This brown bag tasting was Europe except for France an Italy.

2007 Max F. Richter Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese – good varietal nose, with apple and citrus notes, well balanced with good acidity, with the acidity piling up at the end to give a nice crispness.

1990 Berberana Rioja Reserva – brown edges and a pronounced caramel nose, lots of acidity and mature fruit notes, all in all quite pleasant, if on the old side.

1994 Jean Leon Reserva (Penedes) – obviously cabernet in the nose, and with obvious age, but still with soft tannins and good acidity. Medium length and very decent. This still has time.

1994 Marques de Riscal Baron de Chirel Rioja Reserva – dark wine, getting pale at the edges, an immediate waft of American oak in the nose, slightly hot and woody, and the tannins still on the hard side with slightly low fruit.

1999 Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva – very nice sweet wood nose, middle weight and sweet in the mouth, balanced and drinking perfectly now.

2001 Finca Villacreces Reserva (Ribera del Duero) – Tempranillo, cab and merlot and 24 months of new French oak results in a nice maturing vanilla nose with something umami tossed in, good weight and some interesting berry and mocha notes. At peak now.

2007 Alpha Estate – with this wine we headed East to Greece and a very nicely made wine consisting of 60% syrah, 20% Xinomavro and 20% merlot. Sweet ripe nose, thick mouth feel and medium weight with some nice plum and berry flavours, soft finish. Has time but may now be as good as it will get?

2006 Baron de Twickel Baronesse Tereza – an interesting one made in the Hungarian Szekszard region, of cab sauv, syrah and cab franc. Dark, with a sweet, ripe warm nose with some rawness at the edges, but the blend worked fairly well on palate. Interesting, perhaps promising, but in itself, not a notable wine.

2005 Martinet Bru Priorat – a ‘new age’ Priorat, unlike the impermeable black wines I used to cellar. Still dark, with a nose of black fruit and with good concentration, not overly sweet. Decent showing.

1986 Dow Colheita Port – first time I’d ever seen this one. Pale colour, mahogany, slightly hot in nose and mouth, but fairly smooth and with good acidic bite.