Jester Shiraz

Recently I was sipping at one of my favorite Old Town wine-haunts- Vermillion.  The ever-affable General Manager, Dave Hammond brought over a new Shiraz (not even on the list yet) that was simply UNREAL.  Called Jester, this Aussie Shiraz is made in the ripasso method (grapes are air dried before pressing).  Airing out the grapes actually dries them out and gives it’s juice a extracted concentration that packs an amazing wallop.  Ripasso method is normally reserved for Amarone and seen on Valpolicella, so Jester’s employing a pretty extreme experiment - and it works beautifully on this wine.  I am predicting we’ll see more ripasso produced wines around soon.  Give Jester a shot if big, juicy round wines float your boat.

Mitolo Jester - $18.99

McClaren Vale,  Australia

Cheers,

 The Vino Vixen™ is Mari Stull – Syndicated wine columnist, correspondent for Wine Taste TV, and member of the Society of Wine Educators.  See her picks in this month’s Travel Girl Magazine  and BlueSky Magazine.  Have a wine question or comment for Mari?  She can be reached at VinoVixen@vinovixen.com.