We were fishing around for some wine to bring to a friend's home and stumbled upon a wine shop run by Big Y Foods (a local supermarket chain).  Supermarket wine shop? Yes.  This time, an exception to the rule as this was a special place.  I was seeking out some Barossa Valley Shiraz with no particular price in mind. 

The store's wine buyer was on the floor and he asked if hecould be of assistance.  When you're in a new wine shop, it's good to keep an open mind—you never quite know what treasures you may find.  The buyer introduced me to Torbreck's Woodcutter's Shiraz.  It had a screw-cap, so I was somewhat skeptical of its quality.  But I bought a bottle nonetheless, and laid it down for 4 months (unintentionally as I forgot we had it in the rack). 

Last night was the wine's debut at the vinoduo household and it was a smashing success. The 2003 Torbreck Woodcutters Shiraz is delicious and is typical of the excellent wine from this region of Australia. The wine is made from some of Barossa's younger Shiraz vineyards, aged for 12 months in old wood prior to being bottled unfiltered. I've read that it is meant to be consumed early in life, but, at 3 years, this pup still has lots of life in it! 

Wine characteristics: Intense ruby/purple color and deep, spectacular flavors of plum, black cherry, raspberry, and cassis-scented aromas, low acidity, full body, good opulence, and no hard edges.  It is about as good as Shiraz gets at $16 - $20 a bottle.

Oh, yeah.... our friends never got to taste this one as they called and said "bring a white wine..."; their loss.