What Was Your Most Recent Bottle of Wine?

[Roger Webb]

Jaboulet Croze Hermitage Blanc 2018, aka "Mule Blanche" - if I were given this in a bistro with some salami and cheese I'd not be unhappy. But somehow at home it's not special enough at the price point (about £25 a bottle) to buy more. No viongner, a grapefruity flavour which could be described as bitterness by less charitable people than yours truely. Industrial. Meh, as they say.




I picked up this half bottle from Hedonism - I like their Easter display

What caught my eye was the Quad 63s on top of the Gradient Subwoofer (I think?). I've just changed my 63s for the latest 2812 and use them with the Quad L-series subwoofer, with some success.

The wine looks ok too!

[LMcD]

A delicious fruity Spanish red from Tesco, very reasonably priced at £3.65

[smittims]

Wow! That's cheaper than the Spanish Merlot I get from ALDI at £4-something. Or is that £3.65 for clubcard holders or a limited offer? I'll trot along and find out.

[LMcD]

Wow! That's cheaper than the Spanish Merlot I get from ALDI at £4-something. Or is that £3.65 for clubcard holders or a limited offer? I'll trot along and find out.

Not a Clubcard price, and no mention of a special offer, either!

[smittims]

Thanks for the recommendation. I purchased a bottle and can confirm it is quite pleasant. The catch is it's only ten per cent alcohol content, but that needn't worry us. At these prices, no-one will call us wine snobs.

[french frank]

The catch is it's only ten per cent alcohol content

Under 11.5% abv. Even cheaper, if you went for non-alcoholic. Down the hatch!

[vinteuil]

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... from the Wine Society - Spätburgunder, Markgräflerland, Martin Waßmer 2020

I know nuffink about German wines - and less than nothing [ ] about their red wines - but golly this was bloody good. And went very well with mme v's rigatoni with fennel sausage....

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[Roger Webb]

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... from the Wine Society - Spätburgunder, Markgräflerland, Martin Waßmer 2020

I know nuffink about German wines - and less than nothing [ ] about their red wines - but golly this was bloody good. And went very well with mme v's rigatoni with fennel sausage....

.

That wine you have comes from the south west of Germany near the Black Forest. Spätburgunder is the German equivalent of Pinot Noir, and will now thrive in parts unimaginable twenty years ago.
Like you I knew nothing of German wines until my wife started to commute to Würzburg weekly to work and I joined her for weekends. I started to look at local wines and educate myself....and what a voyage of discovery! The main institutions in the city for winetasting are the 'spitals' the Juliusspital being the most illustrious. The Sylvaners are the best whites, but the Spätburgunder grape rules for the reds and are highly prized....but not in Britain, where the mere mention of German wine ilicits doubtful looks, and comments such as 'I don't like sweet wine'! The hotel we stayed in had a house wine that was plonked on the table every night from a local grower in Winterhausen and it was really delicious - akin to a reasonable Santenay! The really top-notch Spätburgunders in Franconia go for a lot of money now.

[french frank]

I know little about wines and am just happy to match geographical details and roughly dry/sweet with what I'm eating. I got a Paul Mas 2023 Picpoul de Pinet from the Co-op for a tenner, available un peu partout for £8.50, and was happy to match it today with my beetroot, orange and rocket salad (similar French recipes suggest a Gascon wine). I like the peppery rocket (watercress is better), the slightly astringent orange and rather more bland-sweet roasted beetroot. After I tasted it I added a touch of salt. Don't think it needed any other seasoning (other than the orange vinaigrette). All about how things go together. Wine is supposed to go with food in my generally, on most topics, derided opinion Sed felix ille. The picpoul was perfect.

[vinteuil]

I got a Paul Mas 2023 Picpoul de Pinet ... and was happy to match it today with my beetroot, orange and rocket salad (similar French recipes suggest a Gascon wine). I like the peppery rocket (watercress is better), the slightly astringent orange and rather more bland-sweet roasted beetroot.... All about how things go together. Wine is supposed to go with food in my ... opinion Sed felix ille. The picpoul was perfect.

... wise words. Picpoul sounds a good match - I might've gone for a rosé ...

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[french frank]

... wise words. Picpoul sounds a good match - I might've gone for a rosé ...

I never think of a rosé, not since the days when an Anjou could be quite tasty. Must experiment by drinking on its own and seeing what food might be indicated. Do you have any recommendations on region?

[vinteuil]

I never think of a rosé, not since the days when an Anjou could be quite tasty. Must experiment by drinking on its own and seeing what food might be indicated. Do you have any recommendations on region?

... o, I think there are so many good pinks now - from Spain, Italy, Greece, and many parts of France. Experiment away!

.

[Roger Webb]

I never think of a rosé, not since the days when an Anjou could be quite tasty. ?

These days those pinks from Provence - lean, dry and light in colour - are the ones to go for. Miraval, the much fêted 'celebrity' rosé is everywhere (incl. in my cellar!), but if you have a Tesco near, go for their Côtes de Provence 'Finest', similar to the Miraval....at half the cost.

[french frank]

Thank you for the suggestions v and RW.

[Roger Webb]

Thank you for the suggestions v and RW.

You mentioned matching food...the Côtes de Provence rosés are the classic wine for a Salade Niçoise...the dryness is the foil for the tuna. If you just drink it, Picholine olives are perfect with a tiny 'smear' of harissa. These are habitually served with an aperitif glass of rosé on the Côte d'Azur.