:lolsign: I don't feel too ace this morning
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:lolsign: I don't feel too ace this morning
Ipswich Beer festival this weekend, coupled with the Maritime Ipswich Festival - less than 5 minutes from the house, nice weather, and loads of Real Ale to try - sod the housework and gardening. :) Report to follow - if I can type.
Been ‘drinking up’ some of the 2005 and 2006 Bordeaux:
2006 Château Camail
http://www.bawineclub.co.uk/images/products/61501b.jpg
A Premières Côtes de Bordeaux. Château bottled. 12.5% ABV
~ £10 a bottle
2006 was a difficult year producing wines of variable quality. This was one of the better ones. Excellent with lamb
2006 Château Labourdette
http://www.cellartracker.com/labels/98710.jpg
Château bottled. 12% ABV
~ £10 a bottle
“This Bordeaux is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet; having the sharp taste and the structured tannins of the Cabernet, with at the same time, the mellowness of the Merlot. Together, they create a lovely purple color and a nose of plums and tobacco. The taste is plummy with a touch of pepper and spearmint.”
2005 Château Colombier – Monpelou Pauillac
http://www.cellartracker.com/labels/90153.jpg
65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot
Château bottled. 13% ABV
~ £15 a bottle
This estate neighbours Mouton Rothschild, overlooking Pauillac. I’m drinking a glass of this now: well balanced, fruity and powerful with subtle tannins. Excellent!
They look very nice Barry, but not a patch on what we were drinking last week in Greece:
http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/410/dscf3655.jpg
12% ABV
2.75 Euros for 1.5 litres!
Yes - but drink too much of that and and what are the 'detox clinic' fees? :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by The Grand Wazoo
:drunk:
Actually, it wasn't too bad at all!
We had all of these too:
http://www.agni.gr/kefalonia_travel_...e%20robola.jpg
......all of them very nice.
Haha.......we didn't drink each and every one of those actual bottles..........but we did try one of each of those types of wine..........on separate evenings.......................................... ............................as part of a balanced diet!
Not true, I'm afraid - it has to be different fruits. Now, a bottle of wine, and a bottle of gin would be ok as two - grapes in the wine, juniper berries in the gin - if you mix it with tonic even better for the medicinal effect - eat the slice of lemon after each glass, and that's three of your five! ;)
:lol:
They serve Purity ales at Moseley folk festival, so I have been supping plenty of those and hoping to forget that they cost 3.80 a pint :eek:
My favourite so far is Pure UBU
http://www.puritybrewing.com/pure-ubu.cfm
Hi,
I have another voucher from LoveFilm for £40 off a crate of wine valued at £80 or more through Virgin Wines Discovery Club, new joiners only. PM me if interested.
Do you get athelete's foot of the larynx in the morning? I must have tried half a doz different red last time we were over there all gave me sore throowert..Ended up being Raki & Ouzo all hols.. i did find salvation in a pack of very out of date German Pils larger i found luking in a shop fridge tho.
Haven’t posted here for a while. Not that I’ve stopped drinking, nor have I signed the ‘Pledge’ – I haven’t: I’m still happily consuming three to four bottles a week. However it does seem as if I’m the only one who posts regarding wine – maybe it’s of little or no interest to others?
Well what the Hell, here are some ‘slurps’ enjoyed recently.
Château Camail, 2006 Bordeaux
http://www.bawineclub.co.uk/images/products/61501.jpg
100% Merlot, 12.5% ABV
“Fruity, punchy and complex Bordeaux from a little-known family estate. Heavenly with lamb
Perched on the high slopes running down to Bordeaux’s Gironde river lies Chateau Camail, is a picturesque, family-owned estate.”
“2006 was a vintage of extremes – a heatwave summer giving way to a damp harvesting period. There are some real gems in this vintage if you know where to find them, and Camail’s is one of the most beautifully poised and elegant examples.”
Thoroughly recommended. Approx £10 a bottle.
