Little ole wine drinker me (us?)
- Thread starter Joey Shabadoo
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Shadow
member
- Location
- edge of the south downs
CdR is reliably consistently good. More grenache (aka garnacha/garnatxa) you like, see!
For not much more £, especially on a 1,2 win at the bookies, go up to CdR Villages or even a named CdR village (village name will be on the label), you get similar but better.
That's my first choice if I'm going to Aldi and Mrs stephec wants a bottle bringing home.
I have a liking for Vinsobres, from Maison Jaume in particular. Split fro CdR a number of years ago as a separate appellation. They make the Wine Society house CdR. WS stock other Jaume wines also.
Adam4868
Legendary Member
Going to call in on my way home for another..
5 pounds 19 a bottle 😲
Last edited:
Shadow
member
- Location
- edge of the south downs
And...any comment?
Adam4868
Legendary Member
The Puttanesca was gorgeous....the wine not too bad either 😁
Seriously it was lovely....smooth and easy to drink,I know the owner and knew it would be ok.He was more interested in telling me about the glasses we were drinking from.How he'd bought them when over in Naples, traditional wine glasses..
Lovely night though.
Shadow
member
- Location
- edge of the south downs
Some recent Iberian bottles:
Too many to list individually with notes. Howards Folly, Alentejo 13.5% and Sand Creek, Setubal 14% (the only red here) a little too commercial for my taste. Neither had a portuguese-ness about them, neither were bad wines. The Portinho do Covo, Setubal 13% and Vale da Oliveira, Tejo 11.5% were very good aperos. Both fresh and fruity. Dona Vitoria, Alentejo 13% was excellent. A blend of alvarinho, arinto and antao vaz, light ageing in french oak, needs food - chicken piri piri anyone? The Yllera Verdejo, Rueda 13% also very good.
Overall, very happy! Do not hesitate to try Portuguese wines if you seem them, they are usually very good value. And Spain can be too, if you do not recognise the region or grape variety! Cheers.
Too many to list individually with notes. Howards Folly, Alentejo 13.5% and Sand Creek, Setubal 14% (the only red here) a little too commercial for my taste. Neither had a portuguese-ness about them, neither were bad wines. The Portinho do Covo, Setubal 13% and Vale da Oliveira, Tejo 11.5% were very good aperos. Both fresh and fruity. Dona Vitoria, Alentejo 13% was excellent. A blend of alvarinho, arinto and antao vaz, light ageing in french oak, needs food - chicken piri piri anyone? The Yllera Verdejo, Rueda 13% also very good.
Overall, very happy! Do not hesitate to try Portuguese wines if you seem them, they are usually very good value. And Spain can be too, if you do not recognise the region or grape variety! Cheers.
Shadow
member
- Location
- edge of the south downs
And a couple of canadians:
2018 Burrowing Owl Chardonnay, Okanagan, BC 13.5%
- Visited this winery years ago and never seen it in the UK, until recently. Truly excellent. Well made, good balance of zing, some judicial oaking and fine body. Classy, could pass for a junior burgundy. Needs food. Not cheap at £29 though - for an occasion.
2019 Jackson Triggs Grand Reserve Meritage, Niagara, ON 13.5%
- Meritage is north american for bordeaux blend, in this case, merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. Dark berry fruit, big and round, smooth, well balanced. Slightly overtly fruity for my taste yet very good wine, I would not refuse a glass! One from auction, only £11.50. RRP more like £20 (C$33).
2018 Burrowing Owl Chardonnay, Okanagan, BC 13.5%
- Visited this winery years ago and never seen it in the UK, until recently. Truly excellent. Well made, good balance of zing, some judicial oaking and fine body. Classy, could pass for a junior burgundy. Needs food. Not cheap at £29 though - for an occasion.
2019 Jackson Triggs Grand Reserve Meritage, Niagara, ON 13.5%
- Meritage is north american for bordeaux blend, in this case, merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. Dark berry fruit, big and round, smooth, well balanced. Slightly overtly fruity for my taste yet very good wine, I would not refuse a glass! One from auction, only £11.50. RRP more like £20 (C$33).
Shadow
member
- Location
- edge of the south downs
Summer's here, so summer drinks:
2022 Tesco Finest Falanghina, Campania 13%
2022 Canto Nono Alvarinho, Vinho Verde 12%
2022 Sainsburys Taste the Difference Alvarinho, Vinho Verde 12.5%
I would happily recommend all 3 of these as good summer wines. Plenty of zestiness to make them refreshing and with enough body to go with any salad, any fish, chicken or pork. Dishes could be hold or cold, spicy or otherwise. Very versatile.
VInho verde is often overlooked in the UK, they are not all light with slight spritz. Both around a tenner. (Canto found in Tesco).
Falanghina - the grape variety - is a rare sight in UK supermarkets, this is from well-respected producer. £8.50.
2022 Tesco Finest Falanghina, Campania 13%
2022 Canto Nono Alvarinho, Vinho Verde 12%
2022 Sainsburys Taste the Difference Alvarinho, Vinho Verde 12.5%
I would happily recommend all 3 of these as good summer wines. Plenty of zestiness to make them refreshing and with enough body to go with any salad, any fish, chicken or pork. Dishes could be hold or cold, spicy or otherwise. Very versatile.
VInho verde is often overlooked in the UK, they are not all light with slight spritz. Both around a tenner. (Canto found in Tesco).
Falanghina - the grape variety - is a rare sight in UK supermarkets, this is from well-respected producer. £8.50.
