What Was Your Most Recent Bottle of Wine?

[umslopogaas]

#15 Osborn, no offers, but if you agree to pay my expenses I'll happily pour it over the grave of any teetotallers you wish to identify. Its truly terrible stuff and you should keep it to serve as the ultimate weapon to get rid of guests who wont go away when you want to go to bed.

"Oh sorry, we seem to have run out of mineral water and recordings of Bartok string quartets, but I've a very mature bottle of Sanatogen here, would anyone like a drop? My gran was very fond of it, before she dropped dead unexpectedly last year. I really need to get rid of it, do have a glass.

If that doesnt work, adopt the Willie Rushton strategy. You disappear upstairs for a minute, then reappear with armfulls of bedding which you dump in the middle of the living room floor. You then wander around all available seating, picking up cushions and sniffing them, muttering as you go "B****y cat!".

[french frank]

Not quite the last one, but I picked up a bottle of Chablis in the Coop which they had mispriced on the shelf. My bill was rather a lot but I just thought my adding up had been wrong. It wasn't until I'd consumed the best part of half a bottle that I noticed the till receipt said £16.99. I went back to inspect the shelves and sure enough, there was no Chablis at £16.99 and I'd meant to pick up a bottle of £1 off Coop Chablis at £8.49. I drew their attention to the mispriced bottle and they gave me a bottle of the Coop stuff.

I was then able to compare the Coop Chablis with (the remains of) the Billaud-Simon Mont de Milieu Premier Cru 2008. I'm happy to report that the Billaud-Simon was altogether a much finer wine, fuller bodied and went well with the moules marinières.

[amateur51]

Tanner's Douro red

Tanner's produces a good list full of variety from established favourites and Tanners' own label range, as arancie says, to interesting wines from far flung places on the wine map. Staff are knowledgeable on the phone and in person and if you're ever in Hereford, Shrewsbury and wherever else they have shops, it's worth popping in because they have different bin ends at fair prices. An independent wine merchant blending style and tradition successfully

[amateur51]

Not quite the last one, but I picked up a bottle of Chablis in the Coop which they had mispriced on the shelf. My bill was rather a lot but I just thought my adding up had been wrong. It wasn't until I'd consumed the best part of half a bottle that I noticed the till receipt said £16.99. I went back to inspect the shelves and sure enough, there was no Chablis at £16.99 and I'd meant to pick up a bottle of £1 off Coop Chablis at £8.49. I drew their attention to the mispriced bottle and they gave me a bottle of the Coop stuff.

I was then able to compare the Coop Chablis with (the remains of) the Billaud-Simon Mont de Milieu Premier Cru 2008. I'm happy to report that the Billaud-Simon was altogether a much finer wine, fuller bodied and went well with the moules marinières.

Woo-hoo french frank, that's the way to do it

[amateur51]

#15 Osborn, no offers, but if you agree to pay my expenses I'll happily pour it over the grave of any teetotallers you wish to identify. Its truly terrible stuff and you should keep it to serve as the ultimate weapon to get rid of guests who wont go away when you want to go to bed.

"Oh sorry, we seem to have run out of mineral water and recordings of Bartok string quartets, but I've a very mature bottle of Sanatogen here, would anyone like a drop? My gran was very fond of it, before she dropped dead unexpectedly last year. I really need to get rid of it, do have a glass.

If that doesnt work, adopt the Willie Rushton strategy. You disappear upstairs for a minute, then reappear with armfulls of bedding which you dump in the middle of the living room floor. You then wander around all available seating, picking up cushions and sniffing them, muttering as you go "B****y cat!".

Great memories of Rushton ums.

His recipes in 'Superpig:A Gentleman's Guide To Everyday Survival' always started "Take a piece of butter about the size of a packet of ten ..."

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Superpig-Gen...2649976&sr=1-5

[jayne lee wilson]

A really fine Cotes du Rhone tonight, Reserve de Bonpas 2010 to accompany a home-cooked Cantonese Chicken Curry (with basmati rice, what else?). The blend of syrah, grenache and mourvedre proved an excellent semi-sweet foil to the fairly fierce heat of the curry...
mum needs Badoit water with this so only took a glass or so - but given the Bonpas' 14% strength it would take a stronger, fitter woman than I to finish it off as I clear the kitchen (next job...)

