Decent red wine for a tenner? (better than Barossa Ink)
Discussion
Cabalié is good and in budget if there's an offer on, or you buy lots!
https://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/0022621?CID=...
https://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/0022621?CID=...
I've had (and enjoyed) all of those Laithwaites offerings. From them I would also suggest The Waxed Bat and The Black Stump.
https://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/0125021
https://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/The-Black-St...
And the last mixed case I got had a couple of bottles of Rex Mundi, which I like and have bought before but not from them.
https://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/1419120
https://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/0125021
https://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/The-Black-St...
And the last mixed case I got had a couple of bottles of Rex Mundi, which I like and have bought before but not from them.
https://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/1419120
Wine bore alert.
'quaffing', 'smooth', 'easy drinking' are all a bit of a trigger for me. They speak of thoughtless heavy drinking for intoxication rather than taste. How do I know - I'm as guilty as anyone - I keep simple wines like these around if I want to open a second bottle to stop me wasting the good stuff when I've already pickled my palate.
Shamefully these wines are designed for us Brits and our barbaric drinking culture. As one poster put it 'alcoholic ribena'. I would hazard you could make a nice 'wine' to satisfy this craving with a bottle of vodka shaken with a jar of jam diluted appropriately. Decent wine should offer everything it has for a sip not a gulp. They are part of a trend to industrial food and distance the producer from the consumer.
Look at the names and labels of most of what has been posted. They are designed by a marketing team and intended to disguise rather than inform you of what's inside. Most of these wines will have no information about vineyard or wine making practices. Some don't even have vintage statements. They will have been subjected to trickery such as late harvesting to maximise sugar, addition of sugar if required and reverse osmosis. They will have been filtered to within an inch of their lives so that some poor punter doesn't encounter a nasty residue.
I tried a case of Laithwaites wines on special introductory offer and expected great things. They were ludicrously alcoholic, jammy, smooth and characterless. I think The Wine Society is probably the best online source for value wines of character.
There are loads of producers working hard to make wines that express the character of the grape and place they are grown. They tend to be wines that go better with food as the alcohol and fruit is balanced with acidity and tannin which taste less pleasant when food (particularly fat and salt) isn't taken together with the wine.
Rant over - in answer to the question I think you can't go wrong with Rhône Village wines Cairanne, Vacqueyras, Ventoux and Rasteau. Also supermarket 'Taste the Difference' tyoe wines of the French South West such as Languedoc, Cahors, Pays d'Oc, Catalanes. These are usually 13.5-14.5% full bodied but with balancing tannins and acidity and interesting aromatics.
Reds to swerve a under £10 are Bordeaux, Burgundy and big name Rhônes such as Châteauneuf, Crozes Hermitage, St Joseph.
Portugal a good call too.
'quaffing', 'smooth', 'easy drinking' are all a bit of a trigger for me. They speak of thoughtless heavy drinking for intoxication rather than taste. How do I know - I'm as guilty as anyone - I keep simple wines like these around if I want to open a second bottle to stop me wasting the good stuff when I've already pickled my palate.
Shamefully these wines are designed for us Brits and our barbaric drinking culture. As one poster put it 'alcoholic ribena'. I would hazard you could make a nice 'wine' to satisfy this craving with a bottle of vodka shaken with a jar of jam diluted appropriately. Decent wine should offer everything it has for a sip not a gulp. They are part of a trend to industrial food and distance the producer from the consumer.
Look at the names and labels of most of what has been posted. They are designed by a marketing team and intended to disguise rather than inform you of what's inside. Most of these wines will have no information about vineyard or wine making practices. Some don't even have vintage statements. They will have been subjected to trickery such as late harvesting to maximise sugar, addition of sugar if required and reverse osmosis. They will have been filtered to within an inch of their lives so that some poor punter doesn't encounter a nasty residue.
I tried a case of Laithwaites wines on special introductory offer and expected great things. They were ludicrously alcoholic, jammy, smooth and characterless. I think The Wine Society is probably the best online source for value wines of character.
There are loads of producers working hard to make wines that express the character of the grape and place they are grown. They tend to be wines that go better with food as the alcohol and fruit is balanced with acidity and tannin which taste less pleasant when food (particularly fat and salt) isn't taken together with the wine.
