Gooseberry Wine - Third Bottle (2), 26th October 2013

The loser. This bottle came tenth out of ten at the Wine Party with an average score of 2.19 out of 5. There was much talk of men's changing rooms and sweat as people tasted this. Lindsay disagreed and thought it more akin to "cat wee". She gave it a zero. Only David liked it.

I am genuinely surprised. Four years ago, gooseberry wine won the wine party. It shows how different the wine can be between years. An alternative explanation, and one I prefer, is that the gooseberry wine has remained the same and all my other bottles have improved to the level of 'Awesome'. Yes, that must be it.

Celery Wine - Third Bottle (2), 26th October 2013

Well, this wine proved controversial at the Wine Party. Duncan scored it -8 out of 5 and wrote "The consistent awfulness of this concoction never fails to disappoint". Claire scored it "minus all the points that everyone else gives it," and wrote "HORRIBLE YUK" in big letters. I adjusted their scores to zero. Helen, however, thought it was lovely and gave it top marks.

With adjusted scoring, celery wine did not come last. It was ninth with an average score of 2.28 (though if you take Duncan at face value, it was last with 1.39). When I tried it I thought the first taste unpleasant, but in fact it got better them more I drank. Which is often the case.

Crab Apple Wine - Eighth Bottle (B5), 26th October 2013

This bottle was unloved, but nobody hated it either. It came eighth out of ten at the Wine Party, with an average score of 2.93. Of all the bottles opened last night, I think this was my personal least favourite. I generally like crab apple wine, but this came across as thin and a bit sour. Mind you, I was in no real position to judge at that point in the evening. I remember looking at my watch at quarter past nine thinking that it would be wise to slow down. Ignoring my inner voice, I galloped away and felt absolutely shocking this morning. I can't remember a worse hangover in recent years and at six o'clock this evening I am still a little headachey. Next year I will pace myself. Definitely.

Rhubarb & Elderflower Wine - Third Bottle (2), 26th October 2013

"No no no no no". One out of five.

I had expected Rhubarb & Elderflower to do rather better at the wine party. Lindsay did not like it one bit. She was the only one, though. Angela gave it a five. It came seventh out of ten with an average score of 3.36. Before the party I would have predicted a top three placement. Maybe I had not chilled it enough. There was no room in the fridge and the weather was unseasonably warm, so leaving it outside all day was ineffective. It was one of the many finished bottles, though. Of the twelve people at the party we had three drivers, and between us we finished the equivalent of at least eight bottles. It was all rather jolly.

Prune & Parsnip Wine - Tenth Bottle (B1), 26th October 2013

We are now getting into the realms of bottles that did badly at the Wine Party. This flavour came sixth out of ten, scoring 3.5 out of 5. It had the smallest range of scores for any wine served - no-one giving it lower than a 3, no-one giving it higher than a 4. Philip labelled it a sweet and sour sherry, which makes it sound like it should be served by Chinese takeaways up and down the country. Lindsay commented 'inoffensive', which sums it up.

The party itself was marvellous. We had ten guests, so twelve in total, and I had worried that this would be too few. But, as last year, I was proved wrong and it meant there was often one conversation going round the room in which everyone took part. And we drank more wine, far more, than has been known previously.

Strawberry Wine - Second Bottle (4), 26th October 2013

Wine parties are always a huge amount of effort. I spent all Saturday cleaning and tidying. All those jobs that have needed doing for a year or more get done. So, I dusted, I cleared the drive of weeds and moss, I washed the stairs and I even vacuumed the ceiling of its cobwebs. This on top of the general tidying that gets done about once a month. I do live in squalor. It is all worth it, though. The party was excellent.

Surprisingly, strawberry wine was fifth out of ten, with an average score of 3.83. Rachel said it was "really, really lovely" and Angela wrote "A hint of summer afternoon on the night when summer officially ends" but others were less keen. Claire, again, thinks it tastes of hot plastic

Blackcurrant Wine - Third Bottle (4), 26th October 2013

Of my wines at the Wine Party, blackcurrant came third with an average score of 3.89. However, it was pipped to the bronze medal by David's orange wine, which got 3.93. I had not met David before the party, but he is a fellow wine-maker and a friend of Helen's. He wrote a review of my book on Amazon, and therefore automatically qualified for an invitation.

The orange wine was excellent - less assertive than mine, even though he followed my recipe.

Anyway, the blackcurrant wine got mixed reviews, starting with 'meh' from Nick. Virtually everyone wrote on their score cards that it tasted like an alcoholic ribena. And, as Rachel says, what's not to like?