[Barbirollians]

Chorey Les beaunes 2007 - Drouhin - bought from Waitrose at Christmas when knocked down to £9 from £15 - jolly good it was too .

[cloughie]

Tanner's produces a good list full of variety from established favourites and Tanners' own label range, as arancie says, to interesting wines from far flung places on the wine map. Staff are knowledgeable on the phone and in person and if you're ever in Hereford, Shrewsbury and wherever else they have shops, it's worth popping in because they have different bin ends at fair prices. An independent wine merchant blending style and tradition successfully

I believe they are also the suppliers to our local farm shop.

[cloughie]

[QUOTE=umslopogaas;186098If that doesnt work, adopt the Willie Rushton strategy. You disappear upstairs for a minute, then reappear with armfulls of bedding which you dump in the middle of the living room floor. You then wander around all available seating, picking up cushions and sniffing them, muttering as you go "B****y cat!".[/QUOTE]

So that's why he translated 'Chateau' into 'Cat Water' in one of his books.

[amateur51]

Chorey Les beaunes 2007 - Drouhin - bought from Waitrose at Christmas when knocked down to £9 from £15 - jolly good it was too .

A great deal, Barbirollians. I've enjoyed other vintages of this wine & will keep a look out for it again (though not at your bargain price unfortunately)

[decantor]

........ and Opi a.k.a. Rodolfo Sadler 2011 Malbec from Argentina........

I can endorse the recommendation for Opi - finished it off last Wednesday. It was excellent, and I'm guarding carefully the two remaining bottles of it in the rack.

Since then I've glugged a bottle of Stumble Vineyards 2011 Cape Blend from the Western Cape of RSA. Dog's breakfast of a blend on paper - CabSauv + Pinotage + Merlot + Shiraz - but it had real style and considerable punch, and was good company...... though the Opi was even better.

[umslopogaas]

amateur 51, that is a great memory of Willie Rushton's ' Superpig', he was a seriously funny man. I've just got my copy off the shelf, but have been laughing so much I dont know what to quote first.

Maybe this.

"BED MAKING
With a duvet, this is simplicity itself.
Without a duvet, leave it exactly as it was when you so reluctantly left it. After all, wasnt that the most comfortable its ever been? Ever?

If you are not the proud possessor of a duvet - get fitted sheets - these are elasticated at the proper corners and dont slowly clamber up the bed towards you like a Klu Klux Klansman on the razzle.

Try to avoid nylon. It could be me, but on the other hand it could be you too, but I find you can develop severe elbow burn, particularly when cornering."

[Barbirollians]

Pinotage ! The grape of South Africa and renowned in the old days for a touch of hospital disinfectant about the bouquet.

Which reminds me of an apocryphal story of a liberal young man visiting Oddbins in the 1980s

Assistant: well I can recommend this hand crafted Chilean red from a blend of grape varieties at£4.99

Customer: Oh no what about Pinochet?

Assistant: Don't worry there is none of that in it - just Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

[amateur51]

amateur 51, that is a great memory of Willie Rushton's ' Superpig', he was a seriously funny man. I've just got my copy off the shelf, but have been laughing so much I dont know what to quote first.

Maybe this.

"BED MAKING
With a duvet, this is simplicity itself.
Without a duvet, leave it exactly as it was when you so reluctantly left it. After all, wasnt that the most comfortable its ever been? Ever?

If you are not the proud possessor of a duvet - get fitted sheets - these are elasticated at the proper corners and dont slowly clamber up the bed towards you like a Klu Klux Klansman on the razzle.

Try to avoid nylon. It could be me, but on the other hand it could be you too, but I find you can develop severe elbow burn, particularly when cornering."

Wonderful stuff ums - exactly as I remembered it. I have my (signed ) copy by my bed, I'm afraid.

Do you have 'Pigsticking: A Joy for Life'?

[umslopogaas]

No, but I'm making a list in preparation for my next visit to Waterstones, so I'll add it. I want some more Asterix, they are among my favourite light items after I feel I've overdosed on Dostoevsky (it doesnt take a very big dose).