Yes this was an impulse buy based purely on the label. They had me at squid! Which it makes it all the better to write about how pleasantly surprised I was at the tastiness of this wine once I oogled at the label long enough. The label is the creation of Illinois artist/illustrator Asaf Hanuka and the Squid’s Fist is billed by the Australian vintner Wine By Some Young Punks as,
“A Battle in the Deep as Two Foes Collide! The Squid’s Fist lands hard against the crude steel of the submersible; the force buckles, kinks and crushes it as an old rivalry comes to a head 750ml under the sea! Once again the TNT team find themselves submerged in high drama. How will they survive both the wrath of the mighty Cephalopod and the diabolical plans of the crazed engineer?”
This 2008 edition of Squid’s Fist is a battle between Sangiovese (60%) and Shiraz (40%) varietals. Upon opening up and pouring myself a glass of this drama, I was sucker-punched by the sweet, fruity aroma. The first sip landed square in my jaw with a hint of oak, a slight bitterness and a smooth solid red taste, not too dry or sweet, that belied the subtle 14% alcohol content which gave the final TKO. The bottle lasted only a couple hours, not sure much longer I did.
This is a great wine – a fun, unique company that makes a tasty adult beverage – and is further evidence of Australia’s continuing rise in the wine market. It gets 10 tentacles up from me and I’ll be on the lookout for the rest of their T’n’T line, as well as their pulp fiction line. You can also follow @someyoungpunks on Twitter, but make sure to check out their well-designed and fun website and explore their case portfolio.
dude, that’s IL as in Israel, not Illinois! :)
…What?
Just a little Israeli pride, that’s all..!
LOL. Never seen that abbreviation for Israel. Is it common? Sorry about that!
It’s pretty common. I sometimes see the Illinois abbreviation and confuse it with the Israel one.
A good rule of thumb is, if you’re not from America and use the IL abbreviation without a comma and a USA after it, you’re probably talking about Israel.
Also chances are it’s Israel if the artist’s name is “Asaf Hanuka.”
(says Miriam Goldstein from New Hampshire…well, no system is perfect.)
You’re the exception that proves the rule!
Heads up, by the way: if you ever are in Israel, you’ve got at least one guy who’s up for buying you a beer.
Only time I’ve been to Israel was on one of those Birthright tours when I was 16 or 17. (I’ve got cousins there but they went all right-wing religious and haven’t spoken to us in years.) Getting to snorkel in Eilat was definitely the high point – I think I would have felt much more Zionist if they had emphasized glorious Red Sea gorgonian diversity over religion. However with the promise of beer I will say “L’shanah haba’ah birushalayim” with great fervor this spring. :)