Los Haroldos Malbec 2011 from the Uco Valley Argentina

Los Haroldos Malbec 2011 is supplied by Loki in Birmingham UK at a cost of £8.99. The grapes are grown on a 3000ha estate in La Consulta, San Carlos, Uco Valley, Mendoza by Familia Falasco at 1100m above sea level. This is a cool region which helps to keep the acidity of this wine freshening - many can tend towards fatness. The Malbec grape is a variety that originally came from the west of France ( Bordeaux and the South West of France), it is a grape that has full on fruity flavours, and often can produce high alcohol wines as the grape if grown to full ripeness has a high sugar content.
This wine was packed full of sweet juicy plums, cherries and some baked fruits, it had a lovely silky mouth texture, acidity that keeps the fruit fresh and the alcohol was 13% which felt bang on. A little oak had been used here, just 5% of the grapes had received 3 months , and this added another dimension to what might have been a simple wine, at the price this wine is a steal! Do have a look at my post that covers a french Malbec by Asda Rigal!
Score : 86

Huarpe Lancatay Bonarda 2011 Argentina

Huarpe Banarda 2011 is a wine supplied by LOKI in Birmingham, UK, Bonarda is a grape of Italian origin (Piedmonte), though it is difficult to find there now and it may be known under some of its other names ( Croatina in Lombardia, Charbono in California, Bonarda Novarese  etc.).
This dry red wine has aromas of red fruits, spices (vanilla and ginger), some black fruits and a smokey oak edge, on the palate there is a feint spritz/carbon dioxide fizz which disappears quickly, the fruits, red and black berries, are slightly 'baked', and there is a nuttiness and  spice which points towards an Italian complexity. The tannins are soft and silky and offer gentle structure to this fruity wine, the alcohol seems well knitted in at 13.5% and the French and American Oak is carefully managed.
The grapes are 40-50 years old and grown at 950m, the winery Huarpe is family run:  oenologist José Hernández Toso makes the wine, while his brother Maximiliano Hernández Toso manages the winery.
Score : 85

Anselmi 2011 San Vincenzo IGT

We tried a real summery wine last night, a white wine  from Monteforte  in the Veneto region of Italy which is actually the Soave DOC area ( they decided  to leave the Soave DOC  but have gone IGT registered instead ) it was a blend of 70% Garganega, 30% Chardonnay and Trebbiano ( or Sauvignon Blanc its close cousin). The vines are grown near the top of a hill on volcanic / tuff ground, picked at the end of September / start of October. Destemmed, cold maceration, pneumatic pressing followed by fermentation at 16C in stainless steel and then bottled 3 months before sale. Roberto Anselmi, the maker/grower, is regarded as one of the leading white wine makers in Italy. He uses high density planted vines, trained carefully, uses green harvesting to produce the best fruit to make his wines from.

I bought it from a shop in Birmingham called Loki when I was shopping with a friend.

The wine, Anselmi 2011 San Vincenzo IGT, a golden straw yellow, had apple, floral notes with a tropical edge ( kiwi, melon...), on tasting it the crisp acidity balanced the fairly full body with the well integrated alcohol. Flavours of apricot, green apple with a hint of asparagus were followed by a long cirtic finish and a slight toasty edge with a touch of minerality. This is a wine that pairs well with alot of fish, chicken, vegetarian foods and is a lovely wine with pasta which is what we had with it - delish.