A Bit of Yarrunga Field to go with Stuffed Burgers and Stuffed Bellies

Last night I decided to do something a little bit different and cook something without a set recipe to follow.  What I had decided on was stuffed burgers.  Luckily burgers are hard to screw up in general, so I thought it was a pretty safe bet.  To go with the burgers Pris selected a 2010 Yarrunga Field Black Label, which is an Australian red blend.

This was another selection from the Wall Street Journal Wines.  Pris picked it out since it was labeled as being great with grilled and/or spicy dishes and beef.  While the burgers weren't technically grilled, the wine definitely fit them. 

The Yarrunga is a blend of 85% Shiraz, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot.  The Shiraz-centric nature of this wine is evident in the fruity nose and on the palate.  The Yarrunga has nice aromas of ripe dark berries and black currant.  Once you sip it you get ripe dark fruit on the palate.  The blend is slightly sweet, but isn't a sweet wine.  Rounded tannins keep the Yarrunga smooth and light.  Towards the end you'll just a touch of spice before a nice mellow finish.

The wine was paired with two stuffed burgers.  One burger was stuffed with cheddar, grilled onions, and bacon.  Apparently this is a wine you can drink with a bacon burger if you choose to.  The light sweetness was a great counter to the savory fullness of the beef, cheddar, and bacon.  The other patty was stuffed with blue cheese, chipotle sauce, and bacon.  Again, the sweet went great with the savory.  With this burger though, the spice at the end of the wine complimented the spice in the stuffing really well.  Overall, a great choice of wine for anytime you're grilling.

The Yarrunga Field Black Label runs about $15 a bottle at http://www.wsjwine.com/jsp/homepage.jsp.  You can also find more information there on this fine Australian red.