[Offers] Campo Viejo Rioja Gran Reserva

[Shropshire Seagull]

Jam Shed (Shiraz not Malbec) anybody?

##Awaits flaming from the wine snobs ...

 

[vegster]

I'd be interested in the inputs of @Goldstone1976 and @Machiavelli on this, but as a layman, it strikes me that it's likely to lie somewhere between a myth and utter nonsense,

Just because large corporate wine producers flood overseas supermarket shelves with high-volume low-price wine, and that's all that many consumers see, doesn't mean the better stuff is being hoarded solely for the domestic markets.

Wine producers will want to reach a global market, they'll want their wines on the lists of Michelin-starred restaurants the world over and in the cellars of collectors and those who really know and appreciate finer wines.

I'm currently in Paphos and have just drunk Greek/ Cypriot wines for the first time, never seen them before in the main outlets in the UK ..quite cheap but eminently quaffable. I'm thinking that output already meets demand locally and therefore only expansion of vineyards would lead to an exportable surplus.....and Cyprus already has water shortages and that isn't going to get better with the ongoing climate change.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I'd be interested in the inputs of @Goldstone1976 and @Machiavelli on this, but as a layman, it strikes me that it's likely to lie somewhere between a myth and utter nonsense,

Just because large corporate wine producers flood overseas supermarket shelves with high-volume low-price wine, and that's all that many consumers see, doesn't mean the better stuff is being hoarded solely for the domestic markets.

Wine producers will want to reach a global market, they'll want their wines on the lists of Michelin-starred restaurants the world over and in the cellars of collectors and those who really know and appreciate finer wines.

As a fan of "sweet spot" wines (ones I like the taste of that retail between around £9 and £20) I can confirm that there are indeed some excellent Australian wines available in Hove, of all backwater places, in a nice place called Quaff

Philip Shaw's "The Idiot" Shiraz is a big favourite of mine, though it obviously stretches the logistical chain you spoke of even further, since it comes from Orange. Incredible how these hidden gems find their way here.

 

[CheeseRolls]

I'd be interested in the inputs of @Goldstone1976 and @Machiavelli on this, but as a layman, it strikes me that it's likely to lie somewhere between a myth and utter nonsense,

Just because large corporate wine producers flood overseas supermarket shelves with high-volume low-price wine, and that's all that many consumers see, doesn't mean the better stuff is being hoarded solely for the domestic markets.

Wine producers will want to reach a global market, they'll want their wines on the lists of Michelin-starred restaurants the world over and in the cellars of collectors and those who really know and appreciate finer wines.

It boils down to the definition of best. If you take this to mean best value at any price point, it probably makes more sense than trying to think in terms of premium price wine.

One of the functions of trade unions in France is to buy wine on behalf of their members. This might involve visiting a sample of vineyards and then agreeing to buying the entire vintage. This provides great certainity for the lucky wine maker and pricing is typically very keen.

Spanish wine in some regions is also delivered to the door. You fill your own containers, this cuts out distribution and retailer margins and this is before you consider the differences in tax regimes.

 

[BLOCK F]

Jam Shed (Shiraz not Malbec) anybody?

##Awaits flaming from the wine snobs ...

I am certainly not a wine snob, but. I tried this once and it wasn’t to my taste.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Jam Shed (Shiraz not Malbec) anybody?

##Awaits flaming from the wine snobs ...

Incredibly easy drinking. Mostly because it's basically fruit juice. Probably the only cheap supermarket wine I've had that's gone ok with cheese though so has its place.

 

[Machiavelli]

I'd be interested in the inputs of @Goldstone1976 and @Machiavelli on this, but as a layman, it strikes me that it's likely to lie somewhere between a myth and utter nonsense,

Just because large corporate wine producers flood overseas supermarket shelves with high-volume low-price wine, and that's all that many consumers see, doesn't mean the better stuff is being hoarded solely for the domestic markets.

Wine producers will want to reach a global market, they'll want their wines on the lists of Michelin-starred restaurants the world over and in the cellars of collectors and those who really know and appreciate finer wines.

It is utter nonsense. Switzerland's production is pretty much for domestic consumption and some recent players (eg England, Wales, etc) have a higher percentage of domestic sales but, for the most part, why wouldn't you want to find more, bigger and, potentially, more lucrative markets.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Well, mine has just arrived so I can't wait to complement the disappointment of a dull cup game in Staffordshire with the disappointment of a mouth full of American Oak. I might also get some below par cheese - maybe a supermarket own brand blue, before retiring to bed with a distinctly average novel.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I'd be interested in the inputs of @Goldstone1976 and @Machiavelli on this, but as a layman, it strikes me that it's likely to lie somewhere between a myth and utter nonsense,

Just because large corporate wine producers flood overseas supermarket shelves with high-volume low-price wine, and that's all that many consumers see, doesn't mean the better stuff is being hoarded solely for the domestic markets.

