Wine?

[Fiona N]

Wolfblass is ok, but a lot of Aussie wine is made to the lowest common denominator. Lots of alcohol, oak and fruit, but not much by way of subtlety. It impresses on the first sip, but quickly loses its appeal to me....

That's because the Aussies sensibly keep the good stuff in the country. I lived in Perth in the early '80s and some of the Margaret River and southern area wines were world class but you couldn't even buy them on the east coast. NZ Cloudy Bay was started by a wine maker from Cape Mentelle (Margaret River) so those vintages of Sauv Blanc that took the world by storm were just what a local Margaret River producer called Peter Little (wines were called Pierrot as a play on his name) made in W.A. - I remember tasting his wine for the first time - absolutely mind blowing. Cloudy Bay was almost an anti-climax (and now, of course, it's sold on and never achieves the same level).


Nowadays I find Italian wines endlessly entertaining. Of course the public face of Italian wines is either desparate (tourist Chianti, lacklustre pinot grigio) or stratospheric (superTuscans and Barolo) but a canny buyer can find plenty quality for a good price in lesser known wines and names. Same goes in France but I guess I'm an Italophile.

 

[mummra]

Nowadays I find Italian wines endlessly entertaining. Of course the public face of Italian wines is either desparate (tourist Chianti, lacklustre pinot grigio) or stratospheric (superTuscans and Barolo)

Got a bottle of Barolo for Christmas from a supplies at work still unopened.
Waiting for the wife to give birth to our first child before it get opened.
Looking foreard to that one.

 

[asterix]

In this part of France the popularity of a supermarket hinges on the skill of the person who buys the wines. The best local supermarket is Super U closely followed by Casino. Intermarche and Carrefour are nothing special. The worst supermarket I have bought wine from was in Orleans, Le Clerc IIRC but those near the channel ports don't have to try very hard unfortunately.

Bordeaux wines and Cotes de Rhone Villages are among my favourites and 3 euros is enough to get a decent bottle.

Other than that I know very little about wine.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

In this part of France the popularity of a supermarket hinges on the skill of the person who buys the wines. The best local supermarket is Super U closely followed by Casino. Intermarche and Carrefour are nothing special.

Mutant are quite good - the name says it all!!!

 

[threebikesmcginty]

It impresses on the first sip, but quickly loses its appeal to me.

Sip?

 

[Fab Foodie]

Wolfblass is ok, but a lot of Aussie wine is made to the lowest common denominator. Lots of alcohol, oak and fruit, but not much by way of subtlety. It impresses on the first sip, but quickly loses its appeal to me. I still think that if you go a little upmarket, you can't beat the French.

Totally agree. In fact the same criticism can be levelled at many much vaunted and popular New World wines.
Personally prefer Old World and in particular, French.
You don't need to spend a fortune either, I've oft mentioned the Tesco Cotes du Rhone wine-box which is excellent value and hugely pleasant. Also, by-pass the Pinot Grigot and if you can't stretch to a Chablis, Muscadet is hugely underated alternative.

I've been travelling top Italy a lot of late and have developed a fondness for Montepulciano D'Abbruzzo, the local wine, wonderful stuff.
This one might be worth a shot:
http://www.waitrosew...23/Product.aspx

 

[TheDoctor]

Oh dear, where to start?
Burgundy is probably my first pick. It's unreliable, but a good one is just perfect. Pinot noir is a tricky grape to grow well.
Alsace gewurz is very good, as is a decent Malborough sauvignon blanc.
Rioja is good and better value than a lot of French reds, and Chilean merlot is pretty reliable.
It'd actually be quicker to tell you what I don't like much - which is most stuff from the Loire.

 

[brockers]

Bucky

 

[yoyo]

Another huge fan of Alsace wines here. We cannot wait to call in on our way through to the Graudunden in Switzerland in a few weeks' time. Burgundy is also very drinkable.

 

[Manonabike]

Cabernet Sauvignon - Casillero del Diablo of Chile I also like a white Italian wine but I can't remember its name

 

[stephec]

2007 bordeaux pour moi. Je suis agreeable. Le jambon sur le table travaille dans le sac.

In this part of France the popularity of a supermarket hinges on the skill of the person who buys the wines. The best local supermarket is Super U closely followed by Casino. Intermarche and Carrefour are nothing special. The worst supermarket I have bought wine from was in Orleans, Le Clerc IIRC but those near the channel ports don't have to try very hard unfortunately.

Bordeaux wines and Cotes de Rhone Villages are among my favourites and 3 euros is enough to get a decent bottle.

Other than that I know very little about wine.

You can't beat a nice Bordeaux, Chateauneuf-du-Pape comes in a close second though.

Three euros for a decent bottle, that's outrageous, almost worth moving to France for!

 

[brockers]

After reading this last night I remembered an evening a few years ago, getting bladdered on Savoie wine, eating tartiflette, after a day's x-country skiing near Les Arcs. For the life of me, I can't remember what it was (but our party, including one oenophile, all agreed it was pretty nigh perfect). Bought in a supermarket in Bourg St Maurice and had a big Savoyard cross on the label. Could have been a Mondeuse or possibly a Gamay. My search for it begins here, and I need help !

Presently tucking in to a 2008 Gaillac. Le singe est dans l'arbre. Tastes of wine too; not of plums, cherries, or blackcurrants!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

A quality Riesling (Schloss Vollrads my current pick) or a good Viognier, gewurtz from Alsace, or a GruVe or one of the better white burgundies when I feel like a white.

Reds? New world Pinot Noir or a Barolo probably but there is so much great red wine out there I'm having too much fun tasting it to decide to narrow my choices just yet.

 

[TVC]

My current favourite is Chateau Kefreya, an estate wine from the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. Don't tell everyone, but there are some pretty good wines starting to come out of Lebanon these days.

 

[brockers]

My current favourite is Chateau Kefreya, an estate wine from the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. Don't tell everyone, but there are some pretty good wines starting to come out of Lebanon these days.

To an outsider this thread could resemble something out of Private Eye's Pseud's Corner .

Only joking Velvet C. I'm sure I recently read something about Lebanese wines being the next big thing.