Château Labourdette, 2006 Bordeaux
http://www.cellartracker.com/labels/98711.jpg
(Image of the 2005 vintage)
A blend of Merlot and Cabernet, 12% ABV
“….plummy with a touch of pepper and spearmint.”
£10 a bottle
Château Mugron, 2007 Bordeaux
http://www.bawineclub.co.uk/images/products/62390.jpg
A south facing terroir, Mugron is a blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. 12.5% ABV
“Mugron has crafted a 2007 of incredible character and depth - a must-have for claret fans
Château Mugron's beautiful wine is steeped in history, having been making wine since the French Revolution - and being the toast of the trenches! During the Great War, Mugron began supplying so-called "le quart de vin du poilu", ensuring French soldiers were not short of a ration to go with their meal!
Nowadays the wine is a little more sophisticated. Its 40 year old vines impart great richness and complexity to the wine, which is vinified in a hi-tech winery by an exceptionally talented team. The result is a magnificently concentrated and complex, yet soft and approachable claret.”
I really enjoyed this wine. Approx £10 a bottle.
Château Colombier-Monpelou, 2005 Pauillac
http://www.cellartracker.com/labels/90153.jpg
Neighbouring Mouton Rothschild and Pontet-Canet, overlooking Pauillac 13% ABV
“The wines are full of deep red colour, with very good Cabernet Sauvignon character. Big, fat, lush red and black fruits dominate the aromas and flavours with a very nice firm but pleasant finish of fairly well integrated tannins. Has excellent balance and power. Although it is definitely a Pauillac for that Cabernet lover, any red wine aficionado should not miss this wine.”
Approx £20 a bottle
And finally:
Château La Gorce, 2004 Medoc
http://www.cellartracker.com/labels/48005.jpg
A blend of 60% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. Winner of four Gold medals in 2006.
“Super smart claret buy from the perfect drinking 2004 vintage and a medal-winning estate
Château La Gorce is a grand 19th century estate in Blaignan in the Médoc, just north of Saint-Estèphe and next door to the famous properties, Châteaux Loudenne and Cardorne.
The château was founded in 1821 by Madame La Gorce who gives the estate its name and came into the hands of the Fabre family only in the 1980s. The property had fallen into considerable disrepair in that time and the new owners set about restoring the quality expected of a true Cru Bourgeois. And with eight medals (including four Golds) in just four vintages, they're bang on track.
Mouthfilling ripe, concentrated blackcurrant, damson and plum fruit, framed in smooth, toasty oak.”
Delicious, £13 a bottle
Some nice stuff there, Barry! Although you forgot to mention where you bought it from...
I don't think that's the case at all. Lots of people read this thread, and I'm sure, try the recommendations put forward, so keep up the good work!Quote:
Haven’t posted here for a while. Not that I’ve stopped drinking, nor have I signed the ‘Pledge’ – I haven’t: I’m still happily consuming three to four bottles a week. However it does seem as if I’m the only one who posts regarding wine – maybe it’s of little or no interest to others?
In my case, it's simply the time and/or motivation needed to post pictures and write about what wine we've enjoyed. We do most of our drinking at the weekend, normally after a nice meal, and when that's finished, my inclination is usually to go for a wee sleep afterwards, or sprawl out listening to some tunes, than post here about what wine we've quaffed ;)
And then after that, I usually forget all about it! I promise to discipline myself better in future :eyebrows:
We're going to France in October, and so will be returning with a car full of wine and beer, and all sorts of goodies. I plan to select some truly top-notch claret and burgundy for Christmas (along with selected desert wines and aperitifs), so I guarantee that I'll be writing about that. Christmas will be better than ever this year, with my parents now living locally, as they are serious good food and wine lovers like us! :cheers:
Marco.
Folks
Tesco have on half price offer the Ogio Pinot Grigo. This is my favourite pinot grigo. :) Go on buy a few bottles (£4.99 until 4.10.11); summer's not over yet, well not quite!
