Hi guys! Haven’t featured a wine in some time and I have tasted several since last time.
But I watched a movie last night about prohibition and gangsters and it reminded me of this week’s Wine of the Week! 19 CRIMES. http://19crimes.com/.
Absolutely delish. I really thought it referred to Bonnie and Clyde or something like that because of the label. And we know how I love Bonnie and Clyde (see previous post). But upon doing some research the term “19 Crimes” refers to individuals from Britain who upon committing one of 19 specific crimes were shipped off to Australia and basically rehabilitated. Pretty cool right?
* Upon conviction, British rogues guilty of a least one of the 19 crimes were sentenced to live in Australia, rather than death. This punishment by “transportation” began in 1783 and many of the lawless died at sea. For the rough-hewn prisoners who made it to shore, a new world awaited. As pioneers in a frontier penal colony, they forged a new country and new lives, brick by brick. This wine celebrates the rules they broke and the culture they built. http://www.marketwired.com/
They became productive members society! Imagine doing that today! Hey! we are not sending you to jail for robbery, we’re going to banish you off to some uncolonized or underdeveloped region to sweat and toil. Hmm. Maybe not a bad idea.
The labels feature some of these real-life criminals.
Anyway, so let me talk about the wine and then I’ll give you a little bonus at the end!!
So the Australian label carries 8 wines – 7 reds (Red Blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, The Banished -Dark Red Blend, The Warden -Red Blend, Uprising Red and Shiraz) and one white (Hard Chard – Chardonnay).
I’ve only tasted 3 of the 7 reds. Can you believe that?!?! But that’s because my local liquor store doesn’t carry them all. So far I love them all. I may even step out of my red zone and try the white as well since the reds are so delicious!
I have had the pleasure of imbibing in the Red Blend, Cab and the Uprising! Let me tell you what I love about these. They are all so bold, yet so smooth. I tend to enjoy spicy wines that burst in my mouth, so I was surprised that I liked these as much as I did.
Even though they have a smooth finish, the flavor is so full in your mouth and caresses every part of your tongue and mouth – the back, the front, the sides, the roof!!! And the finish lingers for a while after. In all of them. To different degrees!
The Red Blend is medium bodied but flavorful. Has some hints of berries. Dark full berries. The Cabernet has a little sweetness, very slight but great for you guys who enjoy red but want something on the sweeter side. The Banished Red Blend is a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet and Grenache, but definitely leans more towards a Shiraz (which if you have had any my favorites come from South Africa and Australia). Definitely the boldest of the three I’ve tried. Tastes really dark in your mouth like dark chocolate.
I am not a wine expert (by far). Sometimes I think I taste a certain flavor in a wine, but am unsure, so I’ll ask someone else’s opinion or go on the wine’s website to check it out.
This is great for those of us who are trying to become wine connoisseurs. Of course wine tastings are great too! And you can find those locally and pretty inexpensive.
These bottles are super well priced for the taste. They range from $8 to $10 a bottle locally, except for The Warden (which I am dying to try) which goes for about $20.
So this is your bonus!!!
Go check out: https://www.livingwinelabels.com/.
This is definitely a fun adult app that brings the criminals on the wine labels to life. They tell you their history. How cool is that? And creepy actually.
Anyway, I hope you guys all go out and try a bottle tonight and come back and give me some feedback!!!
♥LolaUncorked