Australian Value Red Wines from Roo Estates

Australia is becoming known as the land of the red grape. Value red wines - especially those with little animals on the label are becoming quite widely distributed. But as with any brand, style and quality can vary widely among producers. Many of the value-wine producers from Australia do not grow their own grapes, but procure grape shipments from growers scattered around a region.

We have reviewed some Australian red value wines before. This time, we'll dig into two red varietals from a line called Roo Estates, produced by Salena Estate Wines of Australia. Roo Estates has made available an entire line of such value-priced Australian varietals, all with a tiny kangaROO gracing the front label. Their wines come from the south eastern Australia region.

Review: For a value-priced wine from the south eastern Australia, shiraz would be the quintessential choice. So, we'll start with the shiraz to see what the line promises...

The 2007 is a recently bottled wine, barely a full year off the vines. The Roo Estates Shiraz is medium deep red in the glass, turning almost (but not quite) opaque in the middle. The nose shows a bold, classic, candied Australian-shiraz sweetness, mixed with just a touch of alcohol and charcoal.

On the palate, a sweet full middle is prominent, flushed with oak and lightly tingly tannins and acids. A strong sprinkling of black pepper mixed in too. Slightly hot finish. Not complex, not intense. But tasty. Two stars out of five on the Spirit of Wine scale with a plus for accessibility. Good value.

Review: Roo Estates Merlot is another in the line of Roo value wines sourced from south eastern Australia. Merlot, a generally softer grape than cabernet and less sparky and aromatic than shiraz, has not made much of a name in the Australian region. Let's see what this value-priced sample brings...

In the glass, Roo Merlot is medium dusty dark red. The aroma is bright, perky and fruity. On the palate, you get more perkiness than other elements, almost a dry red currant - full of acids with a touch of dark oak. It definitely leaves me wanting. Indistinctive tannins, fruit or finish. Not only would I not come back to this, I'm not sure I would finish the first bottle. Some bargains are not really bargains even when the price is great. One star with a plus because it wasn't the worst bottle of wine I didn't want to finish.

But if you have the choice, leave this one behind.

Quick note: This picked up some fruit and roundness after a long decant. More enjoyable, not distinctive. Moves to two stars. I still wouldn't pursue, but wouldn't actively avoid now either.