Vendemmia Amarone Della Valpolicella 2011 (Italy)

Nose:  Very fruity, mostly dark berries, a bit of oakiness

Taste:  Very slight sweetness at first, but then moves into a peppery finish

Finish:  Reasonably strong tannins with a definite pepper flavour

What we say:  V - 'Smells a bit like an expensive alcoholic dessert'   S - 'Yeah, it's a bit sweet, and flavourful.'  V - 'There's something slightly different about the nose from your typical red'

What they say: Dry with fruity notes of plums and prunes and soft tannins

Rating:  5.5 (S - 5; V - 6)

Price: kr. 210

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

M&S Italian Vino da Tavola (Italy)

Nose:  Definitely oaky, but with something else we can't identify

Body:  Not much at the beginning - pretty watery.  Kind of boring.

Finish:  Almost a sour/bitter finish.

What we say:  V - "There's something that gives it a slightly more sophisticated nose than normal, but I don't know what it is" S - "Yeah, I can't place it.  I really smell the pencil-crayon more than anything else"  V - "Maybe like the glue that you have as a child?"  S - "No, it's still bringing me back to elementary-school art class with the pencil-crayon"  S - "It just has the after-taste of wine"  "Does it have an aftertaste of bacon?  Or like bacon bits?  Which is kind of like, fake bacon?" "You can drink this, but it's just not enjoyable"

What they say:  Juicy Italian red packed with flavours of morello cherries, blanched almonds and crushed black pepper.

Rating: 3

Price:  £4.99

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

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

Le Dolci Colline Prosecco (Italy)

Nose:  Light, vaguely citrusy and sweet.  Fresh.

Taste:  Citrusy in initial flavour.  Medium-dry.  A bit of bitterness to it, like lemon rind.

Finish:  Minerally, with baked lemon rind.

What we say:  L - 'It smells like pee, but just my pee, because I pee Prosecco.'  V - 'Is there liquorice in the smell?'  L&V - 'No!'

What they say:  Oodles of apple and peach on the nose and an interesting soft finish.

Rating:  7

Price:  £8.99

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

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

Vignato Gambellara Classico 2010 (Italy)

Nose:  Citrusy, maybe pineapple or grapefruit?  The nose is not that powerful.  Pretty fresh

Taste:  Slightly sweet, particularly at the beginning.  Pear.  Reasonably light.

Finish:  More tart in finish but nothing overpowering.  Reasonably well-balanced.

What we say:  V - 'I have a floaty...'  'It's like uncarbonated perry' 'A decent summer-weather drinking white.'  

What they say:  Nuttin'

Rate:  5.5 (V = 5; S = 6)