Challenger Wine #5

Brown Brothers Special Late Harvest Orange Muscat & Flora, Victoria Australia, 2010

I'm not really sure why Badger risked a dessert wine - I don't tend to like them, not unless they're special, which normally demand high prices, a marmaladey Tokaji (pronounced Tokai) a recent favourite. But risk it he did.

Its a very fragrant wine, orangey, like summer in a citrus orchard, the colour of hot bright daylight. The aroma is outstanding, possibly the best thing about this wine. It has a slight spritz which makes it quite refreshing, and could possibly even be drunk as an aperitif. I taste orange, tropical fruits,with unfermented sugars hinting at Opal Fruits (Starburst). The flavours seem artificial almost, reminding me of a juice drink, so this would probably be a good wine for those of you who are less keen on dessert wines. Although I think you'd be better off saving yourself for a very good dessert wine.

We agree on the quality, a 3, its a "good" wine. Badger loves it, attempting to give it a 5, and I can barely finish the glass so stretch to give it a 2. We have to agree on a score for this challenge, so I give in and allow a 4 for likeability, because perhaps for sweet wine drinkers its enjoyable.

7/10 - begrudgingly. Next time I'll fight my corner. If I was more experienced in stickies I might have fought harder this time. Actually, looking at the label, the fact they have said "Victoria" and not a specific region, this should probably be classed as "acceptable" for quality. I'm re-scoring it with a sneaky 6/10.

Challenger wine #4

Finca Flinchman Gestos 2011 Malbec 14%

I chose this wine because it looks like the producer has taken care to ensure this wine is balanced, they have done something quite interesting... 50% of the Malbec grapes come from a high altitude (1100m) which gives it structure, acidity and complexity to the wine. 50% of the Malbec grapes come from a lower altitude (700m) which gives dense colour, fruitiness and sugar to provide the alcohol.

I think this one is big and juicy, fruity, sweeter than normal for a Malbec, nicely balanced and less tannins. I could bathe in this wine, its so velvety. However, Badger disagrees he thinks its not fruity and doesn't give him the satisfaction that normally comes with a Malbec. I think this is because its more delicate, so perhaps this is why it disappoints.

We disagreed on the score but settled for 3 for quality and 3 for likeability. 6/10, although I think it deserves more.

Challenger wine #3

Domaine de Mercey Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Baunes 100% Chardonnay 2005 12.5%

Oh my, I was excited to tickle my tastebuds with this wine, Glancing at the label I thought "Badger has done well, he's charged in with a Cotes de Baunes". I was preparing for the buttery, French oaked deliciousness, and was begrudgingly expecting to give a high score for this wine. But what I failed to notice was that this is a Nuits-Saint-Georges, which is more well-known for its Pinots. It's further South that the produces the white Burgundies I love.

I was disappointed to find that although this wine has great body (mouthfeel), it lacks depth. I would class it more as elegant, fragile even, my new description as "glassy". It's very drinkable, and its lack of length means you gulp it down rather quickly I'm afraid. But actually quite a good Chardonnay for my ABC friends. Good to try if you normally prefer Sav Blancs and would like to like Chardy.

Badger and I agreed it deserves a 4 for its great Quality, but neither of us would buy it again unless it was less than a tenner, so it gets a 3 for Niceness. So Badger's second wine scores 7/10 - not bad, although we both expected more from a Cote de Baunes.

Challenger Wine #2

Nero D'Avola Sicilia Oriano 2011

There's nothing I could tell you about this wine before we tried it, it wouldn't have been one I would pick up, as I don't know anything about it. Needless to say this is one of Badger's choices.

Badger says: "Petroly on the nose, high alcohol, you can taste the fruit to start with, but it gives way to something harsh. It's not balanced well".

My notes: Average dirty red.

Not much more to say about it. In regards to quality is OK, we give it a 3. Do we like it? Nah, it gets a 2.

5/10 for Badger's first wine... it must have been a cheap one, so curious to see what else he has up his sleeve. I can't rest on my laurels yet.

Pouilly Fume for a tenner?

Majestic Wine are selling a Pouilly Fume Les Cascadelles 2011 for £10.99 - I've not tasted it but it looks like a very good deal.

Pouilly Fume is made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape. It's a small area east of the Loire Valley, a prestigious appellation. It should taste of green apples, gooseberry and have a flint or stone flavour that comes with the dryness of this wine.

Great wine to try if you like something fresh and crisp. As its a Pouilly Fume it should have long length which means you can make it linger, only drink half a bottle and avoid a hangover. Good as a mid-week wine.

http://www.majestic.co.uk/find/keyword-is-Explore+Sauvignon+Blanc/product-is-05361?cmp=Email20120918&utm_source=Autumn2012&utm_medium=email&utm_content=bottle&utm_campaign=20120918

Challenger wine #1

Beaujolais Fleurie Georges de Boeuf 2011

A fruit explosion in your mouth - very fresh,  light, and delicious.

I would call  this a flurry of fruit rather than a Fleurie. The fruits are competing to get your attention - cherries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, plums, raisin... They certainly deserve your attention and as soon as you think you're judging a competition, you swallow and disappointingly get a kick of alcohol.

We both agreed this is a very good wine (4), it's the kick that disappoints, makes it slightly unbalanced, but this softens with your second glass. We score it a Delicious! (5) We will definitely be buying this again.

A score of 9/10 for the first wine in the competition - thankfully its one of mine!

Badger's Challenge

My fiance has challenged me to a wine competition.

The rules:

• We each buy five bottles of wine for less than £50 (from Majestic Wine)
• We can't choose anything we've tried before
• We can't take recommendations from staff
• We have to choose at least three different types of wine (red/ white/ rose/ sparkling/ dessert)

Then we try the wines together and agree a score out of ten,which is in two parts:

The first score comes from the quality of the wine:

1. Poor
2. Acceptable
3. Good
4. Very good
5. Outstanding

The second score comes from how much we like the wine:

1. So bad (won't even finish the glass)
2. Don't like it (won't buy again but will finish the bottle)
3. Like it (will buy again so long as it's less than £10)
4. Love it (will buy again even if its over £10)
5. This is delicious!

Then at the end of the competition we can assess which are the best value wines and report back to you.

Bring it on!