Which wine are you drinking today?

wynns coonawarra shiraz...

enjoy

ken

Flanagan Syrah. Fantastic from Sonoma Valley. 

Yesterday...

I like drinking red and white wine.  But lately I have been drinking white wine because it is so much easier to find a good tasting white wine within budget (up to £12) than red wine. A lot of red wines seem to have that bitter taste at the end...?  Can any one recommend red wines which are full bodied, smooth, interesting without that BITTER taste up to £12..?

For white wine I often get Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc  , its about £11.00 but your secured in a good tasting wine (a bit like slightly more expensive hifi).

Romi posted:

I like drinking red and white wine.  But lately I have been drinking white wine because it is so much easier to find a good tasting white wine within budget (up to £12) than red wine. A lot of red wines seem to have that bitter taste at the end...?  Can any one recommend red wines which are full bodied, smooth, interesting without that BITTER taste up to £12..?

For white wine I often get Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc  , its about £11.00 but your secured in a good tasting wine (a bit like slightly more expensive hifi).

Hi Romi,

For a good value full bodied red in your price range I can recommend this rioja that we usually have with Xmas lunch that everyone enjoys.

As there were fewer of us this year I opened a couple bottles of Rippon Pinot Noir 2007 which was delicious.

As for a white this sauvignon blanc is my current favourite and is exceptional value. I think it tastes better than Oyster Bay.

Steve

There are two reds that I particularly like at present - Christian Patat Appassimento and Carlos Rodreguez Trigales 2011, both from Naked

Y'all are  making me thirsty. My solution: a very modestly priced (as in under €6) bottle of Rapitalia Sire Nero from Sicily, a lovely wine I enjoy more than some of the stuff I used to find in MC at five and six times the price.

When I feel the need for something more robust, which I frequently do at this time of year, I've been turning to a bottle a friend gave me recently. Glendronach 15 year old single-malt, aged in Oloroso sherry casks. It's just far too good. Then there's the 1985 Martinez port....

          Nice chardonnay with a touch of Riesling from Piedmont. Excellent crispness and very refreshing on a hot day.

Steve J posted:

Romi posted:

I like drinking red and white wine.  But lately I have been drinking white wine because it is so much easier to find a good tasting white wine within budget (up to £12) than red wine. A lot of red wines seem to have that bitter taste at the end...?  Can any one recommend red wines which are full bodied, smooth, interesting without that BITTER taste up to £12..?

For white wine I often get Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc  , its about £11.00 but your secured in a good tasting wine (a bit like slightly more expensive hifi).

Hi Romi,

For a good value full bodied red in your price range I can recommend this rioja that we usually have with Xmas lunch that everyone enjoys.

As there were fewer of us this year I opened a couple bottles of Rippon Pinot Noir 2007 which was delicious.

As for a white this sauvignon blanc is my current favourite and is exceptional value. I think it tastes better than Oyster Bay.

 

Steve

Hi Steve,

Thank you for the above, I will certainly try out the above reds, as to Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc I will also give it a go but I will be surprised if its better than Oyster Bay version, the only other wine which reached that 'spot on taste' for about the same price was Villa Maria Pinot Grigiot. 

Just drinking a glass of Oyster Bay Sauvignon blanc....it takes some beating...

enjoy

Romi posted:

I like drinking red and white wine.  But lately I have been drinking white wine because it is so much easier to find a good tasting white wine within budget (up to £12) than red wine. A lot of red wines seem to have that bitter taste at the end...?  Can any one recommend red wines which are full bodied, smooth, interesting without that BITTER taste up to £12..?

For white wine I often get Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc  , its about £11.00 but your secured in a good tasting wine (a bit like slightly more expensive hifi).

Hi Romi,

Languedoc  from the supermarket brand that does the Taste The Difference range. About eight quid.

Masi's Campofiorin which I think may be on offer at Waitrose. Ten or twelve-ish.

Different from each other and different from much else, I find.

Chris

Romi posted:

Hi Steve,

Thank you for the above, I will certainly try out the above reds, as to Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc I will also give it a go but I will be surprised if its better than Oyster Bay version, the only other wine which reached that 'spot on taste' for about the same price was Villa Maria Pinot Grigiot. 

Romi,

The Rippon isn't in the price range you're looking at. I served this as I already had two bottles and there were only six drinking at Xmas dinner. The 2011, available now, costs about £35 a bottle. Sorry if I wasn't clear. 

Steve

enjoy

ken

           Te Mata Coleraine 1998 en magnum and Champagne Aubry 2006 1er cru Humbert very good with post Christmas BBQ Lamb.

I've joined Club Rioja : )

My local wine merchant is selling this rather nice vfm 'Vega' for  £5.50 per bottle!

While cooking a pasta dish, yummy! : D

Debs 

Bio Bio Valley malbec from Chile. Very fairly priced at 7 quid. A supermarket own label triumph. Good fruit and length, with a nice dry balance and some tannin for a bit more mouthfeel. Needs food. (This is a good thing).

Will definitely buy this again.

Chris

Our selection from over the festive period...............

.......and that bottle of port I opened instead of the BIN 707........

Pacamaya Melot, Valle Central 2015

100% Merlot / Red Medium Bodied 13% ABV / Drink now

A soft, easy going Merlot with black and red fruit character, juicy and well balanced. Ripe and plummy, ideal for current drinking.

The bad news is: my local wine merchant has sold out the yummy Chilean Vicuna stock and have no more of it on order. This came as a bitter disappointment, i've been enjoying the fabulous Vicuna for the past couple of years, and appreciating it's fab value for money.  

The new bargain basement red Chilean, Pacamaya, simply doesn't do it for me, it's okay drinkable but not a patch on the Vincuna, and tastes cheap and plonky after the  even less expensive Rioja of last week.

Looks like i'm going to be drinking Spanish for a while, although i did buy another case of 2013 Grangiovese Sesti for back-up, but that's top of my budget, and will need keeping down in my dusty cellar for just a few months....

Debs

Rioja Vega Crianza 2012 

Medium Bodied Red / 13.5% ABV / £9.93 / Drink Now  -   ...Okay! 

The winery at Rioja Vega was overhauled in 2001 and their wines have surged forward. From Tempranillo with a little Mazuelo and Garnacha, this smooth, soft, richly-fruited red, has spice and vanilla from 12 months in American oak.

This is really nice, need to go back and buy a case [or 2] of this.

Debs

Sassaiolo's Rosso Piceno 2012. A bit of a mid-week treat from Toscanaccio in Winchester. Very decent.

C.

Christopher_M posted:

Sassaiolo's Rosso Piceno 2012. A bit of a mid-week treat from Toscanaccio in Winchester. Very decent.

C.

I see they have Ruggeri of Valdobbiadene. That's a good label.

Cousiño Macul Antiguas Reservas 2012

Maipo Valley, Chille 

100% Cabernet Sauvignon / Red full & round / 14% ABV

"Aged for one year in French oak with further ageing in bottle, the style here is quite classic having excellent ripe blackcurrant flavours with a good backbone. Good length too".

Just one glass of the Chilean left for tonights cheesy pasta dish : )

Started this bottle on Friday but it tastes far better today after 2 days of opening. 

Debs