ALL THE BOYS WOULD STAY AT HOME

IF WE ONLY HAD OLD IRELAND OVER HERE

It would be nice to be over there now, over by Adelaide and the McLaren Vale and sipping some of that 2UP Shiraz in the sun.

But stop dreaming. You can do that right here, thanks to Wine Alliance who has added this smashing Kangarilla Road 2008 to their range. Okay, you won't have the Aussie summer sunshine here in November but €11.99 will buy you some of it from two years back.

This South Australian beauty has seen maturation on oak for 12 months and has an ABV of 14%. The smell is fruity, mainly plum, and the colour an inviting ruby.

In the mouth it is juicy, fruity and moreish. It is smooth and full bodied with restrained spice and the finish is long with fine tannins. Very drinkable indeed, so fruity, it drew the attention of the resident fruit fly, indeed woke him or her (I couldn’t quite see) from hibernation. R: 90

Now where was I with that song?

If the Shandon Bells rang out in old Fremantle

And County Cork in Adelaide did appear

Erin's sons would never roam, all the boys would stay at home

If we only had old Ireland over here

For more words (not wine), click here

Note: The 2UP name comes from an Aussie game with two coins, possibly related to the Pitch and Toss game known to the more senior citizens amongst you.

South Africa Long Mountain 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon 13%. Distributed by Pernod Richard (Irish Distillers).

We stay in the southern hemisphere and in the Stellenbosch area, the heart of South Africa’s  wine industry, where wine has been made since 1659, the vines imported by a man who thought the wine would counter the scourge of scurvy. So there you are: another health reason to take your red wine.

Typically blackcurrant on the nose and the colour is a medium red. It is fruity and lightweight in the mouth with a  sufficient of tannin input to make it a well balanced drink with hints of spice (mint and clove, according to the label). Really smooth and pleasant Cab Sauv. R: 80