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Hi Spod,
Not many people these days follow it strictly to the letter; normally it's just a case of doing without something you really enjoy (in my case nice wine - I'm less of a beer fan) or simply going to church and praying more! As I'm a nice, shy, quiet boy and never sin that would be pointless :eyebrows: :lol:
;)
Marco.
It's why they invented Purgatory, Marco ;)
Just got back from Newcastle Beer Festival, so excuse any typos. Can I just say, for anyone who judges beer by the stink, aka bouquet, St George brewery's "Friar Tuck".
Worra utter gorgeous smell. Pint of caramel, yes please.
Let's hope it doesn't turn into a pint of caramel and diced carrots on the carpet later! :lolsign:
;)
Glad you had a good day out!
Marco.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Animals...!!!
One of the few advantages of age - experience, not only is my bed made but I have the "puking bucket" next to it along with with paper towels and a large glass of water. Oh yes, been there, done that, more than once!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
(p.s how come there's abusive and drinking smillies but no pukey smilies??)
Having mentioned wine as one of my interests in my introductory posting to the AOS forum, I notice that you already have a thread going that caters for this interest and other matters alcoholic, so I’ll add my contribution.
Like a lot of things, I know what I like, rather than why I like, so don’t expect any in-depth tasting notes (or any notes at all).
Beer
The following is a list, in no particular order, of the beers that I like:
Bass
Wadworth ‘6X’
Fuller’s ‘London Pride’ and ‘ESB’
Marston’s ‘Pedigree’
Burton IPA
Theakston’s 'Olde Peculiar’
Courage ‘Director’s’ (Don’t laugh, I was weaned on Courage)
Sharp’s ‘Doon Bar’
SA Brain’s ‘Reverend James’
Green King ‘Speckled Hen’
Ruddles ‘County’
When the Bass is on top form, it is ‘nectar’ and then my favourite beer.
I don’t know too much about Belgian beers, apart from thoroughly enjoying a couple of bottles of ‘Leffe’ a few months ago.
One beer that has become a particular favourite of mine over the last couple of years is
Conwy ‘Honey Fayre’.
This is a live bottled beer, 4.5% ABV, brewed along with a couple of other recipes by a microbrewery just outside Conwy, see www.conwybrewery.co.uk for details.
As for lagers, I like Czech Budwar and Italian Nastro Azzuro. I do tend only to drink lager in the summer.
Whisky
Laphroiagh (my favourite)
Aberlour
Lagavulin
Auchentoshan (not that I can afford it)
Whiskey (spot the pedant)
Bushmills
Armagiac
Janneau XO Royal
Most of the time I enjoy Tesco Armagnac VSOP 40%. At around £16 for a 70cl bottle this is a remarkably smooth brandy and good value for money.
Wine
I prefer red wine and tend to go for French wines. This is not out of any sense of snobbery; rather I have just drunk more of them, so know what I like.
Rhone region:
Chateauneuf du Pape
Cotes du Rhone
Burgundy region:
Nuits St George
Bordeaux region (my main interest):
St Emilion
Margeaux
Of these I have recently enjoyed, inter alia, the following:
Chateau Grand Saint-Andre, 2003, Bordeaux AOC
Chateau Gachon Cuvee Saint-Georges, 2004, Montagne Saint- Emilion AOC
Chateau la Fleur Blanchon, 2005, Lussac Saint-Emilion AOC.
I have half a case of the Chateau Castelbruck, 2004, Margeaux AOC and a whole case of the 2005 to look forward to.
Other reds that I like are Spanish Rioja, and Italian Barolo.
Of white wine, I like Chablis, white Burgundy and Pouilly Fumee from the Loire valley. One of my favourites (readily obtainable in Tesco) is the Italian Castel de Jesu Verdicchio.
All this is making me feel thirsty – I think I’ll go and open a bottle of the Conwy Honey beer.
