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What wine....

your favourite tipple - wine, beer, spirits
RedSnapper
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What wine....

#14680

Postby RedSnapper » December 13th, 2016, 11:58 am

Hi all, I'm looking for a bit of a special wine for xmas day but don't really know where to start with all the ramping that goes on in supermarkets these days.

It'll be a traditional dinner so needs to go with turkey and the trimmings and possible with some nice cheeses if any left over. I like spicy and full red wines, nothing too light. I love a good rioja and can be easily pleased by a decent burgundy. So can anyone recommend something(s) up to about £20 that should be fairly easily available in the major supermarkets / majestic?

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Re: What wine....

#14690

Postby redsturgeon » December 13th, 2016, 12:18 pm

Are you looking for one bottle to go with both the turkey and the cheese at £20?

You might be better off getting something for the turkey and something else for the cheese IMHO.

I would favour a white with the turkey and a red with the cheese and even if I was choosing a red with both then it would tend to be a lighter red with turkey, perhaps a pinot noir and something heavier with the cheese. If it was blue cheese then I actually might even pair it with a Vin Santo, so I could go white /white. Whichever way I don't think one wine is the best way to go.

John

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Re: What wine....

#14707

Postby simoan » December 13th, 2016, 1:28 pm

RedSnapper wrote:Hi all, I'm looking for a bit of a special wine for xmas day but don't really know where to start with all the ramping that goes on in supermarkets these days.

It'll be a traditional dinner so needs to go with turkey and the trimmings and possible with some nice cheeses if any left over. I like spicy and full red wines, nothing too light. I love a good rioja and can be easily pleased by a decent burgundy. So can anyone recommend something(s) up to about £20 that should be fairly easily available in the major supermarkets / majestic?

If you want single wine to go with all the trimmings (pork stuffing, pigs in blankets etc.) I always personally stick to red. If you want to go French, I'd avoid Burgundy and head a little further east to the Rhone, something like a CdP or Crozes. A really nice Rioja would work nicely although some have a little too much American Oak for my taste, I would not say no to a nice Lopez de Heredia Reserva!

All the best, Si

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Re: What wine....

#14719

Postby RedSnapper » December 13th, 2016, 1:49 pm

redsturgeon wrote:Are you looking for one bottle to go with both the turkey and the cheese at £20?

You might be better off getting something for the turkey and something else for the cheese IMHO.


Not exactly, we'll revert to port for the serious cheese eating, more a matter if there's any left......probably not really relevant.

redsturgeon wrote:I would favour a white with the turkey and a red with the cheese and even if I was choosing a red with both then it would tend to be a lighter red with turkey, perhaps a pinot noir and something heavier with the cheese. If it was blue cheese then I actually might even pair it with a Vin Santo, so I could go white /white. Whichever way I don't think one wine is the best way to go.


Personally I prefer reds, both generally and with xmas dinner. Could probably manage with a real full bodied white but would prefer a red.

simoan wrote:If you want single wine to go with all the trimmings (pork stuffing, pigs in blankets etc.) I always personally stick to red. If you want to go French, I'd avoid Burgundy and head a little further east to the Rhone, something like a CdP or Crozes. A really nice Rioja would work nicely although some have a little too much American Oak for my taste, I would not say no to a nice Lopez de Heredia Reserva!

All the best, Si


as it happens CdP has always been my go to treat wine but I've found it a little disappointing more recently. Maybe I'm just getting too used to it. Any recs for a specific wines available from the main supermarkets that are particularly good value?

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Re: What wine....

#14723

Postby simoan » December 13th, 2016, 2:08 pm

RedSnapper wrote:
simoan wrote:If you want single wine to go with all the trimmings (pork stuffing, pigs in blankets etc.) I always personally stick to red. If you want to go French, I'd avoid Burgundy and head a little further east to the Rhone, something like a CdP or Crozes. A really nice Rioja would work nicely although some have a little too much American Oak for my taste, I would not say no to a nice Lopez de Heredia Reserva!

All the best, Si


as it happens CdP has always been my go to treat wine but I've found it a little disappointing more recently. Maybe I'm just getting too used to it. Any recs for a specific wines available from the main supermarkets that are particularly good value?

I think this depends on personal taste and I don't generally drink much CdP so can't give a recommendation unfortunately, especially from a UK supermarket. However, the food you drink it with will make a difference and CdP does go well with a traditional Xmas meal. It's at time's like this that you wish you'd put a few bottles from a good Rhone vintage to one side several years ago :)

All the best, Si

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Re: What wine....

