Dear Co-op, apologies for this, these videos should have been on the site well before now, but circusmtances overtook me, and then I went to California and then…oh well, here they are, like buses – you wait for ages for one and then etc, etc…

WHITES

Ziel Pinot Grigio-Chardonnay 2009, Rhein, Germany (£4.75 The Co-op)
Soft, inoffensive style verging on the bland, nothing faulty, just a bit yawn-y. 0

Via Cuppola Chardonnay-Pinot Grigio 2009, Neszmély, Hungary (£4.99 The Co-op)
A bit more weight and spicy/floral peachy fruit, but the touch of honey and the waxy finish suggest a wine that’s past its best. C(-)

Chablis les Hauts de Prehy 2009, Burgundy, France (£12.99 The Co-op)
This is better, with some of the classic lanolin richness alongside the lemon and crunchy apple flavours. Not great, but tasty. B

Nicolas Potel Montagny 1er Cru 2008, Burgundy, France (£14.99 The Co-op)
Quite a solid, weighty beast, with rhubarb and pineapple (fresh & chunk) flavours, and some nutty creamy richness. S-

St. Hallett Riesling 2009, Barossa, Australia (£8.99 The Co-op)
Starts well with a zesty lime character but then turns a little confected, with lemon jelly cube flavours coming through. B

Stonebridge Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Marlborough, New Zealand (£9.99 The Co-op)
Reasonable sappy citrus flavours with touches of freshly cut grass, but spoiled by OTT residual sugar. C(+)

FRENCH REDs

Château Brassac Bordeaux Supérieur 2009, France (£11.99 The Co-op)
Young, curranty claret, all about immediate juicy fruit, with some smoky oak to add further interest. B(-)

Cour du Roy Montagne St. Emilion 2008, Bordeaux, France (£12.99 The Co-op)
Slightly stolid wine, reasonable dark fruit flavours, but it’s a little too structured, and a touch overoaked too. C+

Château Sénéjac Haut-Médoc 2008, Bordeaux, France (£15.99 The Co-op)
Fragrant and refreshing young wine, very aromatic with notes of cedar, green coffee bean & tobacco, and with poised blackcurrant fruit to back these up. Long, slightly chewy finish, good for another five years at least. S

Château St Paul Haut-Médoc 2005, Bordeaux, France (£14.99 The Co-op)
Showing some leathery development, but has been dried out by brettanomyces, leaving the fruit lacking freshness, and giving a horsey character too.  Not bad, but should have been better. B(-)

L’Oustalet Réserve Côtes du Rhône 2009, France (£10.99 The Co-op)
Classic draught of the warm south, with dusty southern herbiness and touches of vanilla to liven up the vibrant blackcurrant and plum flavours, and the acidity and tannin that will keep it in fine fettle for another 3-4 years. S-

Domaine Cuvée Saint Théodoric Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2009, Rhône, France (£15.00 The Co-op)
Showing a similar dusty herb character, with even something like juniper in there somewhere, already soft and mellow, slightly rustic and old-fashioned, but in a good way. B+

NON-FRENCH REDs

Arniston Bay ‘The Coast’ Red 2010, Western Cape, South Africa (£4.99 The Co-op)
Reasonable hearty, spicy red fruit flavours, but excess sweetness takes it into the jammy/jelly spectrum. C-

Ara Composite Pinot Noir 2008, Marlborough, New Zealand (£14.99 The Co-op)
Decent berry and plum flesh but feels like it’s been overworked in the winery, swamping Pinot’s gentle perfumed side in the process. C+

Marques de Valido Rioja Reserva 2006, Spain (£9.99 The Co-op)
There’s decent wild strawberry and orange peel flavour (even Cointreau), along with a touch of vanilla but heavy-handed use of oak lets it down and adds a rubbery character. C(+)

Casa Contini Brindisi Riserva 2006, Puglia, Italy (£5.99 The Co-op)
Another one where a decent, quite delicately flavoured wine has been smothered with crude oak. Shame, as the wild plummy bramble and berry flavours weren’t bad. C(+)

St. Hallett Shiraz 2008, Barossa, Australia (£8.99 The Co-op)
A bear hug of a wine, not subtle, but gentle, confident and friendly, with soft plummy berry and liquorice flavours and a long earthy finish. S-

Yalumba Hand Picked Mourvèdre-Grenache-Shiraz 2008, Valley, Australia (£14.99 The Co-op)
Very tasty stuff, with plummy flesh but also some ferrous wildness and grippy blackcurrant flavours. Nicely balanced, fleshy but reined in, and with the structure to age for at least another five years. S(+)