From Southcorp. Part of the range of wines from the much anticipated 1998 Australian vintage Abv: 13.5% Price: £9.99 TARGET CONSUMER Chris Rowe, 26, is a glazier from Neath near Swansea The packaging is in the style of most Penfold wines: it's quite plain, not fancy, and it looks like a middle class wine that's not particularly expensive. But I never go for fussy-looking labels. The wine is a deep red colour, almost blackcurranty, and it smells quite oaky. It's quite a fruity wine. I can taste blackcurrant and vanilla and oriental spice, and it's a bit plummy. It's quite tangy, actually. Some red wines give you the judders but this is not bitter at all. It's smooth and rounded, which is nice. It's got quite a strong taste which might make it a bit too powerful to drink with food. But I'd definitely drink it after eating. It's one of those chill out and relax kind of wines. Rating out of 25 ­ 18 Sally Easton Master of Wine and wine buyer for Berry Brothers and Rudd This wine has a dense ruby colour with an intense and complex nose of black pepper, mint chocolate and sweet plum and blackcurrant fruit. The palate is richly fruity with vanilla and sweet spice tones from some new oak maturation; it is full bodied with fine-grained, youthful tannins balanced by a firm acidity and primary fruit flavours. With a wine at this level, vintage characters begin to be of interest. The finish is spicy and this will soften with a little more time in bottle. This is very good quality benchmark Aussie Shiraz but it also costs about 150% more than the amount the UK public usually spend. Rating out of 25 ­ 25 Graham Shearsby Board creative director, graphics, at Design Bridge What can I say. Penfolds is an understated, elegantly restrained classic Aussie. It certainly is a brand that has contributed to the Antipodean domination of our wine market. The Penfolds image is distinctive among the often too enthusiastic offerings from Down Under, but differentiation isn't the strongest point among varietals.For those who know, it is a case of if you want me, you have to look carefully for me'. I admire the confidence but feel the range could benefit from some less subtle typographic nuances and a bit more in the way of product personality. Rating out of 25 ­ 18 Steve Mayes Category controller at Landmark 128 has got the lot ­ it's won awards, it's from an established high quality estate, it'll age well, it's from an excellent vintage and tastes lovely. Any outlet that can sell a bottle of wine for a tenner will definitely have a shot at this one as it's a dead cert. It will appeal to all punters from the I'm getting bicycle saddles' brigade to the great Unwashed with a bit of disposable. There also some great marketing opportunities coming: The Lions, The Ashes, and the fantastic summer we're going to have. The cash margin is nice but could be better. And if it doesn't sell you can always drink it yourself. Rating out of 25 ­ 22 Total score out of 100 ­ 83 {{DRINKS }}

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