Coming from the Bodega Dehesa des Rubiales, owned by Grupo Galiciano and located in the Castilla Leon region of Spain, this Alaia red wine is a very typical example of the incredibly affordable high-quality wines that are now being produced in old wine-growing regions of Spain.

Firstly I am not quite sure what is going on with the picture on the label, I suppose it’s a baby with it’s mother, but am not sure… and why? Oh well, I guess there is some meaning somewhere!

This is a really nice wine. I am a fan of Spanish wines in general and this is a really nice example. Like the Rioja’s, this wine is very dark and has a full bodied texture, while remaining smooth at the same time.

Doing a bit of research I found this wine has the following make up:

Prieto picudo (50 percent), tempranillo (45 percent), merlot (5 percent)

I would certainly recommend this wine, and would love to have a bottle of this with some strong cheeses, as the rich fruity taste would compliment the cheese nicely.

Apparently this is not a wine for long term aging, so drink it now through 2008! Fine by me!

Seems a good deal, available for home delivery too, apparently.

Click here to take you to the deal

This was on a 3 for £10 deal at ASDA so I purchased a bottle along with 2 bottles of Namaqua. I have had quite good success with the 3-4-10 deals in the past so I was hoping to continue my run of success.

First impressions were moderate. There was no strong scent to the wine, in face I would call it non-descript. For a cheap wine this is actually not a bad thing in my experience, some of them can be a bit overbearing.

On tasting the wine I have to say I was disappointed. This wine almost tasted furry (for want of a better word), a little bit like the taste you get if you get some sediment in the bottom of a glass. One glass later and it settled down a bit, but I really cannot recommend it.

I looked around to see if I could find some information on the background of this wine. I couldn’t find a single thing about it anywhere. I wonder if this is just a cheap batch of wine which has been branded for cheap sale?

On reflection it may have been a bad idea to purchase a wine named after a Fish. Oh well, onto the next review… that one has an Elephant on it!

I think it is a great wine, elegant yet versatile!!! . The wine has a salmon pink colour or slight blush of pink. The colour stems from the Pinot Noir component of the blend.  The nose has the lively flavours of strawberry and raspberry of the red grape and the peach and citrus from the white grape.

It is an easy drinking wine and can be enjoyed either on its own or with seafood, specifically salmon or tuna.

You can buy this South African wine HERE for £7.99.

This is a wine to remember, I am most definitely going to have this wine with a BBQ.

The Epitome of elegance!

Ok, so this isn’t strictly a Wine based article, but our good friend “Chilli Man” is appearing at the NEC in Birmingham promoting his chilli products.

If you have not encountered the fiery little terror before take a look at www.littlegreenmen.co.uk and take a lo0k (especially at some of his videos!).

He is after some willing and able volunteers to help him out on his still from 11th - 15th June. If you fancy a free pass to the show and don’t mind helping out please give him a shout through his website, I’m sure he’d he happy to have you onboard.

Tesco are hosting wine fair’s in locations accross the country. We are able to provide you with a 4 for 3 offer, just enter the code loyalty when you are asked for a loyalty code.

If you are interested in wine, the Tesco Wine Club Fairs are the perfect place to taste over 250 wines from around the world. Meet the winemakers and experts behind the wines in a relaxed environment. There’s something for everyone, whatever wine style you enjoy and there’s no better way to try new wines.

If you are looking to learn a bit more about wine, why not take in a Wine Workshop or learn from the experts with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

There are fairs in Bristol, London ,Manchester and Edinburgh in September/October

Click here for further details

This is an interesting wine. Firstly we have no idea of the vintage… I searched the bottle but there is no reference to it.

It is a medium to full bodied red, similar in flavour to the Hardy’s Stamp Shiraz. There is a strong forest fruit flavour and it is certainly (as most of the Australian wines are) easy to drink. I picked this bottle up from ASDA, but I have also bought it from the Co-Op in the past, usually priced around £4.

I like this wine, but it does fall into the “all-rounder” category. There is nothing new with this wine, but then again there is nothing to offend either. If you want a good value “safe” wine then this is a good bet, but if you are looking for something a bit “special” then look toward the McGuigan Estate Shiraz (a bit more expensive, but has been seen on offer at £4 from time to time).