It’s always interesting to me how other countries celebrate actually becoming a country.  I know it’s a big deal for me to celebrate Canada Day; taking in the festivities of the day and of course the night cannot end without the fireworks!  I’m sure the Aussie’s are no different.  January 26 marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships at Port Jackson, NSW, and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain (which is still very much present on today’s Aussie flag) on that site by Governor Aurthur Phillip. In present-day Australia, celebrations reflect the diverse society and landscape of the nation, and are marked by community and family events, reflections on Australian history, official community awards, and citizenship ceremonies welcoming new immigrants into the Australian community. (We do that on Canada Day too, swear in new citizens!) Australia Day has become the largest annual civic event in the nation. As it should be!  Celebrate your country with pride!

Here at the store, we’ll get a little history lesson on the country itself and taste some wines from some iconic producers. Not only that, but the sales rep presenting is a native Australian with his accent still intact, so it’s sure to be an evening of great stories and great wine!

From the Barossa Valley to McLaren Vale, some massive wines will be tasted!  No fudging on alcohol levels by the Aussie’s!  They want to let you know how big and bold they really are!

From left to right:

Torbreck Woodcutters Semillon – more typically known in Bordeaux in the creation of its Sauternes, the Aussies do a brilliant job of this grape, in this bottle maintaining its laser sharp acidity with the oak aging hints of brioche along with white peaches and pineapple!

Mollydooker “The Violinist” Verdelho – again, not a grape we typically see in Oz. One of two wines being featured from Mollydooker, this is a crisp, fresh white, with a big flavour of a tropical fruit salad!  The only white in the lineup of Mollydooker wines made by Sparky and Sarah Marquis…

d’Arenberg “The Derelict Vineyard” Grenache– a dark savoury treat with black fruits, leather and black olives.  A big, juicy glass of yum.

Mr. Black’s Concoction Shiraz/Viognier – about 5% Viognier is used to temper the strong black pepper flavours of the Shiraz making it a softer, rounder, more approachable wine.

Mollydooker “The Boxer” Shiraz – yet another Mollydooker wine, this one is massive at 16% abv, so well worth doing the “Mollydooker shake” with this one.  Say what?  Yup..I mean, who needs to aerate when you can just “shake” the wine! Seriously…check it out here. A popular Shiraz at the store, it’s full of blackberries, chocolate, licorice and spices.  And don’t forget…Mollydooker just appeared in the Wine Spectators Top 100 this past December with their “Carnival of Love”, coming in with an impressive 95 points at Number 2.

And to end the evening, a sweet little Mr. Black’s Concoction Moscato, the lowest abv of the bunch!  I’ve tasted this little beauty and it’s highly aromatic with that typical floral and “grapey-ness” of a moscato.

Happy 225th birthday Australia! Cheers!