TABLE FOR SIX. The next day, with a touch of wine flu about me, I meet Anuva Wines' boss Daniel Karlin. The North American principally ships wine abroad to his club members although he also holds intimate tastings for up to six people, so a very different evening was in store after the competitive fun of Thursday.

Married to Lourdes, an Argentine, the couple welcome guests into their home and we are seated round a rectangular table: Maya, Jonathan and Withers live in Buenos Aires, so it's exciting to meet neighbours who are making a life for themselves, certainly for the medium term. As the evening develops, it emerges we are all heading to Congreso to the same gallery opening.

The table is immaculately set with appetisers selected to match the wines, and Daniel tells us not to touch the extra-dark chocolate because it will go perfectly with the final red.

Sitting around a table with strangers is not for the timid, but half of me thinks that someone with a genuine interest in learning about and discussing wines won't be camera-shy.
"Some people love to talk about wine, while others like to talk about something else when they come here," says Daniel. "I decided to hold a wine club at home as it offer a more controlled environment in Argentina, and it's a lot more personal as well."

Two whites and three reds are the order of the day and first up is one of his best-sellers, a sparkling white. "It's such a best-seller that we're actually sold out of it at the moment," says Daniel.

Torrontés is number two, a grape that is increasing in popularity. Its accompanying appetiser is in fact the grapefruit and in this closer environment Maya is able to pose a pertinent protocol question. "I hate grapefruit, but in this situation, should I eat it anyway?" The answer is to at least give it a chance so that you can get a taste of the grapefruit flavours in your glass.

Our host is knowledgeable and anecdote-laden, and because he has hand-picked the tasters this evening - his friends Maya, Jonathan and Withers - a running joke develops that he has primed them all to make him look smart in front of the Herald.

Really there was no need. Clearly passionate about the subject matter, Daniel introduces each wine informatively and the Malbec that marks the half-way point makes an excellent companion to the cured sausage and cheeses.

After a juicy Bonarda, another grape that is starting to getting connoisseurs in a whirl, the star of the wine-tasting show is revealed. A voluptuous blend - 70 percent malbec, 11 percent syrah, 10 percent bonarda and nine percent merlot - it's both smooth and chocolatey, a delightful way to finish the night. Normally the old adage is to start off with the most expensive wine as you won't care by the end what you're throwing down your throat, but surprisingly, after two days on the sauce, my palette was slightly more developed than usual. Heck, I'd turn my nose up at a Valmont now.

Thank goodness Daniel was firm enough with us so that we resisted tucking into those choccie chunks because they went down like an absolute treat with that last blend. Get me: voluptuous, smooth, chocolatey. I'm verging on sounding like an expert.