Home › Wine Notes › Casella Family Brands
[yellow tail] Shiraz 2023
RedAustralia2023
By Daniel Min · ◇ Guide (not yet tasted) · Published 2026-09-09 · Updated 2026-09-09
![[yellow tail] Shiraz (far left) with Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012 bottles — Wikimedia Commons](/img/yellow-tail-shiraz.jpg)
At a glance
In one line
Guide (not yet tasted) — Vivino average 3.7 · world avg price US$6 · The kangaroo label that has sold 10 million bottles in Korea.
No vintage-by-vintage scores from the major critics — at 140 million bottles a year it is simply not a wine they review. The Vivino community (60,000-plus ratings) stands in for them.
Market note: The world's best-selling Australian wine brand. Vivino's vintage averages bottomed out at 3.2 in 2010–2012 and have climbed steadily to 3.5–3.7 since 2016; the 2023 is the highest yet.
What I learned today: a bottle you've seen so often you think you know it can be one you've never actually met.
Thursday, the last opening night of the year. On my way to the bar I stopped at the neighbourhood supermarket. By the entrance, bottles with a yellow animal on them were stacked like a small hill. I'd walked past them countless times and never once picked one up. I wanted to know it at least once before the year ran out, so I bought a bottle and took it with me.
Master Seo turned the bottle once in his hand, said nothing, and dipped it briefly in a tub of cold water. Then, instead of pulling a cork, he twisted off the cap and poured it into the same glass he always uses. Deep purple. Vanilla came first, then plum, blackberry, chocolate. In the mouth it was soft and a little sweet, with nothing astringent at all.
I leafed through Father's notebook, but the yellow animal isn't there. So tonight, too, I'm writing down what I heard.
It's [yellow tail] Shiraz; the square brackets are part of the name. Minjae came in late, saw the bottle and cried, "The kangaroo from the front of our store!" Master Seo corrected him in one word. "Wallaby." The animal on the label isn't a kangaroo but a yellow-footed rock-wallaby. Minjae said he walks past it every day, and stared at the bottle for a long while.
They say this wine was made from the start for people who don't know wine: easy to choose, easy to drink, easy to understand. When the name first came out there was a sales target, and in the first year it sold forty times that. I was exactly the customer that description had in mind. I didn't know the name, I got the animal wrong, and I still picked up a bottle. I only heard later why he'd chilled it: drunk a little cool, the sweetness takes a step back.
At midnight, when the last guests had left, Master Seo nodded toward the switch for the sign. Turning it on every evening is my job, but it was the first time he'd left turning it off to me as well. As the light went down, somewhere in the alley people were counting in the new year. On the second page of my new notebook I wrote the yellow animal's name. What I learned today: a bottle you've seen so often you think you know it can be one you've never actually met.
What this wine is
Filippo and Maria Casella emigrated from Sicily to Australia in 1957, settled in Yenda in the Riverina, inland New South Wales, and started a small winery in 1969. Their son John Casella partnered with the American family distributor W.J. Deutsch in 2000 and launched the [yellow tail] brand in 2001 — the square brackets are part of the name, and the yellow animal on the label is not a kangaroo but a yellow-footed rock wallaby. The target was 25,000 cases; the first year in the US sold a million, the second 2.2 million, and in 2011 it overtook France and Italy to become the number one imported wine in the United States. Today the one brand sells around 140 million bottles a year in some 70 countries and accounts for roughly 15% of all Australian wine exports. IWSR has named it the 'most powerful wine brand' for eight consecutive years, 2018 to 2025. Business schools teach it as the textbook case of 'blue ocean strategy': a wine that people who know nothing about wine find easy to choose, easy to drink and easy to understand.
Shiraz is the flagship of the range. The origin is not a specific region but 'South Eastern Australia' — a catch-all zone covering New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, which means grapes from several areas are blended to taste the same every year. Alcohol 13.5%, residual sugar 10 g/L (as registered with Canada's LCBO, which still classifies it as 'dry'), screwcap. The producer's description: "Shiraz is created with a simple philosophy in mind — to make a great wine that everyone can enjoy anytime in any place. Enjoy it with a bunch of friends and a hearty BBQ steak." The vanilla is understood to come from oak chips and staves rather than barrels, which is why the words 'oak chips' turn up verbatim in reviews.
What the world says
There is no critic score. Neither James Suckling nor Wine Spectator rates this wine vintage by vintage. Instead 61,943 people have left an average of 3.5 on Vivino — by far the largest sample of any wine covered in this magazine. The 2023 vintage averages 3.7 from 1,431 ratings, its highest ever: 64% in the 3s, 29% at 4 or above. The vintage curve is the interesting part. It bottomed out at 3.2 in 2010–2012 and has risen slowly since 2016 to 3.5–3.7 without a single step backwards. This is not a wine that tastes the same for 25 years; it is one that is quietly getting better.
