Blaxland Estate Verdelho-Chardonnay 2012 (South Eastern Australia)

Nose: citrusy, maybe a very light floral.

Taste: sweet. Melon-y. Exotic fruity and not citrusy at all. Pear maybe?

Finish: a bit of a sour finish, but it doesn't really linger and it's not overpowering.

What we say: V: 'It's quite nice. I like it, which is good 'cause it's in the risotto!' V: 'I think this is one of the better whites we've had.'

What they say: Notes of lemony-citrus on the nose and a palate of tropical fruits, citrus peel, and a well-balanced acidity.

Rate: 7 (S=7, V=7)

Price: £5.50

Hardys Stamp of Australia Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2012

Nose:  Definitely dark red berries and a little oaky, but in a damp way.

Taste:  Pretty tart overall, with a quick smoothy-sweetness at the beginning.  But the tartness lingers in your mouth.

Finish:  Some tannins, but pretty thin.

What we say:  V - 'The nose is a bit mossy?'  S - 'Yeah, a little bit of moss at the end.'  V - 'Moss is kind of a funny word.'  S - 'The taste is pretty generic, a little sweet, but not too much, a bit sour, but not too much.'  'There's not much to the finish....  Aaaahhkkk.' V - 'The tartness of the wine doesn't really go well with the tannins in the finish. It's not a great transition from sour to bitter.'  'Is Hardys Australian for wine?'

What they say: This vibrant wine displays ripe berry and plum fruit flavour, complemented by a soft, sweet vanillin oak background.

Rating: 3.5 (S - 3; V - 4)

Price:  £6.00

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

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

Kinniemuin Hilltops Chardonnay 2011 (Australia)

Nose:  Definitely citrusy and fresh, maybe a bit of vanilla
 
Taste: Slightly sweet or nectary, balanced with sour fruit.  Again, maybe a bit of vanilla

Finish:  Acidic, though not unpleasant.

What we say:  S - 'It's almost like there's a juice in it.  I think there might be grapefruit, but that might be the fish talking.'

What they say: Lightly oaked and fruit-driven.

Rating: 5

Comets Tail Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2011 (Australia)

Nose:  Citrusy, a little sweet, maybe some pear.

Taste: Definitely citrusy, maybe some pear in the background.

Finish:  Rose?  Somewhat floral.

What we say: K (guest) - 'It smells like white grapes' 'Definitely strong at first, with a bit of oak barrel bitterness' 'The front is a nicer taste than the finish. The finish is too alcoholy' V - 'The finish creeps up on you.  You think it's done, but then it's not.'  S - 'The finish is like a refreshing fruit of some sort.' 'There is floral in the finish because it's soft, soft like petals.'

What they say: Bright and fragrant

Rate:  6.5 (S/V = 6; K = 7.5)

Burra Brook Merlot 2010 (Australia)

Nose:  Medium nose, slightly oaky.  Not really sweet enough to be berries.

Taste:  Like red wine - seriously generic, but drinkable.

Finish:  Lingering and slightly bitter.

What we say:  S - "Raisins?  I think I smell raisins" "I can almost taste the water in it, and then the bitterness kicks in, and that's it"  V - "It's pretty underwhelming given the other wines we've drank recently"

What they say:  Flavours of red fruit and peppery, smokey notes.

Rating:  4.5 (S - 4; V - 5)

Hardy's Crest Cabernet-Shiraz-Merlot 2010 (Australia)

S&V, with special guests S's Mom and Dad!

Nose:  Sharp, maybe liquorice?  Pretty generic.

Taste:  S's Dad - 'It's just dry enough so that it doesn't impede the aftertaste.  It doesn't have anything that comes back and haunts you.'

Finish:  S - 'Sweet finish,' S's Mom - 'Really, I think it's quite dry.'  V- 'I think the finish is sweeter than the taste'

What we say:  S's Dad - "I don't know what it smells like, red wine!"  "In Norway we had a liquor monopoly that was a big purchaser of wines from Europe.  They would sometimes have good bottles, and then the standard Norwegian bulk wine.  This reminds me of this.  With some wines you have a fruity bouquet, here it's just red wine.  In a positive way, nothing really fancy, but just good'

What they say:  Soft, round, full bodied with plum and dark berry flavours with undertones of oak.

Rating:  6.25 (S's dad/mom - 6.5, S/V - 6)