Wine producers will want to reach a global market, they'll want their wines on the lists of Michelin-starred restaurants the world over and in the cellars of collectors and those who really know and appreciate finer wines.

I’m no expert but I’m of the view it’s nonsense. There’s clearly half decent foreign wines to be had if the weekend newspaper supplements are anything to go by. And there’s plenty of restaurants serving up fine wines.

I also wonder how much is influenced by drinking wine abroad. I have often heard people suggest that bog standard house wine in French restaurants is superb. Maybe it is, but drinking a Chardonnay when surrounded by sultry and sophisticated Parisian chics will always taste better than the same wine in an All Bar One surrounded by shrieking office girls.

 

[Bozza]

Well, mine has just arrived so I can't wait to complement the disappointment of a dull cup game in Staffordshire with the disappointment of a mouth full of American Oak. I might also get some below par cheese - maybe a supermarket own brand blue, before retiring to bed with a distinctly average novel.

Will sir be going for Dairylea or Babybel?

 

[CheeseRolls]

I’m no expert but I’m of the view it’s nonsense. There’s clearly half decent foreign wines to be had if the weekend newspaper supplements are anything to go by. And there’s plenty of restaurants serving up fine wines.

I also wonder how much is influenced by drinking wine abroad. I have often heard people suggest that bog standard house wine in French restaurants is superb. Maybe it is, but drinking a Chardonnay when surrounded by sultry and sophisticated Parisian chics will always taste better than the same wine in an All Bar One surrounded by shrieking office girls.

https://taxfoundation.org/wine-taxes-in-europe-2021/

The tax difference on a bottle of wine France versus UK is £2.50 and surely this influences perception of quality and value?

I had a 48 Euro bottle of wine in a restaurant in Barcelona in 2021 googled it and the UK retail price was around £45. Given that UK restaurants are often happy to mark up a bottle by 300-400%, I might be comparing this to a bottle which retails at just over a tenner in a UK restaurant.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

https://taxfoundation.org/wine-taxes-in-europe-2021/

The tax difference on a bottle of wine France versus UK is £2.50 and surely this influences perception of quality and value?

I had a 48 Euro bottle of wine in a restaurant in Barcelona in 2021 googled it and the UK retail price was around £45. Given that UK restaurants are often happy to mark up a bottle by 300-400%, I might be comparing this to a bottle which retails at just over a tenner in a UK restaurant.

Possibly.

What was the wine?

 

[CheeseRolls]

https://www.bbr.com/products-20188004947-2018-gratallops-vi-de-vila-alvaro-palacios-priorat-spain

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

https://taxfoundation.org/wine-taxes-in-europe-2021/

The tax difference on a bottle of wine France versus UK is £2.50 and surely this influences perception of quality and value?

I had a 48 Euro bottle of wine in a restaurant in Barcelona in 2021 googled it and the UK retail price was around £45. Given that UK restaurants are often happy to mark up a bottle by 300-400%, I might be comparing this to a bottle which retails at just over a tenner in a UK restaurant.

Given I go to Barca a lot I should also ask for the restaurant

 

[CheeseRolls]

Given I go to Barca a lot I should also ask for the restaurant

https://restaurantelaventa.com/ Half way up Tibidabo. I have been twice 25 years apart and both times it was excellent.

For something a bit more central there is a cluster of wonderful restaurants in the Diagonal. Besta, Osmosis and Taktiki Berri (Basque) are all worth seeking out.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

https://restaurantelaventa.com/ Half way up Tibidabo. I have been twice 25 years apart and both times it was excellent.

For something a bit more central there is a cluster of wonderful restaurants in the Diagonal. Besta, Osmosis and Taktiki Berri (Basque) are all worth seeking out.

Thanks. I’ll bear these in mind next time I go.

 

[CheeseRolls]

At home I tend to order mixed cases of Spanish wine, mainly reds from https://www.decantalo.com/es/en/ and then sift through the special offers in Lidl for good stuff in the £8-12 a bottle ranges.

 

[BrightonCottager]

At home I tend to order mixed cases of Spanish wine, mainly reds from https://www.decantalo.com/es/en/ and then sift through the special offers in Lidl for good stuff in the £8-12 a bottle ranges.

Don't you get hammered with VAT and duty at the UK port of entry? That's why I stopped buying from www.portugalvineyards.com

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Pieroth is the only wine we drink.

They do excellent wine tasting evenings and it isn’t available in the shops….

 

[CheeseRolls]

No this is dealt with, just delivery charges to pay (not cheap). All explained here https://www.decantalo.com/uk/en/content/shipping-wine-to-united-kingdom.html