#14725

Postby kiloran » December 13th, 2016, 2:17 pm

RedSnapper wrote: I like spicy and full red wines, nothing too light. I love a good rioja and can be easily pleased by a decent burgundy. So can anyone recommend something(s) up to about £20 that should be fairly easily available in the major supermarkets / majestic?

I'm a fan of the wines from southwest France. Try Domaine de Fontseque from M&S: http://www.marksandspencer.com/domaine- ... dpredirect

--kiloran

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Re: What wine....

#14738

Postby Hallucigenia » December 13th, 2016, 3:07 pm

I'm sure we've had this discussion on TMF at some point. But I wouldn't get too distracted by the colour of the turkey, the richness of what's going with it - sprouts, stuffing etc means that red is called for. But at the same time one doesn't want to swamp it with something really big like a typical Rioja or Chateauneuf, one definitely doesn't want something heavily oaked or with too much tannin (which will also help with Boxing Day...). Bit of acidity would be good to counteract the fat in the roasties/parsnips etc, the turkey would benefit from a little bit of fruit.

So you're either looking at the richer end of Loire cabernet franc, posh cru beaujolais, Austrian reds like zweigelt, mature St Emilion, or the lighter end of Italy - something like the posh Allegrini valpolicellas, or maybe a barbaresco. An old favourite that you can find in Tesco is Villa Antinori, although the price has crept up a bit of late, and it's a wee bit heavier than I was think of but given your preference that probably doesn't matter. Will go well with cheese though as well.

If you're having goose, then you can really go to town...

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Re: What wine....

#14750

Postby simoan » December 13th, 2016, 3:40 pm

Hallucigenia wrote:I'm sure we've had this discussion on TMF at some point. But I wouldn't get too distracted by the colour of the turkey, the richness of what's going with it - sprouts, stuffing etc means that red is called for. But at the same time one doesn't want to swamp it with something really big like a typical Rioja or Chateauneuf, one definitely doesn't want something heavily oaked or with too much tannin (which will also help with Boxing Day...). Bit of acidity would be good to counteract the fat in the roasties/parsnips etc, the turkey would benefit from a little bit of fruit.

So you're either looking at the richer end of Loire cabernet franc, posh cru beaujolais, Austrian reds like zweigelt, mature St Emilion, or the lighter end of Italy - something like the posh Allegrini valpolicellas, or maybe a barbaresco. An old favourite that you can find in Tesco is Villa Antinori, although the price has crept up a bit of late, and it's a wee bit heavier than I was think of but given your preference that probably doesn't matter. Will go well with cheese though as well.

If you're having goose, then you can really go to town...

H,

Good to see you around. The spec was for a red sourced from a UK supermarket and budget of £20, so not sure a Zweigelt or mature St-Emilion are going to fit the bill, let alone a posh Valpolicella or Barbaresco! If money were no object and I could go to Byrne's of Clitheroe I'd come up with some much better suggestions :)

All the best, Si

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Re: What wine....

#14781

Postby RedSnapper » December 13th, 2016, 5:15 pm

Thanks folks, some options to ponder there.

Cheers all!

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Re: What wine....

#14841

Postby Clitheroekid » December 13th, 2016, 8:47 pm

simoan wrote:If money were no object and I could go to Byrne's of Clitheroe I'd come up with some much better suggestions :)

Fortunately I can and do go to Byrne's on a regular basis, and they're just as happy to recommend a bottle at £10 as one at £100. My seasonal trip there is one of the relatively few pre-Christmas activities that I really look forward to, and for those unfortunates who don't know what we're on about here's their website - http://dbyrne-finewines.co.uk/

But as you're specifically looking for a supermarket wine I had some of this recently. I really enjoyed it, and would think it would pair with turkey and the trimmings very well - https://www.tesco.com/wine/product/deta ... Wine_73909

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Re: What wine....

#14975

Postby simoan » December 14th, 2016, 12:08 pm

Clitheroekid wrote:
simoan wrote:If money were no object and I could go to Byrne's of Clitheroe I'd come up with some much better suggestions :)

Fortunately I can and do go to Byrne's on a regular basis, and they're just as happy to recommend a bottle at £10 as one at £100. My seasonal trip there is one of the relatively few pre-Christmas activities that I really look forward to, and for those unfortunates who don't know what we're on about here's their website - http://dbyrne-finewines.co.uk/

Hi CK,

Unfortunately, we live nowhere near Clitheroe but have been known to take 50 mile side trips to visit Byrne's when in the North of England. I can't remember the last time we came down the M6 from North Lancs or the Lake District without going there! My other half used to live in Clitheroe and so is a long-time customer and introduced me to Byrne's many years ago. It is without doubt my favourite independent wine merchant, mainly because the brothers that run the shop are so friendly and knowledgeable and the prices are keen!I have seen bottles in Byrnes that are cheaper than the Wine Society, for example.

