I am not a wine connoisseur but I do recognise and enjoy a good wine. I liken wine to good company. I want a wine that I enjoy, feel comfortable with and will enhance the occasion.
A few years ago I bought myself a bottle of The Custodian Grenache made by the excellent South Australian winery, d'Arenberg. Until then I was not a great lover of red wine, usually preferring a nice glass of Chardonnay.However, after just a few sips, I realised I had found something special. Dark ruby in colour, aromas of violet and raspberry paved the way for touches of white pepper, tobacco, cinnamon and spice.
Running a small business can be stressful and problematic; often it is difficult to relax. It is at such times that I treat myself to a bottle of Custodian Grenache. Even if I am alone, the mix of good food, soft music and a glass or two of this smooth, velvety, rich, spicy wine makes me realise there are other things in life.
The wine also appeals to American tastes. I have sent bottles to my American fiancee and to several U.S clients. All agreed that is was a unique and enjoyable experience.
I said earlier that a good wine should be like good company and the Custodian Grenache is always welcome at my table.
When I decided to write a wine review, I approached d'Arenberg to request permission to use one of their graphics. It was then that I was introduced to The Custodian Grenache Three Soils Pack. Each is grown in a different soil type - loam, deep sand, sand on clay. You may not think that soil would make too much difference, but you would be wrong. Each wine displays different soil-dependent characteristics.
Wine maker Chester Osborn described the various soils in a interview with The Age.
"The soil in the loam probably produces a little more vigour and berry size is slightly bigger."
"Deep sand is very different again. It's fairly hungry soil and, being sand, the vines go really deep but they don't stress out that much. Berry size is relatively small".
"With shallow sand on clay, the clay's fairly hard for the vine to move through, the roots find it difficult. Vigour is lower and the berries are smaller with thick skins".
Although all three are excellent, I particularly liked the 2002 Custodian Deep Sand Grenache. Very dark, with tastes of blackcurrant, plums and a hint of pepper.If you prefer Chardonnay, I can also strongly recommend The Olive Grove Chardonnay, another regular visitor at my table.
For a quality wine, try the delightful d'Arenberg range.
d'Arenberg has a large list of international distributors that can be accessed by clicking the link.
