Shiraz you like it …

I WAS going to write a traditional end-of-year column about Champagne but, for some reason, Australian shiraz seemed much more fun, so let’s raise a glass to fruit, fun and a fresh start.

My first experience of shiraz or syrah was probably the same as many of you – a thin, tannic beast from the south of France with enough pepper on the finish to partner a steak – but then along came the Aussies with their fruit-driven creations, God bless their cotton socks. They put the fun back into everyday priced wine after the French had sucked the life out of it in the 1970s, 80s, 90s and Noughties. They even expanded into making world-class wines such as Grant Burge Meshach and his Black Monster Shiraz and now there are just too many to choose from.

It’s not as if the signs of potential weren’t already there, mind you, because one of the world’s finest wines, Penfolds Grange, was first made in Australia way back when dinosaurs ruled the earth. While it’s planted in most of the wine regions in the land down under, my favourites tend to come from the Coonawarra, Hunter Valley and of course the all-time heavyweight champion of the grape, the Barossa Valley.

The Barossa must have been created by divine hand specifically for shiraz because the wines there display more fruit and nuances than even the finest winemakers can extract anywhere else in the world. You can almost imagine the relief in the heavens when the first vines were planted. I can see one angel saying to another, “See, I told you they would figure it out!”

Anyway, here’s a couple of stunners to start 2020 with and I hope you’ve all had a cracking Christmas and

New Year.

Thompson Estate Four Chambers Shiraz

Liquorice and black cherries on the nose with spicy blackcurrant fruits and velvety plush tannins on the palate. A gorgeous wine

Villeneuve Wines, Peebles and

Edinburgh £12

The Black Shiraz, Berton Vineyards

Ripe plums, autumn fruits and soft tannins in one of the best-dressed bottles around. What more could you ask?

Co-op £8