Stepped into the Londis near my house.

Normally avoid it since my wife hates the lady at the till. Cheap, decent wines! 2003 Babich Pinot Noir, £5.49: Decent cherry, almost crystal clear, so a very light body. Touch of pepper and a bit sour. Little finish, little tannin, little oak. Great price: 8.5.

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Started several evenings ago with Sterling Vineyards Napa Valley 2003, wasn’t sure on the vintage, and paid £13 for it at Budgens.

The Web site said to expect “cherry, cassis, blackberry and a hint of black olive”; umm, yes. I got that – except the black olive. I would also elaborate that the wine is seamless, just a really lovely wine, with great balance and strength. It still suffers from that California sweetness, which is sometimes downright offensive, but not here. Nice.

The next night: Concha y Toro 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile, £5 from Londis.

The next night: Jacob’s Creek 2004, Australia, £5 from Costcutter.

t smells awful and things only get worse from there. I will leave it at that.

So, I opened the Wolf Blass 2004 President Selection Cab, also Australia, £8 Costcutter…It should have been so much better…

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