Schwarzer Wolf Spätburgunder 2010 (Germany)

Nose:  Heavy, with a lot of berries.  Maybe a bit pungent?

Taste:  Tiny bit of sweetness at the beginning.  Maybe a small red berries?  Definitely a bit of wood.

Finish:  Pretty sour on the finish, again with the berry overtones.

What we say:  S - "It's sort of light in colour, almost like a dark rosé colour-wise"  "I suppose it would make sense if it were berries - like the fox would eat'  V - "You mean wolf?"  S - "It almost tastes like there's a touch of carbonated water in it"  V - "It's like a heavy rosé, I almost feel like it should be chilled"  S - "This isn't spectacular, but it kind of matches the label.  Besides, how can you not buy a bottle of wine with a wolf on it with Schwarzer Wolf in gold letters?  It's like the 90s equivalent of the wolf tshirts.  It's what you would expect of these wolf tshirts, except in wine form."

What they say:  Nuttin'

Rating:  4 (and this might be generous because of the wolf.  Aaooooooo....)

Price: €7.99

Carmelo Ortega Saxa Loquuntur Rioja 2010 (Spain)

Nose:  Pretty dry, maybe a bit more fruity than oaky

Taste:  A little fruity, but nondescript.

Finish:  Medium tannins

What we say: S - 'Whoa!  The smell is strong - it almost punches you in the nose!'

What they say:  Nuttin'

Rating:  4

Price:  £6.99

Star & Vine Viognier 2010 (USA)

Nose:  Citrusy and vanilla.  Maybe grapefruit or lemon on the citrus end.

Taste:  Reasonably dry with lychee fruit or starfruit.  Could have some vanilla as well.

Finish:  Quite tart, couldn't decide whether there was floral or just citrus and vanilla.

What we say:  V- 'Banana??' SS - 'Definitely fruity!'  S - 'Maybe a bit like window cleaner at first, or a citrusy household cleaning product.'  J - 'Can something smell 'vigorous'??'  S - 'What was that other wine we thought tasted like lychee fruit?'

What they say:  Characteristic rose blossom, lychee, and ripe pear note, with a zingy lemon-edged acidity.

Rating:  6.6 {SS - 7.5; J - 7; S - 6; V - 6}

Price:  £9.99

Nederburg Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (South Africa)

Nose:  Light and oaky, not a lot of fruitiness.  Maybe a bit smokey?

Taste:  The berries come out, unlike in the nose.  Dark red berries, but not sweet.  Still tastes a little smokey.

Finish: Some tannins, but mostly just a bit sour at the end.    

What we say:  S - 'Smells like red wine that you cook with beef - there might be a little beef in there, in fact.' 'Might be good cooking wine for beef?'  V - 'It almost has a hint of forest fire...'  S - 'I still think this would go well with beef.'  'It's not bad, nothing spectacular, but decent - slightly about average.'  V - 'Yeah, it isn't bad, but not great.'

What they say:  Wild berry, chocolate, mocha notes and a waft of vanilla on the nose.  On the palate a burst of ripe fruit complimented with delicate oak spice flavours.  Full bodies with firm yet approachable tannins.

Rating:  5.5 (S - 6; V - 5)

Cost:  £8.99

The Black Pig Shiraz 2010 (Australia)

Nose:  Both berry and oak, maybe with some cinnamon or cloves?  A bit of sweetness, and definitely something spicy.

Taste:  Fruity with spiciness and a bit of oak.  But still dry.

Finish:  Pretty smooth, a small hit of tannins.

What we say:  S - 'Smells like pig... hehehehe.... just joking.'  V - 'The nose is pretty balanced between the fruitiness and the oakiness.  There's also something somewhat bakey about it.'  S - 'It is sort of bakey - almost like you could eat some raw dough.'  'I think my taste buds are failing me...'  V - 'Wow, that's pretty f*cking well balanced.'

What they say: Compared their wine to their pigs, but they clearly love their pigs....

Rating: 8

Price: £10.99

Pérez Cruz Single Vineyard La Miguera Block 2010 (Chile)

Nose:  Quite woody with a hint of dark berries.

Taste:  Definitely berries, maybe cherries.  Definitely a medium-dry, but not too sweet.

Finish:  Very light tannins, super smooth.

What we say:  S - 'Oh, the taste is definitely berries!'  V - 'I think I like my wines to have a bit more bite at the end.' 'It's really drinkable, but maybe a bit boring?' S - 'Yeah, but it's not bad.'  'There's really not too much to the finish.'  'I don't think it's too boring, because you do get that taste of berries - it's not 'generic' red, but it's not that complex.  It's just a decent, drinkable wine.'  'It's a wine you could certainly enjoy just sitting, typing away, and sipping from time to time.'

