For more than 40 years, the Harvey family has been growing premium quality wine grapes. In 1996, they also started producing premium wine at Chalk Hill. The grapes in Chalk Hill wines are primarily sourced from four family-owned vineyards in the McLaren Vale district, 40 kilometres south of Adelaide in South Australia. McLaren Vale’s Mediterranean type climate of cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers provides perfect growing conditions for premium grapes.  Because of the eminent Sonoma County winery with the same name, the wines are marketed in the United States under the name Wit’s End.

The winery describes the wine perfectly, so rather than muck it up, here is what they say:

Sidetrack is an easy drinking full bodied wine packed full of jammy fruits and great oak integration.  The Sidetrack gets its name from John Harvey, and his ability not to finish one task before something more interesting arises. Sidetrack is a blend of 60% Shiraz 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Grenache and was aged in a mix of old and new tight grain French Oak. The wine has a deep plum red colour, with a lifted berry fruit and caramel on the nose. The strong varietal fruit characters on the palate are supported by peppermint, chocolate and some earthy flavours, with a persistent finish. The wine will develop further in the bottle and with good cellaring will be enjoyed through to 2015. Wines sealed under screw cap will benefit from decanting prior to drinking.

Drink this wine with a salty snack, a piece of blue cheese, a grilled chicken, or Thai food, it’s that flexible.  It’s also worth noting that wines closed in a screwcap, especially reds, benefit from a rough decanting (splash it around) before drinking.