What Was Your Most Recent Bottle of Wine?

[french frank]

... looks quite jolly, for swigging tap water. A bit Marie-Antoinette playing at being a peasant, perhaps?

I bought them 40 or 50 years ago, when I would probably have been quite insulted to be thought a peasant (I don't mind now).

Roger - I read a lot about the quality of New World wines and I'm sure some are excellent - much better than cheaper Europen wines. But I drink European ones, usually French and sometimes Spanish and Italian, depending on what I'm eating. But if I'm in another country I'll happily drink their wine - Greek, Swiss, Portuguese, E European. I'm beginning to see more German ones now. I remember far back when they were well thought of, but their reputation subsequently suffered badly .

[Barbirollians]

Sainsburys sells very good simple Habitat red and wine glasses in boxes of 4 - often after Christmas they have got too many in and sell for about £4 reduced from £9-10.

[vinteuil]

Sainsburys sells very good simple Habitat red and wine glasses in boxes of 4 - often after Christmas they have got too many in and sell for about £4 reduced from £9-10.

I think they're excellent - when the Habitat store in Hammersmith closed there was a colossal clearance sale, and we ended up buying many boxes of their glasses in different sizes, which are serving us very well years later....

[kernelbogey]

I have few rules when it comes to wine glasses. They shd be of clear glass (your pale green recycled one won't do.) The glass shd have a thin rim (I suspect your recycled one won't do.) They shd have a stem. They shd be large enuff. I think the riedel notion of different glasses for different grape types is absurd.


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I was told some years ago that the key spec is to have a hole in the top, and not one in the bottom.

[Roger Webb]

I bought them 40 or 50 years ago, when I would probably have been quite insulted to be thought a peasant (I don't mind now).

Roger - I read a lot about the quality of New World wines and I'm sure some are excellent - much better than cheaper Europen wines. But I drink European ones, usually French and sometimes Spanish and Italian, depending on what I'm eating. But if I'm in another country I'll happily drink their wine - Greek, Swiss, Portuguese, E European. I'm beginning to see more German ones now. I remember far back when they were well thought of, but their reputation subsequently suffered badly .

The quality of New World wines is surely not in doubt, and in the past I've happily drunk wines from the Americas, North and South and the Antipodes, but now it seems sensible to 'buy local'.....we make some excellent (?) wines in this country, but I didn't mean that local!

Like you 'when in Rome....'. and I've enjoyed wines in countries you wouldn't think of as great viticultural centres...Slovakia for example - we stayed a couple of weeks for a Ring in Bratislava and were constantly surprised by the wines in the little wine bar we ate in most nights.....mainly Grüner or Blaufränkisch, just over border from Vienna see.

Yes to more German wines, again, I loved visiting Germany - in fact I lived in Berlin for a year....and drank a lot of beer!

I actually love your goblet....and look forward to seeing you, and it, on The Antiques Roadshow.

[vinteuil]

'when in Rome....'. and I've enjoyed wines in countries you wouldn't think of as great viticultural centres...

o yes. Ethiopia, fr'instance, produces excellent wines.

('Not many people know that.')

But not often available in the UK...

[Roger Webb]

o yes. Ethiopia, fr'instance, produces excellent wines.

('Not many people know that.')

But not often available in the UK...

And Breaky Bottom reciprocally almost unknown in Addis Ababa.....unless you drink the water!

[vinteuil]

.
... many of us may have reasons for opening some serious bottles today / tomorrow - 4 July, US Independence Day; over here an election - and its results.

We might like to take some inspiration from today and tomorrow's stages on the Tour de France -

Mâcon to Dijon,
Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin :

https://www.letour.fr/en/stage-6

https://www.letour.fr/en/stage-7

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[smittims]

When the warm weather comes (will it ever?) I move from red to chilled white, currently Cotes de Gascogne from ALDI, very nice and just as good as Tesco at £2 more. I'm getting notes of Elderflower...

[HighlandDougie]

I'm sweltering in Hong Kong (34C) but I was thrilled by Mark Cavendish's win yesterday so I'm toasting him with a (large) glass of Billecart-Salmon Rosé (my hotel has a rather posh offie next door which sells such things rather than Mateus Rosé). Not sure that Bruckner's 5th is quite the right accompaniment but great symphony, great wine and truly great cyclist.

[gradus]

I'm sweltering in Hong Kong (34C) but I was thrilled by Mark Cavendish's win yesterday so I'm toasting him with a (large) glass of Billecart-Salmon Rosé (my hotel has a rather posh offie next door which sells such things rather than Mateus Rosé). Not sure that Bruckner's 5th is quite the right accompaniment but great symphony, great wine and truly great cyclist.

Yes, a truly great achievement, Bravo Cav.

[french frank]

No idea what it was. Quick salad in the local tratt with a glass of white. Followed by a double espresso and sambuca.



In fairness, I should say that wine is of two sorts here - red and white - and is served in A Glass (ml unspecified). Genuine Italian.

[smittims]

Reminds me of these old films where a booted cavalier bursts in and shouts, 'Mine host ! some wine!' as if there's just 'wine '.

My last bottle was Pinot Grigio , also genuine Italian, £3.99 from ALDI . slightly chilled, delicious.

[vinteuil]

... not a wine, I know - but : on the 'grumble thread' I was lamenting -

.
... waitrose no longer stock Henri Bardouin pastis.
The only mainstream pastis that is worth drinking.
And waitrose were the only shops that had it.
.

Happily I think I have found what will be a very satisfactory succedaneum - my favourite booze shop (Gerry's in Old Compton Street) has the 'artisanal' pastis made by Combier in Saumur, which they recommend.

I noticed that Gerry's also stock Unicum, much beloved by the much missed MrGongGong. I might get some next time I'm passing...

.

[LHC]

Reminds me of these old films where a booted cavalier bursts in and shouts, 'Mine host ! some wine!' as if there's just 'wine '.

My last bottle was Pinot Grigio , also genuine Italian, £3.99 from ALDI . slightly chilled, delicious.

Or indeed when a pair of drunk out of work actors burst into a teashop and demand "We want the finest wines available to humanity, we want them here and we want them now!"