WinemasterWorld

Calling all Wino's (I know theres loads)

[ska_demon]

I have recently taken to drinking wine. Beer is getting boring. I never thought I'd say that but I need a change. I don't really know a lot about wine except if you drink enough you can't walk very well.

Anyway I know what I like and vice versa.

I am after recommendations for good wines. Red or White and must be in the £5 - £15 price range.(My aff site went bits up last update so it's gotta be cheap ATM.)

I prefer dry wine but am open to anything so long as its not that dodgy £2 Bulgarian red I sort of remember
from xmas.

My Recommendation

My Local Wine shop does a very nice Organic Red Tempranillo which I have been drinking a lot of recently.

Thanks and Bottoms Up

Ska

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Spanish (Rioja) Campo Viejo ... great!

Any Faustino Rioja.

In fact any Rioja :)

[ska_demon]

Cool, I will buy a bottle on the way home and report back tomorrow when I have drunk it. That is if I can remember what it was like ;oP

Ska

[limbo]

You'll not be dissapointed - bought 3 bottles of it in the lakes last week.

I love Merlot - Chilean ones are cheap and tasty. Semillion Charddonays are nice if you like dry oaky whites. Also partial to a good Cabernet Sauvignon - best are french. The Tesco (UK) range of wines is brilliant and affordable.

[ska_demon]

My local Tesco is a bit limited but our Coop does a real good range of wine. I have just finished the Rioja I bought on the way home from work. Very Nice!

I shall write it down so I don't forget. Oh, and I'll post the maker down when I find the bottle again.

Nice evenin ;oP

Ska

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Now you've got me thinking about opening a bottle ;)

[PhraSEOlogy]

Dont overlook Californian wines or even Texan wines.

I had a great bottle of Texas white called (imaginatively) Texas White - which was really rather good.

Wine snobs will tell you to steer clear of American wines but I like em. Just make sure they dont have a screw off cap!

[balam]

> Just make sure they dont have a screw off cap!

Wine snob? ;)

I've never had a bottle with a screw-off cap go bad, but - even when properly stored - the same can't be said about a corked bottle. In fact, those rare times I'm entertaining with wine, I only serve capped wine; the wine may not be good, but I know it's not bad.

As for suggestions, I have a terrible sweet tooth - haven't met an ice wine I didn't like.

Texas..... wine?! <Insert off-colour political joke here> Gee, I'm so caught off-guard by that, that I can't even come up with an outrageous analogy expressing what I think of it!

[weeks]

Hmmm.
£1.00 United Kingdom Pound=$1.73624 USD
£5 - £15 equals $8.65 to $25.95.
Here in the states you should do quite well in that range and it's reasonable to expect quality. So walk yourself into a wine shop with someone who has worked there for a few years and tell them what you told us, but buy a case. Tell them you will not go over £12 a bottle.
Do try a few of the more expensive wines just to get a taste of what's out there.
It's a oldest of the old news, but the French do a nice job...

[giggle]

A cheap and cheerful Italian white wine is Pinot Grigio (excuse spelling) - great taste. Love it. <hic>

[ska_demon]

Just make sure they dont have a screw off cap!

This is becoming more common in supermarkets in the UK. I noticed last night lots of bottles had screw caps. I asked the girl at the checkout "why?" and she said it was to stop people returning wine because it is 'corked' and also because people had cut themselves by snapping the neck of the bottle off thru heavy handed use of a corkscrew.

Anyway, tonight I shall be trying a New Zealand White Chardonnay called Marlborough. It cost nearly 6 quid so I'm hoping it'll be quite good.

Heh, I'm looking forward to it now and it's 8.45am. Hmmm!

La La La La

Ska

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Try your local Aldi store. They stock some really good low priced wines.

(They are a European consenr but I think they are in the US too?)

