La Mascota Malbec 2012 (Argentina)

Nose:  Dominant oakiness with a hint of fruit

Taste:  A bit sweeter than the nose would suggest, reasonably full-bodied and velvety.

Finish:  Quite powerful tannins at first - this got better as we kept drinking.

What we say:  S - 'Pencil crayon!'  S - 'What's that taste?  It's almost smooth - chocolatey.  Caramel?  We've had it before'  V - 'The tannins are almost a little bit tongue-numbing at first - it took a bit to get used to it'

What they say:  Expresses and aroma of black fruit, jam, and vanilla with a subtle hint of liquorice.

Rating: 6

Price:  kr. 100

Planeta Alastro Grecanico 2012 (Italy)

Nose:  Fresh and citrusy, a little bit sweet - maybe honey?

Taste:  Honey and a bit of floral.  It's pretty fresh though, not sickly sweet at all.

Finish:  Citrusy, with kind of a sour/bitter finish, but it doesn't linger

What we say:  V - 'Maybe a bit of green apple or melon in the nose? Because it's sweet with that tinge of sour.'  S - 'I think it tasted like black liquorice for a second there.' V - 'I find the nose even more bizarre now that I've tasted it.'

What they say: Fruity with a sense of white melon, fresh citrus and white flowers.

Price:  £14.99

Rating:  6

Famille Perrin l'Oustalet 2012 (France)

Nose:  Deep cherry and oak, but perhaps more on the cherry side of things.  Not overly sweet.

Taste:  Smooth and berrish - pretty medium and nondescript overall.  Pretty drinkable though.

Finish:  Bloom of medium tannins at the end with a little bit of lingering sweetness.

What we say:  S - "Maybe those raspberries, but black?  What are they called?"  V - "Blackberries?"  S - "Yeah, those!"  V - "I keep going back and forth about whether it's predominantly cherry or oak" S - "It's kind of like typical French wine, isn't it?  They're all kind of like this."  V - "It's unremarkable but not bad."

What they say:  Nuttin'

Rating:  6

Price:  £13.99

Finca Los Principes El Rihuelo Rioja 2011 (Spain)

Nose:  Grapey, quite sweet, maybe with blackberry?

Taste:  Sweet in the beginning, but it gets dry.  Either cherry or blackberry.

Finish:  Medium tannins flourishing in the mouth, maybe pepper as well.

What we say:  V - "Maybe cranberries on the nose?"  S - "I don't know.  Maybe those red hard berries?  What are they called?"  "There something lingering and spicy in the end."

What they say:  Intense aromas of blackberry and licorice assembled with roasted coffee and vanilla.  The palate is fresh, long and velvety.

Rating: 6.5 (V - 7; S - 6)

Price:  £12.99

Araldica d'Aria Pinot Grigio Rosé 2012 (Italy)

Nose:  Citrusy, though nothing too sweet.

Taste:  Maybe something floral, or strawberry?  But not overpowering.  Pretty dry.

Finish:  A bit tart.

What we say:  S - "I don't know if it's floral, or it just tastes like flowers"  "I've had some bad rosés, but this is ok."

What they say:  Has all the zest and verve of a Pinot Grigio, with some of the flavour and colour from the pink skins squeezed into it.

Rating:   6

Price:  £7.99

André Brunel Vin de Pays de Vaucluse 2011 (France)

Nose:  Quite oaky, almost a bit pungent, with dark berries underneath.  Certainly dry.

Taste:  Sweeter than we expected it to be, almost a little bit caramelly.

Finish:  A little tart, not a lot of tannins, but with a little bit of a bite.

What we say:  V - "It's almost like wasabi in your nose."  S - "There's something tingley on your tongue at the end - is that pepper? Or is it just because I have garlic on my fingertips?"

What they say:  Nuttin'

Rating:  6

Price:  £9.99

Cono Sur Pinot Noir 2011 (Chile)

Nose:  Good balance between dark berries and oak, maybe some spiciness or pepper?

Taste:  Definitely red berries, with a little bit of sweetness.  Sort of a medium-dry.

Finish:  Medium-light tannins

What we say:  S - 'Ah, it's one of those smells we've had before.  I always forget what this is!'  V - 'The nose is sort of dessertish'.  V - 'There's a bit of sourness in the finish.' S - 'Yeah, almost like you want to chew on something?'

