The Wine & Whisky Thread

[stupinder]

Currently reverted to being a lager lout -kronenbourg - as the giving up drinking didn't seem to be working. Just no wine now!
Previously i was mostly drinking Italian Rose at 1.75€ plus tva for 2 Litres.
Pretty much any decent bordeaux from 1995 or 2000 should be good for special occasions - my faves -Pomerol, Lallande de Pomerol amd Fronsac.
For a good white try Chateau haut Smith -no really - it's the chateau that oz clark? and that geezer off topgeer stopped at in france and did the Spa thingy.
Dunno what you'll pay in the UK tho'.

[Mike]

Currently reverted to being a lager lout -kronenbourg -

MMmmmm.... nice stuff. I nearly pickled myself with it when I lived in France for a while.

[Barry]

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

[Haselsh1]

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...!!!

[Marco]

...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...



Marco.

[Mike]

...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...



Marco.

Well... I'm having to settle for some cheapo red stuff, allegedly French, and some BBQ'd sausages! Weather lovely here today.

[Barry]

...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...



Marco.

Nice choice.

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

[Marco]

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

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.

[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

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!

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.

[The Grand Wazoo]

For lunch today I am enjoying some pan-fried organic chicken breast with garlic, sautéed in Marsala wine..............
Marco.

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!