Forget Bieber Fever...

...because this Sunday, at a big green bottle store near you, when the clock strikes 1:00pm, Grange Rage is going to descend!

This may well resemble an adult version of the recently-witnessed, and completely baffling, frenzy induced by a baby-faced, asexual, strangely-tressed, singing Canadian tweenager, on his recent visit to our shores. Oh to be a hysterical, hyperventilating, completely obsessed 13-year-old again. Or not.

However, come Sunday May 2nd, it's going to be Survival of the Fittest at Dan Murphy's Alexandria. Expect to encounter hordes of wine-savvy individuals lining up from the wee hours for a taste of Penfold's latest vintage of Australia's most famous wine, the Grange. (Cue appropriately-intense organ music here.)

The first 100 punters in the queue will be lucky enough to taste Penfold's 2005 super premium shiraz (probably worth around $20/taste, even in a teeny, tiny measure!). Definitely worth camping out for!

However, if you happen to have a life, or just play baseball on a Sunday, then do not despair.. all is not lost.

Between 1pm-5pm this Sunday, a veritable Shiraz orgy will be taking place in the hangar-like room adjacent to Dan's retail space. Over 70 different shirazes (is that the correct plural form, hmmm...) will be available for tasting from all over Australia, including super premium labels, and all this for NIX!

From previous experience, this Shiraz Expo will be well worth checking out, as you can literally take a vinous trip around the country, without racking up any air miles. It's also a fantastic chance to compare shiraz from different regions, and also suss out whether the really exxy bottlles - that you may not normally take a punt on - are worth shelling out your hard-earned pennies for. What's not to like?

One word of advice though - and unfortunately this also comes from experience - please, PLEASE, try to avoid rocking up with a hangover. I know this will be difficult, given that it is a Sunday, and you'll want to celebrate the Swannies latest victory the night before.

But trust me, there is nothing - I repeat, NOTHING - worse than gazing glassy-eyed at $150 bottles of red wine that you have coveted from afar for eternity, hoping and praying for the day you may get the chance to taste the goods inside, then that day actually arrives and BANG! - with it comes a foggy head, dry mouth, and involuntary gagging at the smell of even a wine gum.

I implore you. Avoid the Sunday hangover at all costs. The eternal regret is just not worth it.

So, there you have it. I'll hopefully be down at the big green barn from 2:30pm come Sunday. Hope to see y'all there for a spot of shiraz sampling - save some for me!

Yours in Plonk

The Plonker x