Targus Creek Shiraz and Trincadeira 2011 (Portugal)

Nose:  There's quite a bit of oak in there - S smells nothing but 'pencil crayon.'  Almost no berries whatsoever.

Taste:  Very smooth, with some berry-like properties, but relatively light overall.  Spicy?

Finish:  Has a bit of a buzziness at the end, maybe pepper.  Almost semi-sweet, with moderate tannins.

What we say:  V - 'The nose is really unusual.' S - 'Is there pepper in the nose?  I don't know - I could just be making this up.  There has to be something other than oak right?  I mean, at the end of the day it's based on grapes...'  'Even thought I can't really pinpoint many of the flavours, it's still really nice - quite subtle, perhaps.  Like the quiet one in the room.  Still waters run deep.  Something about books and covers.'  'It's not like explosions in your mouth, but it's very good - I like it in its simplicity.'  'A decent wine to bring to someone if you don't know their preferences (unless they're wine snobs)'

What they say:  Medium body that combines red fruit characters with pleasant spiciness.

Rating: 7 

Price:  £5.99