Friends Of Australia Friday ColbyJack Burger & Angove Rosé

It’s once again an Australia Time Friday! It’s FRIDAY!!!!

The Tucker

Tonight we had Colby Jack Cheese Lamburgers & Fries. 1/2 pound of lamb in each, melted Colby Jack cheese on top. Mine a-salted and peppered. ;-)

Fries were pan fried in a mix of 90% beef tallow and 10% coconut oil. Yum for sure!

Mustard under the meat, mayo on the top with the cheese.

Now I’m very stuffed!

Of Note: 2 days ago at Costco, they were SOLD OUT of all Australian Lamb products. I think this might be catching on ;-) Costco usually says “having trouble getting” something when the price rose on them from increased demand… Then there’s also that seasonal aspect when you start getting a ways away from lambing spring.

At the local Bargain Market Grocery Outlet store, they still had the ground (minced) lamb, but no more of those nice T-bone chops. As they only stock what’s available at a lower price, I’d say the Lamb Chops have likely jumped up on higher demand.

Also, the choices for Australian Wine were getting a bit thin. I could only find 4 different ones this time (before it was well over 1/2 dozen). Keep at it folks, I think we have a shot at “Drinking Australia Dry!” ;-)

The Wine

I had another bottle of Angove Family Vinyard Nine Vines Grenache Shiraz Rosé – 2018. A lovely peach color in the bottle and glass.

So same description as last time:

Light fruity aroma. A little carbonation tingle on the tongue. Then… then…

Something unexpected happened. (Except this time it wasn’t unexpected)

At first I wasn’t sure why but it just seemed “wrong”. (This time it was just what I wanted ;-) Not bad, but, “what?” Then I realized it wasn’t about the wine, it was all about me. I was bringing my Rosé Bigotry with me. (But I’m over it now…) Most rosé here tends to the sweet or at least semi-sweet like fruit punch with alcohol in it. This was not that. It wasn’t that, and that told my bias it was not getting what it expected.

The flavor is not pronounced, but present. A very nice light fruitiness to it. But with an acidic tang. Not tannic, yet semi-dry. There’s a hard to describe overtone of sweet, but not sweet. It isn’t cloying at you saying “Fruit Punch!”. Rather it is a light and delicate flavor with a hint of sweet fruit behind a tang of ambition. It feels dry in the mouth, yet it retains the essence of “something sweet was here a while ago”… I’ve not had a wine quite like this before. A surprise, given the miles on my tongue, that is most welcome! “Different is good!” (To quote Groundhog Day ;-)

A bit of cracker or cheese (or big bite of Lamburger with Mustard and Mayo) lites it up even more. This wine does like to wash down a bit of food. It doesn’t overpower the food like a brash young Zinfandel. It doesn’t bury it in sweet like a White Zin (which was what I’d expected as they have the same peach color). It just agrees to “go along to get along” and lights up the tongue with a bit of sparkle and touch of acid, topping it with a fruit nose and afterglow.

I’d not pair it with a Lasagna or with a Pizza or even with a Mexican Taco (and hot sauce) as then it might seem thin. But boy does it go with a Burger & Fries. It would also be at home with butter sauteed shrimp with a squeeze of lemon or a simple piece of fried chicken.

I’ll certainly be buying more of this one, (and I did!) for all those times when a Cab or Zin or Shiraz is just too much for the meal, and all those times when “Alcoholic Fruit Punch” is just too cloying. Something that pairs with Mac & Cheese, as much as with Garlic Butter Shrimp with Avacado & Lemon… (Or even a cheese lamburger & fries!)

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