I'm going to crack open a nicely chilled bottle to drink with tonight's meal: sushi to start, followed by a vegetarian dish of pasta with ratatouille.
Marco, regarding my last recommended 'slurps', I got them from Laithwaites but they can be obtained from a number of other vintners.
:cheers:
Nice one, Barry - enjoy! Just one thing, as I know you like to be correct, the 'Grigio' in Pinot Grigio is spelled "Grigio", and not "Grigot", as you have written it :)
Marco.
Corrected! Thanks Marco - I'm so used to drinking French wine, as you know, I inadvertently added a "t". :doh:
From a thread elsewhere....
Good one Marco. Looks like Masi are reliable producers of, not only Amarone, but of whites. Will look out for it (once I have exhausted the case of Ogio).Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Lunchtime, for me was a little more prosaic: down the pub drinking with mates. Too hot today to be drinking ale; so a couple of pints of Peroni Nastro Azzuro drunk with a smoked mackerel and beetroot salad, with a honey and mustard dressing. :)
Cheers
If you've got a Morrisons near you, I can thoroughly recommend this Canti Pinot Grigio Rosé:
http://www.morrisons.co.uk/Food-and-...ne/?WineId=620
Served ice cold, it slips down really nicely, in this current hot weather, with a lovely fresh salad Niçoise ! :cheers:
Marco.
Does anybody know where I can buy this Danish brewed lager in the UK?
http://www.royalunibrew.com/Files/Bi...giraf_beer.jpg
I used to buy it (nearly 20 years ago mind) from an off-license called Macs in Buckingham - pure nectar with a lovely aroma.
I also used to like that beer, but haven't seen it for ages!
For unusual beers, I order from the following website, particularly for topping up our stash of booze at Christmas. I've used them before on numerous occasions and can highly recommend them.
They have quite a few Danish beers, in this section, which might tickle your taste buds:
http://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/acata...h_Beer_81.html
:cool:
Marco.
Hello all,
Thank you for the wine/ale rec's. I have written down about a dozen of your Bordeaux wine rec's and searched for them locally with no luck. It's like trying to find a local jazz or classical radio station - good luck... Anyways, I have been trying different wines since the late 70s and have developed some definite likes and dislikes (dislikes don't mean they're bad, just not my thing). I'd like to hear some of yours? I'll start by listing a few of mine and see if anyone wants to respond.
Likes: Casanova di Neri - Rosso (and Rossos generally), Dolcetto d'Albas in general, esp. lighter ones, Cotes du Rhone in general, Morellino di Scansano, M. Lapierre Morgon, any single domain Chiroubles
Dislikes (so far - things change): Malbecs, Calif. Merlots, Shiraz, Zinfandel, any ones that hit you over the head like a sledgehammer or are so dry you'd swear they used stones instead of grapes, or are cloying or vinegary
Best,
Barry
Hi Barry,
I suspect that you and I have very similar tastes!
I can relate in particular to your love of quality Italian wine. How about some Duca Enrico, Barbera d'Asti Riserva Speciale, Sassicaia, Amarone, Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva or Brunello di Montalcino, to name but a few?
http://img809.imageshack.us/img809/1791/103817d.jpg
Yum, yum! :cheers:
However, I shall comment more later :)
Marco.
Thank you Marco. I know I can find most of these locally. I just feel like Italian gives me the best balance and complexity w/out spending crazy$$$. I feel like most wine people I run into in this country are overly influenced by Robert Parker and have a tendency to place wine on some kind of trophy pedestal (metaphorically speaking). They don't have a balanced approach that places wine as part of the overall meal. Also, I can't tell you how many expensive wines I've tried only to feel they weren't worth the money and simply went for bigger, bolder flavors. I look at the descriptors at my local shops and all I see are words like: big, bold, concentrated, blockbuster, and an RP score, what happened?...I have to admit my wine tastes are very different from my beer tastes. I tend to drink wine w/ food and look for finesse and elegance, complexity... With beer, I drink it alone usually and like to be knocked out by rich flavors (Imp. Stouts, Belgian Dubbels). With wine I want violins not tubas.