I think people are sometimes intimidated by the idea of buying wine from a wine merchant rather than a supermarket, and mostly because they think it will be expensive. However, the front of the shop at Byrne's has some really good entry level wines which offer far better quality and value for money than anything you will get in a supermarket at the same price point. Of course, out the back there are some really fine wines if that is more your thing...

All the best, Si

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Re: What wine....

#14988

Postby Slarti » December 14th, 2016, 12:35 pm

RedSnapper wrote:Hi all, I'm looking for a bit of a special wine for xmas day but don't really know where to start with all the ramping that goes on in supermarkets these days.

It'll be a traditional dinner so needs to go with turkey and the trimmings and possible with some nice cheeses if any left over. I like spicy and full red wines, nothing too light. I love a good rioja and can be easily pleased by a decent burgundy. So can anyone recommend something(s) up to about £20 that should be fairly easily available in the major supermarkets / majestic?


I'm not normally one to recommend wines, but Tesco usually have some decent Barolo at about the £20 mark. Majestic are doing an excellent one, but at £30/bottle

Slarti

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Re: What wine....

#15030

Postby Hallucigenia » December 14th, 2016, 2:25 pm

simoan wrote:The spec was for a red sourced from a UK supermarket and budget of £20, so not sure a Zweigelt or mature St-Emilion are going to fit the bill, let alone a posh Valpolicella or Barbaresco!


I was giving options, as all sorts of odd things pop up at this time of year - Waitrose regularly have more than one Gruner Veltliner and I'm sure I've seen Austrian wines there in the past. I don't know Majestic well but suspect they might well have some. Sainsburys usually have an old vintage of Château Grand Barrail Lamarzelle Figeac in their posher stores, I think the last vintage I saw was 2008 at £22, which was a decent vintage on the right bank.

So these things are possible - as are (slightly industrial) Barbaresco from cooperatives, and most supermarkets now seem to have Amarones, although I was thinking more of standard Valpolicella from the really good producers, I have seen the Allegrini one somewhere a bit unexpected. A ripasso might be a decent compromise, some of the supermarkets have them although I've not had any.

I would not be drinking £20 Barolo off the shelf in general, it needs bottle age, and certainly not with turkey.

@CK I'd beaten you to it with the Villa Antinori! Lovely wine, not sure it would be my first choice with turkey but it would do.

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Re: What wine....

#15071

Postby simoan » December 14th, 2016, 5:04 pm

Hallucigenia wrote:I was giving options, as all sorts of odd things pop up at this time of year - Waitrose regularly have more than one Gruner Veltliner and I'm sure I've seen Austrian wines there in the past. I don't know Majestic well but suspect they might well have some. Sainsburys usually have an old vintage of Château Grand Barrail Lamarzelle Figeac in their posher stores, I think the last vintage I saw was 2008 at £22, which was a decent vintage on the right bank.

So these things are possible - as are (slightly industrial) Barbaresco from cooperatives, and most supermarkets now seem to have Amarones, although I was thinking more of standard Valpolicella from the really good producers, I have seen the Allegrini one somewhere a bit unexpected. A ripasso might be a decent compromise, some of the supermarkets have them although I've not had any.

I would not be drinking £20 Barolo off the shelf in general, it needs bottle age, and certainly not with turkey.

@CK I'd beaten you to it with the Villa Antinori! Lovely wine, not sure it would be my first choice with turkey but it would do.

I bow to your greater judgement as I hardly ever buy wine from supermarkets, especially since the quality of buying at Waitrose nosedived three or four years ago. Maybe once or twice a year I will get something interesting from M&S but otherwise I only buy from the Wine Society or Independents. My original reply was really aimed at someone that professed to liking Rioja. My own experience with Rioja drinkers (father and BiL) are that Loire cab franc and anything made from nebbiolo is a step too far - lord knows I've tried :). My own preference for them, and where I've had some success, would be a cool-climate New World syrah from somewhere like Hawke's Bay in NZ or Great Southern in Oz, but there's practically no chance of getting these from a UK supermarket. I've never tried the Antinori but then I'm in the camp that says Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot have no place in Italy ;)

Happy Xmas, whatever you're drinking!
All the best, Si

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Re: What wine....

