The Lemon Fool

UncleEbenezer wrote:I generally like my white wines dry. Or alternatively, very dry. I may make an exception for dessert wine, but only if shared with enough people to make it just a small glass per person.

I dislike white wines that tend to sickly-sweet. I avoid today's horrible fad Sauvignon Blanc, and recollect lots of older-style German wines (including some of today's) with similar revulsion.

Today I've encountered the exception: a rather sweet white wine that was delicious and a pleasure to drink. It's a Vouvray called La Couronne des Plantagenets. The sweetness may even have enhanced its taste in the dark and wet of winter, when white wines are rarely at their best and I drink mostly red.

Mmmm ...

I agree and normally like white wines very dry. But a few years ago at my brother's for Christmas he brought out a magnum of Chateau d'Yquem, which he had been given. It was really superb but I think you need a mortgage to buy it

We had friends over for dinner last night, they also enjoy collecting and drinking wine. We had these which were all bought en-primeur:

William Fevre Chablis 2014
Chateau Labegorce Margaux 2012
Chateau Mazeyres Pomerol 2011.

All very nice. The Pomerol was the best of bunch.

MM

Today's tipple: a Douro. One of many very nice wines from Britain's oldest friend&ally.

Which leads me to wonder: why do Portuguese (non-fortified) wines tend to have such a low profile compared to their Spanish, Italian, or above all French counterparts? Is it only recently they've started exporting to us?

UncleEbenezer wrote:Today's tipple: a Douro. One of many very nice wines from Britain's oldest friend&ally.

Which leads me to wonder: why do Portuguese (non-fortified) wines tend to have such a low profile compared to their Spanish, Italian, or above all French counterparts? Is it only recently they've started exporting to us?

I think it is because they are light and easy drinking on the whole. Thus they have never attracted the 'serious' wine critics. I love Portuguese wines. We used to spend a happy afternoon drinking then in Macau after the most wonderful prawns or whatever.

They are not all light and 'green' of course but tend to be until fortified when they come into their own.

Dod

UncleEbenezer wrote:Which leads me to wonder: why do Portuguese (non-fortified) wines tend to have such a low profile compared to their Spanish, Italian, or above all French counterparts? Is it only recently they've started exporting to us?

I’d say it’s definitely to do with lack of marketing and lack of familiarity with the grape varieties. Apart from maybe Vinho Verde there are few wine regions and types that are familiar to most and I guess people of a certain age only think of Mateus Rose or Port when they think of Portuguese wine. There are some lovely good value reds from the Douro but consumers associate the area with port (which most people I know are not keen on).

Personally, I love Portuguese un-fortified wines and it’s always the first section I head to if I’m in a wine merchants. Because they fly under the radar they are generally exceptional value for the quality of wine you get in the bottle. I really like the red wines from the Bairrada region made from the Baga grape, especially the wines of Luis and Filipa Pato. Also Niepoort make some great wines from various regions of Portugal, as well as the port they are maybe better known for.

UncleEbenezer wrote:Today's tipple: a Douro. One of many very nice wines from Britain's oldest friend&ally.

Which leads me to wonder: why do Portuguese (non-fortified) wines tend to have such a low profile compared to their Spanish, Italian, or above all French counterparts? Is it only recently they've started exporting to us?

I think Portuguese (non-fortified) wine has always been out there but in somewhat limited quantities. They produce rather less than the European biggies and probably haven't invested in marketing either given the dominance of the Port export trade. As such, I expect they're off the radar of all but the most adventurous UK trade buyers. Portugal makes some glorious wines, using local grape varieties such as Trincadeira and Touriga Nacional, which are among my favourite old world tipples.

Morning All.

Last night I was drinking this

https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/quinta-da-alorna-reserva-arinto-chardonnay-tejo-2020

Interesting comments on the website though - contrary to those, I found it quite oaked (and therefore, to my taste, less suitable for the fish'n'chips I was having - I would have preferred it with East Asian food).

Regards, Newroad

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Just a quick heads-up that both Tesco and Asda currently have a 'Buy 6 or more, save 25%' offer on their bottles of wine, with the Tesco deal running to 30th October, and the Asda deal until 25th October.

Tesco also currently have many of their bottles on discounted club-card prices as well, which may help with further savings if your favourites are also in that additional offer.

