For those of you who follow the store’s Instagram feed @shopsurdyks, you know I had the opportunity to visit Australia in April. I’ve been a fan of Australian wine for a long time, but not always the popular brands. Australia’s wine styles have evolved over the last twenty years and now have very little resemblance to the wines that first exploded onto the world stage in the early 00s. The standard bearer – Shiraz – is actually being taken out of many vineyards and being grafted over to varieties more suited to the individual regions rather than the preferences of a few wine reviewers. However, in vineyards and regions where Shiraz is well-suited, producers are doubling-down. The region of McLaren Vale, just east of Adelaide, is one of those situations. I visited the vineyards at Paxton because we’ve had them in the store for a little while and they have been leaders in organic and biodynamic viticulture, going so far as to have a USDA Organic label on the bottles (there is no label available for biodynamic in the US). Their MV (multiple vineyard) Shiraz comes from four biodynamic-certified vineyards at the extreme southwest corner of the region, in full view of the ocean and benefitting from coastal breezes. This isn’t a shy cool-climate Shiraz though, clocking in at 14% ABV with flavors of ripe blackberries, fennel, cocoa, and mulberries. It over-delivers quality for its modest price, absolutely, and would be great for grilling or burger night. Serve a bit chilled, not at room temp, to get the full benefit of the layers of this rediscovery of what Shiraz is doing now.