Wine.

zagatoes30

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Messages
20,759
Not a big fan of white but can be nice on warm summers days, can't get on with fizzy wine at all so happy to pass on proseco and champagne.

Nice G&T at the moment and maybe some Port and Stilton later
 

Hurricane52

Member
Messages
1,211
I’m sorry to have to report that the Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2004 was worth the extra dosh. It was everything I’d hoped it would be.

Talking of which, the GTS is taking us on a mini holiday to North Wales tomorrow. I’m so looking forward to the coast road without the usual caravans.

Happy holidays everyone.
 

JonW

Member
Messages
3,259
I’m sorry to have to report that the Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 2004 was worth the extra dosh. It was everything I’d hoped it would be.

Talking of which, the GTS is taking us on a mini holiday to North Wales tomorrow. I’m so looking forward to the coast road without the usual caravans.

Happy holidays everyone.

Why are you sorry? Have just looked it up and looks like a nice drop... hope you enjoy North Wales!

I’m about to reacquaint myself with a lovely Japanese 12 yr old...
 

Navcorr

Member
Messages
3,839
Why are you sorry? Have just looked it up and looks like a nice drop... hope you enjoy North Wales!

I’m about to reacquaint myself with a lovely Japanese 12 yr old...
I believe that "might" be illegal. Even in Japan! :smile:
Apologies JW - someone had to, thought it might as well be me.
Agreed though - why apologise Hurricane? Sounds like your patience has been more than worthwhile.
 

Goodfella

Member
Messages
735
Just so everyone knows....

If you go into majestic at the moment and do their taste testing (its a new setup they're trying)
they email you a £30 voucher off your next order.. Now I don't know if I was the lucky one, but when I put the code in it was actually for £50!
 

Navcorr

Member
Messages
3,839
Now dry January is out of the way (daft idea that) does anyone have something nice lined up?
I believe Chateau Chunder may be of interest to those on the fitness thread
 

Dan!

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Messages
3,029
I'm a wine snob... But after flying in to an amazing hotel in a twin engine helicopter and the sommelier witnessing the fact, then suggesting a wine I'd enjoy tasting rather than just paying for, I am converted to taste over price.

Only the other month on my journey home from Le Mans, via Spain. I ended up in a supermarket where I brought Rioja at €1 a bottle. So I bought 8 bottles, thinking they would be awful, but worth a go.

I can tell you that each and every one of them, whilst varying mildly in quality, were on par with anything from these bulk sellers.

My advice; rent a transit van, get a ferry to Santander, go to the nearest super market, fill the van up the a grands worth of wine and save yourself a fortune.

Probably best to do it before October 31st
 

Wattie

Member
Messages
8,640
I am converted to taste over price.
Definitely believe in this. Paying more in my experience does not guarantee a better tipple.....usually disappointment in my experience!
There are lots of very good wines around nowadays at a ridiculously good price.

For those who like bubbles I can whole heartedly recommend this. Fabulous at the price...not sure if its available in the UK.
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,547
It should always be about taste. Mrs C had a cracking glass of pink in a tiny cafe in Brussels last week. It's about £7 a bottle....

C
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
Yes always taste over price. As an alcohol distrubuter I tasted £70 plus bottles of wine and have been bloody terrible and would much prefer my £6 to £9 fav bottles.
 
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Wattie

Member
Messages
8,640
Yes always price over taste. As an alcohol distrubuter I tasted £70 plus bottles of wine and have been bloody terrible and would much prefer my £6 to £9 fav bottles.
I think u mean the other way around. ;)
 

Andyk

Member
Messages
61,038
Wel spotted Wattie...away just checking who was alert early morning. You passed the test
 

CatmanV2

Member
Messages
48,547
Yes always taste over price. As an alcohol distrubuter I tasted £70 plus bottles of wine and have been bloody terrible and would much prefer my £6 to £9 fav bottles.

