Current favourite quaffers: Lindemans Bin 50/95

I love quaffers – ie wines which taste perfectly acceptable, but are Cheap with a capital C.

Currently I am drinking two wines from the Lindemans Bin range: the 2006 Shiraz, and the 2006 Sauvingon Blanc. These wines retail for around $10 per bottle, although at present are on special at Liquorland for 3 for $20!

The shiraz is fairly typical of a low-end Australian shiraz – nice fruit flavour balanced with a dry finish. What it lacks is what a lot of cheap shiraz suffer as a result of – overly tannic body and acid finish. This wine shows remarkable depth for a cheapie, and there is nothing offensive about it. An excellent red quaffer, which could command a much higher price and still be saleable – 7.5/10

The sauvignon blanc is a lovely easy-drinking white. Nice sweetness, but not too much. Lovely dry finish with no real lingering flavour other than a satisfying alcohol bite. The wine lacks depth, but that is to be expected given the price-point, and unlike some cheaper SBs, the winemaker hasn’t tried to compensate for poor fruit flavour by blending the grapes with seminon. 7/10.