Wine Drinkers

[Hover Fly]

During the warm period in the Middle Ages Britain was a serious wine producing area. hence the number of Wine Streets etc.

When I lived in Sussex I drank a few bottles of Sussex and Kentish whites, of excellent quality. A couple of years ago the National Trust were selling a rosé made from grapes grown in the walled garden at Knightshayes Court (near Tiverton in Devon) and it was a superb quality wine. They've produced a white since but the summers haven't been good enough for much.

Don't write off English wines - those from good years are very good, and climate change may well mean they become excellent.

The Romans had a vineyard as far north as Maryport, on the Cumbrian coast.
The big Sauternes makers are already looking to move north, perhaps to Alsace-Lorraine or even out of France altogether, by the end of this century, depending on how the climate goes. The present vineyards will stay but probably change varieties to produce red wine. The other Bordeaux producers will probably stay put, but change to Spanish and Portuguese varieties of grape.

 

[TheDoctor]

I wouldn't write them off, but I'm not hugely enthused either. But that's just me.

 

[soulful dog]

I like Gallo White Zinfandel, especially the time I bought it at 3 for £10 from Tesco or Asda last year, but I guess it's just over-priced Ribena. Sweet and easy to drink?!? I liked the rose wine I brought back from France too... but I think I prefer my Tiger beer - though that might just be because I'm drinking it right now

 

[Fab Foodie]

wasn't it austria that put ethelene glycol in some of its wines?

mind you, i do like a bit of spanish or italian…

I started working for the company that was doing the analysis. The young technicians became very good at sampling the bottles... Suffice to say that those that tested negative fuelled a lot of good parties, and the careful extraction of a few microlitres meant it did not all need to be drunk on the day of testing.


Tesco Cotes-du Rhone wine box... cheap and surprisingly good, better than Wolf Blass/Oxford Landing/Gallo stuff yadda yadda and many other 'brand' New Worldies... Just my opinion/taste and sweeping generalisation of course... but I know what I like. Oh and Muscadet, light crisp and often overlooked.... poor man's Chablis! Joy on a budget!

 

[TheDoctor]

Just finished off the last of some Montagny
@FF - I quite like Muscadet, but for cheap wine to go with fish I'd go for Vinho Verde. Uncomplicated, pretty cheap and not quite as acidic IME. Worth a try IMHO.

 

[Hacienda71]

Some of the larger French wine producers have been looking at buying up land in parts of southern England due to the quality of soil for vine growing being equivalent or in some instances better than some of the established French regions. If i recall correctly the chalky soil on the south downs is excellent for sparkling wines.

 

[PK99]

They killed and blinded people!

as the man said, very exaggerated, this simply did not happen.

Plus the chemical involved was Di-ethylene glycol at concentrations of abetween 10 & 1,000 parts per million

the LD50 in adults is of ~1 mL/kg

ie for a 70 kg man = 70mL

even at 1000 parts per million that would suggest an LD 50 of about 1000 bottles of wine

 

[PK99]

Some of the larger French wine producers have been looking at buying up land in parts of southern England due to the quality of soil for vine growing being equivalent or in some instances better than some of the established French regions. If i recall correctly the chalky soil on the south downs is excellent for sparkling wines.

Nyetimber sparling wine is rated in blind tastings along with the best champagnes.

there is the story (related by a WSEt tutor, so i take it as genuine) of a tasting set up in france.

12 bottles blind and then the next day the same 12 wines "open". Nyetimber came top of the blind tasting and bottom of the "open2 tasting.

The reason that parts of southers england are so suited to ""champagne"" prodiction is partly climate and partly that the chalk band in the champagne region dips undet eh channel and reappear in the UK giving very close Terroir characteristics to the Champagne region

 

[Fab Foodie]

Just finished off the last of some Montagny
@FF - I quite like Muscadet, but for cheap wine to go with fish I'd go for Vinho Verde. Uncomplicated, pretty cheap and not quite as acidic IME. Worth a try IMHO.

Duly noted, Thanks!

 

[longers]

I was going to ask this on theclauds thread in P+L about corks and screwtops but didn't think of it in time and this thread seems just as good a place to ask.

Corked wine. You'd send it back in a restaurant if you thought it was corked but has anyone ever taken a bottle that they think is a wrong un back to a shop?

 

[PK99]

I was going to ask this on theclauds thread in P+L about corks and screwtops but didn't think of it in time and this thread seems just as good a place to ask.

Corked wine. You'd send it back in a restaurant if you thought it was corked but has anyone ever taken a bottle that they think is a wrong un back to a shop?

yep, several times. The better the wine merchant/shop the easier it is.

I've taken bottles back to Majestic and Wimbledon Wine - both accept that there will be the occasional wrong 'un among any batch of wine.

I've emailed the wine society about corked bottles (granted that was two out of a dozen) and they have credited my account without question.

From their point of view: if you are knowledgeable to recognise a duff bottle and savvy enough to take it back, you are exactly the sort of knowledgeable wine consumer they want to cultivate. ie you are likey to spend more than the average punter

Take a bottle back to tesco and i suspect you will get hassle unless you are speaking to the shops wine manager.

 

[Tollers]

Wow....this is a weird thread. I dare not comment to people who haven'dt had a meal and a bottle with me, but.....

Old world, new world. Both have some stunning wines.

 

[Noodley]

Just had a few glasses of late harvest NZ Riesling and Cotes du Luberon - both very nice.

 

[TheDoctor]

I bought some Beaujolais back from Julienas. Very nice

 

[Noodley]

I bought some Beaujolais back from Julienas. Very nice

Ohh I like Beaujolais - 'proper' stuff is great.