From ZGM. This joins one of a limited number of German red wines in the UK. It brings the Fire Mountain range to three. Abv: 12.5% Price £4.49 TARGET CONSUMER John Cornell, 52, company director, Churt, Surrey This is an attractive bottle and is not very Germanic. It makes me think of Cape Town rather than the Rhine. It is also a bit confusing because as far as I know there are not too many volcanoes in Germany. At £4.49 I would give this a go, although I am not a big fan of Pinot Noir. However, when I tasted it I was surprised. It looks and smells as if it was made of cherries and I have to confess that I liked it. It's very nice and I didn't expect that. At first it comes across as a full blooded red wine and after the second glass it feels a bit softer. There is a lot of fruit in this and it is softer than the reds I would normally drink. Usually I head for the Cabernet Sauvignons, Shiraz, Barolos and Chiantis. But this is a soft wine with a bit of a zip which is good fun. Rating out of 25 ­ 15 Phil Tuck Master of Wine and wine director of Hatch Mansfield Correct colour, not too deep or dark. Lifted attractive if rather simple aroma of raspberry jam and gunpowder. This is essentially very light and fruity with a metallic edge. The acidity is marked as one would expect from a wine produced in such a northern climate and the alcohol is balanced. The finish is short and the tannins soft. The wine is approachable and clean without the influence of oak, and it does not display a sense of place. It will sell well at this price. The packaging is bright and modern in style and I feel this will definitely appeal to the new wave of younger German wine drinkers. Rating out of 25 ­ 14 Gary McCall Managing director of Poulter Partners When I first opened the outer packaging this yelled New World wine to me. The vibrant orange mountain scape communicates all the warmth of the Napa or Barossa valley, but the wine is from Germany! The pack has a sleek elegant feel to it with a narrow body and high shoulder bottle construction. The minimalist two part label and the predominant use of black and gold foil blocking add to the premium visual cues. It should have worked a little harder to stand out in an ever crowded wine fixture. I think Fire Mountain is somewhere in Bavaria. It's strange for the Germans to lack confidence in what they do. Rating out of 25 ­ 15 Carol Du Cann Senior buyer (beers, wines and spirit) at Alldays First impressions are of a New World South American wine, but it's German and red! A confusing message to the customer and Germany is neither fashionable nor renowned for red wine. Its presentation is elegant. The juice is pleasant, with plenty of red summer fruit flavours. Presumably, at £4.49 retail, it will promote to the all-important £3.99 and below, margin maintained. I would be reluctant to list it, as I doubt it would justify its shelf space. The problem will be getting consumers to buy it and someone mistakenly picking this up expecting a New World red could well be disappointed. Rating out of 25 ­ 14 Total score out of 100 ­ 58 {{DRINKS }}

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