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In vino veritas - what wine are you drinking?

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  • Registered Users Posts: 27,213 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    Steven Spurrier, one of the most widely respected and liked people in the wine trade, has passed away.
    Steven, 79, famously gained global recognition in 1976 when he organised the ‘Judgement of Paris’ tasting, a blind line up that pitted up-and-coming California stars against top Burgundy, with game-changing results.
    Alan Rickman later was to play his character in a film version of the events surrounding the tasting called Bottle Shock (2008).

    https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/28489/Steven_Spurrier_passes_away.html#.YEd9qqQehBU.twitter

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Registered Users Posts: 9,150 ✭✭✭limnam


    odyssey06 wrote: »
    Steven Spurrier, one of the most widely respected and liked people in the wine trade, has passed away.
    Steven, 79, famously gained global recognition in 1976 when he organised the ‘Judgement of Paris’ tasting, a blind line up that pitted up-and-coming California stars against top Burgundy, with game-changing results.
    Alan Rickman later was to play his character in a film version of the events surrounding the tasting called Bottle Shock (2008).

    https://harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/28489/Steven_Spurrier_passes_away.html#.YEd9qqQehBU.twitter

    RIP.

    It's a great story, I give bottle shock a spin a few times a year.


  • Registered Users Posts: 558 ✭✭✭Buddy97mm


    Aldi, after reducing their wine selection after Christmas, have some new wines in the past few weeks. I continue to believe their wines offer value for money like no other.

    Last night I tried their French Grenache Noir, which was a superb every day drinking wine for about 7.49.

    Tonight was a Cairanne Cru des Cotes du Rhone, selling for 9.49 I think, truly excellent, smooth, fruity and rich, nearly chocolatey. I gather this has only relatively recently acquired Cru status and I highly recommend.

    There is also a Valpolicella Ripasso retailing for 9.99 awaiting opening, but expectations are high.


  • Registered Users Posts: 902 ✭✭✭mikep


    Buddy97mm wrote: »
    Aldi, after reducing their wine selection after Christmas, have some new wines in the past few weeks. I continue to believe their wines offer value for money like no other.

    Last night I tried their French Grenache Noir, which was a superb every day drinking wine for about 7.49.

    Tonight was a Cairanne Cru des Cotes du Rhone, selling for 9.49 I think, truly excellent, smooth, fruity and rich, nearly chocolatey. I gather this has only relatively recently acquired Cru status and I highly recommend.

    There is also a Valpolicella Ripasso retailing for 9.99 awaiting opening, but expectations are high.

    Avoid the Chianti Classic, thin and acidic ...


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,630 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    Lidl have a Mosel Reisling for €8 which I think is really good.
    Picked up the bottle at home, really liked it so checked to see if I'd bought it in Lidl. Was thrilled to see that (a) I had bought there, (b) it was still is stock. But I was astonished at the price.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 9,150 ✭✭✭limnam


    Right thread for this I'd say

    I drink very little French wine and even less French Pinot. I can't remember the last time I had a bottle. France just always feel like too much of a gamble and the odds stacked against me due to lack of knowledge on French wine.

    On the other hand I also feel like I'm missing out on something so my goal is to try get hold of some really nice pinot's if possible at some sort of reasonable price. I'll call that under 50e for simplicity.

    Anyone anything they can suggest ?


  • Registered Users Posts: 27,213 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    limnam wrote: »
    Right thread for this I'd say
    I drink very little French wine and even less French Pinot. I can't remember the last time I had a bottle. France just always feel like too much of a gamble and the odds stacked against me due to lack of knowledge on French wine.
    On the other hand I also feel like I'm missing out on something so my goal is to try get hold of some really nice pinot's if possible at some sort of reasonable price. I'll call that under 50e for simplicity.
    Anyone anything they can suggest ?

    Does it have to be French pinot \ red burgundy?
    When it comes to France, given the prices and as you say the odds stacked due to lack of knowledge, I would usually play it safe and stick with the big merchants such as Drouhin or Bouchard.

    Further afield keep an eye out for:
    * Innocent Bystander (Aus)
    * Tinpot Hut (NZ)
    * Nielsen (California)
    * Tim Yealands (NZ)
    * MacMurray Russian River Pinot Noir (California)

    At a Corkscrew tasting I was very impressed with the below:
    * Babich Pinot Noir NZ
    * Shepherds Den Pinot Noir NZ
    * Vincent Girardin Bourgogne Pinot Noir

    They would be priced €20 - €35 so might be a notch below the level you are looking for.

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Registered Users Posts: 16,630 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    limnam wrote: »
    Right thread for this I'd say

    I drink very little French wine and even less French Pinot. I can't remember the last time I had a bottle. France just always feel like too much of a gamble and the odds stacked against me due to lack of knowledge on French wine.

    On the other hand I also feel like I'm missing out on something so my goal is to try get hold of some really nice pinot's if possible at some sort of reasonable price. I'll call that under 50e for simplicity.

    Anyone anything they can suggest ?