The keywords put vanilla (473), oak (354) and chocolate (191) ahead of plum (315) and blackberry (265), followed by jam (57), cheese (54) and prune (22). Structure: intensity 4.6/5, tannin 3.1, acidity 3.0, sweetness 2.3 — which is to say it reads sweeter than Juan Gil Blue Label (2.0), and is why 'is Yellow Tail sweet?' is a search term in Korea.
"I have rated the last few vintages of this and it remains a very good wine, with plum, cherry and blackberry and hints of oaky chocolate and vanilla. Dry, bold, smooth." — Vivino review, Dec 2025, 3.8 stars
"Quite simple and easy-drinking. Raspberry and blackberry with some vanilla. A little oak and white pepper on the finish. Drinking it with pepperoni pizza." — Vivino review, Jan 2025, 3.9 stars
"I reviewed this ten years ago and didn't enjoy it. This time I very much did. Dark berry aroma, jammy fruit. 13.5%." — Vivino review, Jan 2025, 4 stars
"Not bad for a bottom-shelf wine. Deep colour, decent aroma, not too dry." — Vivino review, Jul 2025, 3.7 stars
The Korean press sees it the same way. Yonhap (March 2026), quoting a sommelier, wrote that Yellow Tail's strength is not 'cheap' but 'the technical ability to hold quality steady for the price inside a mass-production structure'.
Why this wine is here
A confession first. I have not tasted this wine. There is no kangaroo anywhere in my Vivino log. It is in this magazine for one reason: Yellow Tail is one of the names Koreans type most often when they search for 'wine'. Since arriving in Korea in 2005 it has passed 10 million bottles there (March 2024), and it now sits on the shelf of every hypermarket and convenience store in the country. For someone standing at a convenience-store fridge searching 'is this any good?', I thought there was an answer I could give now, even without my own score.
Here is what a first-time buyer should expect. It is soft. The tannin does not grip, and what comes first is fruit — plum and blackberry with vanilla and chocolate laid over it. There is a slightly sweet edge: 10 g/L of residual sugar counts as dry on paper, but low acidity and heavy vanilla make it taste sweeter than that. At 13.5% it is not heavy, the screwcap means no corkscrew, and you can drink it the moment you open it. Forget words like decanting and cellaring. And here is what not to expect: complex notes of pepper, leather or earth, a long finish, anything that time will add. This wine does not promise those things. The price — US$6–8 in the US — states the scope of the promise honestly.
My score goes in the day I drink it. I am curious about one thing. The same me who gave Two Hands Samantha's Garden Shiraz (2014) 4.5 stars and wrote "Chocolate plum" — what will he find, and not find, in an Australian Shiraz at a tenth of the price? Sixty thousand people say 3.5; if I give it 4, that is worth recording, and if I give it 3, the why will be the more interesting part. Until then, this page is a guide, not a tasting note.
Where this wine shows up
At Super Bowl LI, Yellow Tail became the first wine brand to run an ad on the game in almost forty years — a thirty-second regional spot built around the kangaroo logo and an Australian model, repeated in 2018 and 2019.
Adweek — Yellow Tail Is First Wine Brand to Air a Super Bowl Ad in 40 Years · PR Newswire — Yellow Tail Becomes First Wine Brand To Advertise On The Super Bowl
Artwork and stills are not reproduced for copyright reasons; scenes are summarised.
