Wine Lovers Corner

[Tripps]

Found it - thought we had a wine corner - took some finding though. A word of caution from my recent experience. I've resumed my drinking (modest you understand), having abstained for well over a year - I can taste it now. The market seems to have changed in the interim - perhaps due to budget tax changes?

I casually picked up a bottle of wine at Home Bargains - without looking too closely. It was Lindemans - that's Australian right? and the variety (in bold red type) said Shiraz. Tried it last night but soon rejected it - awful taste, and only 10.5 % abv - that's poor for an Australian Shiraz.

Then looked more closely - in less bold type beneath Shiraz, is the word Tempranillo, and Wine of Spain. I'd say that - as they say in antique circles - is 'calculated to deceive'.

Memo to self - Caveat imbibor, and take your glasses next time.

[Big Kev]

I would highly recommend a rummage in Aldi's wine cellar

[Tripps]

PS - I've sent a complaint to Australia. That'll make them sit up. . . .

[Stanley]

Hard Luck and yes, I would automatically have thought Oz if I'd seen that label.
Nice to see this corner revive and I'm glad you've got your sense of taste back David.
I am still virtually TT. I reckon my current bottle of Lagavulin 16 year old will last for at least another three years........ And there are two more in the Vatican Cellar.
I see this has become more expensive also, the going rate seems to be £75 a bottle....
I've just had a nip to remind myself what good whisky tastes like. Lovely!

[Sue]

The increasing price of wine is often discussed in our wine group. Lidl comes out a good favourite for value for money but wine to drink now and not to save. The coop is also a good favourite for better wines at a good price.

[Stanley]

Nice to hear someone saying something nice about the Co-op!
Yesterday in our Pioneer store the frozen veggie section was completely empty and there was no Co-op brand malt vinegar. There's perhaps a good reason but on the other hand why not tell us?

[Tripps]

I would highly recommend a rummage in Aldi's wine cellar

I see you have corrected the typo. I've spent all night wondering who Ali was and what was special about his cellar.

[Big Kev]

I would highly recommend a rummage in Aldi's wine cellar

I see you have corrected the typo. I've spent all night wondering who Ali was and what was special about his cellar.

[Stanley]

It had me wondering as well. Not unusual though, look how many former immigrants run small businesses!

[PanBiker]

According to the Tories all immigrants sponge off the state and are a pariah to society. Oh, hang on, that's about right for Rishy!

[Tripps]

According to the Tories all immigrants sponge off the state and are a pariah to society. Oh, hang on, that's about right for Rishy!

If Carlsberg did inaccurate, hate filled, well off topic, posts - then this would be the likely result.

PS On a point of information - I don't think you can be a 'former' immigrant.

[PanBiker]

Ha, we often go off topic and I make no apologies for my quip.

[Stanley]

Jeroboam Beychevelle 1964.

There's a story behind this bottle.
My birthday is the 14th of February, Mary’s was the 15th and Chris’s is the 19th so one year I rang John and suggested we have a dressed up evening and take our ladies out for a posh meal. He suggested the Pool Court restaurant which in those days was actually in the village of Pool near Harewood. John supplied their wines and he said that they wouldn’t mind if we took our own because he had a Magnum of 1964 Chateau Beychevelle which he had been saving for a special occasion after being given it for doing a lecture on wine. There was a condition, we had to research the wine and be able to tell him all about it on the evening. I did some digging and found that the estate used to belong to the Grand Admiral of France and passing ships would baissez les voiles, dip their topsails in salute. This was the basis for the new name for the estate given to it by the admiral. I don’t know what the bottle was worth but have an idea it was above my pay scale! It certainly got the attention of the restaurant manager and his sommelier. In fact they got so excited they didn’t ask us what we wanted for dinner, they told us we had to have fillet steak! I have to tell you that the wine was a bit of a disappointment, we all agreed it was good but didn’t quite have the edge it should have done.
Have you ever had a meal at one of those tables where the floral display in the centre is so big you have to keep leaning to one side to see your opposite number? We were treated to one and at the end of the meal I reached under it and pulled out the glass of Beychevelle I had secreted there when nobody was looking. I gave it to John and he tasted it. His eyes lit up and he passed the glass round the table, we all tasted it. It was a different wine, all it had lacked was another three hours to breathe. John made some derogatory remark about wagon drivers and wine but then launched into a lecture about the dangers of only having one bottle of a vintage. You needed to have enough to be able to experiment to see what brought it to its peak.
I wonder what that bottle would be worth today? I have an idea that the empty bottle could have a value!

