Wine for the novice.

quite often i find a good bottle of wine i like and say i need to remember that one i dont write it down, then i forget what its called and im back to guessing again.
 
Seft said:
Specifically for whisky, an 'older' bottle does not make it better, it merely makes it taste more like the cask.
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Yes and no. Yes it takes on more of the flavour of the cask but whether it tastes better or not depends on the whisky. The 30yo Lochnagar had taken on too much wood and tasted bitter, it was a light, fresh whisky to start with and, imo, 30 years in the cask was too much for such a light whisky. Laphroaig on the other hand, is robust enough and the extra flavours from 30 years in sherry casks really adds to the experience and the 30yo Laphroaig is probably the best whisky I've tasted so far (bloody good job at £220 a bottle).
 
I have a good few bottles of wine in the house, both Red and White, I will list what that way I may avoid drinking a stinker and tainting my opinion.

Slightly OT, BigStan, have you tried Bladnoch, I have always wanted try it but never stumped up and actually bought a bottle.
 
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Hey Bigstan...

At the risk of hijacking this thread, sorry OP.

I have tried to like Whiskey on several occasions in my life and just can't get any great pleasure from it. Last time I tried I bought a bottle of Laphroaigh (or however the hell you spell it :) ) for £30 from my local supermarket. I opened it and tasted it and it was like getting a mouthful of coal. Really nasty. I allowed my eldest lad to drink it and to my surprise he had a small glass or two every night for a week or so claimimg he liked it. As the bottled neared the end he told me it was getting better as time went on. I tried it again and the taste was nuch less peaty (is that the word?) and not too bad at all.

Basically I don't know how to buy the stuff, how to prepare it for drinking, how to drink it, what to mix it with, or anything.

Got any basic tips for me. Thx.
 
I'm not a wine buff but I was out for our works do and had a bottle of Sancerre which was absolutely gorgeous - went down easier than water :p
 
EffBee said:
At the risk of hijacking this thread, sorry OP.

I have tried to like Whiskey on several occasions in my life and just can't get any great pleasure from it. Last time I tried I bought a bottle of Laphroaigh (or however the hell you spell it :) ) for £30 from my local supermarket. I opened it and tasted it and it was like getting a mouthful of coal. Really nasty. I allowed my eldest lad to drink it and to my surprise he had a small glass or two every night for a week or so claimimg he liked it. As the bottled neared the end he told me it was getting better as time went on. I tried it again and the taste was nuch less peaty (is that the word?) and not too bad at all.

Basically I don't know how to buy the stuff, how to prepare it for drinking, how to drink it, what to mix it with, or anything.

Got any basic tips for me. Thx.
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Peaty is spot on when it comes to Laphroiag, it is a very distinctive whisky in my opinion, I can drink it but it is not one of my favourites if I am honest.

If you can or want to even try Glenlivet.
 
Carzy said:
Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon is currently on offer at Sainsbury's for the delectable price of £5.49 mmmm

Good supermarket wine.
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It was also on sale at Netto last week for the princely sum of £2.99 a bottle.:cool: I'm going again this afternoon so I'll see if they've any left lol.;)
 
Right I have the following wines to choose from in the house.

White

Jacob's Creek Reserve Chardonnay, 2004, 12.5%
Ernest & Julio Gallo Chenin Blanc, 2006 11.5%
Jacob's Creek Chardonnay Vintage 2006, 13%

Red

Ernest & Julio Gallo Sierra Valley Merlot, 2003 13.5%
Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon "Yellow Label", 2005, 13.5%
Asda Chianti, 2001, 12.5%
First Cape "Limited Release" Merlot, 2006, 13.5%

So out of those which should I avoid and which would good to begin with?
 
Ernest & Julio Gallo Sierra Valley Merlot, 2003 13.5% - this one is ok

Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon "Yellow Label", 2005, 13.5% - I was eyeing this up in the supermarket. I would start with this one :)
 
Slinwagh said:
Right I have the following wines to choose from in the house.