Cheers
Barry
I love whisky with my first choice being Port Ellen and my second choice being Ardbeg of around 1978 vintage. Then I like whiskey with my favourite being Woodford Reserve.
If I have to choose a good wine it would have to be a South East Australian Shiraz along the lines of a Hardy's or a good reserve Chardonnay from Hardy's also.
For beer it's gotta be a fab pint of Timothy Taylors Landlord served at the White Swan Hotel in Pickering, North Yorkshire.
Food to accompany these delights would be nothing with whisky apart from a seriously good music/hi-fi session on vinyl but some form of Tapas or Greek Salad with a white wine whilst sitting in the garden on a summers day. Red wine would be a rather nice cheese whilst enjoying the company of close friends. Beer...? A nice lunchtime session...!!!
...and after 6 weeks without alcohol I can enjoy some nice red wine! :)
Currently slurping a rather lovely Haut-Médoc (Chateau Lanessan 2004) along with some roast Guinea Fowl wrapped in Serrano ham in a mushroom and Madeira sauce with Dauphinoise potatoes, asparagus and baby carrots...
:cheers:
Marco.
I always feel sorry for the baby carrots... :lol:
Whyz dat, shweety? :)
Marco.
Well... I'm having to settle for some cheapo red stuff, allegedly French, and some BBQ'd sausages! Weather lovely here today. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Hopback 'Entire' Stout. A Wiltshire local brewer of repute.
Plus a Porky Pie + Salad. Yum Yum!
It's all good :cool:
Marco.
The Old Joint Stock and The Wellington after a curry in Brum beckon today. The first pub above sells all the Fullers beers including the venerable ESB and I will limit myself to one pint of that. The other pub serves up to 16 real ales, two German and a Czech beer on draught. No more than 2 ales in total before I move onto sugar free German beer.
ESB. An extremely nice beer. Very tasty, but like you say, one to be taken in moderation!
Stevie boy, we must venture into Brum sometime when I'm down so I can sample the delights of these fine ales of which you mention...
There is a train service direct from Wrexham to Birmingham, so I could always meet you there and we could taxi it on to wherever is necessary :cool:
I presume that nice food is also available, as you know me, I never drink on an empty stomach.
Obviously driving is out of the question if we're going to have a sesh-ette :eyebrows:
Here's the website of that lovely little pub I was talking about where we had lunch on the way back from London last week (just off the M40):
http://www.thehalf-moon.com/ Click on 'Wine List' to see a bit of the interior. Unfortunately it doesn't show the bar with its fine selection of local real ales...
Bloody superb though in every way. It's probably the finest country pub I've ever been in. Exactly my kind of place - I just wish it was nearer!
Marco.
Nice choice.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Over Easter I was enjoying Welsh saltmarsh lamb with pommes Dauphinoise (snap!), chantenay carrots, peas and mushrooms, washed down with a Chateau Labat 2004 (also an Haut-Medoc). Later turned the left-over lamb into a shepherd's pie, this being accompanied by a bottle of Chateau Grand Saint-Andre 2003.
Salute
Barry
Barry, you are a man of some taste and discerning sophistication!
You bring a touch of class to the forum in more ways than one. Let's hope we can educate the ale supping peasants here to appreciate the finer things in life :eyebrows:
For lunch today I am enjoying some pan-fried organic chicken breast with garlic, sautéed in Marsala wine with champignons farcis, sliced sautéed potatoes, chicory, steamed cauliflower and thin green beans. Washing it down is a glass or two of a none too shabby Château de Fonsalette Côtes du Rhône Reserve 2005. I've got some rather nice Stilton and home-made walnut bread for afters.
In case you think that I eat (or drink) like this twice a day, I always have my main meal at lunch time and rarely eat in the evening, which I find much healthier. I have the odd glass of red wine for lunch if I don't have to go out afterwards. It certainly helps when you're self-employed and work from home! ;)
Marco.
