What Was Your Most Recent Bottle of Wine?

[vinteuil]

I also recommend highly the Bricco Langhe Rosso 2008 from Italy - a bargain at £6.75 at the wine society .

... yes, we had some for lunch today. A seriously good bargain

[Stillhomewardbound]

Tonight I am in the company of a Hardy's Nottage Hill 2010 Shiraz and it is as good a drink as I've had in a long time. Although it's strength is at 14% it avoids that desperate ribena intensity that has very regrettably became something of a trademark with the Oz vintners. Yes, it's pretty fruity, but this is well tempered by a vanilla bouquet and oak flavours which put one in mind of the wonderfully mellow Riojas of the 70s.

'Nottage Hill' was always a reliable standard, but I seem to have drifted. However it is nice to back again.

[vinteuil]

... noöne here seems to have come up with anything which even approximates Gerald Asher's * classic description of a nuits-st-georges :

"Deep colour and big, shaggy nose. Rather a jumbly, untidy sort of wine, with fruitiness shooting off one way, firmness another, and body pushing about underneath. It will be as comfortable and comforting as the 1961 nuits-saint-georges when it has pulled its ends in and settled down."

... I've just seen another Gerald Asher wine description -

1968 château Lynch-Bages, grand crû classé pauillac

"Just the wine for those who like the smell of Verdi. Dark colour, swashbuckling bouquet and ripe flavour. Ready for drinking, but will hold well showing a gradual shift in style as it ages into graceful discretion."

[amateur51]

A sign of these austere times - Decanter magazine tastes some premium cavas at prices ranging between just under £30 to jut over £110 .

¿Seguramente has tener una risa, Pedro?

[Richard Tarleton]

¿Seguramente has tener una risa, Pedro?

- but not sure the colloquialism translates exactly ams - some alternative suggestions:
¡no va en serio!
¿me estás tomando el pelo?
¡no me hagas reír!
My Catalan is not up to it unfortunately but (as it's Cava) and thanks to Google:
no ho deus dir seriosament!
ho dius de broma!

Stick to Freixenet for a tenner, is my advice. Just chill the hell out of it

[Nick Armstrong]

Stick to Freixenet for a tenner, is my advice. Just chill the hell out of it

Has better advice ever been heard upon the Forum?

[amateur51]

- but not sure the colloquialism translates exactly ams - some alternative suggestions:
¡no va en serio!
¿me estás tomando el pelo?
¡no me hagas reír!
My Catalan is not up to it unfortunately but (as it's Cava) and thanks to Google:
no ho deus dir seriosament!
ho dius de broma!

Stick to Freixenet for a tenner, is my advice. Just chill the hell out of it

Sound advice, RT. Just demonstrating what a load of coal these experts come out with sometimes

Sorry about the colloquialisms

[french frank]

A peasant, me. Couldn't be fished to walk 7 mins to the Coop so I just went as far as the off-licence: a quite serious looking bottle of DOCG Chianti 2011. A couple of quid more than I would have paid at the Coop, but the chicken pieces were already in the oven.

(I glimpse lips curling chez Messieurs Vinteuil and Caliban, but aromatised with my home grown herbs, it all washed down pretty well.)

[Anna]

A peasant, me.
(I glimpse lips curling chez Messieurs Vinteuil and Caliban, but aromatised with my home grown herbs, it all washed down pretty well.)

No lip curling here, after a hard day gardening it's from Asda - a 2012 Chardonnay "a delicious, blend making a smooth, peachy and easy drinking partner to pasta, fish or chicken" 3.30 a bottle. It's ok and quite toothsome in fact.
I admit, I am also a peasant, just want a glass or two to wash down something. No harm in that, is there?

[vinteuil]

A peasant, me. / ... /
(I glimpse lips curling chez Messieurs Vinteuil and Caliban, but aromatised with my home grown herbs, it all washed down pretty well.)

No lip curling here, after a hard day gardening it's from Asda - a 2012 Chardonnay "a delicious, blend making a smooth, peachy and easy drinking partner to pasta, fish or chicken" 3.30 a bottle. It's ok and quite toothsome in fact.
I admit, I am also a peasant, just want a glass or two to wash down something. No harm in that, is there?

