House wines are bottles that are made to provide a simple choice of a red and a white if you haven't a clue about wine when you're sitting at a restaurant. They are packaged the same, they are always cheap, and they should always be drinkable. I'm not asking for a brilliant wine, I'm asking for something that doesn't make me want to spit it out or start to gag.First up - Il Banchetto Red & White. Firstly, the packaging isn't bad, it is not traditional, but in a steak house or an inexpensive restaurant, they won't look that bad. They are sold by Bibendum wines, should retail at around £5 in shops or £15 in restaurants (yep, roughly divide the price you see in a restaurant list by three to see what the wine costs in a shop). The 2007 Trebbiano Chardonnay is clean, has a light orange flavour and a little bit of grass. Not the sort of grass you attack every few weeks with a Flymo, but the stuff you light up in a back room at a party with a Rastafarian called Ziggy. There is pineapple on the palate, a little alcohol but a creamy texture. It's pretty boring, not unpleasant, but dull. 6/10
The 2007 Sangiovese is pretty similar. It is quite confected on the nose, with a slightly over ripe strawberry aroma and vanilla. There is a dark earthiness that comes through, but not enough to balance out the fake fruit. The palate has cherry stones, firm tannins which then disappear very quickly. The finish is ok at first, with nice fruit, again more twiggy, earthy flavours, but it leaves your mouth claggy, so it drops points on that. 5.5/10
Verdict This one is stuck on earth! Not really a good one to start with as it doesn't give a simple answer! It is alright, it delivers a drinkable, simple wine. It just doesn't generate any emotion at all.
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