Vicarage Lane Pinot Noir 2009 - New Zealand, South Island, Canterbury, label
c.15€; 14% abv. This is a rather boring wine. Instead of wonderfully fragrant Pinosity, this has mainly spicy aromas, presumably from the oak despite only 10% new, and only faint hints of the sexy red fruit of Pinot. It manages to be full bodied yet dilute in flavour at once. Its acidity is rather disjointed and though it seems quite high, it doesn't enliven the palate.
Pacific Rim Winemakers Raspberry Framboise - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, label
13,81€ / 0,375; 16,5% abv; 150 g/l sugar. This was fun stuff! Lovely, pure aroma of raspberry, but dark and inky. Rich, viscous, super-sweet and in all other ways a fun, lovely drop except the alcohol that wasn't present on the scent is very much present on the finish. But for such a concentrated essence of raspberry (a berry I love), I'll forgive that little sin and will probably buy this again.
