I love Shiraz, especially Australian Shiraz.  The big jammy bruisers that are tinged with vanilla and spice make me fall in love every time.  Especially with a silky texture, and refreshing brightness.  Some of the most delicious came from the Barossa Valley in 2012, and taking a change, I decided that it might be worth seeing if Boxhead Shiraz could do the trick for me.

Sight:  Lighter than expected, almost magenta like at the edges. Core is bordering see through.

Smell:  Lots of berries, just so many berries!  It’s like a bowl full of really ripe berries, covered in berry syrup.  There’s blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and so many other berries.  Red cherries come in too, and there’s something about it is kind of candy like.

Sip:  The body is medium, and a little bit sweet.  It reminded me forcibly of drinking boysenberry syrup at IHOP, but in wine form.  There’s a lot of acidity here keeping things vibrant.  There are brambly notes behind the vast swack of berries, plum, and just tons of fruit.  It may at some point look disdainfully at the spice cabinet.

Savor:  There’s all those fruits again, just hanging around with some tannins and a hit of black plum.

I hated Boxhead Shiraz when I opened.  I thought, “Oh God… what is this? Why am I drinking this?  Is this really Shiraz?”.  Then, it kind of grew on me.  It isn’t a traditional Shiraz, and it leans directly into fruit and never quite apologizes.  Still, despite the lack of spices or anything other than the overwhelming amount of fruit, it’s a rather fun.  It’s the kind of wine that can just show up, and delight a lot of people.  If you want something tasty, easy going, and fun to drink, give Boxhead Shiraz a try.

Verdict:  Boysenberry, Raspberry, Blueberry, Everyberry
Rating: 86
Price: $10
South Eastern Australia