Spier Vintage Selection Shiraz Mourvèdre Viognier 2012 (South Africa)

Nose:  Deep oak with underlying cherry notes.

Taste:  Pretty smooth with a good mix of fruit and oak.  A little bit sweet?

Finish:  Medium tannins at the end

What we say:  S - 'A hint of zest in the nose.'  V - 'What kind of zest?'  S - 'I don't know, it just tickled.'  V - 'The taste is lighter than I expected given the nose'  V - '♫ I'm so tired of being alone... These penitent walls are all I've known... ♫'  S - 'It's not that exciting, but it does the job'  'Hey!  I caught the fly!  I just pulled an Obama!'  V - 'I think it's growing on me a bit'  S - 'It's not bad, it's drinkable, it's just really straight-forward'

What they say:

Rating:  6.5 (V - 7; S - 6)

Price:  kr. 99

Tesco Finest W.O. Swartland Shiraz 2012 (South Africa)

Nose:  Cherries, dark berries, with definite oakiness.

Taste: Like a dark berry fizz. It's hard to pinpoint.

Finish:  Somewhat bitter.  Medium tannins that don't last particularly long.

What we say:  S - "I smell a little bit of gym sock" V - "I think it's a hint of cough syrup."  "Oh, I spilled it a bit.  I hope I didn't spill it on my thesis.  Can you imagine if I came into the viva with wine stains on my thesis?'  V - "The mouth feel is really liquidy."  S - "I don't think it feels as thin as other watery wines.  Do you think there's something bubbly to it, almost prickly?"  V - "The finish almost stays on your tongue" S - "Yeah, like you can scrape it off.  Like moss in a forest."

What they say:  Spicy, packed with dark cherry and bramble fruits.  A hint of vanilla and a smooth, elegant style.

Rating: 5.5 (S - 6; V - 5)

Price:  £6.99

Nederburg Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (South Africa)

Nose:  Light and oaky, not a lot of fruitiness.  Maybe a bit smokey?

Taste:  The berries come out, unlike in the nose.  Dark red berries, but not sweet.  Still tastes a little smokey.

Finish: Some tannins, but mostly just a bit sour at the end.    

What we say:  S - 'Smells like red wine that you cook with beef - there might be a little beef in there, in fact.' 'Might be good cooking wine for beef?'  V - 'It almost has a hint of forest fire...'  S - 'I still think this would go well with beef.'  'It's not bad, nothing spectacular, but decent - slightly about average.'  V - 'Yeah, it isn't bad, but not great.'

What they say:  Wild berry, chocolate, mocha notes and a waft of vanilla on the nose.  On the palate a burst of ripe fruit complimented with delicate oak spice flavours.  Full bodies with firm yet approachable tannins.

Rating:  5.5 (S - 6; V - 5)

Cost:  £8.99

Billy Bosch Pinotage-Shiraz 2012 (South Africa)

Nose:  Reasonably sweet and juicy, almost no oakiness.  Cherries

Taste:  Definitely cherry, but with something else.  Slight sweetness.

Finish:  Quite tart with long lasting tannins.

What we say:  V - 'It almost smells like dessert, or maybe cough syrup'  'Well, that's a finish that keeps going.'  S - 'What's the fuzziness of it?  It's sort of tickley on the tongue.'  'It is a bit cough-syrupy in the taste.'  V - 'It's pretty easy drinking once you get into it.'

What they say:  Perfect balance between upfront spicy red fruit flavours and wonderfully warming notes of liquorice and cherries.

Rating:  5

Price:  £8.49

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

Six Hats Shiraz 2010 (South Africa)

Nose: sweet; berries - black currant? A bit of woodiness to it as well.

Taste: Dry; a bit of sweetness or berriness to it, but it's dry and gets kind of tart.

Finish: Super powerful finish.

What we say: V- 'It smells a little like the one you (S) thought was like cheese.' V - 'We've had something similar before. It isn't as strong as the other stuff, though, which was more pronounced.' S - 'It's like jam almost.' S - 'Packs a powerful punch...'  - V- '...that you don't even see coming.' V - 'It's like the berries unripen in your mouth.'

What they say: Aromas of cracked pepper, spice and juicy red fruit flavours combined with a rich texture.

Rating: 4.5 (S=4; V=5)

Kumala Zenith Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz 2010 (South Africa)

Nose: Sharp, blackberries?  Maybe even blueberries.

Taste: Earthy, super well-balanced, smooth.

Finish: A little bit of bitterness. The finish is sort of unremarkable.

What we say: V - "It smells like strawberry fruit roll-up - a hint, right at the end .... it's totally strawberry fruit roll-up!" "The taste grows towards the middle and has a nice fade.  If there were a taste graph over time, it does what you want."

What they say:  Smooth, full-bodied with red berry fruit, plums, and a hint of spice on the rich, lingering finish.

Rating:  6.5 (S - 7; V - 6)

Namaqua Elephant River Reserve Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 (South Africa)

Nose: Not very strong, but pleasant smell.  Smells like a big something - berries?  Cherry?

Taste:  Way more bitter than anticipated, and a sharp bitterness.

Finish:  The bitterness lingers...

What they say:  Rich and supple; flavours and aromas of spicy red and blackberries with vanilla oak.  Long and smooth finish.

What we say: V - "It's a fun colour" "Smelling it is like cocaine - a big burst followed by nothing." S - "The taste is a bit surprising, I was expecting it to be a bit more sweet and well-rounded."

Rating: 3.5 (V - 4; S - 3)