Goodness - do you eat like this every day? You are making my mouth water! All that and an M3D as well!Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
I'm afraid my meal tonight will be far more prosaic: a simple tagliatelle carbonara with steamed brocolli, green beans and mushrooms. Haven't decided on the wine yet, maybe a Bordeaux: Chateau Grand Ferrand 2006.
Bon appetite
Barry
PS Now't wrong with (real) ale. Now the weather has improved, a lunch time pint, sat outside in the pub garden is looking very attractive.
Heaven forbid, of course not. I was slumming it because we'd run out of venison! :lol:Quote:
Goodness - do you eat like this every day?
;)
Nope, nothing wrong with real ale or even good lager (Pils). In the summer when it's warm (it happens occasionally) this is mostly what we drink, alcohol-wise, or perhaps some good quality Devon cider, nicely chilled. Red wine drinking is limited, with preference being for a nice chilled Chablis or rosé.
I love pasta (obviously coming from Italian parents) but I'm not a big fan of Carbonara. It's too creamy and a bit heavy for me. My wife makes her own fresh egg pasta in the form of tagliatelle, linguine (love this baked in the oven in tinfoil with fresh tomato, chilli and basil sauce with langoustine and clams - yum!) ravioli, lasagne, etc.
She also makes home-made gnocchi and pesto, which is lovely :)
Marco.
I can confirm the tin foil method is a winner! :) and your wife is a fantastic cook Marco - I had the rest of the pasta and bread and it was yum! Ta.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
I rarely drink these days, but will have the occasional grolsch or a malt.
I used to manage the forestry assets of a member of the aristocracy (or idle rich, depending on your point of view) who's family made their (very large) fortune out of exporting Marsala out of Sicily - one day Grandad woke up & decided that his house in Palermo had become over-run by grandchildren, so he bought each of their parents a country estate in England. Nice work if you can get it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Bloody-ell that was Marcos grandad!!!:lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by The Grand Wazoo
That's class!! Wrong part of Italy, though, for me. Tuscany is our zone :)
Marco.
Bit late getting back to the subject of beers in Brum but the Old Joint Stock was closed on the Easter Monday. :( Fortunately the Wellington with the 16 real ales plus two German beers was open.
There were also a few interesting bars in Brindley Place by the Canal off Broad Street, not to mention fine eateries too including a fairly decent Indian. All Bar One sold Paulaner Original Munchner Pils on tap. :)
Marco if you fancy joining us from New Street station early one Monday evening and having a wander down it could be done. No need for a cab if the weather is decent as the 15 minute walk is actually quite pleasant and mostly pedestrianised.
http://www.bottledbeer.co.uk/photos/wickstation.jpg
Wickwar Station Porter. 6.1% but I can still drink 2 bottles of the stuff and not have a whiff of a hangover in the morning. Slips down lovely :) And very very tasty :)
This site seems to have become a little quiet on the oenophile front, so thought it was time to make a contribution.
I have lately taken delivery of half cases of the following clarets:
Château L’Eglise 2006, Puisseguin Sainte-Emillion AOC,
Château Bellvue Chollet 2006, Bordeau AOC,
Château Maison Blanche 2006, Médoc AOC Cru Borgeoise.
Turns out that 2006 was a surprisingly good year for claret, well rounded and fruity, and the above certainly taste good to me. All the above are around £9 a bottle
I have also recently enjoyed bottles of:
Baume de Venise 2008 Vacqueyras, Côte du Rhône. 13.5%. Approx. £11.50 a bottle. Again this is a full-bodied red with a spicy aroma. Reckoned to be as good as 2005/2006,
and another claret:
Margeaux La Petite Echoppe 2006. 3/5 Cabernet Sauvignon 2/5 Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. 13%. ‘Vanilla top note with dark berry fruits’. Available from Marks & Spencer at £15 a bottle; so save for that special occasion.
Now that the summer has arrived we have of course been enjoying chilled whites: a mixture of Italian Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and various French Chablis, all courtesy of Tesco and whose exact names I have forgotten to note. Will no doubt be buying some more, so will post on these later.
