What?? A “Ball Buster”??

Forgive me. I had no intention of offending anyone with the title of this post, but this is a wine that caught my eye for the obvious reason. I was traveling, as I do frequently, and I was shopping for wine for dinner. Out of necessity, I have a list of fine wine shops throughout the country. One of those stores is Lukas Liquor in Overland Park, Kansas. I was in Kansas City for a few days recently and had a chance to have a nice dinner at J. Alexander’s. One of the best aspects of this restaurant is that there is NO corkage fee.

So, before dinner, I stopped at Lukas and was exploring the Australian section. This label caught my eye. “What the heck,” I thought, “It’s only a $16.00 experiment.” I knew that one of the advantages of Shiraz from Australia is that it can be drunk young.

The Ball Buster was a perfect accompaniment to my dinner. This wine is big and best suited for ribs or barbeque of some version. It is focused with dark berry and has white pepper notes. It is fresh with great structure and can stand up to many big meals.

Here’s what the The Wine Advocate has to say about the 2010 Ball Buster:

“Blended of 77% Shiraz, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot, Tait’s 2010 The Ball Buster gives a very deep garnet purple color and pronounced notes of spiced blackberries, blueberry pie filling and stewed plums with hints of freshly cracked black pepper and fenugreek. Very full bodied and richly fruited, it has a good line of crisp acidity lending lift and a medium to firm level of velvety tannins, finishing long and peppery. Drink it now to 2016.” 90 Points, The Wine Advocate.

I think I’m drawn to Australian wines since I’m half Aussie. I have many bottles in my cellar and enjoy them frequently. The area that this wine is from is called Barossa. It’s in Southern Australia and is one of six wine-producing zones in that part of the continent. As it turns out, the Ball Buster is Australia’s #1 wine selling in the US for under $20.

What is Shiraz? Well, it actually is the same grape as Syrah. Then why don’t they call it that? The Aussies and the South Africans are the only ones to call it Shiraz. The reason they call it that is still a mystery. While there is a well-worn fable about a city in Persia called Shiraz, the variety itself came to those two countries from France where it is called Syrah.

Tait Ball Buster is a fun wine and perfect for midweek enjoyment.  Give ‘er a go, mate!

Enjoy!