Hi folks, A friend brought over a bottle of YellowTail Shiraz the other night - which has had a phenomenal success in the Canadian market, I think it is now one of the most popular imports - and I undertand why for a straightforward fruit-driven wine.
But my question is this - the bottle we drank 2 night ago was dated
2004. Now given that it comes from OZ - it must have been harvested last spring - say May/June. That would give it only 6 months between harvest and having the bottle on the shelves in Canada.So the question to the group is - do you have any ideas about how a commercial winery would approach making this kind of wine to get it out the door so quickly. My guess is - quick ferment - off the skins at or well before dryness. Probably no ML, certainly only a very short barrel contact or may just some chips. With brief cold stabilization and sterile filtration.
Even so I'm surprised at a winery releasing a red wine before it has at least 1 year in bulk.
steve in vancouver