Auswan Creek Diplomat 30 South Australia Merlot 2020

Merlot continues to be a divisive variety (youngsters today probably have no idea that this was once the world’s hottest variety, until it got a gentle mocking in the film ‘Sideways’ and global sales crashed). Of course, that did not mean that the wines themselves were anything other than what they had been. Strange world. This one has been sourced from vineyards across South Australia. It is deep ruby in colour. A nose with spicy notes, dried fruits, a mix of cranberries and blackberries, leather and plums. Also a touch of that lovely fruitcake character often seen in top Merlot. It is soft, mid-weight, fresh and with decent length. Quite spicy on the finish, it is pleasant now and with three to five years ahead of it.

If one may digress slightly, the team have included various recommended dishes to accompany this Merlot. Among them, Squirrel-shaped Mandarin fish. Hand on heart, I thought that they were making this up. I’ve eaten more than my fair share of the weird and wonderful from around the globe, but I’d never heard of this. So, I did what one does and googled. To my eternal surprise, it is a real thing, popular in Jiangsu cuisine. Basically, it is a type of freshwater Oriental perch, deboned and carved into the shape of a squirrel, before being deep fried and doused in sweet and sour sauce. Why it is made into the shape of a squirrel, I have absolutely no idea. Strange world, indeed.