Shorts

However, this bottle was not marked 'poison', so Alice ventured to taste it, and finding it very nice (it had, in fact, a sort of mixed flavour of cherry-tart, custard, pine-apple, roast turkey, and hot buttered toast), she very soon finished it off.

Brokenwood Semillon 2008. Pale with a modest nose and slightly grassy and green bean in the mouth. Fresh and bright, presumably this is not a keeper.

Lucien Albrecht Riesling Vendanges Tardives 2002. The blackened cork is pictured and the top of the bottle sticky under the foil. Golden and gleaming - the nose rich with honey, musk and rose petal. Tea leaf and botrytis and a lovely balance of sweetness and acidity. The only dilemma is when and where to open such a bottle. Tasted with North Eastern Thai food this was superb, it would be less complementary with just about anything else.

Torbreck The Juveniles 2002. A usually early drinking GMS blend - this was surprisingly fresh and alive. Tasted blind I called it a Cabernet (and a Tasmanian one at that) - fooled by the sweetness and blackcurrant like confection. There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.

Bouchard Beaune Teurons 2005. Laden with spice, this was delicious but in fairness it would be a hard pick with your eyes closed. Cinnamon and anise I passed it to my wife seeking corroboration and with a mixture of boredom and resignation she reported she could smell nothing. . . Bright and svelte the tannins are beautiful - a combination of fine granularity and a ripple of firmness. Modest in price and proportion this is wonderful for guilt free pleasure.