The reason you get so many poor Sauvignon's is because of the popularity, Pinot Grigio is going the same way! The thing that annoys me most is when people say ' I got this bottle for £5, should have been £10' no you got a £5 bottle for £5 it was never worth £10 but it's all about perception for most casual wine drinkers I work in the industry but I am no expert but do love trying different wines and have been lucky enough to taste some of the worlds top wines! Why someone would pay upwards of £100 is beyond me though
amazing. Like Bostonbob I've done the WSET exams. I thought I was just an oddity. I got interested in wine in my 20s so in about 2001 when I could see my day job possibly ending I decided to learn a bit more and maybe get a job at Majestic. The day job didn't end so like Bostonbob I've never used it in anger. German wines are the most criminally underrated wines in the world but they caused most of their own problems. I think the best value wines today come from South Africa. But I'm interested in drinking wine from anywhere. Dan said about Sauvignon Blancs. I must admit I'll sound a bit of a traditionalist and say the best ones come from Sancerre or Pouilly, but they needed the kick up the arse the New Zealanders gave them. They are much more pleasantly fruity than they used to be. From New Zealand I like SBs from the Nelson region, and my favourite producer is Neudorf. They also make a fine Riesling. I've been lucky enough to do about 3 vintages, 2 in Australia and one in Brauneberg (Mosel): very different. Most people from the UK wouldn't think of going to the Mosel Swan, but it's got a beauty of its own. And while Bereich Bernkastel is one of the worst wines in the World a fine Riesling from someone like Haag or Fehres or Prum with a grilled trout in a Berkastel restaurant would go down very nicely. Must admit for all I've said about white wine I prefer drinking red. On Saturday I drank a bottle of 1996 Chateau La Lagune at a byo restaurant. I bought it (well 6 of them) for about £80 (so about £13.50) in 1997-1999 (well en primeur so over 2 years). It was the last of the 6 and in beautiful condition for its age, you'd have thought it was only 5 years old. 'A point' as they say in France. Couldn't afford it today...ha ha.
I'm with you on the NZ sauvignons Bustino - Oyster bay is a cracking one. I do agree though about Puilly and sabncerre - if i am pushing the boat out more often than not it will always be a decent Sancerre or a top class Italian red. Is this a record for the number of WSET certificate holders to appear on a thread that's not on an actual wine forum?
Not a great expert in terms of wine knowledge but can probably hold my own in terms of consumption Living in Germany I am partial to Riesling, especially from the Mosel valley, but there are also beautiful white wines to be had from just across the border in Alsace - once spent a lovely couple of days on the wine route in a little place called Ãguisheim and then on to Strasbourg. Sauvignon Blanc is my main white tipple, but I never buy the supermarket varieties - I buy from an importer who has some very reasonably priced bottles. For red wine I usually go Spanish - still some very nice wine to be had from Spain at reasonable prices (Ribero Del Duero is my favourite region). During a short break in France in the late 1990s we visited a vineyard in Nuits-St-Georges and took a few bottles back - used to store them in the in-laws cellar and drink a bottle each time we visited. I think we polished off the last bottle (a 1993 Grand Cru) around 2005 . Some of the best red wine I have tasted was in the Hunter Valley region just North of Sydney. You don't see many of these in Germany so if I do come across one I will buy it purely on the region. I'd usually have a crack at most wines from the Piemont area of Italy as well, having worked there for 18 months on and off
Yes thanks Ron, first day back at work today so a bit of a downer. Ignore that PM I sent you before my holiday If you've never tried it, I can thoroughly recommend Croatia. Beautiful country with the most amazingly clear seawater I have ever seen. Food can be whatever you want from a cheap cevapcici sandwich to a 5-course meal with a different wine to compliment each course. Fish and seafood is incredibly cheap (we went to the fish market in Pula and got 4 dorade, 4 bream, a huge bag of mussels, some clams and king-size shrimps for about a fiver).
