1) Kaleido de Familia Mayol, Bonarda, 2004 (Mendoza, Argentina) - The latest tried by our wine club from work.  We had high hopes for this because the back label says only 700 cases were made from grapes grown at nearly 4000 feet and then handpicked and bottled unfined and unfiltered.  I personally expected an explosion of flavor.  We popped the bottle and the bouquet had power and suggested a bold fruit forward wine was coming.  The tasting, however, most considered kind of boring.  Table wine was the initial consensus.  There wasn't any particular fruit flavor that jumped out, and I tried to compare it to merlot but we agreed that although it drinks easily like merlot it wasn't the same flavor.  I had partly expected it to be tart and a little foxy because some have written bonarda in South America may in fact be charbono (aka charbonneau) but this seems like a totally different grape altogether.  Anyway I'll pay two big compliments to the Kaleido Bonarda.  The first is obviously since it drinks easily this is a wine you could have with almost anything and anyone.  I can't imagine someone refusing to drink their glass of it.  The second is its tannins lasted a surprisingly long time on the tongue.  Half an hour after the tasting I could still feel and taste those tannins, and they were not unpleasant at all.  I paid $20 for this, but I'd repeat it for maybe $15, not $20.  And I'll score it 6 out of 10 for upper average.

2) The Goats Do Roam Wine Company, Goat-Roti, 2005 (South Africa) - I've seen this reviewed well and I've read articles praising this vintner.  It's definitely a winery on the rise.  When I unscrewed this bottle the bouquet arose promising flavor and zing and I'd say yes the taste delivered it.  Really I enjoyed this quite a lot.  I could tell however from the blending that this is a mass produced and mass marketed wine.  So the Goat-Roti reference, which I think mimics some famous wine from France, I'm certain comes nowhere close to the true original, although surely this is still a good wine to drink.  6 out of 10 for upper average.