What they say:  Tremendous structure, concentration, and fruit expression.

Rating:  6

Price:  £19.99

Beneficio McLaren Vale Shiraz 2010 (Australia)

Nose:  Juicy and reasonably oaky, overall medium.

Taste:  Very berry, possibly dark cherries, pretty dry through.  Relatively heavy.

Finish:  Quite bitter - some serious and long lasting tannins.

What we say:  V - 'I'm just getting a whole pile of oak, the nose is quite dry.'  S - 'The tannins are sticking on the roof of my mouth'  'It feels kind of French to me - heavy and tanniny.'  V - 'Except better than the French wine we've had.'  'It's pretty drinkable, but not particularly remarkable.'

What they say:  Elegant and balance in weight with structured velvet tannins, underpinned by dark berry fruit, liquorice and hues of cassis.

Rating:  6

Price:  £17.99

Villa Taurini Piemonte DOC Barbera 2010 (Italy)

Nose:  Quite oaky at first, which is reasonably heavy, followed by red berries, probably cherry or other types of bittersweet berries.  Dry.

Taste:  Definitely berryish and quite tart.

Finish:  Somewhat of a sour finish, very little tannins.

What we say: V - 'I think the red berries are pretty pronounced in the nose.' S - 'I can't really smell the fruit past the woodiness; maybe I'm just terrible at smelling.'  'The taste isn't as woody as I would have expected from the nose.'  V - It's a little bit of a letdown after the nose.' S - 'Yeah, I'm not a big fan of it.  It might be a wine that you need to pair with food.'

What they say: Full of luscious fruit flavours and some subtle spicy notes, it is a fresh and vibrant wine.

Rating:  4.5  (S - 4; V - 5)

Price:  £6.99

Il Corvo Nero d'Avola 2010 (Italy)

Nose:  Predominant dark berries with a slight oakiness.  Somewhat sweet.

Taste:  Somewhat tart and light, although we were eating some strong cheeses at the time.  Definitely smooth. Lighter than expected with definite red berries.


Finish:  Bloom of tannins in the finish, but not really overpowering.

What we say: V - "The nose is berries all over the place."  S - "What is that taste?  We've had it before.  Is it berries?"  "Yeah, it's like a flower blooming with the tannins.  Not like a firecracker, which is all like 'boom,' but a gradual pffffffssh.'  'It's a good wine, but nothing spectacular - it's not particularly complex.'  'Did they say leather?  Is there horse?  "Oh no, not the wine too!!"' L - 'It stings your nostrils a little bit.' V - 'It's ok, kind of watery in the finish.'

What they say: Bursting with dark fruits, black cherry, plum and blackberries, with savoury notes of leather and black peppercorn slowly emerging with a hint of liquorice.

Rating: 6.3 (S - 5; V - 6; L - 8)

Price: £8.99

Boschendal Lanoy Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (South Africa)

Nose:  A bit sharp; definitely on the fruity side. Dark berries. A bit oaky.

Taste: Starts off fruity, with spicy notes.

Finish: Medium tannin. Maybe pepper?

What we say: V - 'Smells a little bit like alcoholic fruit roll-up.' S - 'I love the smell of butter [as an aside].  I always think it's fish, but I realise that's just the state' V - 'I think it's ok over all. It's not spectacular, but you know...it's drinkable.'

What they say: Aromas of red berry, fruit and spice. Long finish. Excellent integration of wood and fruit with smooth tannins.

Rating: 6

Cost:  £8.99

Pérez Cruz Winemaker's Selection 2010 (Chile)

Nose:  Fairly light oakyness, not particularly sweet - a bit spicy, maybe pepper?  Reasonably pleasant.

Taste:  Pretty dry, somewhat tart.  Maybe a bit of pepper.

Finish:  The finish 'goes on and on and on....'

What we say:  S - "Wow, there was something really familiar about that"  V - "I think the finish is the majority of what you're getting out of this wine"

What they say: Well balanced, complex and elegant.

Rating:  6.5 (S - 6; V - 7)

La Multa Catalana Old Vine Garnacha Blanca 2010 (Spain)

Nose:  Not really that fruity - maybe a bit of pineapple?  There's something else that's a bit more pungent, perhaps some type of flower?

Taste:  Really smooth with citrus flavours, maybe a hint of vanilla.

Finish:  Pretty big with definite floral overtones.

What we say:  V - 'There's something weird going on with the nose'  'The taste definitely blooms in your mouth'  'It's more sweet than I expected from the nose.'

What they say:  Subtle flavours of orange blossom, acacia and peach.  With a long, mineral finish.

Rating:  6.5 (S - 6; V - 7)

Roc de Lussac Lussac St. Emilion AOC 2010 (France)

Nose:  Sharp, with darker berries - maybe blackberries.