[ska_demon]

Hmmm I bought some wine from LIDL a while ago. These stores do not stock good wine. I used the red to de-scale the sink ;oP

Ska

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Don't throw it out! Send any wine you don't like to me. I like good wine but my taste buds are very forgiving :)

[cornwall]

I run a restaurant (among other things) and buy off tesco.com when they are on offer. You have to buy in cases of 6, but they do deliver to your door (usually costs a fiver, but they sometimes do it free)

Basically watch for their offers and pounce when you see good ones. The Campo Viejo is often on offer - I would say their are several quality options in it, crianza, reserva, grand reserva

Re the screw on caps - corks are not necessary unless the wine is being kept for several years (corks help maturation as they can breathe). As most wine is drunk within 48 hours of purchase, and is not particularly old, a cork is not necessary. The screw on caps are cheaper, hence wine growers trying to overcome prejudices and get public to accept them.

[edited by: cornwall at 11:04 am (utc) on July 27, 2005]

[ska_demon]

Yes my taste buds are forgiving too. Trouble is my head never forgives me after a couple of bottles of LIDL Super Red!

Thats why I have been drinking the Organic Wine. Seems to be a kinder, more thoughtful hangover.

Ska

[balam]

Happy coincidence... From today's New York Times: Who Knew a $10 Bill Had Such a Nice Bouquet? [nytimes.com]

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

$10.00? That's almost expensive when it converts to £5.73. I can find highly palatable wines in the £3 to £5 range at almost any wine shop in the UK.

I haven't been to the States for about four years but I seem to remember that wine was one of the few things over there that was dearer than here in the UK. Is it still the same?

[Vampyre]

Try a nice Columbia Valley Chardonnay or Gewurztraminer.

[moose606]

Kendall Jackson Collage= great wine, great value...
buy in case for around $6.50 per bottle.

[PhraSEOlogy]

Kendall Jackson Chardonnay Vintners Reserve about $12 a bottle - lovely jubbly.

[tbear]

Phew, prices here in Spain are very user friendly......
If I pay 5 euros, I gotta be lookin' at a really good wine!
I like the tempranillos, Campo Viejo's as well.
Faustino? The older ones are expenxive, here, maybe have to fork out 8 euros.. LOL
About 10 years ago, last time I was in UK, I found only one or two Spainish wines in local supermarkets/off licences and at horendous prices.

[ska_demon]

Well, last night I had a bottle of Berberana Rioja.
12.5% Red. This is 80% Tempranillo same as the Organic Red I usually buy. This wine was quite a bit smoother and seemed thicker. Very Nice!

It seems in the UK the wine around £5 seems to be mostly usable. Below that price and you get some pretty rough tasting wines like the cartons of vino tinto you get in spain.

I have a Californian wine from the Orange vineyard that I am saving til the weekend. It cost £8.99 so it better be excellent.

Thanks for your input. So far BeeDeeDubbleU is the winner with the Rioja recommendation.

Ska

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

About 10 years ago, last time I was in UK, I found only one or two Spainish wines in local supermarkets/off licences and at horendous prices.

Not now. I can usually pick up a decent Rioja for less than £4.00.

I agree about the Berberana - nice! When I think about it, it's hard to find a bad Rioja.

[Syzygy]

Try New Zealand Reds. Wow!

New Zealand was blessed with its first commercial 'Vintage' about three/four years ago - a vintage to put it on the world stage.

Because no-one paid any attention at the time there is almost a glut of vintage NZ wines in certain countries.

Just for the record: my current fave is: Nobilo (East Coast) Merlot 2003

All that shows is that I can read a label...:-)

Syzygy

[edit_g]

Any of the Oyster Bay New Zealand wines, they rock.

[HelenDev]

Tesco do a very drinkable Claret for under £3.

[ringsoft]

If you like red wines that are big, bold, fruity and powerful... Californian Zinfandel.

I especially recommend Ravenswood Lodi County Zinfandel, at Sainsburys for 7.99. A huge, huge wine.

I visited the winery when in San Francisco a few years back... and discovered wine tasting at 10.00am isn't the easiest thing in the world.

[Crush]

used to call the carboard wine box an aboriginals handbad when i was in Australia

[limbo]

discovered wine tasting at 10.00am isn't the easiest thing in the world.

Not the hardest thing either ;)