OP
OP
Joey Shabadoo
My pronouns are "He", "Him" and "buggerlugs"
Shadow
member
- Location
- edge of the south downs
A selection of inexpensive supermarket chianti:
2020 Asda Extra Special Chianti Classico 13%
2021 Sainsburys Taste the Difference Chianti Classico 13.5%
2021 Tesco Finest Chianti Classico 13.5%
2019 M&S Collection Chianti Classico 13.5%
The whole world loves chianti. With good reason. Gone are the days when chianti in the UK was thin, weak and acidic - and sold in straw covered 'authentic' bottles. These days it is reliably consistent, as these 4 show. I would happily buy and drink these (especially when on offer).
Medium-bodied, good fruit, good with food, including 'italian' dishes with loads of tomatoes. Tomato is notoriously difficult to pair with wine, if you care about such a thing. Main grape is sangiovese, others are allowed in small quantities but none are specified here.
Sainsburys and Tesco £10. Asda probably similar, M&S probably a bit more. I do not know for sure as they came in a job lot case of chianti.
Useless info: Classico is a demarcated zone of production of Chianti, in the centre of the Chianti landscape. The Gallo Nero is the symbol of a Classico Consortium. Neither Classico nor Gallo Nero necessarily confer higher quality than other Chianti, however, they do generally confer a consistent reliability.
And as this a cycling site, you will be happy to know there is an annual gran fondo (sportive) celebrating chianti classico! See here!
2020 Asda Extra Special Chianti Classico 13%
2021 Sainsburys Taste the Difference Chianti Classico 13.5%
2021 Tesco Finest Chianti Classico 13.5%
2019 M&S Collection Chianti Classico 13.5%
The whole world loves chianti. With good reason. Gone are the days when chianti in the UK was thin, weak and acidic - and sold in straw covered 'authentic' bottles. These days it is reliably consistent, as these 4 show. I would happily buy and drink these (especially when on offer).
Medium-bodied, good fruit, good with food, including 'italian' dishes with loads of tomatoes. Tomato is notoriously difficult to pair with wine, if you care about such a thing. Main grape is sangiovese, others are allowed in small quantities but none are specified here.
Sainsburys and Tesco £10. Asda probably similar, M&S probably a bit more. I do not know for sure as they came in a job lot case of chianti.
Useless info: Classico is a demarcated zone of production of Chianti, in the centre of the Chianti landscape. The Gallo Nero is the symbol of a Classico Consortium. Neither Classico nor Gallo Nero necessarily confer higher quality than other Chianti, however, they do generally confer a consistent reliability.
And as this a cycling site, you will be happy to know there is an annual gran fondo (sportive) celebrating chianti classico! See here!
Shadow
member
- Location
- edge of the south downs
Just back from a very pleasant sojourn in Alsace where a few tasty bottles were drunk (not all pictured, sadly):
from left to right:
2018 Schillé-Gisie Pinot Gris €11 - lovely aperitif
2022 Edmond Rentz Pinot Noir €16.60 - bought after a dégustation gratuite; not to my taste but sometimes one needs a red wine after consuming so much beer &/or lovely local white wine
2017 Schillé-Gisie Riesling Neustatt €31/€13 - superb, lovely with munster croquettes and then roasted cod; first price in restaurant, second to take away; super bargain
Also, drank the Schillé-Gisie pinot noir in the restaurant but they took the empty away!
The Schillé-Gisie wines are only available from this establishment, either to consume in the restaurant, on the terrace, in one's room or to take away. The family own the hotel and vineyards. Which partly explains why they are so inexpensive. After visiting here last year, I was aware of the high quality so I was very happy. Highly recommended if ever in the area - excellent place to take the bike for a ride, example here.
2018 Schillé-Gisie Pinot Gris €11 - lovely aperitif
2022 Edmond Rentz Pinot Noir €16.60 - bought after a dégustation gratuite; not to my taste but sometimes one needs a red wine after consuming so much beer &/or lovely local white wine
2017 Schillé-Gisie Riesling Neustatt €31/€13 - superb, lovely with munster croquettes and then roasted cod; first price in restaurant, second to take away; super bargain
Also, drank the Schillé-Gisie pinot noir in the restaurant but they took the empty away!
The Schillé-Gisie wines are only available from this establishment, either to consume in the restaurant, on the terrace, in one's room or to take away. The family own the hotel and vineyards. Which partly explains why they are so inexpensive. After visiting here last year, I was aware of the high quality so I was very happy. Highly recommended if ever in the area - excellent place to take the bike for a ride, example here.
Shadow
member
- Location
- edge of the south downs
Warm (-ish) late summer/autumn temperatures calls for whites form Portugal:
Both the 2020 Mainova Moinante (Alentejo) 13% and the 2022 Casa da Passarella A Descoberta (Dao) 13%. were good. First an apero made with 100% encruzado, the other a blend of encruzado, malvasia and verdelho had more body and weight so worked with a creamy chicken dish. The Dona Vitoria I mentioned a few months back. As mentioned then, do not hesitaite to try different varieties from lesser regions, they are often good value.
Both the 2020 Mainova Moinante (Alentejo) 13% and the 2022 Casa da Passarella A Descoberta (Dao) 13%. were good. First an apero made with 100% encruzado, the other a blend of encruzado, malvasia and verdelho had more body and weight so worked with a creamy chicken dish. The Dona Vitoria I mentioned a few months back. As mentioned then, do not hesitaite to try different varieties from lesser regions, they are often good value.
