ICONO El Boqueron 2009 (Spain)

Nose: A little sharp with dark woody berries.

Taste:  A little fuzzy on the tongue, a bit bitter, but smooth in the middle.  Pretty fruity overall, but dry.

Finish:  Nice balanced tannins  - well balanced overall.  We recommend for Christmas dinner

What we say:  V - "I'm getting a lot more oak on the nose on the second go around"  S - "Is it peppery?"  V- "I quite like the nose.  It's good balance between berries and wood."  S - "It's a forest.  In the fall.  But not soggy.  Like a fresh, crisp day"  "I can smell the greens - like parsley."  S - "The taste is not caramelly, but it's something like that.  Like thick, dark, berry juice."  "It's well-balanced... I think... I'm not even sure what that terms means, but I'm going to use it anyway.'  V - "There's a tiny hint of festivities."  S - "Do you think it's cinnamon?"

What they say:  Shows an array of ripe fruits, swathed in dense and sweet-cured oak flavours.  A polished nose of black cherries and cassis, the same on the palate with hints of cocoa and molasses and hints of mineral to finish.

Rating:  7.5 (S - 7; V - 8)

Price:  £11.99

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

Carmelo Ortega Saxa Loquuntur Rioja 2010 (Spain)

Nose:  Pretty dry, maybe a bit more fruity than oaky

Taste:  A little fruity, but nondescript.

Finish:  Medium tannins

What we say: S - 'Whoa!  The smell is strong - it almost punches you in the nose!'

What they say:  Nuttin'

Rating:  4

Price:  £6.99

Castillo de Anna Gran Reserva Valencia 2005 (Spain)

Nose: Strong and oaky. Red berries underneath, maybe blackcurrant or dark cherry. Dry. Pleasant.

Taste: A bit sweet at first. A little bit sweeter than expected, but follows through on the oakiness.  Well-balanced

Finish: A bit tart with medium tannins.

What we say: V - 'The oak is driving this in a big way in the nose.' S - 'There's some sort of berry in the taste. A purple berry? Not a blackberry, but like a cherry but not. A gooseberry? Maybe I'm making it up.' V - 'I think the tannins give it that one step up from what would otherwise be normal wine.  Otherwise it's not particularly remarkable.  It's solid though.'

What they say: Fruity and vanilla aromas. Supple and pleasant texture (raaar!).

Rate: 6.5 (V - 6; S - 7)

Cost: £8.99

Mezquiriz La Mancha Tempranillo 2008 (Spain)

Nose: Strong and oaky, with a slight fruitiness.

Taste: Woody/oaky flavour, with a little bit of sweetness. Reasonably high in tannins.

Finish: Really light in comparison with the initial taste.

What we say: S - 'It reminds me of church. Definitely pencil-crayon.'

What they say: Strong and fruity bouquet.

Rate: 4

Viña Ecoyen Navarra Reserva 2002 (Spain)

Nose:  Sweet - definitely cherry.  With some type of spice, maybe cinnamon or nutmeg?

Taste:  Quite smooth, with Christmas spices - nutmeg or cloves?

Finish:  A little bit of tannins on the finish, maybe a little peppery?

What we say:  V - 'The nose almost reminds me of cherry pie.  It's quite nice.'  S - I like it, particularly the Christmassy bit.'  V - 'There's just the right amount of sweetness'

What they say:  Red cherry and black fruits mellowed by creamy vanilla.

Rating:  7

La Multa Catalana Old Vine Garnacha Blanca 2010 (Spain)

Nose:  Not really that fruity - maybe a bit of pineapple?  There's something else that's a bit more pungent, perhaps some type of flower?

Taste:  Really smooth with citrus flavours, maybe a hint of vanilla.

Finish:  Pretty big with definite floral overtones.

What we say:  V - 'There's something weird going on with the nose'  'The taste definitely blooms in your mouth'  'It's more sweet than I expected from the nose.'

What they say:  Subtle flavours of orange blossom, acacia and peach.  With a long, mineral finish.

Rating:  6.5 (S - 6; V - 7)

Toro Loco Tempranillo 2011 (Spain)

Nose:  A pretty standard woody-berry combo, with an emphasis on the wood.  Pretty medium - not overpowering, but not too light.

Taste:  There's a bit of sweetness in it.

Finish:  The tannins boom in your mouth.

What we say:  V - 'It's about as middle of the road as you can get, though perhaps a bit on the sweet side.'  S - 'It's pretty standard.  It's not bad, but I don't think i'd go out of my way to drink it again.  It wouldn't be missed.'

What they say:  Full bodied; fresh and juicy.

Rating:  4

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.

Albariño Valtea Rías Baixas 2010 (Spain)

Nose: Sweet; vanilla; pineapple? The nose isn't particularly strong.

