In Tipping's Tipples, Mike Tipping asks if the wines he loved in Chile will taste as good back in Britain?

Ever the research scientist, I was keen to put the above to the test. If you had read Tipping's Tipples a few weeks back, you would know that I have recently returned from a week of wine tasting and other hard labours, in Chile.

When the sun is shining and you're on the other side of the world you can begin to see things through rose-tinted spectacles.

Thus, a wine that tasted fantastic in some oak-floored wine estate property in the Aconcagua Valley, may not have the same appeal at a barbecue in Blighty on a showery bank holiday. Or maybe it would.

Out of the many wines I sampled, during the Chile jaunt, I asterisked a small selection in my wine notes and marked them with the house style, my 20-point rating system which also takes into account the price. In the interests of scientific research I got a bottle of each when I returned home and rated them again. All three wines are from Chilean producer Errazuriz, a name that guarantees a winning score in the wine connoisseurs edition of Scrabble. It is pronounced with more of an S than a Z.

Errazuriz Estate Pinot Noir 2005 faired slightly better at home than away. At under £7, it is a truly great-value wine. Pinot Noir does well in areas where things don't get too hot, and this is from cooler vineyards in the Casablanca Valley. It has intense, bright, red-fruit aromas and flavours of cherry, strawberry, liquorice, raisins, and spices. A screwcap closure makes for easy access to this smooth and hugely enjoyable wine. Perfect with some fresh salmon and salad outside in the sun, I usually chill pinot noir for an hour or so, when the weather gets warmer. Chile rating 18/20, UK rating 19/20.

Last year, Errazuriz Estate Merlot, the 2004 vintage, won a top gong for best value red. I think the 2005 vintage is better but there again I thought the '04 was overrated. The 2005 was just how I remembered it in Chile. It is rich and substantial with soft plums, ripe berries and well-behaved tannins but I bet it doesn't win another award? Chile rating 17/20, UK rating 17/20.

From the ridiculously beautiful Don Maximiano Estate, the 100 per cent cabernet sauvignon Founder's Reserve 2001 is lush, juicy and ripe. Velvety smooth, with berry-fruit aromas, there is plenty to keep the palate occupied; blueberry, cassis, brambles, coffee, mint and vanilla. The '01 Chile tasting wins by a nose. Chile rating 17/20, UK rating 16/20.

The 2003 vintage is better still, thanks in the main to the addition of syrah in the blend, but it's not available in the UK just yet.

The result is therefore inconclusive, I might just have to try it all again.

Tippling term of the week: yeasty. The baking bread aromas often noticeable in Champagne and in white wines aged sur lie.

Errazuriz Estate Pinot Noir 2005, £6.99 at Majestic. 19/20

Errazuriz Estate Merlot 2005, £6.99 at Oddbins, Sainsbury's, Thresher and Tesco. 17/20

Errazuriz Don Maximiano Estate Founder's Reserve 2001, £21.99 at Thresher. 16/20

Updated: 08:38 Saturday, May 06, 2006