19 Crimes - Cab Sav

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Last Friday, me and Berit decided to have a video call. As it was Friday and as we had a lot to talk about there had to be wine.

Coincidentally there was (still is) an offer in Delhaize supermarket that among the given selection, pick two wines and pay 10 euros. Spring wine festival had just ended and I had made myself a little stock but that offer was (still is) too sweet not to use it.

I have wanted to try some wines from 19 Crimes for some time but they look so mass produced and unappealing that I always pick something else. But as crime is my second passion next to wine I am still back at these wines. Cab Sav, Chardonnay and Sav Blanc were included into the discount this time. I felt like red wine and bought only one bottle in case I do not like it.

19 Crimes has 8 wines with pictures of former convicts on them (plus some more with some famous people like Snoop Dog). The convicts were British citizens who were sent to Australia as a punishment in 19th century. 19 is the list of crimes that were worth of getting a free ticket to the other side of the world (not sure it is the complete list). There is a number on each cork and each number represents one crime. I broke my cork by accident so I do not know what was my crime.

On my bottle, there was Michel Harrington, a conscript who is famous for escaping Australia with six other men in 1876 by sailing a tiny rowboat into international waters and boarding an American merchant ship purchased for that escape by Americans. 


I set my expectations low. The grapes come from South Eastern Australian megazone and so far my experience with such wines has mostly been bad. The wines that are labelled this way can source their fruit from across most Australia's wine regions. Grapes come from fertile irrigated vineyards, volumes are high and although grapes are healthy, fruit can lack concentration. Blending in components from better sites helps here. 

This wine costs normally something over 8 euros. In Lux, one can get a very nice local wine for that but wine from Australia...

Well... it did taste like mass produced wine made to appeal general public.

But, it smelled and tasted like well made mass produced wine.

Colour: medium ruby

Aromas: medium+ blackcurrant jam, black plum, prune, warm vanilla, cedar, milk chocolate, cloves, eucalyptus.

Palate: dry, medium acidity and medium soft tannins, high alcohol (14%), medium+ flavor intensity, body and finish.

Vivino score: I gave it 3.8

What is there not to like? Very good price and very enjoyable wine.

Of course it wasn't unforgettable experience. I can always recommend this as easy drinking and pleasant wine but my mind about this one is in peace so I wont buy it again.

I did buy today Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc though so let's see what I think. This time I will be more careful with corks.

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