Big Easy Radio Tempranillo Touriga

What do you do when you have a French man over for a drink? Well, you get out some Australian wine, of course. Over the weekend we had a couple over that we’ve met because our dogs don’t really like other dogs, but like each other. Seriously, our antisocial pups have brought us together, and we decided it was about time we had a glass of wine…or five! So we were looking through the wines we need to drink this year trying to decide on something to bring out of the wine room, and I laid my eyes on the Big Easy Radio Tempranillo Touriga 2016.

Since organising our wine cellar, it’s been great as we’ve had an excuse to drink those wines we’ve been saving. This was one of those wines. We didn’t get it on our recent trip to McLaren Vale, but it was one of those ones I’ve been hankering to open, and we finally had an opportunity! I’m actually surprised I’ve held out this long because this wine is one I’ve had my eye on for quite some time.

The Big Easy Radio Tempranillo Touriga 2016

The Big Easy Radio Tempranillo Touriga 2016 is a wine we got at the Good Food and Wine Show last year. We absolutely fell head over heels for Big Easy radio at the show and brought home a few bottles. I’ve been holding on to them because I didn’t want to open them for just anything, but because this is a bottle of wine better enjoyed now than later, it was time to crack it open.

The first thing you’ll notice about this wine is the bottles. Big Easy Radio wines don’t come in your typical wine bottle, and so immediately stand out. I love this because it matches their playful brand and laidback attitude to producing great wines. Their labels are great too, with different themes depending on the wine, and usually inanimate objects. The bright colours, the visual elements and the fun names all come together to make Big Easy Radio a unique producer, and one to watch!

They also produce a lot of wines using unusual grapes and blends, so every bottle offers something different. I have to say I haven’t had many Tempranillo Touriga blends, but now I have I want more!

Why I love it

The Big Easy Radio Tempranillo Touriga 2016 is a really unique wine, and punchier than many of the other Tempranillo wines I’ve had. It is definitely a great food wine with savoury notes, however I didn’t find it overbearing. Although it sits on the heavier side, it was very easy drinking. So even if you aren’t normally into heavy and bold wines, you might still enjoy this one.

You’ll get some great flavours of cherry and blueberry throughout this wine, followed by a sort of savoury note brought on by almost a leather, along with some black pepper. The wine’s flavours are quite concentrated, but there is a certain brightness to it that doesn’t make it overpowering. It’s bold and punchy, but not in an overwhelming way. I really enjoyed the fruity flavours of this wine, and I think you will too!

How quickly we polished off this bottle is a testament to how good it was. Before I felt like I’d even settled into the wine there was none left, which made me regretful that we hadn’t bought a case of this beauty!

What to enjoy it with

Although we had the Big Easy Radio Tempranillo Touriga 2016 before dinner, I think this is best suited to food. The savoury notes and bold flavours make it a perfect accompaniment to a meal. However, you could also easily enjoy it with some hard cheese. We paired it with some cured meats and cheese and I have to say it went quite well.

If you are wanting to pair it with a meal, BBQ would be the best bet. The peppery flavours of the wine would go well with a nice steak or grilled lamb.

All I can say is the Big Easy Radio Tempranillo Touriga 2016 went perfectly with winding down after a long work week!

The final word on the Big Easy Radio Tempranillo Touriga 2016

The Big Easy Radio Tempranillo Touriga 2016 is a really delicious and unique wine. If you’re looking to try something different, or just a sucker for labels, check out Big Easy Radio. This wine, and the others we’ve tried, definitely don’t disappoint.

This wine is perfect for lovers of bolder style wines with lots of flavours. It was the perfect accompaniment to a Friday night spent with new friends.