[PanBiker]

Current going rate is £229.00 for a full bottle if you Google it!

[Big Kev]

I've just bought a Sainsbury's meal deal for two, salmon en croute, cauliflower cheese, tiramisu and a bottle of wine for £12. I don't think I'd pay £229 for a bottle to be honest

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[Tripps]

- I've sent a complaint to Lindemans in Australia. That'll make them sit up. . .

I've reminded them that my email was a complaint, not an 'idea or suggestion' and now think I'm being fobbed off.
I've put that thought to them. We'll see. . .

[Stanley]

I agree Kev but John didn't buy it he was given it for doing a lecture on wine.

[Tripps]

Lili from Lindemans has responded.

Hi David,
At Lindeman's, our focus has always and will always be to provide a refreshing, fruity wine that our customers love.
Previously, this delicious wine has been sourced from Australia. In recent years, due to a global difficulty in sourcing of grapes in Australia, we were facing stock issues to maintain a sustainable availability of this wine to our very loyal customers. This has led to us changing to Spanish wine which allows us to have good availability year-round.
We believe the Spanish grapes bring a higher quality wine in our classic range and are fruity and refreshing, as you'd expect of Lindeman's wines!
On this occasion, we will organise a goodwill voucher that will come in a separate email.
Please contact us again should you have any further queries we can assist you with.
Kind Regards,
Lili
Lindemans Consumer Relations

[Stanley]

It looks as though Lindeman's have invested effort and money into their customer service. Well done!

[Tripps]

We believe the Spanish grapes bring a higher quality wine in our classic range and are fruity and refreshing, as you'd expect of Lindeman's wines!

Fobbing off service I'd say. My bottle wasn't either fruity or refreshing - in fact it was unpleasant. and will now be tipped away. I think nearer the truth is that they wanted a cheaper lower AbV strength wine, and got it from Spain, and put their label on it.

Ironically - I've stopped drinking (again) - perhaps that bottle was the trigger for that - so I'll give the voucher away if and when it arrives.

Speaking of complaining - I very rarely do it - but in the national news recently, was information about smoothies being largely apple juice regardless of what the label said. I once raised that matter with (not so) Innocent Smoothies, in the days before Pepsi took them over. I asked why the main ingredient in a strawberry smoothie was apple juice and why the name of the product didn't reflect the actual content. They told me it was my fault, and that I'd failed to grasp the concept of the 'smoothie'.

I gave up like a gentleman. I boycotted them of course, but it doesn't seem to have had any effect.

[Stanley]

We used to have a go-to service that could help with things like that but they tell me that Trading Standards is so short-staffed and loaded with statutory duties that they can't spare time for individual complaints.
I do the same as you, simply boycott them and hope enough people join me to make a difference.

[Tripps]

Well - the promised gift voucher has arrived, and is for a quite generous £10 spendable at a choice of retailer which includes my usuals - Tesco and Aldi. So far so good - but I need to start the redemption process, by photographing a QR code and signing up with a gift voucher company.

As far as I can make out the funds will end up on my mobile phone in a programme called Apple Pay. Problem is I don't have, and have never had, any such programme on my smart phone and have nothing to do with Apple.

They say It's valid for three years, so I'll probably send it to my young lad or perhaps just call it a moral victory, and forget about it entirely.

[Stanley]

Fermented products department..... I am still waiting for my brown vinegar even though have been told it is in the post.
Update at 13:40. PayPal have refunded me the money for the vinegar without any quibble at all. I have re-ordered it from another supplier.

[Big Kev]

Love the name of this and it was very good.

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[Stanley]

I thought it was a joke at first but I looked it up and it's a genuine estate. Of course back then there wouldn't have been the connotations that go with the name nowadays!