Australian Wine Tasting at Cafe Maxx

These tastings at the Cafe Maxx for $35 are the best value of any event that we do. You get to try 8 different wines at the same time, pre-poured so they have a chance to open up and so you can go back through the line-up to get a second and third look at everything. This is how you learn about wine and with master chef Oliver Saucy sending out a few small courses to accompany the wines, you get a taste of Cafe Maxx and an education in wine all at the same time. A great way to spend happy hour.

Tonight we will feature wines from some of the world's best Shiraz/Syrah producers and some of the best GSM or rhone blends which is what the Aussie's do best big and bold.   This is a pre-poured sit down tasting and is limited to 25 tasters, the fee for this tasting is $35 + Gratuity + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463.

2014 Penfolds Bin 51 Riesling
Price: $37.50

Citrus bursts with lime juice aplenty! Fine, long and linear natural acid encompassing the entire length of the palate – talc, slate, mineral – brilliant! One for the ages - classic Australian bone dry Riesling. Classic Eden Valley!

2013 Penfolds Bin 311 Chardonnay
Price: $37.50

Bin 311 Chardonnay is sourced from a single cool-climate region and each year the fruit selection is made to reflect the Bin 311 style. In 2013, fruit sourcing has come from Tumbarumba – one of Australia’s most exciting cool-climate, high altitude viticultural districts. Penfolds has worked with Chardonnay from Tumbarumba since the early 1990s. The Bin 311 style typically exhibits a mineral acid backbone, complemented by barrel fermentation and maturation in seasoned oak. Minimal filtration is employed, preserving elegant fruit flavours.

D'Arenberg Footbolt Shiraz McLaren Vale 2012     
Price: $21.00    Sale $18.48    Case $215

Make no mistake, Shiraz is still king when it comes to McLaren Vale! And the 2012 vintage of The Footbolt is the perfect example of why.

Laden with dark cherries, rhubarb, plums and aniseed, complemented by a lick of fine, subtle oak and lifted with a sprinkling of pepper and spice.

Two Hands Shiraz Gnarly Dudes Barossa Valley     
Price: $37.50    Sale $33.00    Case $383

Gnarly Dudes is made with fruit sourced from mature vineyards from the Barossa's western ranges. The palate is filled with rich flavours of spice, black pepper, raspberry, plum and liquorice allsorts.

Terlato Chapoutier Shiraz/Viognier
Price: $20.25    Sale $17.82    Case $207

A spicy Shiraz from the vineyards of Central Victoria is brightened by a boost of Viognier for aroma and balance, as is often practiced in France’s most highly regarded appellation of the Northern Rhône Valley, Côte Rôtie. The grapes grown in this Australian vineyard were planted on 19th century French rootstocks, another nod to French tradition and influence in this new world wine. This wine is a collaborative effort between two renowned wine families: Chapoutier from the Rhône Valley in France, and the Terlato family of Napa Valley in California.

Yalumba GSM The Strapper    
Price: $21.00    Sale $18.48    Case $215

The Strapper in thoroughbred parlance is the reliable and trustworthy member of the team - not generally in the limelight. The Strapper, Barossa Valley GSM is not the showy type, rather the wine that the winemakers drink, when they're not having a Riesling or an ale. Authentic Barossa Shiraz is sandwiched between the understated fragrant perfume of Grenache and the earthy, rustic tannins of Mataro - a well bred, strapping and savoury wine.

2011 Penfolds Bin 138 GSM
Price: $37.50    Sale $33.00

Unusually for Penfolds, all three varieties are matured independently, owing to their tendency to mature at different times on the vine and the need to mature under different conditions in the barrel.

Mourvèdre will often contribute a unique combination of violet-like floral notes and a range of earthy, savoury complexities. Structurally it can be lean and sinewy, providing a worthy frame upon which shiraz and grenache can sit. Grenache is typically lighter in colour and body, presenting the perfume of the wine and is often the first component noticed when the wine is poured. Shiraz provides the body and shape of the wine.

Bin 138 is more of a fruit-driven style than the other Bin wines and displays a chalkier tannin texture. Its rich, earthy nature becomes more nuanced with age.

2012 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz
Price: $75.00    Sale Price: $50.00

Bin 389 is often referred to as ‘Poor Man’s Grange’ or ‘Baby Grange’, in part because components of the wine are matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage of Grange. First made in 1960, by the legendary Max Schubert, this was the wine that helped to forge Penfolds solid reputation with red wine drinkers

Combining the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon with the richness of Shiraz, Bin 389 also exemplifies the judicious balance of fruit and oak.