West Cape Howe Bookends Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Mount Barker, Western Australia
By Fergal Gleeson

Cabernet is the most widely planted grape variety in the world. It is the main grape variety of Bordeaux but is also planted in just about every country that can produce red wine with the USA, Chile and Italy also deserving honourable mentions.

In Australia demand for Cabernet, like that of coal, iron ore and pogo sticks, is in decline. Cabernet used to stand toe to toe with Shiraz but year on year Australian production has been dropping.

You can get great value when buying a wine style or a region that is a bit unfashionable and West Cape Howe’s Bookends Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 delivers on both scores. You get a wine a lot of wine for your money.

The rich, plummy smells foretells that there’s a fruity one in store. West Cape Howe have produced an easy drinking cabernet style balancing blackcurrant fruit, mint and tannins which are fine and smooth.

My wine drinking partner sometimes gives cabernet the thumbs down given it’s harder tannins but there we no issues here. So one reason for the low price is because it’s cabernet. The second is that it sourced from a little known region.

Margaret River has established itself as Australia’s leading wine region. Mount Barker also in Western Australia is relatively unknown but excelling in Cabernet, Merlot, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.

So if you want to fall in love again with the world’s greatest grape West Cape Howe Bookends is a good place to start. Smooth and well made you wouldn’t complain if it was twice the price.

Rating: 3.5/5. RRP: $30. For more Wine Reviews read and follow www.greatwineblog.wordpress.com  Drink and be merry!