as normal everyday wine drinkers. I give it 4 out of 5 “Thumbs Up”!

- Steven


Image sourced from: http://www.mcguiganwines.com.au/Portals/7/McGuigan%20Images/Bottle%20Images/Black%20Label%20Merlot.png

Beer Review - James Squires Golden Ale

Today I will be reviewing James Squires Golden Ale. I had the privilege of tasting this fine micro brew beer at the James Squires Brew House located on King Street Wharf in Sydney. The beer is a microbrew which means that it is a beer that is produced by a small local brewery, or microbrewery. The beer is styled in an American Pale Ale fashion with 4.5% alcohol content. This tasting was from a tap.

The Appearance:

When poured the beer comes out a beautiful clear golden amber colour which when poured correctly will give you a half centimetre white head. Although the head does not persist long, it does leave some modest lacing.

The Smell:

The aroma of the beer contains a fine blend of light citrus, floral hops and some gentle bready malt.

The Taste:

The flavours can be a little bland, but have traces of fruity, honey style of sweetness which produces a balanced flavour without anything dominating. The hops help to give a light citrus character.

Drinkability:

While it was drinkable I found that the flavours and the aromas are a little lacklustre and mundane. It seems that to give a balanced taste, it has not given it a distinguishing character.

Overall it is a nice beer, but if it had a stronger more defined taste to it the beer could rank up highly on a list of microbrew beers. I give the Golden Ale a 3 out of 5 “Thumbs Up”!

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, and don’t be afraid to try James Squires Golden Ale down at the James Squires Brew House.

-Gabe



Image sourced from: http://www.jamessquire.net.au/images/beer/james-squire-golden-ale.jpg