White #Valle Central #wine from Chile: 2009 : http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd

Wine name: Las Estrellas Chardonnay. Producer: V.E.S.A.. Vintage: 2009. Appearance pale yellow Chardonnay colour with a little oak, fresh English apples aromatics. The attack is soft yet quite full-on and juicy. Evolution: The oak really comes through but doesn't ruin the wine. It's clearly New World, and the extraction is a little intense for my taste with a finish which is apples in nose, lemon oil on swallow. Sweetness: 1.5. Acidity: 3.5. Tannin: 0 with a texture which is thick water and the length is excellent. As for balance, it's a little over-acidic, but nicely rich to balance. The wine has a screw cap closure and is 13.5% abv. Overall, this wine is quite nice for a New World Chardonnay, but not a patch on a nice white Burgundy. Went quite well with left-over roast pork. My score is 80 points.

Fortified #Kent orange #wine from England: 2009 #organic: http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd

Wine name: Orange Wine. Producer: Me! (home made). Vintage: 2009. Appearance slightly orangey, crystal clear, slow and viscous on the glass with orange zest and gin aromatics. The attack is a little sweet, a little orangey, a little like gin. That'll be because there's a load of gin in it! Evolution: Very dry orange juice and orange zest with a finish which is quite “green” and unfortunately a little yeasty. Sweetness: 1.5. Acidity: 3. Tannin: 0 with a texture which is thick yet quite hard and the length is excellent tongue coverage, with a little hint of yeast. As for balance, it's a little drier than I expected. The wine has a cork closure and is approximately 24% abv. Overall, this wine is: Not bad, but perhaps a little young. The yeast flavour needs (hopefully) to go, and as a dessert wine it's very dry. Interesting, though, and I'll look forward to drinking it over the coming years!. My score is 78 points.

#California #Zinfandel #Shiraz 2003 : http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd

Wine name: Signature Series Zinfandel Shiraz.

Producer: Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys, California.

Vintage: 2003.

Purchased from village wines, Bexley.

Appearance dark purple, thick and viscous on the glass with black cherries, and loads of them! The attack is smooth & silky, with good strength. Evolution: An unexpected sharpness, warmth and spiciness, with black cherry skins with a finish which is warm black cherries in nose, sharp and acidic (in a good way) on swallow. Sweetness: 1. Acidity: 3.5. Tannin: 0.5 with a texture which is thick water and the length is excellent. As for balance, it's a little over-acidic, but nicely rich to balance. The wine has a synthetic closure and is 15% abv. Overall, this wine went really well with a greasy steak, orange-glazed carrots and fried potatoes, a little sharp on its own, but very nice nonetheless. One to buy again! My score (which is NOT the same as Robert Parker's!) is 87 points. www.ironstonevineyards.com

Sweet #Rheingau #wine from Germany: 2008 : http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd

Wine name: Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg Riesling Auslese. Producer: Weinhaus Markus Störzel, Marktstraße 28, D-65385, Rüdesheim/Rhein. Vintage: 2008. Purchased from a Weinstub. Appearance quite pale pastille yellow, thin and receding on glass with sweetish riesling, quite grassy, soft, candy cigarettes aromatics. The attack is soft, sweet-ish, tropical fruits on the tip of the tongue and tastes weaker than it is. Evolution: Bananas, pineapple, loads of honey with a finish which is honey in nose, fruit juice on swallow. Sweetness: 2.5. Acidity: 2.5. Tannin: 0 with a texture which is thick and velvety and the length is excellent and very varied. As for balance, it's a tiny bit flabby for a riesling – it could do with a little more acidity, but it's very pleasant. The wine has a screwcap closure and is 13% abv. Overall, this is a nice wine. Would have benefited from a cork and a few more years' bottle age. It's very tasty and drinkable, but not overly complex. My score (which is NOT the same as Robert Parker's!) is 81 points.

Red #Côtes du Rhône #wine from France: 2005 : http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd

Wine name: Château de Beaulieu. Producer: Caves Saint-Pierre Négotiant, Eleveur à Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Vse). Vintage: 2005. Purchased from Laithwaite's. Appearance is deep purple, slightly opaque yet not cloudy, very thick and viscous on the glass with a smell including deep, earthy notes, blackcurrant skins, a touch of decomposing autumn leaves. The attack is firm and full, with a sharp acidity which makes the mouth water instantly. Evolution: Very high acidity, but through this come flavours of earth, young leather, blackcurrants, dried blackberries and strawberries with a finish which is warming blackcurrant in the nose, dry juiciness on the swallow. Sweetness: 0.5. Acidity: 4. Tannin: 2 with a texture which is tannins are a little harsh and the mouthfeel is thinner than the appearance on the glass would suggest and the length is a little patchy. As for balance, it's over-acidic yet just about balanced by fruit. The wine has a cork closure and is 14% abv. Overall, this wine is nice, although the last bottle I had was better. It's a little harsh, particularly as this is now 6 years old. Went quite nicely with buffalo burgers, veg and salad. My score (which is NOT the same as Robert Parker's!) is 79 points.