Welcome back Oddy. I know nothing about Piedmont wines, other than what I've read and about 3 I've drunk. A gaping hole.
Thanks Bustino. I find the Barbera reds very drinkable - fruity and tasty, whereas a well aged Barolo can slide down VERY smoothly indeed. Although less well known, the white Gavi wines are pretty decent.
Superb thread - For those of you that love Pinot noir please please give this a try if you get the chance: 2009 Fogdog Pinot Noir - A Sonoma Coast jewel that will just leave you with a ridiculous smile of happiness as that lucious velvety fruity magnificence is swilling inside.
When I took the Diploma I realised I was past it. Not only was it difficult to do an exam after 30+ years and martial my thoughts for a coherent essay, it suddenly dawned on me that I was now blind. I'd write something and then could only see a blurred mass of letters (no connection to the wine tasting part of the exam). I was soon wearing reading glasses.
last year went to moldova for a europa cup game with our club, got to say what outstanding wine they produce, i beleive its all exported to russia, but the climate there (temperate0 is ideal for top notch wine.....
Just tasted the Grange 2008 - 2 100 point scores (first wine since 1981 to achieve such a feat) very good but obviously still far too young
Great idea for the thread Ron, good call sir... Not that i am any big connoisseur of wines, but I mostly like the red wines from South America if i had to choose. My particular favourite is the Casillero Del Diablo, or 'The Devils cellar' as it is called, im not too bothered about which grape it is but im not a big fan of the Shiraz flavour. But in saying that many of the wines from this part of the world i find very good... http://www.chileanlegend.com/ As a rule, l prefer the big punchy, bold wines, strong in tannins that will only get better in time. The Cab-Sav version of this wine is my favourite of them all but id drink owt in truth... Could be a good thread this one... Nice to see a few with some good pointers and wines to try...
I drink all sorts of wines but because I'm currently overseas I 'm a bit limited in what I can buy. But here in no particular order is some wines I've enjoyed lately and some I've not enjoyed so much. I can get to M&S and have been mighty surprised by the quality of the Macon Villages. I also enjoyed their Nelson Sauvignon Blanc. At a local supermarket I've got some KWV Reserve Collection (black label) Shiraz which was surprisingly good, and better than a few Crozes Hermitages I've drunk recently. If you like Syrah/Shiraz try it. I've now bought the Cab Sauv from the same range. From their cheaper Reserve range I've tried the Merlot and Cab Sauv which were OK but ashy in the finish, which I find a problem with some Cape reds. I've tried the KWV Chardonnay from both ranges and the more expensive Reserve Collection was far too oaky, while the cheaper one was OK but a bit thin after the m&S Macon. Drank a dreadful Chilean Merlot (fron Carta Vieja I think) that was just too jammy. To me one of the most exciting wine areas is Portugal, especially Duero wines, but also Alentejo wines. You get a lot of wine for the price. Tanners usually have a good range. Even if you've never heard of a grape like Touriga Nacional or Touriga Roriz don't be worried if you like big but not unsubtle wines you'll enjoy them. Really they're port grapes but over the last 20 years or so estates started making still wines. Crikey cityhull you are lucky to be able to drink Grange!! Just like that. d drink
Sorry redcgull, my mention of the Chilean Merlot was not to counter you.I actually like Chilean wines a great deal, red and white. I was surprised I didn't like that one!
I'm thinking of building up a convenient directory to add to the thread header. Not sure what headings to have but need to be in layman's terms (Eg Type Grade Year Region Grape Bottled By if relevant, Comment). Suggestions welcome. I will then group them into Whites and Reds and then by price group (eg under £5, £5-10, £10-20). As different people taste a wine they can add a comment and I can allocate stars to produce a NOT 606 Best Value list. Any views on this idea?
Right time right place Bustino - just happened to have a meeting with the guys who sell Grange in the Uk and he had done a tasting with it the night before so gave me 3/4 of a bottle as a special treat