    Tinkering with Bourgogne can be an expensive and disappointing experience. Although I've had some really amazing examples, I've had some very expensive French pinots that just tasted of nothing, too.
    While often drunk young, I think Bourgognes can benefit hugely from ageing.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,150 ✭✭✭limnam


    odyssey06 wrote: »
    Does it have to be French pinot \ red burgundy?

    Much appreciated!

    I'll start looking for some of those.

    I'll not turn my nose up at any recommendation so no, I guess it doesn't have to be French ;)


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,265 ✭✭✭Caquas


    Tesco has a special offer for boxes of 6 bottles of wine for 40 Euro.

    A decent offer is you like the wine (e.g. Cono Sur Cab. Sauv. or Sangre de Toro) but is this flouting the ban on multibuy offers?

    https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=308844099

    https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=308484617


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  • Registered Users Posts: 27,213 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    Caquas wrote: »
    Tesco has a special offer for boxes of 6 bottles of wine for 40 Euro.
    A decent offer is you like the wine (e.g. Cono Sur Cab. Sauv. or Sangre de Toro) but is this flouting the ban on multibuy offers?
    https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=308844099
    https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=308484617

    Multi-pack box is ok as that counts as a single product.
    Multi-buy is not allowed.

    And if Tesco want to be sneaky about it, if this isn't a product they regularly stock and has just come into store, then can run the offer just for the weekend.

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Registered Users Posts: 9,150 ✭✭✭limnam


    Lidl have a Mosel Reisling for €8 which I think is really good.
    Picked up the bottle at home, really liked it so checked to see if I'd bought it in Lidl. Was thrilled to see that (a) I had bought there, (b) it was still is stock. But I was astonished at the price.


    Nice call on this.

    Went really well with a slice of strudel.


  • Registered Users Posts: 552 ✭✭✭Fine Cheers


    Local off licence recommended this Romanian Merlot and I have to say it is very tasty and hard to beat (I'm no connoisseur !)
    https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/drink/umbrele-merlot-2014-romania-12-5-9-99-1.2352631
    Can anyone recommend a Merlot in the €10-€15 bracket away from the usual stuff ?
    Also a fan of a Marlborough SB and open to recommendations !!


  • Registered Users Posts: 27,213 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    Local off licence recommended this Romanian Merlot and I have to say it is very tasty and hard to beat (I'm no connoisseur !)
    https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/drink/umbrele-merlot-2014-romania-12-5-9-99-1.2352631
    Can anyone recommend a Merlot in the €10-€15 bracket away from the usual stuff ?
    Also a fan of a Marlborough SB and open to recommendations !!

    There's not much merlot for sale as as varietal in that bracket when you go away from the usual brands.

    You could get a Bordeaux or similar style blend from new world where Merlot is the primary \ dominant grape variety along with some other red grapes such as Cab Sav e.g. similar to the below
    https://www.obrienswine.ie/products/chateau-grimont-cadillac-cotes-de-bordeaux

    Don't laugh(!) but there's a red wine from the Languedoc in France branded under the Kylie Minogue label. The Merlot is on offer for €10 at the moment and gets good reviews.
    https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/Product/Details/?id=306814208

    https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/kylie-minogue-s-12-99-wines-are-they-any-good-1.4339391

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,774 ✭✭✭snowgal


    have tasted and have to say quite drinkable!


  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 66,755 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Went on an effort to get some wines for the long weekend that were grapes I've not knowingly had before. Still mostly drinking white though and falling back on that blended Portuguese white I've mentioned a few times!

    Faustino Rivero Ulecia Albarino - the ridiculous bottle drew my attention so that I could see that it was something new to me

    Tesco Finest Sancerre - and there I thought this was a grape type, but I think its actually a Sauvignon Blanc. Appelation vs varietal can be quite confusing.

    If I can start to tell some difference between varietals I'd be quite happy, if not I'll just continue to only buy stuff I've bought before and liked :pac:


  • Registered Users Posts: 27,213 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    L1011 wrote: »
    Tesco Finest Sancerre - and there I thought this was a grape type, but I think its actually a Sauvignon Blanc. Appelation vs varietal can be quite confusing.
    If I can start to tell some difference between varietals I'd be quite happy, if not I'll just continue to only buy stuff I've bought before and liked :pac:

    Sancerre is Sauvignon Blanc but it's so different to typical New Zealand expressions of it you may as well be drinking a different wine!

    Similarly, I've just had the Calvet Cahors Malbec from Tesco - it's very nice.
    On offer half price at €7 but it's rarely at that price (so not one of those fake Tesco deals).
    I'm more used to Argentinian malbec and in a blind taste test I would never guess that it was malbec.

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Registered Users Posts: 9,150 ✭✭✭limnam


    Local off licence recommended this Romanian Merlot and I have to say it is very tasty and hard to beat (I'm no connoisseur !)
    https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/drink/umbrele-merlot-2014-romania-12-5-9-99-1.2352631
    Can anyone recommend a Merlot in the €10-€15 bracket away from the usual stuff ?
    Also a fan of a Marlborough SB and open to recommendations !!

