Issue V: Penfold’s Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet Edition

Penfold Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet

When it comes time for yours truly to do some recommendations, which people will often request of me, sometimes giving me a dish to complement, sometimes just for an all-around good pick, I invariably will lean on Penfold’s. There are a few good reasons for this. Some of them are practical, such as this is a very smooth, very drinkable wine after it gets some air and the astringency has a chance to depart (15 minutes airing minimum) and it’s generally well-received. It’s also usually easily accessible and is one of the most commonly found wines regardless of state. The price point is such that it’s not going to break the bank, but is obviously a far cry from bottom of the barrel rotgut. It speaks value, generally and Penfold’s is a pretty good name, as far as wineries go. It also makes a nice addition to dinner parties.

Some of those reasons have more to do with me. Syrah/Shiraz (same grape) is one of my favorite varietals and though Penfold’s does a fantastic Koonunga Shiraz, I somewhat prefer the Shiraz-Cab, though when recommending, I don’t generally make a huge distinction between them, telling whoever it is to just pick up whichever they can find. The grape I find is very adaptable and generally it goes well with whatever protein is on for the night. I don’t use it for that, obviously, but I do like to know those things to a degree, in case someone does want to use it for such an occasion.

One of the best things about that grape is that I find it falls squarely in the middle. When done right, such as this gem that hails from Australia, it has good body (somewhat moreso with the addition of the cab here), neither too heavy nor too light, a nice balance between a touch of bite and a velvety smoothness, a very pleasant and round taste and can probably be considered, when done well, to be almost the “perfect” medium grape, as in splitting the difference of the extremes when it comes to red wine grapes.

For $12 or less a bottle (often you can find this for below $10), this makes it easy enough to pick up, even when not on SPA. This is another easy pick for a Standard, as it’s one of the better fallbacks on this list and an easy recommend.