Sixty-Second Swirl by Brent Lello, Yass Valley Times Wine Columnist
I am sure many of us who reside in the Yass Valley region have made a quick day trip or weekend getaway down to Jugiong, less than an hour’s drive southbound along the Hume Highway. With great food, wine, accommodation options, and proximity to us, this place is a super-popular stop-over for folks traveling from far and wide and for those of us taking a short day or night trip from within our region. While on a recent family camp-out, I ventured into the Jugiong Wine Cellar store.
The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and the racks are stacked with wine wares and gourmet products from around the region. What caught my eye was their own range of wines under the JW Cellars label and a bargain was to be had on the day with three bottles for $40. One of them is the subject of this week’s “swirl” – the JW Cellar Pinky Promise Shiraz 2020.
This ripping little red is a deeply dark red in the glass- almost opaque – with purple flashes at the edge. A swirl reveals a whack from the spice rack, including freshly cracked pink peppercorns, crushed cloves and a shake of star anise. Then comes the layers of fruit with ripe black plum, blackberry and dark cherry. The palate is smooth and rich with loads of blue and black fruit flavours, great balance of acidity and supple tannins leading to a full-flavoured, throat-warming and satisfying finish.
We enjoyed our bottle with a gourmet cheese and charcuterie platter, but this would go really well with a tomato-based, slowly braised lamb shoulder or chargrilled lamb cutlets. So, on your next trip down along Jugiong’s Riverside Drive call in and check out their offerings – you’ll be glad you did. For more information, check out their website: https://www.jugiongwinecellar.com.au/
