talian wines paved the way for my wine education, but last night my friend Eric Guido provided a detour for me: A blind tasting of six Australian wines from the famed Barossa Valley. All six were reds and either 100% Shiraz or a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Table MORE >>

Very interesting tasting of Australian wines Susan Barros organized today for the first Wine Australia Tasting of 2011 -- Unusual Varietals and Classic Blends. have to say that after tasting these wines, I rushed to the office to break out my James Halliday "Wine Atlas of Australia!" How do the wines taste? Shiraz Blend. MORE >>

Australian wine, with Shiraz as the signature grape, has experienced a decline in sales over the past couple of years. was happy to have the chance to check in with Syrah by organizing a small tasting at a private residence last week. The Carlei , Heathcote Shiraz, Green Vineyards 2003 from Victoria opened our tasting. MORE >>

Shiraz and Chardonnay account for half of the vineyard acres planted in Australia. For a quick taste of how the other half drinks, check out a piece that I wrote for Forbes.com. And if you’re feeling summery, surf on over to the James Beard blog for five of my summer wine picks. Nino Franco, Rustico, Prosecco. very popular. MORE >>

Many were accompanied by an asterisk, which indicate that they are the best wine from the estate that he has ever tasted as a barrel sample. Of course, tasting is a matter of opinion and others have expressed their views (captured, in part, in our tweet roundup ). He dismissed reports of high alcohol as being mostly “absurd.&#. MORE >>