I am consistently impressed by the array of fairly priced and eminently drinkable wines being turned out by South Africa’s Fairview Estate. This Shiraz, as lighthearted as its label, is a prime example of the genre. I can’t even begin to describe the assortment of incongruous articles depicted on the label, all of them balancing on the back of a goat. I’m not sure what any of it means–perhaps that the wine is nicely balanced (it is). Or maybe that it is ever so slightly goat-like funky, or that it would be an excellent wine to accompany the round of cheese pictured atop the balancing act (yes, and yes). In any event, by the time you’ve finished deciphering the image you may find that this Shiraz slips down the gullet so smoothly that there isn’t a drop of it left in the bottle.
