The Grocer's Tasting Panel has congratulated and castigated in equal measure over the last year as it sipped and spat its way through 41 products drawn from the whole spectrum of alcoholic drinks. The three experts, a Master of Wine, a buyer and a designer, were joined each week by a consumer from the target market of the product being tested and asked to give their views and a rating out of 25 (to give a total mark out of 100). Comments varied from vile' to absolutely gorgeous'. Here we present the top scoring three in each of the four categories, and sum up why the judges thought they would be sure-fire winners Wine 1. Penfolds Bin 128, Southcorp The strength of the Penfolds name and the quality of Bin 128 was recognised by the panelists who gave it the highest mark of all the products they tasted over the past 12 months. Bin 128 is a central part of the range and has evolved over 20 years. Southcorp will be boosting its profile later this year. Marketing manager Matthew Adams said: "The hallmark of Penfolds Bin range is product excellence and we will be looking to communicate this through a range of targeted advertising and promotional activities." 2. Sparkling Chardonnay, Rosemount In the 10 months since Rosemount "V" Sparkling Chardonnay was launched it has established excellent distribution in multiple grocers, specialists, and cash and carries. Competitive pricing and promotion have supported the brand and will continue to form the basis of activity, along with targeted below the line activity. Rosemount marketing manager Richard Trimby said: "We are confident that "V" has the product credentials and promotional support to ensure it's continued success in the UK market." 3. Terroirs et Secrets, Patriarche The Terroir et Secrets wine range from Patriarche went down well in France but has not done so well in the UK. A spokeswoman said: "The wines were sent to all multiple buyers and the article was used as part of the marketing pack, however the wines have not yet obtained a listing. Undeterred, the wines will be represented with the new vintages. The wines encourage consumers to experiment with old world styles and this was recognised by the panel. It may be too early to dismiss the range yet." Beer 1. XXXB, Bateman's The panel's favourable reaction to XXXB was one factor which helped with its success. MD Stuart Bateman said: "Launching a new bottled beer in a unique presentation is always difficult. Buyers are sometimes wary of being the first to take the plunge. The panel gives the brand tremendous credibility. It gave buyers confidence and resulted in listings with all the major multiples and beer specialists." 2. Goliath, Wychwood James Coyle, Wychwood's sales director, says: "The taste panel is like an acid test for our new product innovations. It looks at the product from a number of different perspectives and gives an honest, rounded opinion from both inside and outside the trade. A good review has been invaluable in helping us to gain further distribution for our NPDs such as Goliath, and Black Wych." 3. Jolly Ploughman, Highwood Highwood Products thought it had a good product with Tom Wood's Jolly Ploughman but accepted the panel's criticism of its label and changed it. Spokesman Alex Albone said: "Before we appeared on the panel and did so well we had support from two supermarkets. Now we have listings with Tesco, Safeway, E H Booth, Asda, Waitrose, Sainsbury and Nisa-Today's." PPS 1. WKD Blue, Beverage Brands Achieving recognition in the cluttered premium packaged spirits market is getting tougher but Beverage Brands has done this with its Vodka Blue extension of the WKD range. Marketing manager Karen Salters said: "When we researched the drink among consumers we were told that apart from being refreshing, Blue was different from anything else in the pps market. We're thrilled we have emerged as the top scoring pps for the year." 2. V Ice, GBL V Ice is part of GBL's VK range which has found success in the on-trade. This is being translated to the take home market. Ice is on test with Tesco and is about to go in all Safeway stores. It has also been performing well in Makro, Booker and Parfett. The brand was launched in March 2000 and now sells 700,000 cases a year. MD Steve Perez said: "The pps sector has 30% of the value of wine but a very small amount of shelf space." 3. Ca'quila, Beverage Brands Ca'quila was rated as the third best pps to go before the panel. Beverage Brands marketing manager Karen Salters said: "Ca'quila was in development for some time but it was important to get the right mix of ingredients to provide us with a strong point of difference. Creating a pps using tequila made the flavour combination crucial. Ca'quila is aimed at those pps drinkers with a sligtly more sophisticated pallet. It is excellent to hear the panel agrees with this." Spirits 1. Bulleit Bourbon, Seagram Seagram's Bulleit Bourbon was the highest marked of all the spirits checked by the panel. But it is not widely available. This is a deliberate policy which is carefully targeting its availability in both on and off-trades. It is sold by both Oddbins and Tesco and the multiple has doubled the number of stores where it is listed because of its sales performance. The brand will be moving to UDV Guinness when the sale of Seagram gets final approval. 2. Sidekick, HP Bulmer Sidekick, the innovative shots range from Bulmer, was rated by the panel for finding a niche and looks set to be a big success. It competes against tequilas, flavoured vodkas and brands such as Aftershock and has become the fastest selling product in that sector. The cider maker is spending £7m developing the brand and it has listings in all the major multiples. Marketing manager Chris Lewis said: "I think we have a winner on our hands." 3. Dooley's Toffee Liqueur, United Brands One of the discoveries at the end of last year was Dooley's Toffee Liqueur. After the panel gave it the thumbs up it picked up a national listing with Tesco and this was followed by others with Bass Brewers and Matthew Clark Wholesale. It also won a host of regional listings. Sales director Alistair Murch said: "Dooley's has a very distinct flavour which is proving a great success and winning new stockists on a daily basis." MISJUDGEMENTS Most of the time the panel's collective judgement proved to be reasonably near the mark, but it was not infallible. Members rated the French wine Terroirs et Secrets but it failed to get listings. They were critical of Veba from Maxxium and Arbor Mist from Matthew Clark, both of which are now looking to be successful. But they got Sidekick and Dooley's right. Both have been winning extensive distribution and sales. {{MARKETING - DRINKS }}

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