Is Shiraz the best allround wine?

[Mike]

Shiraz is too spicy (correct wine term? dunno) for my taste.

 

[jsphfcll]

You obviously dont drink wine.

wine should not be left open to oxidize... a fuller bottle will have less oxidation...(less oxygen in the bottle)

wine does not keep well after opened. the older the wine the longer it will last, but i wouldn't drink a bottle of wine older than 1 or 2 days opened.

obviously you do not drink wine.

 

[dynamicsoul]

Rioja

/endthread

 

[crackp0t]

I tend to prefer a Cabernet. But Shiraz every once in a while is good.

Where I live, we get Chilean wines cheap. Pretty much any Chilean wine in a glass bottle with a natural cork is going to be good, I've yet to try a bad one.

120 is one of my favorite go-to brands. Gato Negro (argentina), Corinthos, Frontera are also good and less costly. Undurago is also pretty good. I forgot the brand I get when I want something nice... (I'm a cheap bastard)

Gato Negro sounds as bad as Mad Dog. It probably tastes better though.

 

[amateursurgeon]

To expand on what I said earlier in the thread - the terroir & skill of the vintner is more important than the grape.

The flavour of a particular grape variety varies hugely depending on soil acidity, rainfall, temperature and hours of sunshine.

Many producers grow several varieties, and then alter the blend according to the year's crop. How the wine has been aged affects the end product as well.

A few random recommendations:

Château Musar (really flavoursome wine from Lebanon)
Maison Louis Jadot - mass-market, fairly consistent producer of Burgundy wines
Stuff from the Stellenbosch region of South Africa
Stephen De Wet's Arabella wines are all excellent
Stuff from the New Zealand Marlborough region