#15111

Postby Hallucigenia » December 14th, 2016, 7:06 pm

I must admit I've not been buying much wine in general of late, but I always like to have a quick look at supermarket shelves just to see what's going on. My reply was bearing in mind Rioja and Burgundy, which hardly recalls the big meaty end of things. With you on New World syrah - I've enjoyed some of the TWS Uruguayan ones.

I'm in the camp that sangiovese is a blending grape, it shouldn't be allowed out on its own.... :-) A bit of Bordeaux does Italian wine a disproportionate amount of good IMO (qv Tignanello), even Villa Antinori is majority sangiovese. I love Italy's native grapes, but don't get too purist about what's "native" - even Chardonnay owes its existence to Italians bringing its mother from Croatia to France. So I'd say the French are merely repaying that favour!

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Re: What wine....

#15416

Postby Slarti » December 15th, 2016, 4:55 pm

Hallucigenia wrote:I would not be drinking £20 Barolo off the shelf in general, it needs bottle age, and certainly not with turkey.


I'm a great believer in dink what wine you like and if somone else thinks it doesn't go with whatever you're having, that's their problem.

As for £20 Barolo, it is usually available at that price when stocks are running out, so last week I bought myself a 2012 as it was the best they had for drinking now. If I'd bought it by the case it would have been cheaper, but I don't drink enough to be worth the effort.

Slarti

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Re: What wine....

#15672

Postby simoan » December 16th, 2016, 12:03 pm

Well, as chance would have it, I got home last night and was presented with a glass of red by my other half. And what do you know, it was a Cabernet Franc she recently acquired from Byrne's! Not from the Loire though but from down south in the Pays du Gard so much fuller bodied and lots of spice and herbs. I have to say it would go pretty well with a traditional Xmas dinner and at £6.49 is cracking value for money. It certainly punches well above it's weight and if we lived near Byrne's I'd go and buy some more.

http://www.boutinot.com/p-20181-domaine ... -gard.aspx

All the best, Si

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Re: What wine....

#15756

Postby Jon46 » December 16th, 2016, 3:19 pm

RedSnapper wrote:Hi all, I'm looking for a bit of a special wine for xmas day but don't really know where to start with all the ramping that goes on in supermarkets these days.

It'll be a traditional dinner so needs to go with turkey and the trimmings and possible with some nice cheeses if any left over. I like spicy and full red wines, nothing too light. I love a good rioja and can be easily pleased by a decent burgundy. So can anyone recommend something(s) up to about £20 that should be fairly easily available in the major supermarkets / majestic?


For that money, in a decent wine merchant with a proper cool store, not in a supermarket or wine supermarket, you should be able to pick up a decent and old enough, at least four years old, Givry, Auxey-Duresses or Santenay, no flies on most of those, plenty of bouquet. For a little more you get into the Volnay, Pommard, Savigny-les-Beaune etc...These are heavier and need an extra year at least. All these wines produce a good sensation not just on intake, they tend to linger on in the palate, which is the difference between this and plonk.

And when you next visit Burgundy, which is a really nice and diverse region, then at least taste the Aloxe-Corton's and Gevrey-Chambertin's, no new mortgage needed, but one might be required for the Romanée-Conti's since the Chinese started buying! Now for whites a good Meursault or Puligny-Montrachet takes some beating.

A few of the pleasures still available as I turn 90 soon.

Can't help you with Rioja's, although nothing wrong with the best of those if memory of past hols serves my right. The ordinary ones were just awful though.

Now for the expected cascade of disapproval...

Enjoy Christmas

Jon

RedSnapper
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Re: What wine....

#15762

Postby RedSnapper » December 16th, 2016, 3:33 pm

Many thanks all, much drink for thought there...... :D

I picked up a couple of bottles of the Villa Antinori from our local(ish) Tesco today - down to £12 a bottle (lady at the self-help till who took the security devices off the bottles for me was shocked at the price - that's the sort of area we shop in!). I'll report back on how we find it, as a couple of inexperienced but keen wine drinkers. We're normally in the no-more-than £5/£6 a bottle camp so hopefully this will be a noticeable step up.

Cheers all!

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Re: What wine....

#16083

Postby Clitheroekid » December 17th, 2016, 9:37 pm

RedSnapper wrote:I picked up a couple of bottles of the Villa Antinori from our local(ish) Tesco today

Good choice. I'd advise letting it breathe a bit before you drink it. Don't just uncork it, as the amount of air that gets to the wine is minimal, but instead decant it about an hour beforehand.

Don't worry about a `proper' wine decanter if you haven't got one, a clean jug will do fine.

Cheers! :D


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