Good Wine...

oHUTCHYo

oHUTCHYo

oHUTCHYo

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As I've got older I've become more accustomed to a nice bottle of wine, whether to enjoy a bottle or two on a weekend to relax or just to enjoy a single glass with a nice meal.

I'm not one for spending a lot however, as have other vices and hobbies I like to indulge in too. So what's your go to wine for £6-8 a bottle that's relatively easily available?

For white wine, I tend to experiment only with common brands I know I can pick up in any of the supermarkets, rather than desperately seeking out rare bottles only available specially.

I'm ashamed to say I still haven't found anything in that price bracket that beats a bottle of the easy drinking Black Tower range. Tried Gallo Chardanay tonight and it's my least favourite so far, horrible liquorice and spice aftertastes. I drank it out of protest as didn't want to pour it down the sink! Quite liking casillero del diablo at the moment. Kumala, Echoe Falls etc are largely forgettable.

For the occasional red, I tend to go with Shiraz or Merlot, however my firm favourite for a treat is Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
 
I'm a sucker for Southern Australian red wines, especially those from the Barossa valley region - Jacob's Creek, Wolf Blass, Banrock Station, etc. cabernet sauvignon or shiraz.
 
I'm not the biggest white wine fan (particularly as I'd only tend to go for something from Alsace region) but the Il Bello Garganega Pinot Grigio at Waitrose (under Italian whites) is very nice and currently on offer.

If we're doing a fondue or need another dry white alternative we go for a Muscadet but anything labelled Sur Lie (aged longer). Very drinkable.

For red I'm more a Bordeaux man. Waitrose (we don't have many other supermarkets here!) have a Good Ordinary Claret which is around a fiver and is really nice.

I got given a bottle of Little Penguin Shiraz for my birthday and typically tend to be put off gimmicky looking bottles but this was probably one of the nicest reds you can drink straight away that I've had in ages.
 
For a red, try Faustino V: Asda often have it on sale. For a white, at the top end of your price bracket, look for Pouilly Fume.

If you're looking to treat yourself, for about £20 you should be able to get a 2008 Santenay.
 
Whites: Sancerre, Chablis or a Petit Chablis, Pouilly Fusee (quite like a fume, too), Macon Village, Bourgogne aligote too are a good shout.

Red: Brunello, Crozes Hermitage... a good Bordeaux, but you get a lot of meh when it comes to Bordeaux.
Really depends what you like though. It varies massively.
 
Hmm wine is one of those things - it's very personal in the taste, situation etc.

I like borbeaux reds for normal drinking, grand reserva rioja/tempernillo (ics). I find that most other reads are lacking in depth when drunk by themselves. I have a french wife (that doesn't drink) so most of my reds come in large quantities from the french markets. Cracking wines but away form the inflated booze cruz prices.
The most expensive red wine I've had was Cheval Blanc, as you'd expect - it's 3D in taste but it's something you really need to pair with food carefully if you decide to drink with a celebratory meal (a 2003 I had at christmas for my parents wedding annv. over powered the roast beef - and would have been better with venison, but by itself it was aged, heavy and subtle). In the UK there are some dire wines from supermarkets.. however the english pallet is getting better.

With food it's a different matter - often I'll take the wine close to the dish country of origin. The sharp italian wines go far better with italian pasta, and tomato dishes. Spanish wines with the red meat dishes although I find a good white from NZ or france goes well with the sea food dishes (without too much tomato).

In my opinion the US is not at a point where they're rivalling some of the other world wines.

If you want some summer wines - oddly I quite like the english wines. Not as much depth as french but it seems to match the elderflower summers we have here.

For the whites - getting a good mineral chablis with shellfish is great. Random's suggestions are very good.
 
Sancerre, Wolf Blaas, Chateau hufflepuff, most Chilean Merlots, and most wines from the Marlborough region of New Zealand, are my preferreds.
 
NickK said:
Hmm wine is one of those things - it's very personal in the taste, situation etc.

I like borbeaux reds for normal drinking, grand reserva rioja/tempernillo (ics). I find that most other reads are lacking in depth when drunk by themselves. I have a french wife (that doesn't drink) so most of my reds come in large quantities from the french markets. Cracking wines but away form the inflated booze cruz prices.
The most expensive red wine I've had was Cheval Blanc, as you'd expect - it's 3D in taste but it's something you really need to pair with food carefully if you decide to drink with a celebratory meal (a 2003 I had at christmas for my parents wedding annv. over powered the roast beef - and would have been better with venison, but by itself it was aged, heavy and subtle). In the UK there are some dire wines from supermarkets.. however the english pallet is getting better.

With food it's a different matter - often I'll take the wine close to the dish country of origin. The sharp italian wines go far better with italian pasta, and tomato dishes. Spanish wines with the red meat dishes although I find a good white from NZ or france goes well with the sea food dishes (without too much tomato).

In my opinion the US is not at a point where they're rivalling some of the other world wines.

If you want some summer wines - oddly I quite like the english wines. Not as much depth as french but it seems to match the elderflower summers we have here.

For the whites - getting a good mineral chablis with shellfish is great. Random's suggestions are very good.
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Mate, try a good 09 Brunello if you think they lack depth without food. Will knock your socks off!
 
NickK said:
Hmm wine is one of those things - it's very personal in the taste, situation etc.
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Very much so - I tried a red the other day - the name kind of went over my head - that someone was enthusing over (not cheap - £180 a glass IIRC but I wasn't paying) and it honestly tasted very little different to vinegar to me - I like the full bodied Australian wines that have a good half way between too sweet or too sour.
 
Some great suggestions guys, thanks. As mentioned it is very subjective indeed. I'm making myself a little note of all those mentioned with a view to work through them all :)
 
If you have a good stockist near you seek out some Uruguayan tannats. Definitely some of my favourite wines. Not the cheapest but online you can get some in single figures.
 
randomshenans said:
Mate, try a good 09 Brunello if you think they lack depth without food. Will knock your socks off!
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I completely agree. I had the Brunello di Montalcino Pieve di Santa Restituta, Gaja, 2009 the other week. It took a few hours decanted to open up, but it was beautiful. At just over £40 however, it's a little above the £8-10 mentioned in the OP :). Was a shame to drink as it will age for a good few years. I might have to invest in another couple of bottles.
 
Can't go wrong with a Chilean Merlot, or these days I tend to favour Malbec.

Check out Waitrose's own Malbec at about £8 per bottle, very enjoyable.
 
molinari said:
I completely agree. I had the Brunello di Montalcino Pieve di Santa Restituta, Gaja, 2009 the other week. It took a few hours decanted to open up, but it was beautiful. At just over £40 however, it's a little above the £8-10 mentioned in the OP :). Was a shame to drink as it will age for a good few years. I might have to invest in another couple of bottles.
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Oh, totally above the OPs budget, but such a cracking full bodied bottle.
 
randomshenans said:
Mate, try a good 09 Brunello if you think they lack depth without food. Will knock your socks off!
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http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/587471/italian-police-uncover-brunello-di-montalcino-scam

Getting the real stuff.. seems hard lol. :D

I'll have to take a look - currently have about 3 boxes of red, it's only when myself an a mate open a few bottles in the evening do I get to drink it!


Thing is there's always exceptions to the general wine of regions. I remember getting a 12 box of Rioja grand reserva (100 year old vines) a long time ago - the difference is marked, think heavier depth of raisins vs sultanas of normal fruity rioja but still with a freshness.
 
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