The stats

The wine: Clonakilla 2016 Hilltops Shiraz
Type: Shiraz
Location: Hilltops, Australia
Price: $$
Find it: Most bottle stores

The verdict

The occasion: Christmas movies and takeout
First impression: Full of fruit
You’ll enjoy it if: You enjoy wines that linger long after you’ve taken a sip

This week I am reviewing a wine that is a bit of a classic when it comes to Australian wines. I don’t normally drink wines from classic Australian producers as I usually tend to enjoy trying new wines. I don’t know why this is, because when I had this wine it completely knocked my socks off! It goes to show that some of those well-established wineries in the Australian wine scene hold their own, and probably will for the years to come. I mean, there is a reason they are so renowned! This one, in particular, is the Clonakilla 2016 Hilltops Shiraz.

I think the reason I normally avoid the wines from renowned Australian winemakers because of the price. Well, you are in for a treat with this one, because you can usually pick it up for around $30 a bottle! That’s right, although a lot of established Australian wineries normally come with a price tag, you can grab this great wine for a price that won’t break the bank. What are you waiting for? Oh right, probably for my review. Well, here we go!

A classic wine from an unexpected wine region

I have to admit, I had to look up where the wine region that this wine was from was located because I had never heard of it. Yep, I’ll admit it, I really don’t know everything. But I learnt something new today! The Hilltops region is outside of Canberra and has been coined one of the ‘must-watch’ wine regions of Australia. Speaking of which, I should probably add it to my wine bucket list stat!

One of the most famous wineries in this area is Clonakilla. It’s all making sense now because I was introduced to this wine by my partner’s cousin who lives in Canberra. She is always telling us how great the wine is there and how we need to visit, so it’s understandable that she’d be getting us to try wines from her local region! She had given my partner’s brother a bottle from Clonakilla, he and his wife became obsessed, and now they are buying it regularly. This benefits me because I’m often having movie nights with his wife and she always brings over interesting bottles of wine to try!

The wine she brought over this time was the Clonakilla 2016 Hilltops Shiraz. Now, this is a little fancier than what I would normally pair with a Christmas movie night and takeout, but who’s complaining? I definitely feel like it made watching the sequel of the Christmas Prince a lot better, not that this would be too difficult (look it’s worth watching once, but definitely have some good wine on hand).

Why I loved it

This wine surprised me in its colour and delicious flavour. The colour is a beautiful, deep plum and it is quite heavy in the glass. However, it isn’t as strong or heavy as some other shiraz that I’ve had. It definitely was far sweeter than peppery and had a lot of sweeter sort of spice flavours.

The great thing about this wine is that the flavour lingers long after you’ve taken a sip. It packs a lot of tannins that hit you straight up, but the delicate flavours linger for a while on your tongue. It makes the wine absolutely delicious and something that you can really savour.

Because of the ripe flavours, you could definitely keep this wine for a few years and allow the more savoury flavours of the wine to develop. They are there at the moment but quite subtle. I would be interested to see the difference in the fruity flavours if this wine was aged.

What to pair it with

Whilst I enjoyed drinking this wine over a Netflix Christmas movie and some takeout, I think it would be far more enjoyable when paired with a meat dish. This wine is the sort of wine that really complements food. Definitely, something like beef or lamb, as the sweetness of the wine would cut through the heaviness of the meat.

That being said, because the wine isn’t as heavy as a normal shiraz, you can get away with drinking it without food. I think however the experience would be better sitting down to a nice meal with friends or family. This is something that is more special than a wine to enjoy over a movie and takeout.

Final verdict

The Clonakilla 2016 Hilltops Shiraz surprised me in more ways than one. I am a lover of international varieties, particularly Italian and Spanish, and so I often forget to try the wines that Australia is so well-known for. I also don’t normally go for the wines from well-known producers because I like to try boutique wineries. But this wine from Clonakilla was absolutely beautiful, and a complete game changer for me. It’s shown me that I need to look more at Australian wines and start trying outside of my comfort zone.

Also, if all the wines from Canberra are this good, I think I need to book a ticket there stat!

Australian wine

The Clonakilla 2016 Hilltops Shiraz is a classic

A classic wine from an unexpected wine region

Why I loved it

What to pair it with

Final verdict

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