Penfolds Merlot Rawson's Retreat 750ml

Winery: Penfolds

Varietal: Merlot

Merlot has long been a grape associated with excellent quality of character and flavor, and has spread around the globe as a result of its relative hardiness and reliability. From Chile to Bordeaux, Merlot vines grow to ripeness, and end up producing a remarkably wide variety of wines. Single variety wines made from Merlot grapes tend to be beautifully rich in color, and packed full of jammy, hedgerow flavors and notes of plum and currant, and ideal for newcomers to red wines as a result of their medium body. This medium body comes about due to the fact that the skin of Merlot grapes tends to be quite thin, meaning that the tannin content of Merlot wines is lower than those made from other blue-black grapes. The mellowness and roundedness which results is ideal for blending, also, and Merlot is used as a blending grape in some of the world's finest wineries, to produce aged wines of exceptional character.

Region: South Australia

South Australia is one of the world's most productive wine regions, with millions of bottles being produced annually in this vast area. The region itself is highly varied when it comes to both terrain and climatic conditions, and much of the region needs year round irrigation from freshwater sources in order to keep the arid and dry land fertile enough to support vines. Wineries in South Australia were first established over a century ago, and have been operating in the global market for decades now, having learned over time how best to grow their distinctive fine grape varietals in this often unpredictable and difficult place. The results have been excellent, with many of the finest Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Shiraz wines to come out of the New World having their home in South Australia.

Country: Australia

Despite much of Australia being covered by dry, arid deserts and bushland, the southern regions of the country and islands such as Tasmania have proved to be ideal for vineyard cultivation and wine production. The fertile soils and brisk oceanic breezes, coupled with the blazing Australian sunshine allow the grapes to grow to full ripeness before a late harvest, resulting in hugely flavorful wines which appeal to a wide international audience. Combine this with the experimental and daring approach Australian wineries have in regards to wine production, and it becomes clear why Australia has relatively quickly become something of a world leader when it come to exporting their produce to Europe and America. The Shiraz and Chardonnay grape varietals have produced the most successful and broadly appreciated results over the decades, however, in more recent years wineries have begun experimenting with a much wider range of grape varietals, demonstrating how Australian wineries are continuing to adapt and develop alongside international palates.