From Halewood, first premium branded wine from Romania. Abv: 12.5% Price: £3.99 TARGET CONSUMER Steve Lampert, 32, is a manager at a data processing centre and lives in south east London This has a rather bog standard label. There's nothing wrong with it but there's not much right with it either. But, interestingly, it's got quite a large punt for a £3.99 bottle of wine. The wine is a dark ruby red colour and it's got a faint hint of black cherry on the nose. However it's not as distinguishable a smell as other Pinot Noirs I've drunk. It feels quite young and aggressive in the mouth and it's got a smoky, acrid aftertaste that isn't at all pleasant. I'm not impressed with it and it's not something I'd choose to buy having tried it, even at £3.99. In fact, the more I drink it the less I like it. It's not the worst wine I've ever tasted but it's pretty close. Rating out of 25 ­ 3 Sally Easton Master of Wine and wine buyer for Berry Brothers and Rudd This has a medium deep ruby colour; the nose has some juicy redcurrant notes underneath the slightly dusty initial impression. The palate shows spicy red berry fruit of moderate intensity and a full, if slightly burnt, texture to the mouthfeel. The fruit is a little unbalanced by the chalky oak flavours, otherwise the tannins are rounded and ripe. At £3.99 this is good value red wine with decent body and volume with juicy fruit and spice. Its only downside is that it resembles very little the true expression of the pinot noir grape. The packaging is smarter than its price point suggests. It deserves to do well. Rating out of 25 ­ 20 Graham Shearsby Board creative director, graphics, at Design Bridge A harmless rustic little number that on first glance probably hails from South America. Why? Because of the sun god icon prominently featured on the label and much loved by many of the Latin brands. But no. Closer inspection reveals this to be another cunning east European wine. A Romanian indeed! It would have been preferable for the winemakers to have created an ownable icon from their own very rich history, but I guess the sun still works as a desperate attempt to protect oneself from the children on the night and the legacy of Vlad the Impaler. Rating out of 25 ­ 12 Steve Mayes Category controller at Landmark What a result ­ another wine from Eastern Europe that won't generate grimaces that could win a gurning competition. The design is classy and belies the country of origin and the price point ­ the parchment effect of the label is always a winner. It is easy drinking and well up for rapid consumption. The marketing package sounds promising ­ Halewood clearly wants to make this work, it must have a lot at stake, so the terms should be good! The best bit is the £4 retail price. This is being rapidly deserted by New World megavins leaving the Old World the opportunity for a renaissance. Definitely worth a go. Rating out of 25 ­ 18 Total score out of 100 ­ 53 {{DRINKS }}

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