Barry
I promised I would post on some white wines I have been enjoying this summer. Apart from the ever perennial Tesco
'Castel de Jesu Verdicchio' , the thoroughly acceptable South African
'Thandi Chardonnay', 2007, 13% ABV can also be recommended.
For a little more (~£6), I can thoroughly recommend a white Cote Du Rhone
'Caves Sainte-Pierre', 2008, this and the Chardonnay are also available at Tesco
For claret lover I just have to mention:
Margeaux 'La Petite Echoppe' 2006. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon 40% Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. 13%. Marks & Spencer (£15). Not cheap, but then decent claret isn't. Definitely one for a special occasion - so go on, buy a bottle and just make up any old excuse to drink it: birthdays, unbirthdays, the kids getting a University place, or anything!
Another memorable claret I have drunk recently is
Margeau 'Chateau Martinens' Cru Bourgeois 2005, 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc. Around £18. Oh, if only I had bought another bottle!
2007 was a very good year for Rhone, so keep an eye out for these in the near future.
Tesco's are having a bit of an offer on white wines. Three that I have tried recently and can recommend are:
'Les Pierre Blanches', 2007, disributed by Andre Tremblay. £8 reduced from £12,
'Les Armes de Chablis', 2007, again £8 reduced from £12,
'Cuvee Claude Dominique', £8 reduced from £9,
and
Tesco's own Chardonnay 'Macon Village Blanc', sorry can't remember the price, but not expensive.
Finally my recent trip to Conway, North Wales, allowed me to stock up on the Conwy Brewery 'Honey Fayre'. A bottle conditioned ale 4.5%. Whilst I was at the brewery, I noticed that there was a version with a new label. Upon enquiry I was told that it was for Marks and Spencer. I thought that it might only be the local Marks that would stock it, but it seems that it might be tried out nationwide. It certainly travels well, as I have proved on numerous occasions having carted a dozen bottles in the boot of my car 200 miles, so you might find it coming to a supermarket near you. Look out for it, as it can be thoroughly recommended ! :cool:
Hey, Barry, you should've given me a shout and we could have hooked up. Conwy is only about 50 mins away from me :)Quote:
Finally my recent trip to Conway, North Wales, allowed me to stock up on the Conwy Brewery 'Honey Fayre'.
Some good wine recs there, so will probably try a few :cheers:
Marco.
Hi Marco,Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
I did give it a thought, but didn't feel I knew you well enough to burden myself upon you. Anyway my 'little black cocktail dress' was at the cleaners and my high heels at the cobblers!
I am up North Wales way four to five times a year, so maybe next time.
Regards
Hi Barry,
Our door is open anytime to (reasonably) sane hi-fi and music nutters - even those without the necessary accoutrements to flounce around in frilly fashion ensembles, hahahahaha............ :eyebrows:
;)
Next time you're due to visit the area, dude, PM me :cool:
Marco.
Thanks for the open invitation Marco. Will send you a PM you next time I'm travelling up that way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Regards
Please do, Barry. Feel free to bring a bottle of Le Piat D'or ;)
Marco.
Think I might be able to do a little better than that! I have in mind some local plonk I drank in Albania in 1992. Totally indescribable! :(Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Sounds interesting, Barry - a bit like Chateau Musar, perhaps? :)
Incidentally, Tesco have got some rather cheeky vino at the moment on sale at half-price (and some less than that!):
Caves Saint-Pierre Vacqueyras 2007, which we've just polished off with the Sunday roast (today it was roast haunch of venison with a Burgundy wine jus with carmelised challots, baked fennel in a (light) cream sauce with nutmeg, steamed asparagus and Anya potatoes), reduced from £14.99 to an amazing £5.99 a bottle. It is quite superb. All I can say is buy it now whilst stocks last!!!