Totally. Client was a win imported. Some of the big names command that because they are big names and look good in a corporate goody bag. Of the ones I tasted, wouldn't touch any of them.

OTOH I'm lucky enough to have tried some pretty pricey malts. Oh my :D

C
 

linescanner

Member
Messages
299
I'm a wine snob... But after flying in to an amazing hotel in a twin engine helicopter and the sommelier witnessing the fact, then suggesting a wine I'd enjoy tasting rather than just paying for, I am converted to taste over price.

Only the other month on my journey home from Le Mans, via Spain. I ended up in a supermarket where I brought Rioja at €1 a bottle. So I bought 8 bottles, thinking they would be awful, but worth a go.

I can tell you that each and every one of them, whilst varying mildly in quality, were on par with anything from these bulk sellers.

My advice; rent a transit van, get a ferry to Santander, go to the nearest super market, fill the van up the a grands worth of wine and save yourself a fortune.

Probably best to do it before October 31st

Being married to a Spaniard, I am with you on this. Some of the cheap local Spanish Rioja and Ribera del Duero will knock socks off some of the more expensive stuff found with the bulk sellers.

Also, if you like white, Spanish Albarino is stunning with seafood.
 

tokyomb

Member
Messages
264
Also, if you like white, Spanish Albarino is stunning with seafood.
Just purchased some great Albariño from The Wine Society. Not cheap, but bottle aged wines from 2007-2009 (IIRC), now ready for drinking.

Agree that cheaper wines can be great - though generally not when purchased in the UK where the first £2+ of the price is duty and a further 20% is VAT. By the time you have retailer’s margin, transport, bottle, labelling, etc. there’s not much left for wine.

Put another way, in the UK fully 60% of a £5 bottle of wine is tax (Duty and VAT). For a £10 bottle that reduces to 38%. Diminishing returns apply after that, so a £20 bottle is still 27.5% tax (as the VAT has more influence than the duty).

Does mean, in the UK, the sweet spot from a value of wine perspective is somewhat above the average bottle purchased which is somewhere around £5.50 (which itself is up from below £5 before June 2016).
 

GeoffCapes

Member
Messages
14,000
Also agree taste over price.

For a mates 40th a load of us went over to the Rioja region for merriment and the wine, whilst there we had a guided tour of the Faustian vineyard and winery.
Part of the tour was to taste a load of the different wines.
One bottle was about €80, it was awful!
We all agreed that the €7 one was the best. Much to the tour guides dismay, as he figured we would be buy a load of the expensive stuff.
 

JonW

Member
Messages
3,259
While it’s hard to disagree that taste is more important than price, I definitely think price matters, and that (as long as you know what you’re doing and avoid the over-hyped famous brands) the more you spend on a bottle of wine, the likelihood is the better it will be.

I used to spend an average of £8-10 a bottle, but over the last few years this has gradually increased to being more like £15-18, with a special bottle of red wine being a bit more...

Recent pleasures have included a very nice Ribera del Duero (https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/cillar+de+silo+torresilo+ribera+duero+castilla+y+leon+spain/2014) and a fabulous (and surprisingly good value) Lebanese wine (https://www.majestic.co.uk/wines/ch-heritage-cuvee-saint-elie-380810)
 

linescanner

Member
Messages
299
While it’s hard to disagree that taste is more important than price, I definitely think price matters, and that (as long as you know what you’re doing and avoid the over-hyped famous brands) the more you spend on a bottle of wine, the likelihood is the better it will be.

I used to spend an average of £8-10 a bottle, but over the last few years this has gradually increased to being more like £15-18, with a special bottle of red wine being a bit more...

Recent pleasures have included a very nice Ribera del Duero (https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/cillar+de+silo+torresilo+ribera+duero+castilla+y+leon+spain/2014) and a fabulous (and surprisingly good value) Lebanese wine (https://www.majestic.co.uk/wines/ch-heritage-cuvee-saint-elie-380810)
There are some brilliant Lebanese wines. Also some good stuff coming out of Turkey.