Price: $6
Maker: Little Boomey
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: Bottle, artificial cork
Our Rating: 7 out of 10
Clearly trying to capitalize on the market’s perception that good, inexpensive Shiraz comes from Australia, Little Boomey Shiraz 2004 comes in a bottle whose label is dominated by a colorful boomerang. Unfortunately, the wine is quite forgettable. The aroma is weak, and the dark fruit flavor is muted by medium tannins and oak. This isn’t an awful wine, it just comes across as lacking in personality and a dominant flavor. For swigging with a cookout or taking the heat off spicy Tex-Mex, it’s fine. Don’t bring it to your next wine-tasting event, though.
The winery’s tasting notes say, “This rich Shiraz has intense spice and black cherry flavors and a long, plush finish.” My bottle, at lease, didn’t quite measure up to this standard.
The brand known as Little Boomey is a venture of Australia’s Angove and American wine giant Trinchero Vineyards, according to an article in the Advertiser (Australia). These seem like credentials that would be able to produce a decent cheap red if they put their minds to it – we’ll give their Cab or Merlot a whirl in the future.