Les Gravières de Marsac Margaux 2011 (France)

Nose:  Moderately sweet and fruity (dark fruits) with woodchips and pepper.  Really nice and subtle.

Taste:  Smooth and lighter than I expected, with peppery notes towards the end

Finish:  Moderate to light tannins and lingering pepper.

What we say:  V - "Kind of smells like a really good dessert."  S - "Small hint of cat pee? ... no, I'm joking!"  S - "Is there something caramelly in the taste?  But not in a sweet way?" S - "I can't think of how to rate this. How harsh have we been in the past?"

What they say: Expresseive notse with fruity aromas of blueberries and blackcurrants.  Supple and balanced with a frank attack.

Rating: 6.5 (V - 6; S - 7)

Price: 119 kr (or a 20-minute presentation on Russian foreign policy)

La Mascota Malbec 2012 (Argentina)

Nose:  Dominant oakiness with a hint of fruit

Taste:  A bit sweeter than the nose would suggest, reasonably full-bodied and velvety.

Finish:  Quite powerful tannins at first - this got better as we kept drinking.

What we say:  S - 'Pencil crayon!'  S - 'What's that taste?  It's almost smooth - chocolatey.  Caramel?  We've had it before'  V - 'The tannins are almost a little bit tongue-numbing at first - it took a bit to get used to it'

What they say:  Expresses and aroma of black fruit, jam, and vanilla with a subtle hint of liquorice.

Rating: 6

Price:  kr. 100

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

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

Frederiksdal Kirsebær Vin 2011 (Denmark)

Nose:  Other than the obvious cherries, woody and a bit damp.

Taste:  Quite thick, semi-sweet, definitely cherries, with a little bit of wood at the end.

Finish:  Doesn't really finish sweet - but no tannins whatsoever.  A short woody finish.

What we say:  S - 'Well, smells like cherries, I guess...'  'It tickles the nose.'  V - 'I think there's some sort of spice on the nose - cinnamon or nutmeg?'  'It's actually quite odd, because there's that definite red wine oakiness amidst the cherries.'  S - 'Does it smell like gum?'  V - 'The nose is like a cherry pie that you sucked the sugar out of'  S - 'And added gum?'  'I wonder what you would drink this with?'  V- 'Man, you wouldn't want to get drunk on this.' S - 'Yeah, but it's good though.  It's interesting.  It's something that you only have a  bit of.  Maybe with a picnic in the park?'

What they say:  Good with blue cheese, salty cheese, pâté, chocolate desserts, or raw sugared summer berries.

Rating:  7

Price: kr. 140,00

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

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