... no lip curling here neither!

I have recently been re-reading (as one does) Alexandre-Balthasar-Laurent Grimod de la Reynière [1758-1838] "Almanach des Gourmands" [1803-1812] - Manuel des Amphitryons : Du Service Et De La Dégustation Des Vins. Interesting to find his recommendation that there should be a 'vin ordinaire' served throughout the meal, reserving the 'proper', ie high quality, wine for the 'vins d'entremets' - of which probably only one glass wd be served per person. He suggests for the 'vin ordinaire' flowing throughout the meal, "un très bon vin de chablis" if white is chosen; he makes no equivalent recommendation for red.

This weekend there has been a birthday here, and to accompany various asparagus / smoked salmon / quails we have had some saint-péray 'Les Sauvagères' 2010, Paul Jaboulet Aîné. I don't know much about Rhône whites but this was excellent - as the label said "attractive mineral quality, with nutty notes balanced by a crisp freshness" ("ce vin blanc séduit par sa mineralité, ses notes grillées et sa fraîcheur"). Highly recommended.

[Thropplenoggin]

... no lip curling here. I have recently been re-reading (as one does) Alexandre-Balthasar-Laurent Grimod de la Reyniere [1758-1838] "Almanach des Gourmands" [1803-1812] - Manuel des Amphitryons : Du Service Et De La Dégustation Des Vins. Interesting to find his recommendation that there should be a 'vin ordinaire' served throughout the meal, reserving the 'proper', ie high quality, wine for the 'vins d'entremets' - of which probably only one glass wd be served per person. He suggests for the 'vin ordinaire' flowing throughout the meal, "un très bon vin de chablis" if white is chosen; he makes no equivalent recommendation for red.

This weekend there has been a birthday here, and to accompany various asparagus / smoked salmon / quails we have had some saint-péray 'Les Sauvagères' 2010, Paul Jaboulet Aîné. I don't know much about Rhône whites but this was excellent - as the label said "attractive mineral quality, with nutty notes balanced by a crisp freshness" ("ce vin blanc séduit par sa mineralité, ses notes grillées et sa fraîcheur"). Highly recommended.

No foie gras poêlé accompanied by a bottle of Château Rieussec 2001? Disappointed. As for the lack of invitation, well...I would have come bearing gifts (sipping tequila, extraordinary vintage rums), but then I am 1/4 Greek, and you know what they say about Greeks bearing gifts!

Still, disappointing.

(I fritter away precious life-span on hoping you will, at some point, reply to one of these missives, Sir, but fear all such endeavours are a misapprehension - kindly disabuse me. Have you gone the way of Calipash?)

[Barbirollians]

A lovely rose from the Wine society here - Domaines des Horcharts Cotes de Provence 2012 - about £7 but very lovely .

[vinteuil]

For a lunch-time red I have long favoured a cabernet franc.

This often meant a Loire wine - a chinon, a saumur-champigny, a st-nicolas-de-bourgeuil, etc.

These wines used to be cheap; they are not so cheap nowadays...

Thanks to the Wine Society I have found a useful succedaneum : from the Languedoc, their Domaine du Bosc, cabernet franc, 2012 at £6.50 [page 45 of April/July list].

Domaine du Bosc also produce a most attractive viognier, at £6.75 [page 101 from the list].

[amateur51]

For a lunch-time red I have long favoured a cabernet franc.

This often meant a Loire wine - a chinon, a saumur-champigny, a st-nicolas-de-bourgeuil, etc.

These wines used to be cheap; they are not so cheap nowadays...

Thanks to the Wine Society I have found a useful succedaneum : from the Languedoc, their Domaine du Bosc, cabernet franc, 2012 at £6.50 [page 45 of April/July list].

Domaine du Bosc also produce a most attractive viognier, at £6.75 [page 101 from the list].

The WS really does the business at price points up to £15, and they have so many at this price - thanks for the tip, vints

[Barbirollians]

Saint Peray was of course Wagner's preferred tipple.