Aldi Côtes du Rhône AOC Cuvée Réserve 2012

Nose:  Somewhat light, mostly on the oaky side with a touch of fruit.

Taste:  Medium dry, based mostly on cherry but not overpowering or sweet.

Finish:  Medium tannins on the finish that are reasonably long.

What we say:  S - 'Definitely woody in the smell, but I can't really tell much except that.  Seems dry'  V - 'I think I'm liking the nose more as I smell it.'  V - 'It tastes like the opposite of a sun dried cherry - as if they just sucked a bit of the sugar out of it.'  S - 'Yeah, it's not like cough syrup.'

What they say:  Bright, fresh and packed with juicy, fragrant fruits.  A great food wine.

Rating: 5.5 (S - 5; V - 6)

Price:  £3.59

Prestige Cellier des Dauphins Côtes du Rhône AOC (France)

Nose:  Super light, sour and fruity, maybe a little bit of wood?

Taste:  Pretty sharp

Finish:  A tannic finish, but not dry

What we say:  V - 'It's really not great, the sweetness and the tannins just don't work together'  S - 'There's just nothing going on with it at all'

What they say:  Nuttin'

Rating:  3.5 (V - 3; S - 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

André Brunel Côtes du Rhône 2009 (France)

Nose: Rich; syrupy, but not sweet. Definitely berries. There's something that hits you at first - is it flowers?

Taste: Definitely berries, but there's something else as well. Pretty dry. Maybe a bit of pepper - there's something a bit pungent to it and the pepper seems to carry through to the finish.

Finish: Pretty medium finish on it.

What we say: V - 'Does it smell like avocado?' V- 'We've had finishes that have lasted a lot longer and others that have gone away pretty much instantaneously. This one is just like, "I'm there, dooodoo doo dooooo...I'm gone.'

What they say: nuttin'!

Rate: 6.5 (V=6, S=7)