choosing wine

[dragon]

I very seldom drink wine myself but I do sometimes take a bottle when I go to dinner at my parents.

Thing is If I'm honest I never have a clue when it comes to choosing which wine to buy, all i know is my Mum tends to prefer white wines and my dad prefers red.

Other than that I go into the supermarket get to the wine section and then look at the many bottles of different wines.

I tend to read the descriptions on the shelf edge to see what the recommended dish they go with is but otherwise I'm completely clueless they all look pretty much the same to me.

I tend to choose a grape variety I like, then get a wine using that grape from a 'New World' vineyard e.g California, Australia or South Africa.

For reds I go for Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon

For White, usually Chardonnay & again the 'New World' produced wine tends to be 'fruitier' than say French, which can be a little acidic.

Much generalisation involved in those conclusions, and it is ultimately down to personal taste - for example I don't like the bland 'Hock' type German wines, but other people tend to prefer them to 'crisper' ones like Chablis.

- best principle is that by the time you are halfway down the second bottle, then who cares

[danielf]

All down to personal preference.

We don't like Aussie reds much (well not the ones you get here), as a lot of them are glorified grape juice. Rioja (in particular crianza and above) are a firm favourite in the F residence. French wines are overrated and relatively poor value for money imo.

Australian whites are a different kettle of fish. We drink quite a lot of Aussie white.

[dragon]

Originally Posted by homealone

- best principle is that by the time you are halfway down the second bottle, then who cares

Yeah that one works with beer to, in my case its usually by the 3rd pint.

[peanut]

I tend to get the most expensive bottle with the most amount of money off normally. But don't go by price in general, I've got a few £30-£40 bottles but some in that price range ain't any better than a £10 bottle of red, unless you know your stuff and picky.

I prefer a Shiraz or a Rioja with a meaty meal (best so far is a Yering Station shiraz voignier reserve (2005 - Yarra valley)) if you want to impress.

Each to their own though, always best to try different varieties and that's half the fun.

[Rob]

I'm not a wine buff, and have no real idea what is good and what isn't. I set myself a price limit per bottle, £4.00 is quite reasonable, and find the bottle with the biggest money off offer I can get for that money.

Same principle applies if I do a booze cruise - after all then you can't even understand the french writing on the label However limit then tends to be a few euros

[dragon]

At the moment I've been tending to buy the stuff that's around £5

[greencreeper]

I'd say spend no less than a £5, and look for small bottles you can try, before going for a big bottle. Reds give me headache, so I stick to white wine.

[peanut]

If you're giving a bottle as a gift then a bottle under £5 might not do you any favours. Saying that, the amount of offers on wine these days you can get a nice one for around that price if you go to a supermarket.

[dragon]

Originally Posted by peanutkp

If you're giving a bottle as a gift then a bottle under £5 might not do you any favours. Saying that, the amount of offers on wine these days you can get a nice one for around that price if you go to a supermarket.

Funny thing is my Mum seems to like cheap whites more

[peanut]

Bonus !!

[papa smurf]

it all tastes like vinegar to me ; i never get goooz berries , citrus undertones, new mown hay, crisp on the pallet, etc etc just tastes like sarsons malt to me

[peanut]

Originally Posted by papa smurf

it all tastes like vinegar to me ; i never get goooz berries , citrus undertones, new mown hay, crisp on the pallet, etc etc just tastes like sarsons malt to me

Best stick to the Stella then.

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by peanutkp

Best stick to the Stella then.

chuck a bag o pig shavings in and im in heaven

[iglu]

* join quidco, but use your non-favourite browser ---3% off
* get a 20quid off e-voucher from moneysavingexpert.com (tesco section)
* get a free delivery e-voucher from moneysavingexpert.com
* give yourself 1000 clubpoints e-voucher (I could not get bothered with that)
* order 30 bottles of Howcroft Cabernet Merlot from tesco.com @50% off

Total ~95 quid

Fully bodied, despite being Aussie, dry but not acidic, smooth @ ~3 quid a bottle

Original price 8 quid per bottle. I was the idiot that paid that price before I discovered the moneysavingexpert.com scum.

Then pass out