Mille Vini and a glass of Head Blonde

Following on from Brown's Barossa comments, one of the few regrets from an otherwise amazing trip was the fact we had to cancel a tasting we had organised with Alex Head of Head Wines (as wine obsessives we were guilty of trying to squeeze too many wineries into the one trip). Fortunately, I was able to get a Head fix last night at Mille Vini.

For those in Sydney, or those visiting Sydney, I'd highly recommend popping in to Mille Vini, a wine bar on Crown St in Surry Hills. Its an intimate place with a great atmosphere, very affordable food, and most importantly a very diverse and interesting wine list.

As the name of the place suggests, there are plenty of interesting Italian wines on the list, as well as plenty of other international wines. The Australian wines on the list are a really interesting group as well. When I saw the 2008 Head Blonde Shiraz Viognier on the list my decision was already made.

I'm generally unconvinced by shiraz viognier, but this is definitely one of the better examples I have had. The dried apricot I often get with shiraz viognier is there, but is not over the top. The other things I got on the nose were berry fruits. Not too much in the way of oak. On the palette the thing that really stood out for me was the tight structure and long length. Good tannins and a few layers of complexity that I think will emerge with a bit more bottle age. There is a part of me that wishes it was just a 100% shiraz, but its neverthless an excellent wine.

Red