Review: Classic Rock And Australian Shiraz

Rock music Tom Petty

     In a recent edition of Wine Enthusiast Magazine, they “paired music’s biggest genres with the wine styles that result in perfect harmony.”

     One of the pairings was classic rock with the South Australian shiraz. In their article, Wine And Music Pairings, (click for article) they described classic rock as a “powerful style that found mass popularity in the 1960s through the ’80s. It’s generally comfortable and nostalgic. Artists may have been radical at first, but now verge on mainstream. As in the Scorpian’s anthem, a shiraz will rock you like a hurricane. Like the genre it’s paired with, it straddles power and grace.”

     Other artists they suggest include the “Rolling Stones, Queen, Journey, and Tom Petty.” TOM PETTY!?!!! Okay, I want you to know that he’s my all-time favorite rocker.  Now I have a wine I can enjoy when the music of Tom Petty is coming through my speakers, the volume’s cranked up, and I’m rocking the house.

     I was unable to find the Wine Enthusiast’s recommendation, Kaesler 2010 Stonehorse Shiraz, so I purchased the Layer Cake Australian Shiraz instead. I found it to be  Free Fallin’ and full-bodied. It had a fruity almost jammy taste, moderate tannin influences, and crisp overtones much like that of a Marshall amp. It was heady, spirited, and zingy like a Fender  Stratocaster. Food-wise I thought it could pair well with anything spicy, such as BBQ, Korean, or Indian.

     Well, I finally have the answer to the question of what wine to pair with this scrappy rock-solid artist. The time I spent working on this quest was like Running Down A Dream, and having a solution has prevented a Breakdown that I thought was forthcoming. I’ve tried this pairing, and it’s true – it’s a perfect match, and now I no longer have to live like a Refugee. This is what I truly believe, and I Won’t…Back…Down. And should you happen to disagree with anything I’ve said, then Don’t Come Around Here No More.