We also picked up a rather nice Chateau Lussac St-Émilion, reduced from £13.99 to £6.99, a fabulous St Joseph 2006 (which we've already enjoyed recently) reduced from £13.49 to £6.49, and lastly a perfectly 'gluggable' 2007 Prestige & Calvet Bordeaux, reduced from £11.99 to £5.99.
Run along and nab 'em while they're available, folks, because these are serious bargains! :cheers:
Marco.
its the camra beer festival in worcester this weekend.... i can recomend it whole heartedly
although the main preoblem is you have to buy tokens and then pay with them... its to confusing when the beer starts taking its inevitable effects
Hi Marco,
Popped into my local Tesco to see if I could pick up some of the offers you mentioned. Well it would seem that you may be getting a better deal at your branch.
The 2007 Caves Sainte-Pierre Vacqueyras is not reduced and still costs £14.99. I bought the 2005 for £6.50.
I bought a 2006 Reserve Saint-Clair Puisseguin Saint-Emillion for £6.99. Is this what you meant by the Lussac? Tesco seem to think so (that's how it's itemised on the bill), but whilst close, I'm not sure if they are the same region. Maybe I'm being being pedantic.
The 2006 St Joseph is not available, and the 2005 costs £12.99.
No sign of the Prestige & Calvert Bordeaux at any price.
However I did pick up a 2008 Caves Saint-Pierre Cotes-du-Rhone red for £5.99 and the 2007 white for £5.95.
Still going to be on the lookout for that 2007 Vacqueyras at £5.99!
Cheers
Marco,
I still can't get that 2007 Vacqueyras at my Tesco, they're useless!
Whilst I don't normally drink dessert whites, we do occasionally serve wine with each course if holding dinner parties. Recently we did so, and served a nice little Bordeaux:
'Le Criox 'St. Vincent'. More a demi sec than a dessert wine, but fine with summer berries: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or in this case Picota cherries.
Have also enjoyed (following your recommendation) a chilled 2008:
'Prospetti Rose', Pinot Grigiot and Sauvignon.
Tonight, it has been a Cotes de Luberon, 'La Tour de Marrenon', 2008. Grenache Blanc and Vermintino. "Fresh and citrussy but has the richness of ripe grapes with the hint of nectarines". Hmm - just about, but at £4.49 from Tesco, not a bad slurp.
Regards
The strongest wine I know of is called High Wine. It's produced in Guyana ( of Demerara sugar fame and land of the caiman and El Dorado.). It's over proof and will ignite if you put a flame to it:eyebrows:.
Hi Stan,Quote:
Originally Posted by StanleyB
That's not wine, it's bloody rocket fuel - you could run your Bugatti on that stuff, and it's probably cheaper than petrol where it's concocted ;) .
Cheers,
I went to the Bristol one a good few years ago and had a great time. Thing is though that with a penchant for strong porters, even supping them in half-glasses can soon make rational activities that little bit more challenging!Quote:
Originally Posted by hamish_gill
Some more wines recently enjoyed and to be recommended:
Bordeaux
2006 Puisseguin Saint-Émilion, ‘Château L’Église’
2006 Puisseguin Saint-Émilion, ‘Reserve Saint-Clair’
2003 Côtes de Blaye, ‘Château La Bernarde’ Cuvée Blavia
2006 ‘Château Moulin de Pillardot’
2006 ‘Château Bellevue Chollet’,
Concours de Bordeaux Vins D’Aquitaine 2007 Médaille D’Or
2005 Margaux’ ‘Château Castelbruck’
2006 Médoc, ‘Château Chantemerle’ Cuvée du Moulin
2006 Médoc, ‘Château Maison Blanche’.
Rhône
2008 Côtes-du-Rhône, ‘Caves Saint-Pierre’,
This is another bargain from Tesco along with the 2007 and an excellent Rhône.
I might have mentioned the Conwy Brewery ‘Honey Fayre’ beer was going to be distributed by Marks & Spencer. Well bottles have appeared in my local Marks way down here in sunny Essex. There’s a good chance they are awaiting you in your local Marks. Go on give it a go; sold as ‘Welsh Honey Bitter’, a bottled conditioned beer 4.5% ABV.