Best,
Barry
Hello,
I am unfamiliar with Duca En rico or Cannonau - can you tell me something about them? (Amarone and Cote-Rotie are the 2 "big" wines I've tried that I like because they're still elegant and have so much going on.)
Best,
Barry
I had a good sesh on Bend Eclipse Cascadian Dark Ale last night, yummy dark ale AV:4.8%
:cool:
A bit like Guinness Dark Side Bath Ales 4.0%
Hardly exotic but favourite claret of mine is Wolf Blass - Yellow Label, Cabernet Sauvignon.
Seems to go up by a quid every year and is normally in the 10 quid mark these days. I happen to have an ASDA near my office, of course under no circumstances buy another of your food there but they do have deals on wine and this sometime goes for a fiver, in which case I’ll buy a case.
Taken from another thread:
Whilst being a claret lover, I would be the first to admit that some very fine wine is being produced in Australia and in South America (especially Chile and Argentina)Quote:
The real connoisseurs of audio equipment abilities can be compared to connoisseurs of vintage wine and oil paintings. The modern folks are into mp3, digital photography, and Australian or Californian wine.
An Aussie wine I enjoy is the intriguingly named: “The Waxed Bat”, a blend of Shiraz, Petit Verdot and Malbec grape.
http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/DWBase/.../62003.jpg?d=1
A Chilean Merlot I also enjoy is: “The Patriots”
http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/DWBase/.../62797.jpg?d=1
At around £7 a bottle, neither of these are expensive.
I think that quote is a little dated now, or at least I can't agree with it. Bit snobby or misguided, I really like some Hunter Valley stuff. Maybe I just don't have expensive taste in wine! I'm quite happy with something like Campo Viejo Rioja or even just a Casillero Del Diablo even if it is everywhere.
If you live near a Waitrose I highly highly recommend that you purchase a few bottles Cuvee Chasseur. It will only cost you £4.35 a bottle.
Aye, as long as the tomato and mushroom sauce (Chicken Chasseur) duznae leak out and drip on yer flares! :eyebrows:
Marco.
Can i ask if that cheap arse cider you supped in France had any fancy name?
Not as far as I remember, dude. It was just labelled as 'Cidre de Normandie'. Bloody good it was, too - easily as good as the 'boutique' stuff you buy here for £8-10 a bottle!
It made some class fart gas afterwards, too! :eyebrows:
Marco.
Thats all that matters :eyebrows:
Meant to do this for a while, so...
Living right adjacent to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova (formerly part of Romania), good local wine is realtively cheap and plentiful here, and brewing has a long history.
Many of the nouveaux riche and young have a fascination with imports, and the traditional Feteasca Neagra is almost dismissed as common.... It is largely the same with the wonderful selection of beers, imported is best, swallow the ad while you are at it... Local brews are Ursus, Ciuc, Timisoareana, Silva, and many many more, predominantly Pils, but also dark ale-types.... 50p a pint is positively painful.
Local wines are plentiful, and can be purchased in plastic bottles from local producers by the road or in markets for less than a pound per litre. Most are cheeky little wines in that you get a nasty smack in the mouth without warning, usually followed by a headache if continued. It is traditional here to dilute the wine when drinking by adding water, which probably reduces but does not eradicate the after effects. Some of these home-grown smallholding wines however are truly sublime even if young, but it can be pretty hit and miss. Everybody makes wine here it seems.....
A 10 year old good Feteasca Neagra Sec at 4 quid a bottle may not impress here, but it is a superb traditional wine from a very different and old grape which is disappearing under the weight of demand for pinot-noir etc from the EU. This is a different wine to my typical Rioja choice, but is full bodied, and hits the tastebuds with subtlety, rather than taking a diversionary route via the gonads.
