The fact that this French wine is called a Shiraz and not a Syrah lets you know they are going after the hearts of Americans. Another clue is that the wine is called the "hippo cuvee" which makes it nominally (to me at least) a "critter wine." As a rule, I'm trying to stay away from wines with animals on the front but my partner picked this up because he loved the name and so I was saddled with this wine with dinner.
The Fat Bastard is 100% Shiraz and at around $10, it's not exactly a luxury wine. Sometimes a $10 wine can be surprisingly amazing. Not this one. I'm not so much a Shiraz fan and this wine is a prime example of why. It comes on strong with a big red fruit flush and a whole lot of peppercorn aroma and then... Nothing. It drifts away with hardly any finish. It's the wine equivalent of a comedy starring Owen Wilson. You choose it because you think it will be fun and charming and entertaining, instead you just end up unfulfilled.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Anon Dec 12th 2006 10:35AM
Had a bottle of this wine with dinner last night and couldn't agree more with this post.
Dave Dec 12th 2006 4:58PM
The fact that this French wine is called a Shiraz and not a Syrah lets you know they are making it from the Shiraz grape (imported to the US from Australia) and not the Syrah grape (from France).
Brad Dec 14th 2006 12:42PM
I disagree. I have had this wine love it's fruit forward flavor. I think for the price it's a great value. Also Shiraz and Syrah are the same grape - just called different names in different places. More people know Shiraz so I think that is why they call it that. But I also think they do a great job with their wines of making them easy to understand and accessible. Try their Chardonnay - delish!
Bec Dec 14th 2006 12:49PM
I LOVE FAT BASTARD!!!!!! It is one of my favorite wines to bring to parties.