Vivino community data
2023 vintage rating distribution (1431 ratings, average 3.7)
| 5★ | 46 (3%) | |
| 4★ | 369 (26%) | |
| 3★ | 912 (64%) | |
| 2★ | 85 (6%) | |
| 1★ | 19 (1%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Oak | 1218 | vanilla 473 · oak 354 · chocolate 191 · clove 36 · tobacco 31 |
| Black fruit | 947 | plum 315 · blackberry 265 · dark fruit 61 · jam 57 · blackcurrant 53 |
| Red fruit | 522 | cherry 258 · red fruit 100 · raspberry 77 · strawberry 37 |
| Spice | 344 | pepper 142 · licorice 97 · cinnamon 33 · eucalyptus 16 · anise 14 |
| Earth & leather | 194 | smoke 73 · leather 36 · earth 25 · honey 10 · minerals 9 |
| Dairy & ferment | 84 | cheese 54 · cream 19 |
| Dried fruit | 54 | prune 22 · fig 12 · raisin 9 |
Structure: Acidity 3.0/5 · Intensity 4.6/5 · Tannin 3.1/5 · Sweetness 2.3/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 61943 ratings, average 3.5)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.2 | 63 |
| 2003 | 3.5 | 70 |
| 2004 | 3.3 | 56 |
| 2005 | 3.4 | 99 |
| 2006 | 3.3 | 306 |
| 2007 | 3.3 | 91 |
| 2008 | 3.3 | 679 |
| 2009 | 3.4 | 785 |
| 2010 | 3.2 | 1687 |
| 2011 | 3.3 | 1322 |
| 2012 | 3.2 | 1713 |
| 2013 | 3.4 | 2638 |
| 2014 | 3.4 | 4089 |
| 2015 | 3.4 | 4620 |
| 2016 | 3.5 | 10690 |
| 2017 | 3.5 | 4474 |
| 2018 | 3.5 | 5020 |
| 2019 | 3.5 | 2749 |
| 2020 | 3.6 | 4095 |
| 2021 | 3.6 | 4588 |
| 2022 | 3.6 | 2091 |
| 2023 | 3.7 | 1431 |
| 2024 | 3.6 | 1233 |
| 2025 | 3.5 | 61 |
Read next
Swipe for more →
Caymus Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
United States · Napa★★★★☆
Same producerDomaine Saint-Damien, Gigondas Vieilles Vignes 'La Louisiane' 2014
France · Rhône★★★½☆
Same producerNapa by N.A.P.A., Michael's Red 2015
United States · Napa★★★★☆
Same producerW. & J. Graham's 'Six Grapes' Reserve Port NV
Portugal★☆☆☆☆
Similar styleMollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz 2018
Australia · South Australia★★★★★
Similar styleThe Standish Shiraz 2017
Australia · South Australia★★★★☆
Similar styled'Arenberg The Footbolt Shiraz 2016
Australia · South Australia★★★★☆
Similar styleTwo Hands 'Samantha's Garden' Shiraz Clare Valley 2014
Australia★★★★½
Highly rated by FatherJacques Selosse Lieux-dits Le Bout du Clos Ambonnay Grand Cru Extra Brut
France · Champagne★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherLouis Roederer Cristal Rosé Vinothèque 2008
France · Champagne★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherMaison Leroy Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Le Charmois Blanc 2002
France · Burgundy★★★★★
Highly rated by FatherClos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Napa Valley)
United States · Napa★★★★★More from Australia
Explore
Bottles Father gave five stars
Only the wines Father scored a perfect 5
→
Wines in manga, film and history
Bottles that show up in manga, film and history
→
Wines you can buy at the supermarket
Wines actually bought at the supermarket
→Frequently asked questions
How much does Yellow Tail Shiraz cost?
US retail is US$6–8 and Canada's LCBO lists it at C$14.95. As the world's best-selling Australian wine brand it is among the cheapest bottles on any shelf.
Is Yellow Tail Shiraz sweet?
Technically dry (10 g/L residual sugar, LCBO data), but it tastes sweet-edged: acidity is low, the vanilla and chocolate oak notes are strong, and ripe plum and blackberry lead. Vivino rates its sweetness 2.3/5, above Juan Gil Blue Label (2.0). It is not obviously sweet like a Moscato — think 'a dry red with a sweet streak'.
What food goes with it?
The producer says barbecued steak; Vivino says beef and lamb. In Korean terms it suits sweet-savoury marinated meats — yangnyeom galbi (marinated short ribs), bulgogi, jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), samgyeopsal (pork belly) — and many reviews pair it with pepperoni pizza and cheese. The soft tannin handles spicy food well. Serve slightly cool (15–16°C) and the sweetness recedes.
Yellow Tail Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon — which should I pick?
The Shiraz is denser and spicier, on the pepper, chocolate and plum side; the Cabernet Sauvignon leans to blackcurrant and mint with slightly more noticeable tannin. If you want soft, sweet fruit, take the Shiraz; if you want something a touch drier and firmer, the Cabernet. Both are 13.5% and the same price. For a first bottle the Shiraz is the safer bet.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Casella Family Brands — the [yellow tail] brand story
- Wikipedia — Yellow Tail (wine)
- LCBO — Yellow Tail Shiraz residual sugar, alcohol and price
- Wine21 — Yellow Tail passes 10 million bottles in Korea (March 2024)
Read next
Swipe for more →
Caymus Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
United States · Napa★★★★☆Same producerDomaine Saint-Damien, Gigondas Vieilles Vignes 'La Louisiane' 2014
France · Rhône★★★½☆Same producerNapa by N.A.P.A., Michael's Red 2015
United States · Napa★★★★☆Same producerW. & J. Graham's 'Six Grapes' Reserve Port NV
Portugal★☆☆☆☆Similar styleMollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz 2018
Australia · South Australia★★★★★Similar style