Wine, Beer and Restaurant Reviews

Stump Jump Shiraz with Asian Style Grilled Skirt Steak Recipe

Stump Jump Shiraz by d'Arenberg vineyards of Mclaren Vale was selected as #82 in Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2009.

It goes perfectly with grilled meats like the grilled Asain Style Skirth steak, see recipe and video below. We also really like it with Barbecued ribs and hamburgers. 

We love d'Arenberg and wines from Mclaren Vale.

Find this wine at Magniolia's Wines in Upper Montclair

Recommended Australian Red Wine Tasting at Magnolia's in Montclair, NJ

At the end of the day my favorite red wine is Australian Shiraz. Especially those from Mclaren Vale.  

Here is a chance to try two very good and well priced Australian red wines including a favorite by R wines.

Magnolia’s Weekly In-Store Tasting
Saturday, January 8: 2:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Featured this week: Two Terrific Australian Reds

Hesketh Shiraz 2006 Usual Suspects

Here is a really exceptional Australian Shiraz that you can find for under $20.00.

I love the names and labels the Aussie's come up with for their wines.

I didn't pick this just because it shares a name with one of my favorite movies Usual Suspects but I bet that Keyser Söze would like this wine and if you have seen the movie you know that we like to keep Keyser happy.

The wine is described as "meaty, lush Shiraz with exceptional balance and flavor.Scrumptious with washed rind cheeses. "

Shiraz (Syrah) Part 3 , D’Arenberg - The Stump Jump from McLaren Vale, Australia.

McLaren Vale is one of my very favorite wine regions. I have a dream to live there some day. They say it is where the "Vine meets the Sea" and locals say “It's a secret you don't want anyone to know about sometimes...” or “It's a culmination of eccentric people who love to play, and love to get the most out of life...” My kind of place for sure.

D’Arenberg is one of the most significant wineries in McLaren Vale. Their slogan or mission, The Art of Being Different, is surely realized in this wine, The Stump Jump Red a Grenache, Shiraz & Mourvedre blend. A wine of the Rhone Valley with that wonderful Aussie flair.  

Three Great Syrah Blend Wines from Australia, South Africa and Portugal.

Syrah is a very storied grape. Wine aficionados will fervently debate its origins.

 As the legend goes "From Syracuse in Sicily? Perhaps, since the name "syrac" is also a synonym for this grape. From Shiraz in Iran? Legend supports this possibility, recounting that the grape was brought back from the Persian Gulf in the 13th century during the Crusades by the Chevalier de Sterimberg who retired to the hillside of the Hermitage. In any case, this is the origin of another synonym for the syrah grape: Hermitage rouge. A final hypothesis: the grape was introduced into France in the 3rd century when the Emperor Probus authorized the planting of vines in Gaul. But that still wouldn't rule out a Sicilian or Persian origin! Whatever the true story, no one denies that syrah has southern origins, borne out by its extraordinary development in all the warm wine-producing regions of the world. " Eric Cullen, Decanting the Mysteries of Syrah and Petite Sirah.  

Tonight these wines went perfectly with this delicious Southern dish called Country Captain with Cauliflower and Pea. It has an Indian influence