The Wine & Whisky Thread

[Rare Bird]

wasnt short before a had a sip on the way from the bar

[Rare Bird]

I'm back out on the piss this afternoon, i spotted some Millstone 'Honey Porter' beer on my way oot last night, which is a dark beer 4.9%

[julesd68]

Fantastic value Viognier / Chardonnay blend from Waitrose at £5.59 ...
I will definitely be buying this again.

[Barry]

Fantastic value Viognier / Chardonnay blend from Waitrose at £5.59 ...
I will definitely be buying this again.

That looks like good value. Unfortunately we don't have a Waitrose here; we used to have one many years ago, and one will be coming in 2015, but not now.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Try Sainsburys, the Cote du Rhone is excellent too.

[Barry]

Something to think about, or "drink for thought":

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21929287

and

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22909428, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24108094

[Marco]

Interesting links, Barry, so thanks for sharing

"People in their 60s and 70s grew up with wine on the table at every meal. For them, wine remains an essential part of their patrimoine, or cultural heritage."

Well, this 48 year-old Italian has been drinking wine at the table since he was 5!

So what does that say?

"The middle generation - now in their 40s and 50s - sees wine as a more occasional indulgence. They compensate for declining consumption by spending more money. They like to think they drink less but better."

There is some truth in that, I think.

For starters, I would always, as a matter of course, "drink less but better", as quality is rather more important to me than quantity - and always will be. It's got bugger all to do with 'snobbery', but rather simply the fact that I genuinely enjoy drinking fine wines and can appreciate how different they are from the standard £5-8 'gluggers', especially when consumed in conjunction with the right type of food.

These days, I'm simply not interested in getting drunk. Drinking wine, for me, is all about savouring something rather special with some quality home-cooked food. In that respect, it's not uncommon for us to spend £15 on a nice bottle of red, so we can often spend £30 or so on the two bottles of wine we usually consume at the weekend, although that's only when we've finished drinking all the pesudo-'£20-30' bottles of wine (in terms of comparable quality here) we've brought back from France, but which actually only cost us around 8 or 10 Euros...

However, we're not out at the pub getting pished every other night, so we probably spend rather less overall every week on wine than those do who enjoy 'pubbing it' regularly, and employ the 'get as much down yer neck, as cheaply as possible' approach to boozing!

My alcohol intake for the week is generally sharing a bottle of wine with Del, with our meal on a Saturday evening, and with lunch on Sunday. For the rest of the week, I frequently go without drinking any further alcohol, or perhaps just having the odd bottle of continental lager (no more than three in total, however, from Monday to Friday). The remainder of the time I drink mostly sparkling mineral water, orange juice, and the occasional cup of tea. However, I have a large mug of frothy cappuccino every morning with breakfast.

As far as the French go, in terms of the article, and as a regular traveller to France, since the 70s, where we go (rural France, through fairly remote villages), I've witnessed no downturn in the amount of wine that French people drink. There are always bottles of wine (and water) at every table. However, one has to bear in mind that most of our eating and drinking there is spent in lorry drivers cafes (unquestionably the best places to eat 'proper food' in France), or in small family-run restaurants, where the clientele are rarely under the age of 30.

The scene may well be very different amongst younger people in 'trendy' bars in large towns and cities, or with French people at home, as indeed it is in Italy, amongst younger people, where wine (or beer) drinking is considered distinctly 'uncool', simply because it's what their parents and/or grandparents have always done, and they want to be different. They would rather drink some Coke, Fanta or mineral water, or sip an espresso.

If only the youngsters in this country were like that!!

Marco.

[Gordon Steadman]

Interesting differences in attitude to wine with meals. We have a glass with every main meal of the day. Good or even reasonable wine improves and compliments the flavours of the food. Too much and you can't taste the food at all.

We had a guest over from the UK last week. As we had our sips, he downed his by the glass and went for another and another............it took him three days to notice that we weren't joining him and he did cut back a bit. We bought him a box in the end. Loads of Brits out here just pour it down and have the bellies to prove it. Sitting in front of the Sky box helps that too.

I suppose its a culture thing. The French and Italians have wine as an intrinsic part of everyday culture whereas in the UK, its still a fairly recent thing and our genes are used to pints!!

[Marco]

Hi Gordon,

Interesting differences in attitude to wine with meals. We have a glass with every main meal of the day. Good or even reasonable wine improves and compliments the flavours of the food. Too much and you can't taste the food at all.

Absolutely, on all counts! When we're off work together, especially during the warm weather, Del and I (often also in the company of friends), always enjoy sharing a bottle of wine (or two), or some Normandy cider (or such like), with lunch. There's simply nothing nicer than whiling away a lazy afternoon, sitting and chatting with others who are like-minded, whilst consuming nice food and wine and listening to some good music in the background.

Unfortunately, however, the situation changes when Del goes back to work and it's more difficult for us to share a proper meal together, particularly as I prefer to eat my main meal during the day, and just have a light snack at night. Therefore, although I'm sometimes tempted to open a bottle of wine, and drink a glass or two out of it at lunchtime, sharing the rest with Del when she returns from work in the evening, it rarely happens, as it's just not the same.

"We had a guest over from the UK last week. As we had our sips, he downed his by the glass and went for another and another............it took him three days to notice that we weren't joining him and he did cut back a bit. We bought him a box in the end. Loads of Brits out here just pour it down and have the bellies to prove it. Sitting in front of the Sky box helps that too."

Indeed. A 'beer gut' is not something I ever want. I can't see it happening either, as I simply don't drink enough beer, or indeed alcohol, to develop one! However, I know exactly what you mean, and no offence to your guest, but I'm always rather put off by that rather vulgar 'abuse' of wine, and I simply wouldn't waste any of my good stuff on those who wouldn't appreciate it.

For those who do appreciate nice wine, and Barry will I'm sure attest to this, I'll serve some of the best stuff I have, and do it properly, by decanting it and serving it at the correct temperature in appropriate wine glasses.

The other thing that annoys me immensely are people who fill their wine glasses almost up to the rim, as if they were drinking a glass of pop!! There's simply no way then that you can inhale the bouquet or 'nose', by rolling the wine around inside the glass, or savour the wine and appreciate it properly, when it's treated with such a complete lack of finesse....

I always serve good wines in large goblets (the style of which depends on whether the wine is a claret or burgundy type), and simply fill them around quarter full, and then fill it up to the same point again when the glass needs replenishing. Anything else, for me, during a proper lunch or dinner party, would be an anathema! If we're just enjoying a casual 'slurp', though, we'll simply put it inside normal 'flute-type' glasses, but similarly, always only quarter full at any one time.

However, each to his or her own. If you're drinking wine, simply to get pissed, then I guess it doesn't matter how it goes down! I also hope that your rather greedy guests are similarly as generous with their wine when it's your turn to visit them!!

"I suppose its a culture thing. The French and Italians have wine as an intrinsic part of everyday culture whereas in the UK, its still a fairly recent thing and our genes are used to pints!!"

Yup, that's true. It's getting a bit better here now in the UK, amongst the over 30s at least anyway. Sadly, though, youngsters here still have a serious tendency to abuse all forms of alcohol, almost as if it acts as some form of 'escape' from their unhappy lives...

Marco.

[Rare Bird]

I had a private party last night of the Titanic Stout. yum yum