White #Kent #wine from England: 2009 : http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd

Wine name: 2009 Dry. Producer: Sandhurst Vineyards, Hoads Farm, Sandhurst, Cranbrook, Kent, TN18 5PA. Vintage: 2009. Purchased from vineyard. Appearance very pale, almost water-like, slow and viscous on the glass with notes of esters, lychees and Taboo (remember that?!) in the nose. The attack is concentrated, very fruity, sweet-ish, with immediate flavours of soft tropical fruits. Evolution: Drier as the mouth gets used to it with a slightly flinty minerally quality with a finish which is lychees in the nose, minerals on the swallow. Sweetness: 1.5. Acidity: 3.5. Tannin: 0.5 with a texture which has a touch of secondary fermentation, but in a way this slightly dissipates the sweetness. The mouth-feel is like slightly rough apple juice and the length is a little patchy on the tongue and slightly numbing. As for balance, it's a little acidic, but this balances out its New World concentrated sweetness. The wine has a cork closure and is 12.5% abv. Overall, this wine did not go well with fishcake and curried vegetables, it was completely overpowered. However, it's now very enjoyable afterwards and would go nicely with something like a honeydew melon – I imaging the flavours would complement each other nicely. My score (which is NOT the same as Robert Parker's!) is 81 points.

FABULOUS sweet #LakeErie North Shore #icewine from #Canada: 2006 : http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd

Wine name: Magnotta Vidal Icewine. Producer: Magnotta, 271 Chrislea Road, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, L4L 8N6. Vintage: 2006. Appearance: Perfect amber-golden colour, thick and very slow on the glass with honey, oranges, ripe apricot aromatics. The attack is an immediate zing which I initially took to be secondary fermentation, but in fact offsets the sweetness very nicely. Orangy. Evolution: Peach juice! Loads of it, the really thick kind. It's really nice and tastes nothing like wine at all! The orange has gone, but there's a nice gentle bite of acidity and it really fills the mouth. On the edge of the tongue there's caramely fudge. The effervescence makes it feel as if there's a slight asprin taste, but it's gone before you can find it with a finish which is peaches in the nose, fudge on the swallow. Sweetness: 5. Acidity: 2. Tannin: 0 with a texture which is the is the smoothest wine I've ever tasted – the texture is like drinking runny double cream, and the effervescence sparkles seductively all over the tongue like it's inviting you to bed. The length is excellent and very varied between oranges, peaches and fudge. As for balance, it's this would be over-sweet were it not for the sparkle. The wine is 9.1% abv. Overall, this wine is: Wow! This is up there with the best of them! Absolutely sublime, and I'm afraid it knocks the spots off any German Eiswein I've so far tasted, although in a slightly superficial, North American way. Very nice, not overpowered by sticky toffee pudding with creamy toffee sauce at all. This is a serious wine, yet one with a sense of fun about it too. Thanks, Mum & Dad! When are you off to Canada again?! Just the sweetness makes this absolutely outstanding! Res Sugar 36/23 brix. My score (which is NOT the same as Robert Parker's!) is 98 points. www.magnotta.com

White #Mosel #wine from Germany: 1994 : http://tinyurl.com/3qjhotd

Ellerer Calmont Spätlese from Willi Steffens, Weinbau-Weinversand, D-56814 Eller, Mosel. The appearance: a tinge of brown, quite yellow-green and young-looking though and soft yet with a backbone, sweetish riesling aromatics. The attack is firm yet slightly sweet. Evolution: Juicy mouthfeel, just beginning to taste old, but not much and has aged much better than expected, although this is also sweeter than expected. Peach fur-y skins, esters, pear drops with a finish which is peaches in nose, pear drops on swallow. Sweetness: 2.25. Acidity: 2.5. Tannin: 0 with a texture which is slightly thick, slightly rough water and the length is very good. As for balance, it's beautiful, fabulous, medium-sweet yet with good acidity and backbone. Overall, this wine is a really, really good wine. easy-drinking yet serious, crystal clear, mucky label but no sediment. Soft yet hard, went well with cheese (real sage derby from derby). My score (which is NOT the same as Robert Parker's!) is 95 points.