Steve Skojec

If you’re like me, you have a sufficient appreciation for wine that the $3 a bottle variety doesn’t really cut it on taste, but you are unwilling, even for special occasions, to spend more than $15.

I’m finding that most wines that I really enjoy therefore fall in the $6 to $12 a bottle category. I’m sure if I moved out of this range I would find even better quality, but I’m happy enough to stay here and not break the bank.

One particular wine I keep coming back to is the Milton Park Shiraz by Thorn-Clarke vineyards in Australia (listed under the Sandpiper brand on the Vintner’s website). The vintage that’s currently widely available is the 2006.  It’s available at Whole Foods and Total Wine & More, though I haven’t yet found it at any of the supermarkets, even those with good wine selections.

 At $7.99 a bottle, it costs about as much as I’m willing to spend on a table wine for every day consumption. I’m a big fan of Shiraz, as it tends to have some of the smoke and oak notes and a little bit of the dryness I favor in Cabernet Sauvignon while enhancing these with rich, dark fruit. This is the kind of wine where I can almost pick out the plum or blackberry flavors, despite my relatively uneducated palate.I found this wine for the first time about a month ago, and have probably bought half a dozen bottles since. Last week, Wine Spectator made it one of their daily picks, with this to say:

MILTON PARK Shiraz Barossa 2006 (88 points, $12)

Ripe and focused. A lean-textured red, with black pepper and licorice overtones to the dark fruit flavors, lingering well. Drink now through 2012. 30,000 cases made.

One thing I really like about Shiraz is that it goes with most foods or can be enjoyed on its own, and it’s one of the best and most consistent varietals coming out of Australia, which seems to have a thriving industry rooted in affordable, flavorful wines.

This is definitely going to be one of my favorites as long as it’s available.