White

Jacob's Creek Reserve Chardonnay, 2004, 12.5%
Ernest & Julio Gallo Chenin Blanc, 2006 11.5%
Jacob's Creek Chardonnay Vintage 2006, 13%

Red

Ernest & Julio Gallo Sierra Valley Merlot, 2003 13.5%
Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon "Yellow Label", 2005, 13.5%
Asda Chianti, 2001, 12.5%
First Cape "Limited Release" Merlot, 2006, 13.5%

So out of those which should I avoid and which would good to begin with?
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I've never been a great fan of Gallo's stuff. Also there was a suggestion a few years ago they were using pear juice to bulk out their products as I remember. Start with the Wolf Blass Yellow Label if I were you. Jacob's Creek is a good brand and you shouldn't go wrong with those. Supermarket own label can be very good indeed. Keep some mulling spices in the house so if you open a red you don't like much heat it up on the stove with the spices for a great warming winter drink.

PS Further to my earlier somewhat long post - when you buy at your favourite local supplier watch out how the wine is stored on the shelves. It doesn't like lots of rapid change of temperature which is why deep cool cellars are used to store the stuff ideally. If the wine is on a sunny shelf, over radiators, near radiant heaters, near overhead spot lights or next to an aircon unit avoid. Just feel the bottle and it should be room temperature.
 
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Right I have just drunk most of the Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon "Yellow Label"

Now while it was OK to drink and it did get better the more I drank my overwhelming sensation is one of the wine being quite acidic.

Now is this a trait of whine or is it just me?
 
Slinwagh said:
Right I have just drunk most of the Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon "Yellow Label"

Now while it was OK to drink and it did get better the more I drank my overwhelming sensation is one of the wine being quite acidic.

Now is this a trait of whine or is it just me?
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Wouldn't have described that as acidic myself. Was it at room temperaure - red wine doesn't taste as good if it isn't warm enough. Might have been a bit corked or out of condition through being badly stored. Also what were you drinking or eating immediately before drinking it. Try removing the cork and just leaving it to stand for an hour or so next time and see if you like it better.

Incidentally,

I tried a bottle of 12 year old Glenlivet from my local Tesco for £18.00 as per your suggestion. I'm still not converted to whiskey but it was very enjoyable. Thanks for the advice. I think for me that the trouble with whiskey, and spirits in general, is that they are just too strong in terms of alcohol content for me to sip away at all evening.
 
Carzy said:
Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon is currently on offer at Sainsbury's for the delectable price of £5.49 mmmm

Good supermarket wine.
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Never been a fan of red wine but after having a glass of this I can recommend it especially at that price :eek:
 
I drink a fair amount of wine and while no expert i do know a good wine i hope !

First thing i dois avoid supermarket wine unless i specifically know what it is like - you can get some good pocket guides that highlight good supermarket wines. Most of it is overpriced bought in bulk from bad years or bought as a promotion as end of line. There are gems but you need to know what ones are.

Ernest & Julio Gallo, Jacob's Creek, Wolf Blass et al are safe supermarket wines but are generally very ordinary for the price IMO.

I am a member of a few wine clubs and tbh i very rarely get a bottle i do not like and you can get to know what grapes you like and if you find a particular favourite in a selection buy it in bulk for big discounts. There are always money off vouchers for Laithwaites, Times wineclub etc - i dont particularly get on with Virgin wines but again good voucher deals can be had.

I am a big Rioja fan and i had a lovely bottle the other day that worked out around £4 in the deal i can only think of a few supermarket wines that would compare and they would all be over £12.

The ultimate way is to bring it back from the native country, wine even via specialist clubs is very expensive here - i have an old work friend living in France and he pays under €2 a bottle for a very famous supermarket wine that retails at £8.99 here :o if you have family, friends etc on holidays ask them to brink wine back ;)
 
ChroniC said:
Which producer though as that is a castle and there are many variations named after it.
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No idea. I'm no wine expert. I've drunk a lot of Red wine, and this one just happened to be way nicer than the average. Whenever I've seen it, it just has that on the label. I've also seen it in restaurants.

Usually can be found in the supermarket for £10 - £14.
 
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