Occasionally our local stocks something a bit special instead of the usual mainland quaffers. The Notley Gorge 2008 pinot grigio was like a vanilla citrus smoothie but runnier. Clean and crisp it finished with a short but satisfying abruptness. The label mentions it's refreshing and we'd have to agree.  Sometimes the marketing actually dances with reality rather than merely waving to it from across the street.

The 2006 'The Mail Run' blended red from Coombend is a 'nice' wine and, because it came from the bargain bin, reasonably priced. Trouble is it's 'nice' as in "I think you're a really nice guy". Now any man will tell you this means you haven't a hope in hell. Sure women do date nice guys but only after the 'bad boy' has broken their heart, slept with their sister(s) and emptied the bank account. 

Look, you can buy The Mail Run with complete confidence. You will be drinking a flavoursome, well made red. It's just that .... well .... it doesn't get the heart racing. Which is a shame because some Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc blends have the potential to spark some passion or at least some discussion.

It was like being wrestled by a large naked woman. The 2005 'Valerie' Grenache from Bullers is a huge wine that, like a large naked woman wrestling, takes all the senses to the limit. You probably wouldn't volunteer to be wrestled but once it was over you might think "I'm tired and I wouldn't want to do that too often but you know what it was a bit of fun!". Don't have this sort of wine that often but do have it. Go on, a bit of wrestling won't hurt you. 

The 2008 Bubbleduck, like the previous vintages, has a growing number of fanatical fans. In fact people who don't like it have been known to receive hate mail. Luckily we're quite partial to it. The 08 is a bright, refreshing citrus celebration with a nice level of toasty overtones. Delicious with the fruit flan we had just bought. 

You'd better hurry to Puddleduck vineyard if you want some. A quarter of the first release sold in the first week!