Bargain Wine of the Week: McLaren Vale of Australia

We're going to break the rules here just a bit to give you an overall hint that will serve you well in the wine aisles of your local store.

Here it is: Look for wines from McLaren Vale in Australia. These are wines of conviction that will always go with everything on the table. But you will always be surprised and pleased. They are never boring and very rarely a disappointment.

We thought of this because we saw a promotion for Cape Barren Wines Native Goose from McLaren Vale for $14. It reminded us that we can't remember the last wine from the Vale that we weren't absolutely gushing over. This one is a GSM, common wine lingo, especially in the Vale, that means it is made with Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre grapes.

This wine rated a 90 from Wine Spectator and here is what it said:

Deep crimson red in color, the nose delivers intense plum and prune aromas with a hint of cassis and five-spice. A big, tightly structured style offering dense black fruit flavours complimented by anise and mocha accents. The palate carries a long length of persistence with a hint of savoury oak and a delicious fruit sweetness on the finish.

Look for wines from McLaren Vale for something that will dance on your palate and wake up your taste buds.