Get a Little Funky with Funky Llama Shiraz

Tagged with: argentina, Drink, mendoza, Sauvignon Blanc, shiraz, Wine, Wine tasting descriptors

Sunday, April 27, 2008, 23:45

This news item was posted in Wine category and has so far.

Today is Thursday and that means another review of a recently tasted wine. This week I’ll review Funky Llama Shiraz (2007) from the Mendoza Region in Argentina.

Uncorked this bottle last week and was surprised at what this sub-$10 bottle of wine had to offer. If I remember correctly, I paid $5 for this bottle at my local Pennsylvania Wine and Spirits store.

At first sip, the aroma is has faint floral overtones. The color is a rich, deep red. As for the overall tasts, Funky Llama adds a little spicy kick to the palette and hints of berry. It’s not a bad wine overall for the price.

In WineSpeak, they’d call this wine “fruit forward.” Nice tart blackberries and licorice mix with a medium tannin to give you a big initial taste. It’s not as “round” as a cabernet or some other shirazes, but it’s still solid. The finish is a quite peppery and a little dry. There’s nothing complicated about this wine, but for $4-7 a bottle, you’re certainly not going to be complaining. Anything earthy is going to go well with this — roasted eggplant, beef curries, brisket, or ribs of any sort. (From The Naked Vine)

I like to give a little history of the region where the wine is produced. Funky Llama comes from the Mendoza wine region of Argentina. Until the late 1990’s, Argentina exported less than 10% of their total production. And during that time Argentine wine was next to impossible to find in the United States. Since then word has spread that Argentina’s wine quality and significantly improved and exports have risen — moving the country into the ranks of Major Player on the world wine market.