Three new ones.  I'm especially excited to discuss the Australian Shiraz samples.  But 1st:

1) Trimbach Riesling 2004 (Alsace, France) - This is a classic white wine with nice acidity and fruit.  Both Nancy and I liked it.  Honestly, I'm not experienced enough yet to appreciate how this differs from Chardonnay, etc.  It's certainly nice.

2)&3) Let's call this a contest:  Jacob's Creek Reserve Shiraz 2002 (South Australia) vs Layer Cake Shiraz 2005 (Barossa Valley, South Australia).  In the 1st corner we have Jacob's Creek, one of the first big brands from Australia which helped raise eyebrows around the world.  It's mentioned in my wine books and I even remember hearing or reading about it in ads.  I consider this one the benchmark, the example of what good quality Australian shiraz is about.  I tried it first and I found it to be smooth and spicy with a long finish.  Really I was quite pleased with it with the sole exception that it struck me as so blended it probably had lost individuality.  Yet we enjoyed it a lot.  Next I opened the Layer Cake which has a screw cap instead of a cork - which some serious wine drinkers scoff at.  Anyway, the first sip of Layer Cake knocks your socks off.  It's bold and spicy too but the flavor is more complex than the Jacob's Creek and in general it was stronger.  The only way it lost out to the former was in the finish because I didn't think Layer Cake had much.  But, so what.  Honestly the bold delicious flavor was enough by itself.  Plus we're comparing a 2002 with a 2005 and if the latter had aged the same amount or more I bet the finish would have been there too.  So in conclusion I'd recommend either of these wines but I'm putting Layer Cake, which is a steal at $15 a bottle, on my list of superb value wines to buy on site.  Way to go Cake!