Paul McShane from Humbug Reach vineyard kindly gave us a bottle of his 2008 Pinot at the recent 2010 Taste of the Tamar and very grateful we were too, especially after we tried it. This wine has a big spicy nose and rich flavour. The middle palate is big and round just like the beer gut on your average Aussie bloke.  Be patriotic and buy this wine.

We noticed even luminaries like Graeme Phillips agree with us on the 2010 Milton Pinot Gris. Opening the bottle you're greeted with the smell of rose petals and the same colour as your Nana's favourite sherry. It tastes slightly sweet but has a pretty tidy light floral flavour and a dry finish. This is a wonderful drop for getting you ready for housework and other pointless but necessary activities.

While we're on Milton we also tried the 2010 Rose. This delivered that classic strawberries and cream taste you get from a quality rose. Wimbledon anyone?

The wine was slightly spritzy on opening but soon settled down to being a fun wine. You would have to have ice in your veins to stop at only one glass. Frankly we needed this sort of cheerful 'pick me up' after watching the efforts of our 'Can't bat, can't bowl' cricket team (no we're not convinced by the win in Perth - Ed) .

We drank the 2009 Derwent Estate Sauvignon Blanc somewhere between 'not quite cool enough' but 'not room temperature'. However it stood up very well. Being made by Andrew Hanigan what else would you expect? This wine tasted more like a riesling with it's tingly acid mouthfeel and finish. But it did have a fruity highlight and worked very well with a home made garlic prawn pizza. It's fun enough for a relaxed celebration but packs enough flavour and punch to be taken seriously.

Sorry no photo

Jackie Brown insists that the 2010 Puddleduck Sauvignon Blanc is the best they have ever made and she's right. This wine smells like a sav blanc, looks like a sav blanc and tastes like a sav blanc .... at first. It has the driest savoury finish we've ever experienced and was amazing with a slow cooked lamb. Maybe it's the intense vanilla/ gooseberry highlight?