Taste: The taste is a bit more tart. Reasonably dry. Flowers? Pear.

Finish: Dry apple in the finish. Pretty short lived. 

What we say: S - 'There's flowers in there because it almost tastes like perfume at points.' V - 'The taste really develops in your mouth. It started off being a bit tart, but then it really blossomed. There was a really blossoming of the taste a couple of seconds in and then it went to that dry apply finish.'

What they say: broad with a balanced acidity on the palate; aromas of good intensity with hints of fruit.

Rate: 8  (V=8; S=8)

Cepa Lebrel Rioja 2008 Crianza (Spain)

Nose: Sharp; fruity. A bit syrupy - it has some sweetness to it.

Taste: Quite tart. Monodimensional. 

Finish: A bit of a woody finish, but it's not persistent. It's pretty shallow. A little acidic.

What we say: SS (guest star) - 'It smells like summer fruit pudding. And it kind of looks like Ribena.' 

V - 'It's like, boom! Tart! Hey!....and then it's gone.' SS -'It's like Ribena but with lemon put into it, but it's not as nice as lemon or lime. It's a bit weird.'  'No, it's more like a bit of grapefruit juice and grapefruit zest pimping up some Ribena.'

What they say: Full of character, structure and body.

Rate: 3.5 (S=3; V=4; SS=3.5)

Can Rafols dels Caus Gran Caus 2003 (Spain)

Nose:  Quite strong and sharp, maybe moss, woody, or damp wood?

Taste:  Tangy cherry at the beginning - pretty full flavoured.

Finish:  Lingering, slightly sweet, with cherry

What we say:  S - "Smells like nothing I've ever smelled before." "Maybe sewer, but not in a bad way."  "When I smell deeply it's like greasy chicken."

What they say:  Nuttin'

Rating:  6.5 (V - 7; S - 6)

Campo Rojo Gran Seleccion 2008 (Spain)

Nose: Sweet red berries, nice aroma.  Cherries, blackberries and strawberries? Definitely a hit of cherry at the beginning.

Taste: Pretty dry and almost a bit pungent, particularly towards the end.

Finish: Quite a long, bitter finish.

What we say:  V - "Not quite as sweet as I expected it to be from the nose - it's far more dry." S - "It started off better, but then it got bitter, and I don't know why."



What they say: Mineral notes with berry and licorice hints, followed by smokey aromas.

Rating: 3.5 (V - 3, S - 4)

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

Tarragona Gran Reserva 2005 (Spain)

Nose: Woody, with berries.

Taste: Full, smooth, with berries.

Finish: Very little bitterness.

What we say: S&V - "L picks out good wine, one of the better wines we've had to date."

What they say: Rich and full-bodied.

Rating: 7

Hacienda López de Haro Tempranillo 2009 (Spain)

Nose: Super light to non-existent.

Taste: Pretty unremarkable, maybe a little woody.

Finish: A tiny bit of bitterness, but almost nothing to it.

What we say: S - "There's nothing exciting about it. I wouldn't buy it again." V - "That's about as light as you can get in a wine. It's almost the opposite of full-bodied - it basically does nothing. I think the only good thing about the wine is that it's not gross and it will get you tipsy, but I can't say anything more than that."

What they say: Tastes like red fruits and licorice.

Rating: 3  

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

Mesta Tempranillo 2010 (Spain)

Nose: Sweet. Berries, but something more specific. Maybe green apple. A bit of an unremarkable nose.

Taste: A sweetness to it, but dry. Super smooth. Pretty light for a red.

Finish: The finish is really clean. A bit of bitterness at the end.

What we say: V - "It certainly doesn't hit you over the head with flavour. It's good, but is it a wine I could drink all night? It could get a bit sickly."

What they say: Nuttin'

Rating: 6.5 (V - 7; S - 6)

Mesta Chardonnay-Moscatel 2010 (Spain)

Nose: Citrusy?  Pear, maybe apple as well.

Taste: Pear, but not overwhelming. Dry.

Finish: A bit citrusy. Zesty sour? Totally grapefruit.

What we say: V - "An interesting flavour. A relatively complex wine given the whites we've had so far. Definitely worth bringing to a party."

What they say: Nuttin'

Rate: 6.5 (V - 6; S - 7)

Berberana Reserva 2006 (Spain)

Nose: Light and pleasant.  Berryish.

Taste: Sweet, you can taste berries. Smooth and drinkable.

Finish: Disappears very quickly, very light.

What we say: S - "It's quite gulpable.  The finish disappears like it's water." V - "This is the party wine that you bring that won't disappoint."

What they say: Red fruits, spices on the nose. Well structured with a long finish.

Rating: 6.5 (V - 6; S - 7)