I said that I would tell you a bit more about the wine when I was in Norfolk for a Wedding.

Well on the Sunday there was a barbeque for friends and familly of the happy couple - who were also there - so I took the chance to test out some of the wines on my list in a real situation.

The white was the Abracadabra Blanc from Chemin des Reves. The texture is quite oily, which surprised a few people, but they were soon won over by the rich aromas and palate. The floral components were very much to the fore when the bottle had just been opened with accacia and honeysuckle most noticable. Quite soon the fruit flavours started to emerge, with white peach and yellow plum easy to spot. The unifying factor is a wonderful minerality that underpins the floral and fruit components. The wine was lovely as an aperitif with plenty of nibbles. Lovely now, I suspect that this will get even better ove the next 12 - 18 months. On the whole it was a hit with the more serious drinkers.

The Rose d'Exindre was next. Full of summer fruit it was perfect for a sunny early summer afternoon. It was also well received, with one seasoned rinker telling me that he never drinks rose, but that he would drink this one. It was a particular hit with some of the younger women, who told me they often drink rose, and that this one was really good.

The Chemin des Reves Bois Moi was not so well received. It is a typical Languedoc wine with the usual grape varieties, but made in a way to be low on tannins. It works from that aspect, but it also has slightly less extract than many wines of the region. We were drinking it with food, and I suspect that didn't help. It has a lowish intensity palate, but with some really interesting and complex fruit flavours. I really need to try it again as an aperitif with a few breadsticks!

Finally we drank the Grangeon Syrah. This is a wine with plenty of everything! Great depth of dark fruit aromas and flavours, with a lovely touch of violet and black olive. Good balance and nice ripe tannins. Yummy. This wine generally pleased the assembled drinkers, particularly those of us who were getting stuck into the very tasty barbeque spare ribs. I did decide that this is not a wine for the faint hearted. However, it is really well made and will be lovely over a number of years!

I must end with thanks to Ruth and Bob who invited us to the festivities, and to their neighbours who gave us a very hospitable place to stay for two nights.