What they say:  Aromas and flavours of cherry, plum, and strawberry, finished with subtle spiciness.

Rating:  6

Price:  £7.49

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

Piccini Memoro (Italy)

Nose:  Juicy berries, possibly blackberries or dark red berries.  Definite oakiness as well.

Taste: Slightly sweet, heavy and thick.

Finish:  Reasonable tannins that don't linger, with either a vanilla or cinnamon (we disagreed on this) finish afterwards.

What we say:  V - 'It's a bit strange - it was all oak on the first go, all berry on the second.'  'The berry scent is a bit different, but I can't figure out what it is - maybe cherry pie?'  S - 'It's almost syrupy without being sweet like a syrup.'

What they say:  Plenty of rich black cherry flavour, with coffee and tobacco on the nose, and hints of dried figs and prunes.

Rating:  6

Price:  £9.49

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

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

Marqués de Valencia Gran Reserva 2004 (Spain)

Nose:  Hit of berry at the beginning, but the remainder is pretty woody.  Reasonably sharp; relatively unremarkable.

Taste:  Pretty bitter all the way through.  Definitely woody in the taste, maybe with a touch of fruit - super dry.

Finish:  Bitter

What we say:  S - 'My nose has issues today, I just smell sharpness'  V - 'The tannins are running wild'  'It has a consistent sharpness in the mouth that is only accented in the finish - this is about as dry as I think we've had it.'  'If you are into a tannin bomb then this might be your thing, but it's not mine.'  S - 'There's stuff going on here, but the finish is a killer.'  'Maybe it's a cheese wine - you certainly can't have it with cherries - the finish just beats you up!'

What they say:  Nuttin'

Rating:  3 on its own, though 6 when paired with a strong cheese.

Monos Locos Valle Central Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (Chile)

Nose:  Citrusy, not a pineapple, but not quite tart enough for grapefruit.

Taste:  Pear at the beginning?  Definitely something sweet about it

Finish:  Sour fruit?

What we say:  S - Pear initially, but then it ends on something really familiar that we've had with whites.'  'Pretty smooth, with a bit of sharpness'  'It's above average, but not as good as other whites we've had.'  V - "I can't tell if the finish if more sour or bitter."

What they say: Nuttin'

Rating: 6

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

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

Reina Mora Special Selection Torrontes 2011 (Argentina)

Nose: Citrus. Super, super light nose. Slightly sweet, citrusy.

Taste: Floral with a lemon taste - lemon and rose.

Finish: Slightly acidic finish to it that doesn't really linger that much.

What we say: V - 'It's a bit like rose water or Turkish Delight.' 'It smells a little bit like lemonade, but just a tiny bit.' 'I'm not quite sure what you would pair this with because at the end of the day, it's pretty acidic.' S - 'The rose bit is interesting.' V - 'On one level, it's interesting because the rose and lemon is not like anything that we have had before, but on another level I don't really like it that much so it would really depend on your taste.'

What they say: Floral aromas and ripe, honeyed citrus and exotic fruit flavours. Long and elegant finish. Makes a fine apératif.

Rating: 6 (V=6, S=6)

Matsu El Picaro 2010 Toro (Spain)

Nose: Heavy, but not strong. Dense.

Taste: Red berries, a bit sweet.

Finish: Almost no finish to speak of.

What we say: S - "It reminds me of the mulled berry punch. It's a punch of berries that doesn't do much." V - "The nose is definitely something more than wine, but I can't figure out what it is." "It's a one-hit wonder."

What they say: Full-bodied and powerful.

Rating: 6

El Rastro Tempranillo (Spain)

Nose: Pretty light, woody. Berries? Definitely on the oaky side of things.

Taste: Medium body. It doesn't really overpower you. Drinkable.

Finish: Berries in the finish. A little bit bitter.

What we say: S - "There's something that tastes familiar, I just can't put my nose on it." "It's definitely unique, unlike anything we've had so far, and I like that. But even though it offers something new, I still think some of the other wines we've had are better." V - "It's weird, what the hell is that taste?" "As I keep drinking it, it gets increasingly generic."

What they say: Aromas of black currants and bilberries. Balanced palate. Soft, gentle and fruity.

Rating: 6