Taste:  Dry berries?

Finish:  Medium tannins.

What we say:  S - 'At the very beginning there are berries'  'It's quite not like sawdust, but what's another type of wood?'  V - 'I'm having trouble with this one - nothing really stands out.'

What they say:  Black fruit flavours and subtle tannins.

Rating:  4.5 (V - 5; S - 4)

Gloria de la Roche Touraine AOC Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (France)

Nose:  Citrusy, with something fresh in the end.  Reasonably light - maybe a bit of floral?

Taste:  Not dry; almost like a semi-sweet at first taste with a bit of floral at first.  Reasonably thick in in the mouth.

Finish:  Moves to citrus and dry.

What we say:  S - 'I think it's good, but I don't know what to say about it.  It's more interesting than your standard white.  There is a clear development on the palate.'

What they say:  Fresh and zesty.  Very aromatic with citrus fruits notes.

Rating:  6.5 (V - 6; S - 7)

Colchagua Valley Carmenère 2010 (Chile)

Nose:  Very light, maybe something sweet at the very end.  Maybe spicy?

Taste:  There's a sweetness to it, very smooth and velvity.

Finish:  Pretty smooth, maybe berries?

What we say:  V - 'It's a nice colour.  I think I smell cheese.'  S - Do you remember the book the Velvateen Rabbit?  It's so sad.'  'It's heavy, but not overpowering or in the tanniny headachy way.'  'You could bring this to a dinner party where you're not sure what people like - it's a safe dinner party wine'

What they say:  Deep red and black fruits with a gentle wild herb perfume.

Rating:  6

Ariki Reserva Cabernet Syrah 2010 (Chile)

Nose:  Dense, heavy, musky, woody.  Only the slightest hint of fruit.  It's interesting, but there's something else we can't put our fingers on.

Taste:  Reasonably powerful, sort of tart, definite woodiness.  Super dry.

Finish:  Definite tartness, lingering.

What we say: S- 'Oh! There's the pencil crayon smell again.  What is that supposed to be, oak?'  'The nose is almost sappy piney humid woods with a lot of foilage'  V 'I wonder if it almost smells like Christmas - not in a spicy way, but in a tree way.' S 'I don't know if I like it - it's just a bit to tart for me, almost sour.'  

What they say:  Red fruit aromas, blackcurrent flavours and a weighty finish.

Rating:  5.5 (S - 5; V - 6)

Château Tour Saint-Germain Cuvée Prestige 2010 (France)

Nose:  Sharp, red fruit

Taste:  Dry, with berries

Finish:  Light - a little bit woody

What we say:  S - 'It smells like a new batch of pencil crayons'  V - 'As soon as you get your initial hit of the nose, there is not that much going on'  S - 'Berryish - still a little bit of pencil crayon in the taste.  I've only chewed in the ends of them while  drawing but....'  V - 'I would buy this again just to drink'

What they say:  An intense nose with fruit.  A soft taste with a good tannic evolution.

Rating:  7

Domaine du Gouyat Bergerac AOC 2010 (France)

Nose:  Sweet, powerful, but not unpleasant.  Just strong and particular.

Taste:  Has a sweetness to it - a semi-dry, but not noticeably fruity.

Finish:  Goes away pretty fast, doesn't linger - not like The Cranberries...

What we say:  V - 'The nose almost reminded me of the chlorine blast that you get when you go to the pool.  It obviously doesn't smell like chlorine, but it's the same instantaneous intensity.'  S - 'It smells like baby powder'  V - 'It's pretty drinkable, through not stunning.'  'It almost tastes like 'my first red wine.'  It's decent, but it's like an introductory red wine.' S - 'It's not grotesquely sweet, it's not syrupy.'

What they say:  Aromas of red fruits and spices

Rating:  6

Baron de Lafontade Bordeaux AOC 2010 (France)

Nose:  Super light, greasy chicken?

Taste:  Very light, indistinguishable flavours

Finish:  A bit bitter

What we say:  S - 'I'm having trouble smelling anything'  V - 'Smells like alcohol'  S - 'Unremarkable.  Kinda watery'   V - 'The taste blooms in your mouth after the wine is gone, but it's not great'

What they say:  Aromas of red fruits with the presence of tannins

Rating:  3

Château Edmond de la Fontaine Chardonnay Grand Premier Cru 2010 (Luxembourg)

Nose:  Citrusy, a little bit of vanilla?  Grapefruit?

Taste:  Definitely citrusy and grapefruit, quite dry

Finish:  A bit of sour grapefruit

What we say:  V - 'It almost smells like a citrus desert.  Very pleasant though.'

What they say:  Nuttin'

Rating:  6.5 (V - 6; S - 7)