Tesco wine list - https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/promotions/89351752

Asda wine list - https://groceries.asda.com/dept/beer-wine-spirits/wine/1215685911554-1215345814806

I think I'll be snaffling some Trivento Reserve Malbec whilst they're on a £7 club-card price, which will work out at £5.25 a bottle with the 25% discount on six bottles.

Cheeky not to at that price...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

Thanks for the heads-up. These 25%-off offers are getting so numerous now that I can't think the supermarkets are making any money from them. Sainsburys had one of their own, just a couple of weeks ago, which was very timely for me.

I can see that a tenner off six bottles is a good way to get more customers through the doors, but it must be an expensive loss-leader, given that most stores are struggling to get above a 3% gross profit margin.

Frankly, it all smells a bit desperate to me. I suppose it must be the growing challenge from Aldi and Lidl that's got Sainsburys started on doing Tesco-style clubcard deals? Looks like the chains are circling the wagons and trying to become the sole suppliers to their faithful tribal followers - even if it does tee off the non-members in the aisles, who often have to pay much more.

On another topic, I notice that Tesco have now dropped their buy-four discounts on bottled beer, although Asda are still holding onto theirs. Bottoms up.

BJ

bungeejumper wrote:Thanks for the heads-up. These 25%-off offers are getting so numerous now that I can't think the supermarkets are making any money from them. Sainsburys had one of their own, just a couple of weeks ago, which was very timely for me.

The supermarkets have been running these kind of 25% off 6 bottle kind of promotions for 20+ years at this time of year, the idea is to get people stocking up for Christmas (whilst still allowing them to sell at "full" price during the main Christmas period for less organised people. It obviously works for them if they've been doing it for so long.

bungeejumper wrote:I can see that a tenner off six bottles is a good way to get more customers through the doors, but it must be an expensive loss-leader, given that most stores are struggling to get above a 3% gross profit margin.

That 3% margin is for all products. In the specific case of wine there's a lot of artificial pricing to enable eye-catching discounts, in effect suppliers are given a take-it-or-leave it deal whereby they make essentially no money from 90% of what they supply, (but they get volume), and then make all their money from the 10% that is sold during non-promotional periods.

bungeejumper wrote: I notice that Tesco have now dropped their buy-four discounts on bottled beer

No, they're still there, but it's bumped up to £7 for four, at least on their website - you may have caught them whilst they were changing over?

Newroad wrote:Morning All.

Last night I was drinking this

https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/quinta-da-alorna-reserva-arinto-chardonnay-tejo-2020

Interesting comments on the website though - contrary to those, I found it quite oaked (and therefore, to my taste, less suitable for the fish'n'chips I was having - I would have preferred it with East Asian food).

Regards, Newroad

I love this stuff as a end of week relaxing with the wife drink and wish it was back in stock It does go well with salmon, especially pan fried and served with new potatoes. I see the 2021 is in stock but has one bad review. I suspect it's a matter of personal preference. I reckon I will order a bottle to check.

Tonight we're drinking a 2009 Saint Estephe, I'll let you know if it's as delicious as last Sunday's offering a 2001 Margaux. They're both wines that we bought from smallish vinyards on our travels in France but we've (me) have decided life is too short not to sample the damn stuff. OH seems to want to leave it so our family and friends enjoy a good wake, sod that for a game of soldiers.

R6

Rhyd6 wrote:Tonight we're drinking a 2009 Saint Estephe, I'll let you know if it's as delicious as last Sunday's offering a 2001 Margaux. They're both wines that we bought from smallish vinyards on our travels in France but we've (me) have decided life is too short not to sample the damn stuff. OH seems to want to leave it so our family and friends enjoy a good wake, sod that for a game of soldiers.

R6

I'm with you there. If you have nice bottles of wine, they're for drinking. By all means save them for the right occasion, but if (say) a year goes by with no such occasions, you definitely need to re-think!

You can always buy more.

Enjoyed a Verdeca about week-before-last (just before the weather turned colder). Some sources seem to think it's the same grape as Verdiccio, but this one was much nicer.

Started this thread with a Picpoul.

Just opened my first wine to describe itself as Picpoul but not "de Pinet". This one called itself Eléanor, and was ideal with squid and salad. Crisp and dry, fruity and generally tasty. Methinks the Languedoc is nowadays one of the world's great wine regions!

UncleEbenezer wrote:Methinks the Languedoc is nowadays one of the world's great wine regions!

Certainly good value.