I am lucky enough to have many friends who love wine as much as I do, but one of my friends in particular is on similar subscribe-to-wine-box and may-as-well-have-a-wine-room level of wine lover as me, and I had her over the other weekend for what was meant to be a wine that turned into multiple bottles. But the reason she brought wine over was because she came to me with a problem, a terrible problem. You see, she had a lot of red wine but she didn’t have anyone to drink it with. It was a problem I was all too happy to help with, because I’m a good person you know? But she brought over a beautiful bottle of red that I enjoyed so much I figured it was worth sharing on the blog so that you could enjoy it too!

The wine is from McLaren Vale which was the first flag to me that I would probably enjoy it. I don’t mean to generalise, but I find I enjoy all the wines I try from McLaren Vale, and I’ve definitely tried a few. There are some really great wineries down there and they are consistently producing amazing wines that I always seem to enjoy. I told my partner we need to get down there to enjoy this wine region as a next stop on our list, so hopefully we make it down soon to experience it in person!

Vinrock rocked my world

This week I’m reviewing the Vinrock McLaren Vale Grenache Shiraz Matero 2015. I wasn’t sure about the Mataro, but don’t be fooled. Matero is just another name for the traditional  Mourvedre variety from France. I Googled it. You learn something new everyday! I find that GSMs can be quite heavy, but this one I felt was medium bodied. This means it would go well with anything from a steak to pasta. An all-rounder wine!

What I loved about it

This wine is oaked which gives it strong flavours both when you smell it (think deep, dark smells) and when you drink it. The flavours are strong and really last on the tongue. It means that this wine is quite enjoyable to drink as you get the flavours long after you’ve drunk it. I personally loved how it was strong in taste but not too heavy which meant the flavours really shone through and lingered without being overpowering.

The verdict

This wine is unassuming and something I would normally pass by in the bottle shop. I’m usually like a little kid and drawn to bright and colourful labels you see. I find I often glance over simple labels at a bottle shop as I don’t know which ones are good. So it is great to try a wine I wouldn’t normally try and have such a great one! I will definitely be trying this one again, and putting Vinrock on our list of wineries to visit on our future winery trip to McLaren Vale!