    If anyone orders merlot, I'm leaving!


  • Registered Users Posts: 27,213 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    Easter Sunday dinner was slow cooked pulled pork shoulder.
    I find rioja reservas are a good match for pork, and I thought it was about time I cracked open my last bottle of 2011 Marques de la Concordia Reserva.
    Silky smooth, initial flavour of cherries then a finish of gentle oak and vanilla.
    A wonderful combination.

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Registered Users Posts: 27,213 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    Justinos 5 year old rich madeira.
    After tasting this I understand why it was so popular with Thomas Jefferson and colonial era Americans.
    The smallest sip packs a punch of flavour - and thats the way to approach. A wine to sip rather than drink by the mouthful.
    A half bottle of this goes a long way.

    A wine robust enough to be improved by shipping by sail boat.
    Fantastic stuff.

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



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  • Registered Users Posts: 902 ✭✭✭mikep


    Heading to bed after some delicious 2015 Marques de Caceres Reserva. Lovely stuff from O'Brien's..


  • Registered Users Posts: 27,213 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    This might appeal to fans of Pinot Noir \ Burgundy reds.
    Joseph Drouhin - Coteaux Bourguignons 2018.
    This is a blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay (Beaujolais grape), not something I've tried before.
    It's a nice wine, with forward flavours of red fruits, cherries etc and a hint of spice, silky smooth (not much tannins). Perhaps a bit light on the finish.
    Would pair well with poultry, pork or lamb.

    Priced about €18 in independent off licences such as Clontarf Wines.

    joseph-drouhin-coteaux-bourguignons-2018.jpg

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Registered Users Posts: 775 ✭✭✭ctlsleh


    Stonker ..... from On the Grapevine in Dublin


  • Registered Users Posts: 5 larryvee


    I had the (and don't ask me to pronounce this one) Cacc'e Mmitte di Lucera last weekend with some BBQ'd lamb. Absolutely gorgeous. Got it online from The Allotment, a new wine website set up by the chap who used to run the wine department in Donnybrook Fair.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5 larryvee


    odyssey06 wrote: »
    Steven Spurrier, one of the most widely respected and liked people in the wine trade, has passed away.
    Steven, 79, famously gained global recognition in 1976 when he organised the ‘Judgement of Paris’ tasting, a blind line up that pitted up-and-coming California stars against top Burgundy, with game-changing results.
    Alan Rickman later was to play his character in a film version of the events surrounding the tasting called Bottle Shock (2008).

    The Tasting of Paris is a pretty good read - by George Taber.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5 larryvee


    And another I had recently was from Tesco in Banbridge. A Carmen Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva 2017 (Chile). GBP 10 and absolutely gorgeous. 97 points in the Decanter magazine world wine awards. I nabbed the last bottle but next time I'm up I'll try and grab some more. I haven't seen good Carmen wines here for a while though Bodega 965 has them online and I saw they did an online tasting with them recently.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5 larryvee


    If you're still on the look out for Pinot I was looking at some nice Burgundy made by an Irish woman, Roisin Curley. Saw them on Station to Station wine. €€€


  • Registered Users Posts: 27,213 ✭✭✭✭odyssey06


    Supervalu are running an Italian wine promotion this week, not sure why, maybe they had a premonition that Italy would win Eurovision :)

    I picked up a couple of bottles, first one sampled is Corte Alle Mine Vino Nobile De Montepulciano 2016 for €15. This is a bit of a bargain as usually wines from that region here are priced about €25.

    This is a confusingly titled wine, it is from the Tuscany region and uses primarily the Sangiovese grape - similar to Chianti but a separate subregion. No connection to the grape Montepulciano from the region of d'Abruzzo.

    This particular bottle is lovely, I'll crib some tasting notes from Frankly Wines:
    The palate is smooth without being bland, with a balance between the fruit and smoky black elements... a year or two more in bottle would bring out more savoury, umami tertiary notes. If you like the sound of that then lay a few bottles down, but it's drinking beautifully right now; this is a complex, quality wine that is an outstanding bargain at this price.

    corte-alle-mine-vino-nobile-di-montepulciano.jpg?w=560

    "To follow knowledge like a sinking star..." (Tennyson's Ulysses)



  • Registered Users Posts: 9,150 ✭✭✭limnam


    I don't recall mentioning this one before and some of you are probably aware of it.


    Aldi having been carrying it for as long as I can remember.


    I think it was 2011/12 when I enjoyed it the most when 2013 came out I was always trying to find an aldi that still had 11/12.


    I had stopped drinking it for awhile and picked it up again recently.


    I'd say it needs plenty of air before drinking but it has some lovely dark fruit on it and a bit of a steal at about 8 quid



    046511162620701-A.jpg?o=ZOBKTypUV4cpZZ2fivGC0YkX0H8j&V=Wdrl&w=480&h=600&p=2&q=77


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  • Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 66,755 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Lidl's Pinot Grigio Venezia DOC is exceptionally good for its price point, to my simple wine tastes anyway - €5.89 currently but I think its normally a little dearer.


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