Do you look for vegan wines? They are becoming more common. I have two vegan-friendly wines for you from Yalumba in Australia. I tasted their Yalumba Organic Shiraz 2019 and Yalumba The Y Series Viognier 2020. Both are single varietal wines, but sometimes you do see these grapes co-fermented. The Shiraz, besides being vegan-friendly, is also organic.
A year ago I tasted both these wines, 2019 vintages. What changes are there between 2019 and 2020 for the Viognier, and what changes occurred in the bottle for the Shiraz? Let me first tell you about the current wines.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Yalumba The Y Series Viognier 2020 (BC $16.99)
This wine besides being vegan-friendly was fermented with indigenous yeast, and the grapes grew with sustainable farming.
Appearance: A deep lemon colour.
Nose: Medium-plus aromas with lots of toastiness together with stone fruits and lemon, plus a hint of orange. About the same aromas with decanting, but you can add a little grape stem and pineapple.
Palate: A dry, round, thick mouthfeel with higher acidity that leaves a prickle on your tongue. The wine does get smoother and softer with swirling and tastes a little off-dry. Quite toasty, plus some tart citrus, peach, and a touch of orange. The wine takes on a buttery mouthfeel with time swirling in the glass. The wine becomes more buttery smooth and less acidic with decanting. Besides the mentioned fruit flavours there is also pears and pineapple now. The toastiness is also reduced.
Finish: A medium-plus length finishing quite peppery/hot, along with toast, peach and citrus flavours. Not quite as peppery on the finish with decanting.
I prefer the decanted version of this wine. The wine becomes softer, buttery, lower acidity and less toast on the palate.
Rating: 
with decanting. A deeper lemon colour. Medium-plus aromas of toast, lemon and stone fruits, plus a hint of orange. Slightly off-dry, buttery smooth with a thicker mouthfeel with decanting. Medium acidity. Peach, pears, citrus tartness, a touch of orange, and toastiness. Medium-plus length finishing with peach, toast and citrus, and light pepperiness.
Yalumba Organic Shiraz 2019 (BC $17.99)
This wine besides being vegan-friendly was fermented with indigenous yeast, and the grapes are certified organic.
Appearance: A deep, almost opaque mix of ruby and garnet colours.
Nose: Medium-minus intensity aromas of blueberries and black cherries, plus touches of floral and red liquorice. Same aroma intensity with decanting; you can add plums and remove the red liquorice from the aroma profile.
Palate: Off-dry, semi-round, medium-plus body, a high level of acidity, and wispy light tannins. Pronounced fruit flavours. A mix of tart and ripe blueberries, ripe cherries and plums. Quite floral. The acidity reduces a bit with decanting, leaving the wine rounder and silky soft. The fruit flavours are also a bit lighter and tend more to the sweet ripe side rather than tart. The tannins are a touch firmer, but still very light.
Finish: Medium length finishing with tart fruit flavours. Mostly acidity on the finish with very little tannins. Less tart flavours with decanting and more sweet fruit, plus lower acidity.
I also like this wine better with decanting. It becomes smoother, rounder, softer, and has more sweet fruit flavours. In case you are a dark chocolate lover, I really enjoyed this wine with Purdy’s dark chocolate with salted nuts. I think their dark chocolate covered pretzels would also work.
Rating: with decanting. An almost opaque mix of garnet and ruby colours. Medium-minus aromas of blueberries, black cherries, and touches of floral and plum. Off-dry, medium-plus acidity and very light, fine tannins. Very flavourful with blueberries, cherries and plums on the palate. Fresh flavours. Medium length finishing with medium acidity and sweet fruit flavours.
Comparison of These Wines With Tasting One Year Ago
As I mentioned above, one year ago I tasted both these wines, 2019 vintages. What changes are there between 2019 and 2020 for the Viognier, and what changes occurred in the bottle for the Shiraz? I did not read my review from last year until I made my complete tasting notes this year. First, what did I say about the wines last year?
Yalumba The Y Series Viognier 2019 – – 
This wine is better when first opened and you linger with the wine in the glass to let the orange aromas and flavours come out. A bright lemon colour. Medium-plus nose with ripe peach and honey to start, but mandarin orange comes out with some swirling. Fuller bodied, off-dry, with a thicker mouthfeel and medium acidity. Peach, orange, and pear flavours on the palate. Orange, lime, and pepperiness on the finish.
Yalumba Organic Shiraz 2019 – Fruit flavours and acidity are what drives this Shiraz, rather than tannins. An almost opaque ruby colour in the glass. A mix of ripe juicy blueberries, blackberries, and black plums on the nose and palate. Medium-plus body with a semi-round mouthfeel. Medium acidity. Light pepperiness and fruit flavours on the finish.
For the Viognier, I did mention that both wines tasted better with swirl time / decanting. Both wines also have stone fruits and orange aromas and flavours and both have a thicker mouthfeel. One difference is the toastiness from the 2020 vintage on the nose and palate.
For the Shiraz, I did mention stronger acidity, being fruit-forward, and having very light tannins for both wines. Remember the same vintage, just one more year in the bottle. Blueberry and plum flavours are common to both. In the tasting last year I mention blackberries, while this year I mention cherries and floral. I also did not note any pepperiness on the finish this tasting.
So you can see that when you read wine reviews, what you smell and taste in a wine may not 100% match what you read in a review, if there has been significant time, e.g. 1 year, between the tasting notes, and when you open your bottle. Isn’t it interesting?
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
You can purchase The Y Series Viognier at BC Liquor stores and at Everything Wine. The Organic Shiraz 2019 is also available at BC Liquor stores and at Everything Wine.
