Friday, January 16, 2009

Rolf Binder Halliwell

The old Veritas winery may get the title of the worst brand builder in Australian wine. There was Veritas, Magpie Estate, JJ Hahn. Then Veritas was challenged by a small company in the US over naming rights and changed to Rolf Binder.Similarly, wine names changed, depending on target markets.

Rolf Binder is a talented wine maker, with quite an array of price points and labels. Some are very good, some pretty average. His focus is on the Rhone varieties and the style similar to Rockford.

This 2005 Halliwell Shiraz/Grenache blend is excellent. The first impression is of sweet fruit, followed by more structured Shiraz components. The two grape varieties blend well together for a good mouthfeel and a satisfying finish. It would be a good barbeque wine, but is also good enough for the table or on its own.

I believe this wine is also sold as 'Heinrich' in Australia and it is one of the best value and quality GSM wines.

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