Fine wine clubs and online sellers

[Barry]

Barry’s a big Laithwaites fan/user, Joe, so he’ll be able to chat to you about that

Although I’m a massive fan of fine wines, and know a bit about wine, I’m not a fan of wine clubs, as purchases have to be in cases (generally of the same wine), and I prefer having a variety, by hand-selecting the wine I buy in individual bottles from quality wine merchants (and occasionally supermarkets).

It’s rather like buying records… Amazon versus independent record shops - for me there’s no contest!

I also dislike wine clubs, once you've signed up, constantly pestering you to buy something, and sending you all manner of ‘bumph’ and promotional leaflets through the post

Tanners, in Shrewsbury, is one of our favourite wine merchants, as they have an amazing selection of truly fabulous wine. 'Corks Out’, in Chester, is another of our favs: http://www.corksout.com/chester Both of them offer a mail order service.

However, driving to France and buying wine either directly from vineyards, independent wine retailers and/or supermarkets, is our favourite way of doing it - and you can obtain some SERIOUS bargains that way! We’ll be doing precisely that very soon. This is our favourite haunt in Calais: http://www.intercaves.fr/decouvrez-l...aves-2428.html

It’s where the French people there go to buy quality wine (although at very attractive prices), rather than British tourists looking for 5 litres of ‘plonk’ for £3!

True, I am a member of The Sunday Times Wine Club (The Claret Club subsection), which is provided by Laithwaites. I joined about five years because as I wanted to learn about and enjoy Bordeaux wines, though I also enjoy Rhône and wines from the Loire.

At the time we used to have a branch of Unwins in the village and there was an Oddbins in town, but both have now disappeared: Unwins went bust and Oddbins moved away. So that only leaves the supermarkets whose wines I do look at, but am also happy to be presented every three month of so with half a dozen mixed bottles of claret, courtesy of Laithwaites.

It might seem to be unadventurous – to be spoon fed, but in the absence of any decent vintner locally, I am quite happy to rely on the ‘good taste’ of Laithwaites’ buyers. I have never had a bad bottle and some have been so good that I have bought a case or two as a result. The great majority of the wines I have bought have been medal winners.

Admittedly your are often ‘blitzed’ with newsletters and promotional e-mails, but there is no obligation to buy any. I look at the newsletters and then throw them away. When my wine stock builds up and I find I have 80 – 100 bottles kicking around the house, I will simply phone up the wine club and ask them to cancel the next quarterly sample case.

So Laithwaites do serve me well. Of course I pay for the privilege, but I have always been prepared to pay for expediency. Few of the wines are expensive: they usually pan out at about £12 to £20 a bottle.

I do look in the supermarkets and do find the occasional bargain: Château le Boscq from the Co-op at ~ £8, Le Petit Echoppe from M&S for £12, and Ogio Pinot Grigot from Tesco for £6. And Aldi often has some “stonkers” on offer from time to time.

Today I picked up a couple of bottles of the Ogio Pinot Grigot and a bottle of 2009 Château Margerots for £7.50 from Tesco. Passing through M&S I noted they had a rather good Amaroné for £25 and Barolo for £18.

I’m happy to ‘mix and match’.