The hazard of sampling this many Rieslings is, of course, that we’ll eventually light upon one that just isn’t that great. And so we’ve got the Black Swan. This one just isn’t that inspired. Riesling is basically a dessert wine – it’s never going to be anything that complex – but the Black Swan is particularly dull. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s bad, but you could do better.

And honestly, the vintners know it. They’ve dressed up the wine with a trendy label and a name that seem to be aimed at the Sex and the City crowd (read: bored secretaries.) The label (which features a picture of a swan that wouldn’t look out of place on a sorority tattoo) proclaims Black Swan Riesling is flush with “the feeling of leaving work at three on a Thursday, the rush of having your favorite café name a dessert after you, the pride of filling Page 6 of your passport…”

Well, at least the marketing department chose fairly mundane fantasies. Anything else would be out of place describing  such a boring wine.

How’s it look? Translucent lime green, like a melted popsicle, with decently thick legs.

How’s it smell? Honestly, there’s not much of an aroma at all – just some mild hints of lime zest.

But how does it taste? The label suggests citrus and lime… “and is that a hint of pear,” it teases? No, not really. I get lemon and honey flavors all jumbled together. More than anything else, it tastes like a cold hot toddy, but without the whiskey.  And what fun is that? There are some tannins – this wine would probably finish a bit cleaner if it sat on the shelf for another year. Chances are, it will.

What should I eat it with? Riesling is usually the prescribed wine for Chinese food. This particular Riesling would be particularly good with cheap Chinese food… preferably at the end of a long night of drinking.

Layer Cake

How does it look? Layer Cake is a dark, deep purple in the glass, with thick legs.

How does it smell? At 14.9 percent, Layer Cake is fairly strong, and that strength – along with a lot of tannins – is definitely the first flavor you’ll notice, though it isn’t overpowering. After acclimating to that, the smell of the grapes, along with some rich berry notes, is noticeable.

But how does it taste? Again, this is a strong wine with a lot of tannins – which isn’t to say it’s rough, just dry and crisp. There are certainly fruit notes, though not with a lot of sweetness. (The vineyard’s official tasting guide suggests blackberry is the primary flavor, and they’re probably not far off.) The fruit flavor isn’t overwhelmingly tart, and for as thick as the legs are, the wine seems fairly light in the mouth. The finish is smoother than I expected, and some of the secondary flavors linger (my palate isn’t quite sophisticated enough to appreciate the “melange of exotic spices” suggested in the tasting notes, but I almost caught a hint of the “touch of cigar box” they promised.)

Overall, this is a good wine – balanced, full-bodied, and complex enough to be interesting. (Layer Cake attributes that complexity to the variety of microclimates in the South Australian region in which its shiraz grapes are produced.) It’s not a bad buy at around $15 a bottle. I’d definitely pick it up again.

What should I eat it with? Eggplant, veal, or chicken Parmesan would go great with a wine like this – the alcohol and the tannins are strong enough to stand up to the cheese and the oily breading, and the fruit notes would complement the tomato.  Anything else with a high fat content would pair pretty well, too – though it’s not sweet enough to complement anything overly salty or savory, and it probably wouldn’t stand up to a spicy dish either. (I’m not really a dessert person, so I can’t say whether this would pair well with a slice of actual layer cake, but I suspect you could probably make it work.)

Unlike much of the rest of Australia, the climate in Tasmania is cooler – more like the vineyards in Europe – allowing for growth cool weather varietal grapes like Pinot Noir, which constitutes nearly half of all wine production in Tasmania. Next in production is Riesling, with nearly every Tasmanian winery producing at least one variety. When it comes to sparkling wines, nobody does it like Champagne – but Tasmania runs a close second. With a tip of their hats to Champagne’s long history of wine making and the development of skill and knowledge that comes only with time, vintners in Tasmania’s young wineries know that they are cultivating top quality fruit and producing world-class sparkling wines.

Perhaps a major contributor to the consistency of the high quality of Tasmanian wines stems from the appellation regulation that stipulates Tasmania may not use any fruit in their wines that was not grown locally. Tasmanians are very proud of the wines they produce, and local demands for them – either through retail distribution, restaurant wine programs, or cellar door sales direct from the wineries – are quite high. In fact, not much of the Tasmania’s wine gets distributed abroad because it sells out so quickly at home, making costly shipment outside the state not necessary.

The vineyard itself, located on the Golburn River, was founded in 1860, and produces traditional vines such as Merlot, Chardonnay and Reisling, as well as several Rhone red and white grape varieties, including Shiraz and the rare Marsanne. About 20% of the wine made at Tahbilk is created for export to world markets including the United Kingdom, United States and Canada, collectively. Highly regarded, Tahbilk wines have won more than 1800 gold, silver and bronze medals at the Royal Shows since 1965.

The Marsanne wines produced at Tahbilk are some of the finest in the world. Tahbilk’s flagship wines include a limited release Marsanne made from the 1927 vines. These special releases do not occur every year. The vineyard’s standard release Marsanne is said to pair well with foods at any stage of its development. A young Marsanne, with its intense citrus flavors and aromas, is equally well-suited to a ham and split pea soup as it is to a tomato crab bisque, to a robust lasagna or squash ravioli in tomato cream sauce, as is the more aged Marsanne with the distinctive honeysuckle character. Because of this versatility and palatability, Tahbilk Marsanne is sought by wine lovers worldwide.

We were both pleasantly surprised and happy with the selection. The white was light and not too dry or sweet. The slightly fruity flavor and effervescent bubbles were a perfect accompaniment to our happy evening and wonderful meal.

The $36 restaurant bottle price was a good value.

Last night, we had the chance to try the 2006 Razor’s Edge McLaren Vale, Cabarnet Sauvignon. It was like many Australian Cabs in that it was smooth, but did not overwhelm you. Like most great bottlings of Cabernet, it had notes of a mild herbal aroma, which were followed by big fruit flavors.

My wife-to-be and I enjoyed the bottle along with a late evening snack of cheeses, humus, and grilled flatbread.

It was well worth the ~$12 bottle price.