Regards
ha yeah I know that story!Quote:
Originally Posted by Beechwoods
I was drinking one of brakspears beers the other day, realy strong flavours, very fuity - very tasty! I didn't realy pay any attention to the abv until I'd had 3 pints and felt a bit unstable ... I was bloody 7.1!
.......
I haven't posted any recomendation here before, but here goes
brakspear 7.1 stuff (forgot it's name)
hooknorton brewery's 'hooky gold' - very very easy to drink pale ale
Oxford landing Chardonnay - £4.99 from my local corner shop - cheap and tasty!
Cono sur viognier - £5.99 from scummerfield - cheep and mega tasty!
(I'm into my cheap n tasty wine!)
Can I recomend a cider? - thatchers katy! It's like squash very clear, easy to drink! But not for the faint hearted, gets ya right old cider pissed with it's 7.4(?) abv!
I recommend the Champaign Blondel (http://www.champagneblondel.com/uk/home/). Any year. Any type.
Impressive quality/price ratio.
You must try the Rosé, it's outstanding.
(I've been buying exclusively their Champaign since 1994)
Looks very interesting, Dimitri. I'll bear it in mind for Christmas :)
We're not really massive Champagne drinkers, preferring instead a nice Claret, Rioja Gran Reserva or, say, an Amarone, Barolo or Brunello di Montalcino (yes you can tell we're definitely of the 'old world' school of wine!)
My view is that a lot of Champagne is vastly overpriced for the quality on offer. One usually has to go for vintage to get the requisite genuine quality, and then you're talking mega bucks!! In fact, I find that often some of the English sparkling whites are just as good at a fraction of the price!
However, the Blondel intrigues me as it appears to be one of the smaller, more specialist Champagne houses, therefore one would hope for more 'flavour-per-pound' than with, say, an often rather non-descript Moët.
Marco.
Some more vino making its way chez moi:
Rhône
Cuvée Du Vatican, 2007, Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC. 15% ABV.
“Powerful berry, spice and pepper aromas … oozes old-vine, intensity, with blackberry depth of fine vintage. Smooth, spicy complexity from barrel aging”.
Laithwaites, c. £17 bottle; only supplied as whole cases of 12. Share a case with a friend. Available December 2009.
Rioja
Finca Las Rejas, Vino de Mesa
This cuvée is made from Tempranillo grapes from the Rioja Alavesa. DOC rules state that a cellar may only produce a certain amount of wine labelled Rioja each year, so excess grapes are ‘declassified’ and labelled Vino de Mesa (table wine). Still a Crianza style Rioja.
“… bright berry aromas and juicy redcurrant, blackcurrant and clove flavours with tempting peppery notes”.
Laithwaites, £7 bottle.
Bordeaux
Château du Plantier, 2006, Appelation Bordeaux Contrôlée. Médaille de Bronze, Paris 2007. 12% ABV.
Vignoble: Gironde.
Terroir: Agrilo-calcaire.
Cépage: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc.
Dégustation: Arômes fruités, vin ample et bien structuré aux tannins souples.
Available from your local Sommerfield, £7 bottle.
À votre santé
Guys,
Sainsbury's have once again got some cracking deals on quality wine.
I picked up a 2003 Rémy Gauthier Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, reduced from £12 to £8.99 a bottle, which we're going to have today for lunch with some pan-fried pork fillet with carmelised apples in a Calvados and crème fraîche sauce.
I'll let you know what the wine is like once we've sampled it later! :cheers:
I also got a 2008 Blason de Bourgogne, Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Bourgogne, reduced from £13.99 to £6.65 a bottle, and a superb 1995 Chateau Simard Saint-Émilion, Appellation Saint-Émilion Contrôlée, reduced from £30.00 to £12.00 a bottle!
The latter will be put aside for having with the goose on Christmas Day ;)
Hurry now while stocks last!!
Marco.