OK – so I’ve missed my chance to be Find Wine‘s very own critic. Blame it on the late arrival of the bottle to be reviewed for the competition, combined with my kitchen being ripped out.

However, I did eventually get to open One Chain’s The Opportunist Shiraz 2008, from Australia’s Limestone Coast.

Now, I am not the biggest fan of big, ballsy Shiraz but I thought this would go well with the black bean chilli I served to friends. It was great actually.  First whiff revealed plums, blackcurrants and chocolate. Then came some liquorice and a lick of spice. The plums were a bit jammy when I tasted the wine, but decent acidity kept this in check. The liquorice and chocolate were still there as well, along with some cedar and a touch of black pepper. I thought this smooth, dark crowd-pleaser tasted more expensive than its current £6.99 retail price at Find Wine, and I would happily drink The Opportunist again with some mildly spicy, meaty food.