Wine not fit for purpose?

No, no suggestions which will be any use…..I just hope the wine you enjoyed last week tastes the same when you buy it this week.
But try this! I hate cold red wine. And I prefer less alcohol than today’s ‘big’ wines. But to get wine to room temp can be time consuming. I have tried microwaving but it worries me for the 45 seconds its in there.
So…..add a few drops of hot water to your glass and stir! Lower alcohol, warmed up beautifully, perfect.
(That must surely draw just a few adverse comments)

Google “How to fake a wine review by markov chains” if you want a laugh about this.

McGuigan Shiraz red label is one we like, but it is really a matter of personal taste. This particular McGuigan isn’t on sale in Tescos, but you can get a crate of six from Amazon at a reasonable price.

About every four months my wife and I make a day trip to Calais where we have a splendid lunch at one of two lovely restaurants we know. We then motor to Fretun (about 12 miles) to an establishment called Franglais where we load up about 150 bottles of red wine, Cote du Rhone and, surprisingly, Siglo Sac (a favorite Rioja).
The price per bottle is unbelievably low and the saving compared with buying wine of this quality in the UK covers the cost of the ferry, the petrol and the expensive lunch with still a margin. It does mean an early start and a 95 mile return drive to Dover but it is a lovely day out.

I suppose what we are looking for is a smooth red version with the qualities of a good Riesling. I sometimes get close with a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.

You have to spend about £10 these days for a reasonable bottle. Less than that is mostly tax so the wine is rarely good, but it depends on your palate. If you only drink plonk then it will mostly taste the same with some good and bad bottles. Over £10 and the wine gets better but don’t think just keep spending more as its bound to be better, as that’s not always the case. Your palate may pickup nuances in an expensive bottle that you don’t like, or vice versa.
Personally we tend to use Majestic for our wine buying as they have a decent range at fair prices. You can’t go wrong with a Rhone or a good Rioja, or for white I like burgundy. It all depends on what you like, and that changes over time.

Many consider spending more than a fiver on a bottle of wine an extravagance. One you take the tax and fixed costs off that fiver there isn’t much left for the wine. OK maybe for every day drinking, but it’s not surprising that what you get is a lottery. Spend more than £10 and things are different, you are far more likely to get something you really enjoy. After all, you are lucky these days to get change from £15 for a round of four drinks in a pub. Why baulk at spending that on a bottle of good wine at home?

I do not know how with all the brands, annual changes, mass production vs. small growers, even if you find a wine you like one year you can expect to get something similar the following year, unless you have a lot of expertise, deep pockets and are prepared for a lot of disappointments. I do not have this expertise. I am not a great fan of many red wines but have found a few “types” that I like. I prefer whites.

So I use other people’s expertise. Many years ago we joined the Wine Society, a cooperative owned by its members, whose buyers travel the world looking for reliable wines from around £5 upwards. Mail order, by the case, 12 bottles mixed to your choice if you like. I can honestly say we have not had a bad wine (except one bottle in a bin end case that was a little oxidised and immediately credited to our account). I don’t mean we have liked every wine enough to reorder, but most have been at the very least acceptable, and many very enjoyable.

I hope this isn’t regarded as advertising, no more than naming a reliable dishwasher brand!

How you can expect to find reliable wines in the supermarket I don’t know – it seems a complete lottery to me.

breathe – not breath!

Laithwaites looks like one of those “clubs” I mentioned earlier who send you 12 bottles every 3 months unless you remember to cancel it.

I joined a book club once as the introductory books looked right up my street, but the monthly ones were rubbish and as I forgot to cancel them sometimes and had to have a certain number throughout the year, ended up paying for books I really didn’t want so I will give this one a miss.

It is good you live locally and are able to sample them though.

Others have already mentioned how much of a £5 bottle is fixed costs so I won’t go there save to say that it tends to be a case of (sorry!) you get what you pay for.
Part of the problem is the focus on wines from the “New World” = particularly from Australia, New Zealand and South America. These areas are capable of producing great wines …… but generally not wines far south of £10 a bottle. I have been known to describe most New World wines a “alcoholic Ribena” because of their tendency to be very two dimensional loaded with fruit and increasingly strong.
The French make the best wines in the world ….. and the worst wines in the world. Generally you’re not going to get anything decent from France unless you pay for it but some of the classics can be magnificent. St.Emilion, St, Estephe, Cotes du Castillion, Corbieres, Cotes du Rhone etc. The best bottles of French red can have magnificent complexity unlike their Australian and South American counterparts. A particular favourite of mine is the much lesser known “Cahors” which is the original wine made from the Malbec grape. The best Cahors are far superior to South American Malbec.
For me the two best kept secrets of the red wine world are those produced in the Puglia region of the “heel” of Italy made from the Primitivo and Negroamaro grapes. Try a Salice Salentino …… but sometimes the wines will simply be described by their grape variety. The second favourite area is Portugal. Try a “Douro” ….. they can be sensational.
Don’t forget Spain and some of the other classics from Italy. “Sangres de Torro” (literally ” Bull’s Blood) is pretty good (with a cute little plastic black bull attached to the neck of the bottle). Valpolicella can be amazing but make sure that its “Valpolicella Ripasso” – much more full bodied, Genuine Rioja can be wonderful but the Spanish have really cranked the price up over the past few years so you might need to search around for the best. A good lesser known alternative from Spain is a nice full bodied “Priorat”. Sainsbury have a nice one at around £10.
Don’t forget a nice Chianti but you wont find much to please at £5.99 …… and Barolo can be fabulous.
My main tip is don’t just stick to Oz and NZ and S.America. The European classics are called classics for a reason …… but do try to resist pinching too many pennies. Spend just a little more and you’ll find something to please.
Booths supermarkets are excellent for wine ….. but they are a relatively small chain based largely in the North of England. They do however run a very good online service.
Enjoy!

Try ‘jugging’ your red wine before drinking it. By that I mean pouring it between two large jugs several times to aerate it. A before and after taste will confirm the benefit.