Wine - Where's the Spending Sweet Spot

[Jarcy]

As with many things in life, as you spend more, the law of diminishing returns kicks in.
How much it is worth you spending on wine, is of course dependent upon how much you can afford (and I suppose the quantity that you wish to drink). But in the past I have been guilty of bulk buying OKish wines from the supermarket as it's on special offer, rather than being a bit more discerning over what I enjoy. I'll happily pick up a case of Castillo de Diablo Cab Sauv for £5 a bottle and enjoy drinking it, but perhaps because of this, I've been missing out on some great wines if I were to stretch the budget.

The thing is, I can afford more, and so have concluded that I now will push the boat out a little.
But I have never tried any really fine wine, and worry that if I were to spend too much I would be destined to be disappointed. My conclusion is that for every step increase in wine quality requires a doubling in the price. My current assessment of my sweet spot is circa £12 a bottle. Here are some examples of what I enjoyed and where my palate is with reds:

Meerlust Red South Africa £12
Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot South Africa £13
Beronia Reserva Rioja Spain. Waitrose £13.49 25% off + 5% case discount = £9.61.
The latter is the most delicious drop of wine that I have ever encountered - and for less than a tenner!
I've never got French wine, and up to about £20 have always been disappointed.

Any other recommendations that fit the bill would be most welcome, and if you can argue for more expensive, then I'd be intrigued.

P.S. I've left whites out, as I struggle even more. Prefer a Chardonnay rather than a very dry Sauv Blanc, and the missus can't stand Pinot Grigio.

[Jarcy]

I get the "don't necessarily buy on price" thing, but also am well aware of this:

C0ffin D0dger said:

The key thing to remember is the fixed costs in that bottle of wine.

For a £5 bottle the actual value of the wine in it is very low. Not sure how accurate the graphic is that I've added below but you get the idea.

I also know that supermarkets often discount their wines to a loss position, and have previously 'stolen' a nice Rioja for £3.33 a bottle. But I want to discover more very good or great wines now, and want to do so without so much risk of pouring £20 down the kitchen sink.

I've enjoyed the odd Chateauneuf-du-Pape in the past and rate this amongst the better French locales that I have tasted, but generally I find French wine to lack the power and lusciousness of new world wines that I enjoy. And any specific recommendations would be welcome as I'm already familiar with the characteristics of most regions and grape varieties. i.e. I already know that I like Rioja, but specifically the Beronia that I mentioned above knocks the socks off any £5 Rioja that I've picked up in the past.

I'm also currently enjoying the Trivento Malbec (Argenina) @ £8 (or cheaper if you catch Morrisons off-guard) and consider this a fitting day-to-day glug

[Jarcy]

Hosenbugler said:

Join the Wine society, I've been a member for many a year, and their wines consistently punch way above their pricepoints. It certainly opens eyes to the relatively poor/price/quality performance that an awfull lot of supermarket wine is.

From what I can make of things , Waitrose offers the best supermarket wine selection by a country mile , if a little pricey. Mind you , Aldi do a couple of my chepa faves, a very pleasant NZ Pinot Noir , and an Aussie Pinot Gris (Grigio to you and me) . Cracking quaffers for the price.

Actually I was looking at the Wine Society the other day, as was contemplating joining a club: Laithwaites, Virgin etc. I'm a former Naked Wines Angel, but gave up as I got bored with the selection and lack of whites that interested me. That said, I used to target under a tenner.

I like the look of Waitrose, but have only recently ventured in there for wine. Will experiment. I also support my local wine shop, as they're obviously knowledgeable and have already introduced me to some of the wines I've already listed.

[Jarcy]

Davey S2 said:

They refunded me the price of one bottle without me even asking.

I had a bottle of Cotes de Bordeaux as part of a mixed case and I put up a review saying it was ok but a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't a complaint as I drank all of it and it was ok but it was just a bit of a let down from other reviews of it and what I was expecting.

One day later I had an email saying they were sorry I didn't like it and had credited my account with the cost of the bottle.

I must also give a vote of confidence for Naked Wines. I'd bought a half case of some of their pricier wines and one was very disappointing, probably corked. I left a poor review, nothing more. Here's the email that I received yesterday:

Naked Wines said:

Just getting in touch in regards to the bottle of Maurizio Castelli Rosso di Montalcino 2013 you rated recently. From the sounds of it you may have had a bad bottle and that's never a nice experience.

No to worry though I've refunded the cost of that bottle back to your card and you should see that back in your bank within the next 3-5 working days.

I'd also like to send a bottle of something nice out to you as a further apology for this. What kind of wines are you into so I can send something you'll really enjoy?

You can't say fairer than that!