Would This Make A Quaffable Christmas Gift?

[sandyRoe]

Blazon du Rhône Chateaunef du Pape.
"...shows great finesse and elegance and is full of ripe cherry and berry fruit flavours."
Was £20.99 now £15.74

[janbee]

excellent for a wine lover.

[wolf63]

Will it last until then? I have to buy chocolate at the last minute - or it vanishes.

[jourdain2]

What year? I would be delighted to gifted it whatever the year actually. I've been to the place actually - the ditches by the roads were pongy, open sewers; but the local vintage was great and there were bargains to be had in the local 'cave'!

[Buenchico]

Chateaunef du Pape can be very, very good but, in my opinion, much of it is overrated. It also tends to divide opinions. For example, 5 of the 9 reviews on the Ocado website rates it with 5 stars. However the other 4 reviews give it only one, two or three stars. One reviewer suggested that there's inconsistency between bottles:
"I bought three of these and every one was different. The first was austere and green which I put down to the 2013 being too young and needing a year in bottle. The second was rounder and more enjoyable but the third was flat and uninteresting. An expensive lesson in CdP".

https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/ChateauneufduPape-Blason-Du-Rhone-2013/63509011

The Waitrose website sees better reviews overall, with 6 out of 7 reviewers awarding either 4 or 5 stars. However the remaining reviewer reports throwing three bottles of the wine down the sink!
http://www.waitrosecellar.com/red-wine/blason-du-rhone-chateauneuf-du-pape?gclid=CNen3Iue-sgCFUg8GwodXXkNJQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

Further, Chateaunef du Pape is very full-bodied. That's fine if you know that the recipients of your gift like their wines to be almost 'chewey' (and are likely to drink the wine with, say, roast beef) but not so good if you're looking to give them an 'easy-drinking' wine. This might be a better choice:
http://www.waitrose.com/shop/DisplayProductFlyout?productId=41847
(It's recommended on The Independent website).

However, unless you're spending really big money, French reds are rarely the best. This Italian red (at £15) would make a great gift:
http://www.marksandspencer.com/amicus-toscana-case-of-6/p/p60070312

[sandyRoe]

The promotion, from 'Telegraph wine from Waitrose' didn't mention the year and maybe that's a clue.
There used to be a wine merchant in Corporation Sq in Belfast. If they're still in business I'll call in and ask what's on offer at about the same price.

[Buenchico]

Even better, play safe and spend your £15 on this superb German white:
http://www.marksandspencer.com/stepp-riesling-s-kallstadter-saumagen-case-of-6/p/p60060894
(I'm planning on buying some of that for Christmas!)

[Buenchico]

Direct Wine Shipments is still on Corporation Square, Sandy, but their website is undergoing maintenance.

[jomifl]

http://www.hachette-vins.com/guide-vins/les-vins/blason-du-rhone-2011-2014/20143398/
€8-€11 per bottle so lets say £6

[sandyRoe]

If they can sell it in France for £6 how can M&S look two and a half times that?
I'm not even sure that the intended recipients are wine drinkers or, if they are, they'd know plonk from something half decent.
I'll be in M&S tomorrow and I'll look for the German white Buenchico recommended and be done with it.

[jomifl]

Sandy, If I was looking for an excellent red wine at a very reasonable price (which I am doing all the time) I would look over the border at the Rioja region of spain. I have some big name French wines to impress the locals as they are more impressed by name than quality but for every day good wines it is Spanish or Portuguese (reserva) for me..