Domaine les Herbes Blanches Ventoux 2012 (France)

Nose:  Quite potent with dark red berries and good bit of oakiness.  Almost a bit tart.

Taste:  Dry, with some dark berry flavour overall but not particularly distinct.

Finish:  A bit of spiciness at the end.  Lasting tannins.

What we say:  V - 'Almost licorice on the nose?'  S - 'Yeah, a bit bitter.  I can almost taste it in the smell.'  'I think I recognise the smell.  I want to say... grapes?  No!  Apple juice!'  S - 'There's a little bit of Christmas in the taste'

What they say:  Round, balanced, fruit-driven wine with spicy notes.

Rating:  4

Price:  ‎£11.99

Tesco Finest Malbec Pays d'Oc AOC 2012 (France)

Nose:  Definitely on the oaky side of things, with a bit of dark berries and cherry.

Taste: Maybe blackcurrents?  Some sort of fruit.  A little bit watery.

Finish:  The tannins bloom quite quickly and linger quite a while.  A bit too much overall - it detracts from the experience.

What we say:  S - 'The nose is definitely pencil crayons and cherry.'  V - 'What else is going on there, is it more than just wood, something slightly harsh?'  S - 'The taste reminds me of some type of juice - something purple.  Maybe like my Dad's gløgg.' 'Do you think it will taste different after eating an olive?' V - 'Oh yeah, it tastes sweeter'

What they say: Rich aromas of plum, bramble and wafts of wild herbs.  A rich mouthfeel with dark fruit flavours with a smooth, plummy finish.

Rating: 4

Price: £6.99

Hagnauer Burgstall Spätburgunder 2011 (Germany)

Nose:  Sort of fruity, maybe a bit of pepper or spice.  Definitely has a bit of a punch.  Just a tiny bit of wood.

Taste:  Reasonably dry with dark berries prominent.

Finish:  Medium tannins

What we say:  V - "It almost smells like dessert, or Christmas, or something"  S - "The finish seems a bit metallic or minerally, but I don't know if that's just because of the pesto we ate"  V - "It's similar to the one last night, but has a tannin finish instead of just being sour and a more interesting nose" "The problem is that it's still not that great"

What they say:  A full-bodied red wine with deep berry and cherry scents.  Strong stature, soft tannins, and dry.

Rating:  4 (a real four, unlike the previous wine that got a bonus point for the wolf...)

Price: €8.99

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

d'Arcana Pinot Grigio 2011 (Italy)

Nose:  Very light but citrusy

Taste:  Fairly dry, maybe pear

Finish:  Somewhat tart

What we say:  V - 'The nose is so light I can't really tell what's going on.'  S - 'You can't put cucumber in wine, can you?'  V - 'There's just not a lot going on here.'

What they say:  Fresh, dry and delicate with floral and citrus aromas

Rating:  4

Price:  £7.49

Calvet Roc Saint-Gilles Montagne Saint-Émilion 2011 (France)

Nose:  Reasonably light, but with noticeable oakiness with red berries, particularly cherry.

Taste:  A little watery at first, nothing really strong.

Finish:  Sour cherry, but not tart.  Definite tannins.  S - 'It kind of hangs out on the front of your tongue.'

What we say:  V - 'It smell a little bit like cough syrup, right?'  S - 'Yeah, a heavy berrish scent, but not uber-sweet'  V- 'the more I smell it, the more I lose the oakiness.'  S - 'yeah, but there's still a bit of wood-chips there.'  'It might be good with a dollop of cream, maybe ice cream.'

What they say:  Powerful nose with red fruits, black currents, strawberries and blackberries.  Long aromatic finish.

Rating:  4

Cost:  £12.99

Mezquiriz La Mancha Tempranillo 2008 (Spain)

Nose: Strong and oaky, with a slight fruitiness.

Taste: Woody/oaky flavour, with a little bit of sweetness. Reasonably high in tannins.

Finish: Really light in comparison with the initial taste.

What we say: S - 'It reminds me of church. Definitely pencil-crayon.'

What they say: Strong and fruity bouquet.

Rate: 4

Marquis de St. Vincent Médoc Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 (France)

Nose: Oak; dark red berries

Taste: Smooth; dry

Finish: Bitter - the tannins really bloom in the finish. Peppery. The finish really lingers.

What we say: It's so middle of the road, we have no comment.

What they say: Aromas of red fruit and cores. Well-balanced. Structured and fruity. Will seduce you (!).

Rate: 4

Toro Loco Tempranillo 2011 (Spain)

Nose:  A pretty standard woody-berry combo, with an emphasis on the wood.  Pretty medium - not overpowering, but not too light.

Taste:  There's a bit of sweetness in it.

Finish:  The tannins boom in your mouth.

What we say:  V - 'It's about as middle of the road as you can get, though perhaps a bit on the sweet side.'  S - 'It's pretty standard.  It's not bad, but I don't think i'd go out of my way to drink it again.  It wouldn't be missed.'

What they say:  Full bodied; fresh and juicy.

Rating:  4

Les Combelles Côtes du Rhône Villages 2009 (France)

Nose:  Strong with red berries and oakiness.  It's definitely foresty.

Taste:  Sharp but not popping in flavours, almost pungent.

Finish:  Almost a mineral finish

What we say:  S - "The nose reminds me of a heavy forest"  "I'm a bit disappointed given the other Côtes du Rhône we had"  V - "It's one-dimensional with pungency that fades into bitterness"

What they say:  Subtle aromas of licorice and black fruit with an elegant mouth.

Rating:  4

Prestige and Calvet Bordeaux Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (France)

Nose: Pretty light, nothing distinguishable.

Taste: Pretty dry all the way through.

Finish: See quote below.

What we say:  V - "There's a finish to it, and it's long, but it's not really related to the first bit.... or maybe it's the opposite, that it doesn't change at all?" "There's just not that much to say about it, it's pretty boring."  S - "Smells a bit like pencil crayon!" "It's a shame about the taste, because the label is kind of nice."



What they say: Full and fruity with a long, smooth aftertaste.

Rating: 4

Sandpiper Carignan-Shiraz Reserve 2009 (France)

Nose: Sharp, possibly something sweet underneath.

Taste:  Tart, tastes like something familiar in the beginning, like cranberry maybe?

Finish: Bitter

What we say: V- "It's not really distinctively anything."


What they say: Soft and approachable

Rating: 4

Sauvignon Blanc Touraine AOC 2010 (France)

Nose: Super fruity and sweet like pears. V says it smells like pear cider.

Taste: Dry fruitiness, pretty dry.

Finish: Weirdly bitter at the end. Aftertaste is a bit sharp.

What they say: Dry mineral character with citrus fruit flavours.

What we say: V - "Am I the only one who's getting distinct notes of soap on the finish??"

Rating: 4 (V - 3; S - 5)