Red Wine

[brawburd]

The most important part of your daily fluid intake........... but, does price mean anything? Would you pay �40 for a bottle of wine? I think I'm doing well if I go over a fiver ....

[cucumbers]

As a rule of thumb, that I keep to, Spend �5.00 ( or �4.99 ) on a bottle of red wine and you will not go far wrong for quality or taste ( or get a headache ). If you want a bottle of fine wine then spend a min. of �30 and boy will you tell the difference. For a different taste altogether spend about � 7.00 on a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, make sure its well chilled and it should be pretty damn good. ! Most of the supermarkets are up on their wines , especially the whites as its summer so you ought to get a good one wherever you go. Not KwXX SXXe though !!!

[treaclefight]

once in a blue moon, we go to a fantastic italian restaurant with some friends of ours and spend about �60 on each bottle of wine and i really wish it wasnt true, but the expensive wine tastes incredible and there is no hangover the following day, unfortunately the rest tastes like vinegar afterwards. however, i cant live without red wine and i cant live if i spend that sort of money on it all the time, i think its worth spending six or seven quid on a bottle and personally i go for sicillian reds whenever possible

[KARL]

If only it was totally reliable that wine is more enjoyable the higher its price. If you are not already familiar with a wide selection (types, countries of origin, etc.) and widely travelled also (to discover prices in other countries), my advice would be to try lots of different wines starting with the lower priced ranges (sub-�5; this should take you months because going straight up might rule out perfectly acceptable wines you can better afford). You probably already have a preference for either red or white and should dwell in that range to discover what suits you (flavours, smells, dry, a bit sweeter, etc.). Do not be persuaded that there is a rule to have certain wines accompanying certain foods - make your own: IF YOU LIKE IT, DRINK IT. Once into your search try the odd dearer wine (�5-�8) in the type/region you already like and see if you find the price increase worth while. Do not make experimental decisions at restaurants (choose something you know already - at their price you won't want to risk disappointment), if someone else is paying then note whether you like their choice. There is an awful lot of snobbery surrounding wines and unfortunately there are people who make fools of themselves in the process. If your favourite wine turns out to be European, then go on a motoring holiday in the country concerned and find a supplier, load up and save lots (for your own use only - we do this about every two years). There is a lot of choice available and nowadays there is much less absolute rot around, but in the end it is a matter of personal preference.

[cucumbers]

Treaclefight , cannot fault you on the sicillian red choice because I have always addored them , and my current wife turned to red wine thanks to ASDAS world famous sicillian red of about 8 years ago. Karl you are right about enjoying wine. there are few people who have the nose and the pallete for fine wines. I consider myself amongst the many who could not tell a good merlot from a bad syrah but when i taste a wine its yes or no. There is a whole lot of truth in respect of spending a lot of money on a bottle providing it is from a true vintner but to go expensive in a restaurant , unless you know them well , can be a bad move. The old story about judging a restaurant by its house wines has always stood good ground for us so far. Do not be afraid of spending money on good wine. We have friends we dine with who find Kxxk Sxxe � 1.99 a bottle wine fine but you would not want my head the next day ! The price of politeness.

[hal]

cucumbers - your current wife? Do you have plans, and is she aware of them?

[treaclefight]

yes i'm going to hve to point out that we always go ot the same restaurant for our expensive wine and we know the proprietors very well, so we are sure we're not being ripped off in that way, even if �60 a bottle is a rip off when you think that i can feed entire family for a week on less than that. it is a treat.

[treaclefight]

today i will mostly be drinking 'nero d'avola', sicilian merlot, from tesco's �5.99, pass me your glass...

[quattro]

If I spend more than a fiver its a good night I too like Sicilian and Italian wines though as my tastes expand I find that there is'nt much I don't like although Grappa that grape liquor takes a bit of getting used to