At home, it is time to get a bit of cheese out. No plastic bound Mature Cheddar (Cheddar here is as firm as spandex), but a 4 month old 2kg birch wrapped goat cheese courtesy of a shepherd (and his flock of goats grazing at 4000ft) for the princely sum of 5 quid. Crumbly full flavoured yet so young, it is not easily dismissed, and the combination with FN is absolute heaven.
Like the average Greek, Italian, and French, I cannot complain.....
I will post pics if I ever get photobucket to work.
Bob
Really interesting Bob, thanks for posting. I envy the 50p a pint/£1 a litre for beer/wine - but I'd probably be dead in a month!
As for the cheese... not normally a big fan of goats cheese, but sounds intriguing! :)
LOL Alex,
Alcoholism is indeed a big problem here, but at least the Government don't make a killing on it with duty because production is so widespread, unlike the UK. If everybody gave up drinking, smoking, and driving in the uk for a month, the exchequer would be in even deeper doo-doo. How so much income is wasted by government was always beyond me, other than in "rescuing" banks etc. in recent times for the benfit of the taxpayer. Ahem, yes..... Cough...
Brewing, Distilling, and Wine making (white and red) is widespread here and not the sole preserve of the commercial lads. Unlike the monopolies that exist in the UK, this makes taxing the hell out of it by Government here not a shrewd move. So prices remain relatively low, as is also common elsewhere in Europe.
All sorts of varieties are grown for commercial production in reds and whites, but the traditional grapes are very under-rated in this modern age of cabernet-sauvignon or Chablis with everything. Feteasca is made in red and white, and is rather good, if different.
Beer is almost exclusively commercial but with a staggering number of brands, and most breweries have been bought over by the likes of Heineken, Carlsberg, etc in recent years.
I neglected to mention Tsoika, as there is also traditional distillation here, ranging from moonshine that can kill or cure, to the commercial production line stuff.
Various sizes of shiny copper stills are made and on sale by the road in the summer months which would give Her Majesty's Inspectorate a heart attack. With a long tradition of home distilling, the chances of it being outlawed here are slim to none in the short term.
Mass produced cheeses are common (Cascaval) in the supermarkets, and most have the constistency of a Pirelli (inc Cheddar - Cedar), but goat, sheep, as well as cow cheese is available commercially.
Get up into the mountains or the outlying small farms however, and the locally hand made cheeses are still crafted the traditional way.
Wonderful to see this still thriving, and the Health and Safety nanny attitude which wiped it out in the UK is not welcome here thank god.... Long may it last.
It is such a shame that side of UK culture has all but disappeared - even the local producers have to go commercial to survive... As you say, long may it continue where you are Bob!
Guys,
Aldi currently have about 7 or 8 very high-quality wines they've got in as a 'Special Purchase' for Christmas, one of which is a superb 2006 Chateau Tour Du Cauze Saint-Émilion Grand Cru:
http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/4756/82038.jpg
...which is selling for a mere £9.95!! :eek:
Bear in mind, that a wine of that quality and vintage would normally cost around £20-25 a bottle, from a 'posh' wine merchant.... So, if you like quality claret (step forward, Barry ;)) get yer arse along to Aldi, pronto, as there is only a limited quantity available.
Incidentally, you won't find this wine (and the other 'Special Purchase' wines, such as Riojas, etc) in Aldi's usual wine section. You'll find them in the aisles towards the back of the store, in a separate section, near the Christmas chocolates, etc.
Also there, for those who love top-quality dessert wines, is a superb Beerenauslese, from Austria. Having enjoyed this wine numerous times in both Germany and Austria, I can vouch for its quality. If you prefer a white dessert wine that's not as sickly sweet as Sauternes, then the Beerenauslese should hit the spot nicely.
Have it along with some Panettone, Christmas cake, home-made shortbread or mince pies, and trust me, you'll be in heaven! :cheers:
Again, hurry now, whilst stocks last!!
Marco.
Goodness, a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru for under a tenner - great shout Marco :eyebrows: