Located in Australia’s Barossa Valley, the Colonial Estates winery is owned by British winemaker Jonathan Malthus, who established himself at his winery in Bordeaux in the 1990s. At that time, Maltus was dubbed a member of the “garage movement”—one of a number of winemakers in Saint Emillion making smaller-scale, modern style wines on relatively modest budgets compared to those of the Cru Classé estates in the area. At that time, he purchased then-run-down Saint Emillion’s Château Teyssier, which is modernized and restored, making great wines that embody both old and new world style. He has taken this success to the Colonial Estate vineyard in Australia as well as to his Napa Valley vineyard called World’s End.

Émigré prices range from $50 to more than $80 a bottle (the 2005 starts at $65 a bottle and other vintages at $49.00) on Winesearcher. If you are lucky enough to live near a Total Wine, you can pick one up for $50, which is a very good deal for this wine.

Sandy overseas a program that includes over 30 outlets in 10 different states and has long been recognized for excellence by leading wine publications and critics.  Sandy also teaches at the Boston University Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center, and publishes The Grapevine, a wine journal available on Legal’s website.

Legal seafood’s oyster festival continues through October 17th.

  Full Circle Wine Solutions is a global wine & spirits education firm that offers tailored wine programs and effective hospitality training to clients in the food and beverage industry.  The company also offers their Perfect Pairings Education Seminars, based on Evan’s book, Perfect Pairings: A Master Sommelier’s Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food.  The St. Hallett ‘Faith’ Barossa Shiraz can be purchased from any of these retailers, and is a terrific pairing to this Korean Short Rib recipe adapted from Evan’s book.

  A student of the vine for over 33 years and creator of the most successful restaurant wine program ever, Kevin now runs the Windows on the World Wine School in New York City.  The school offers learning opportunities for wine lovers of all levels of experience, and Mr. Zraly teaches all classes personally.  The recommendation for Bin 28 comes from his Essential Wine Guide on MSN’s Delish.com, and can be found at retailers for around $20 a bottle.  Bin 28 offers intense blueberry and currant flavors and a fleshy structure.

  For aspiring oenophiles who wish to take their knowledge of wine to the next level, Kevin also collaborates with Robert Parker Jr. to offer the Parker & Zraly Wine Certification Program.

Tallula Eat Bar

If you are looking for a “tremendous value wine,” Tallula’s Samuel suggests Thorne-Clarke “Shotfire” Shiraz 2007. You can order it at Eat Bar for $12 a glass/$6 for a half glass or $30 a bottle. Samuel praises this wine for its juicy, jammy character that is coupled with notes of white pepper and spice. Shotfire delivers big at a reasonable price, offering a pleasant mouth feel and tannins in check with the wine’s medium body, according to Samuel. It retails at wine shops for about $16. The Thorne Clarke website notes that all the grapes for this wine are sourced at the Kabininge Vineyard in Australia’s Barossa Valley. The Shiraz is blended with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, and matured with oak treatments.

The Estate Riesling offering a tight structure that is balanced with commensurate acidity, mineral flavors and a speck of residual sugar (0.2%). The majority of the writers paired it with Chef Wiedmaier’s succulent Diver Scallop and Pork Belly Ceviche, and raved about the combination. Wakefield’s Estate series is the backbone of the collection, offering more complexity than the value-minded Promised Land series, and setting the stage for their full-bodied and ultra-rich St. Andrew’s line.

The 2006 Riesling has begun populating retail shelves at a price of around $17 per bottle.