'08 Pillar Box Red

[Innkeeper]

2008 Henry’s Drive, Pillar Box Red, Padthaway Australia ($9.99): Alcohol level: 14.5%/ This is a rustic blend of Shiraz 66%, Cabernet Sauvignon 25%, and Merlot 9%. It was chock full of sediment. First I exchanged it between bottle and decanter a few times, washing out each vessel each time. Then I ran it through a decanter strainer. It still tasted a little too rustic. So I ran it through a 2 cup unbleached coffee filter. That did the trick; and I will start there with the second bottle in the cellar.

It turned out to be the perfect matched for broiled kielbasa with mustard and horseradish; along with some rustic succotash. Yum, yum for a rustic supper!

It came with a screwtop.

[hotwine]

The tssters are a-dancin' at that description, esp. the sausage and hot mustard. Yum!

[TheEngineer]

That seems to be a lot of work for a bottle!! Certainly give it an opportunity to air out a bit!

[Innkeeper]

Poppped the second last night with less effort. Just ran it through the unbleached coffee filter, and that did the trick.

We matched it with lamburgers grilled over charcoal and pecan chips, eggplant salad, and cous cous. Rustic and lovely at the same time!

[Brom]

How do you decant that after at least three times you still found it desirable to use a strainer and then necessary to use a filter?

Was the bottle unrested?

For me, kielbas w/ mustard and horseradish - which is terrific, would be an awful match with red wine, especially one described as "rustic", which I take to mean a rough wine, 'chewy' and generally tannic.

[Innkeeper]

The first time that was what it took to get all the sediment out. The second time we cut to the chase and just used the coffee filter. Your definition of rustic was pretty much on. That is why we drank it with peasanty dishes.

[Thomas]

Kielbasa with mustard and horseradish...sounds to me like Riesling or Gewurztraminer food.

In any case, to what, IK, do you ascribe all that sediment? Is this supposed to be a "natural" wine of the unfiltered, unfined and generally unfinished kind?

[Innkeeper]

Don't know. It is just one of those wines that come with a lot of it.