1999 Water Wheel Shiraz

SUPPLY DOES NOT EQUAL DEMAND

The demand for Top Quality Australian Shiraz has exploded, with overseas buyers visiting Australia on a more frequent basis, in order to meet their countries customer needs. The days of the well kept Aussie secret are well and truly over, as wine lovers in New York, Chicago, London, Singapore and just about anywhere else compete for the best wines.The result is that market forces begin to click in and producers begin to increase prices to a point where buyer resistance sets in. In normal trading circumstances, that resistance would have set in some time ago, however, with the Australian dollar trading at around the 50 cent mark to the green back, the point of buyer resistance has moved a few notches. Australian drinkers are now competing head on with global wine lovers for the best wines. We hope we never see the day when we can’t buy great Aussie wines locally or they become unaffordable.Peter Cumming, winemaker at Waterwheel is operating against this trend, and instead of increasing prices dramatically is satisfied with marginal increases, and in parallel improving the quality of his wine. Cumming is determined to keep his local customers happy - he is one of those rare people who are able to remember who helped them get to where they are, and continue to acknowledge that support.

Our advice is to stock up with as much as you can afford to buy. Last years stock sold in under four weeks, this years won’t last much longer.

“THIS IS THE BEST WATER WHEEL SHIRAZ TO DATE. YOU WILL NOT BUY BETTER VALUE FOR MONEY SHIRAZ THAN THIS.”

Magnificent opaque, purple, crimson colour, which clings to the glass. Superb nose - much more lifted than the 1998, with intense aromas of violets, blackberries, spice and blackpepper. This is Water Wheel at its best. The palate explodes with intense Shiraz flavour of blackberries, blackpepper, spice and liquorice flavours, supported by finer, firmer tannins than have been evident in previous vintages. The firmer tannins are in fact a very positive development and support the rich ripe fruit flavours. The balance remains perfect. Exceptionally long aftertaste of spice and blackpepper. Cellar 5- 8 years. EXTRAORDINARY VALUE FOR MONEY!

RATING: 95/100

VALUE: XXXXX/5