Sancerre Rosé 2011 £10.99
Pinot Noir
12.5%vol
Pale salmon colour. It definitely smells of strawberries. Sometimes I worry that the smell of rosé is auto-suggestive. This tastes lovely. Bone dry, with a tang of dry strawberries, but it isn't bitter in the way that some roses can be. I love it. I could drink it again and again.
Finest* Domaine de Sours Rosé 2012 £7.99
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
12.5%vol
Pretty stinky. Not appealing at all. Bitter and chewy.
Finest* Grenache Rosé 2012 £7.99
12.5%vol
Pear droppy aroma and taste. Simple.
Simply Garnacha Rosé 2012 £4.59
13.5%vol
Pretty fruity on the nose. Refreshing taste. East and pleasant.
Finest* Navarra Rosé 2012 £6.99
Garnacha
12.5%vol
Fresh cherry nose. Bitter cherry taste. Good for aperitifs.
Finest* Touriga Nacional Rosé 2012 £7.99
13%vol
Quite perfumed - maybe parma violets. Dry and almost like a good white wine, but with a hint of cherry. Good.
Piccini Memoro Rosé NV £9.29
Negroamaro, Nero d’Avola, Montepulciano, Merlot del Veneto
13.5%vol
Perfumed. Quite sweet and with a bitter aftertaste. Actually, it's too sweet for me.
Tesco Corbiéres NV £4.59
Carignan
13%vol
Fruity, jammy smell. Hot alcohol takes away any fruit on the palate.
Tesco Valpolicella 2012 £4.99
Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara
11%vol
Light colour, floral nose, easy taste. Very pleasant.
Finest* Fleurie 2011 £6.99
Gamay
12.5%vol
Quite an earthy nose. Earthy, nutty taste, with plenty of juicy acidity.
Simply Garnacha 2012 £4.59
13.5%vol
Nice aroma - very inviting. Fruity but pretty interesting for £4.59.
Finest* Cotes Catalanes Grenache 2012 £6.99
13.5%vol
Very little aroma. Nice flavour. Savoury, ripe a little herbal.
Finest* Vin de Pays d'Oc Malbec 2012 £7.79
Malbec, Syrah
13%vol
Textbook bright red. Brightly fruity aroma. Really pleasant. Not terribly complex or long, but a nice little glugger.
Finest* Teroldego IGT Vigneti Delle Dolomiti 2010 £7.99
12.5%vol
Fragrant, with violets, perhaps. Light and refreshing. Consider chilling it for lunchtime.
Finest* Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu 2012 £7.49
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre
13.5%vol
Pleasant aroma. Pretty sweet.
Finest* Sangiovese di Romagna 2011 £7.99
Sangiovese, Merlot
13.5%vol
Spicy and appealing smell. Refreshing acidity, ripe fruit, some liquorice on the finish.
Finest* Chianti Riserva DOCG 2009 £7.99
Sangiovese, Merlot
13%vol
Very strong vanilla on the nose. Oaky flavour. Refreshing acidity. Not bad.
Finest* Gigondas 2011 £12.99
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre
14.5%vol
Rather a lovely fruit on the nose. Nice fruity palate, with plenty of spice. Alcohol burns a bit for me, but that's the nature of the beast, and me.
Finest* Châteauneuf du Pâpe 2011 £13.49
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre
14.5%vol
Another lovely smell. Lively fruit, nice spice and hot alcohol. The Gigondas get away with it but I'm not sure this does.
Piccini Memoro Red NV £9.29
Primitivo, Montepulciano, Nero d'Avola, Merlot
14%vol
Yummy nose. Really concentrated dark fruit on the nose. Delicious taste. Pretty sweet, but beautifully, refreshingly, acidic and moreish.
Finest* Old Vine Selection Tempranillo 2011 £7.99
13.5%vol
White pepper on the nose. Juicy and easy. Good and a fair price.
Finest* Douro 2011 £7.49
Touriga Francesa, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz
13%vol
Dark, plummy nose. Some liquorice on the palate. S'OK.
Finest* Touriga Nacional 2011 £7.99
13.5%vol
Very aromatic. Like tropical fruit. Sweet and delicious.
Finest* Carmenère 2012 £8.99
13.5%vol
Very green peppery on the nose and palate. Good, if you like green peppers.
Finest* Kulapelli Cabernet Sauvignon Carmenère 2012 £8.99
Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère
13.5%vol
Quite fragrant, if you leave it in your glass a while. The taste is good. Juicy, quite fruity and with a nice finish. Good.
Errazuriz Max Reserva Carmenère 2009 £75.00 (case of 6)
14%vol
Very ripe, very Chile. Aromatic with ripe raspberries and a hint of green pepper. Very powerful palate, and the alcohol is a little hot for me.
Errazuriz Max Reserva Merlot 2010 £75.00 (case of 6)
Merlot, Carmenère, Petit Verdot
14%vol
Concentrate and plummy (but somehow not like an actual plum - imagine really ripe plums in a crumble). The alcohol seems less hot than the carmenere. Spicy and rather delicious.
Errazuriz Max Reserva Syrah 2010 £75.00 (case of 6)
14%vol
Syrupy nose. Warm alcohol, unfortunately. Pity.
Finest* Heritage Coonawarra Cabernet 2009 £9.99
Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot
13.5%vol
Beautifully blackcurranty aroma and taste. Very nice indeed. £9.99 is about right, but I'd be more inclined if it were reduced. For a change!
Tim Adams Clare Valley Shiraz 2009 £12.99
14.5%vol
Very, very intense coconut cream aroma. Like sun cream. Beautiful, but a little OTT. The palate is spicy, rich, tasty and with the coconut cream on the finish. I love it.
Bellingham The Bernard Series MMM 2010 £14.99
Malbec, Merlot, Mourvèdre
14%vol
Nice spicy nose. Very spicy, oaky taste. The price is steep but if they reduce it this is a great dinner party wine. Please all.
Tim Adams The Aberfeldy 2008 £24.99
Shiraz
14.5%vol
Very minty, eucalyptus nose, with coconut cream/handcream as well. It is a beautiful wine. Just what you want it to be, but I never spend this much on wine and I'm not sure Tesco customers do either.