Rant over - in answer to the question I think you can't go wrong with Rhône Village wines Cairanne, Vacqueyras, Ventoux and Rasteau. Also supermarket 'Taste the Difference' tyoe wines of the French South West such as Languedoc, Cahors, Pays d'Oc, Catalanes. These are usually 13.5-14.5% full bodied but with balancing tannins and acidity and interesting aromatics.
Reds to swerve a under £10 are Bordeaux, Burgundy and big name Rhônes such as Châteauneuf, Crozes Hermitage, St Joseph.
Portugal a good call too.
Personally, I am more frequently disappointed with wines from France than from anywhere else. They make some wonderful wines, and an awful lot of overpriced crap. But one man's "austere and elegant" is another man's "thin and sour", and as the French say (while urinating into the vats headed for British supermarkets) "chacun à son goût"
This is a firm favourite from my local French restaurant.
Slightly over budget at £11.75, but lovely.
https://8rocks.co.uk/product/terre-de-mistral-dest...
Terre de Mistral Cotes du Rhone.
Slightly over budget at £11.75, but lovely.
https://8rocks.co.uk/product/terre-de-mistral-dest...
Terre de Mistral Cotes du Rhone.
otolith said:
Personally, I am more frequently disappointed with wines from France than from anywhere else. They make some wonderful wines, and an awful lot of overpriced crap. But one man's "austere and elegant" is another man's "thin and sour", and as the French say (while urinating into the vats headed for British supermarkets) "chacun à son goût"
No doubt - which is why I said what might be best avoided. The lesser known villages and regions and small producers aren't trading on their names and supermarkets have very good buyers. Morrisons, Lidl and Aldi in particular.I wouldn't recommend any of the wines I mentioned without food (even just a cracker and cheese). I do think we tune our palates to accept more agreeable tastes and textures (smooth sweet) and reject the more challenging ones. Very few people would drink beer or gin if they went off their first impression.
I think it's a good idea to give up sugar in tea and coffee and avoid regular sugary or sweetened drinks if you want to taste anything properly.
This has no right being as cheap as it is. Stonking, easy drinking Pinot Noir. https://www.waitrosecellar.com/marsolay-pinot-noir...
oddman said:
Wine bore alert.
'quaffing', 'smooth', 'easy drinking' are all a bit of a trigger for me. They speak of thoughtless heavy drinking for intoxication rather than taste. How do I know - I'm as guilty as anyone - I keep simple wines like these around if I want to open a second bottle to stop me wasting the good stuff when I've already pickled my palate.
Shamefully these wines are designed for us Brits and our barbaric drinking culture. As one poster put it 'alcoholic ribena'. I would hazard you could make a nice 'wine' to satisfy this craving with a bottle of vodka shaken with a jar of jam diluted appropriately. Decent wine should offer everything it has for a sip not a gulp. They are part of a trend to industrial food and distance the producer from the consumer.
Look at the names and labels of most of what has been posted. They are designed by a marketing team and intended to disguise rather than inform you of what's inside. Most of these wines will have no information about vineyard or wine making practices. Some don't even have vintage statements. They will have been subjected to trickery such as late harvesting to maximise sugar, addition of sugar if required and reverse osmosis. They will have been filtered to within an inch of their lives so that some poor punter doesn't encounter a nasty residue.
I tried a case of Laithwaites wines on special introductory offer and expected great things. They were ludicrously alcoholic, jammy, smooth and characterless. I think The Wine Society is probably the best online source for value wines of character.
There are loads of producers working hard to make wines that express the character of the grape and place they are grown. They tend to be wines that go better with food as the alcohol and fruit is balanced with acidity and tannin which taste less pleasant when food (particularly fat and salt) isn't taken together with the wine.
Rant over - in answer to the question I think you can't go wrong with Rhône Village wines Cairanne, Vacqueyras, Ventoux and Rasteau. Also supermarket 'Taste the Difference' tyoe wines of the French South West such as Languedoc, Cahors, Pays d'Oc, Catalanes. These are usually 13.5-14.5% full bodied but with balancing tannins and acidity and interesting aromatics.
Reds to swerve a under £10 are Bordeaux, Burgundy and big name Rhônes such as Châteauneuf, Crozes Hermitage, St Joseph.
Portugal a good call too.
Agreed, a very boring and condescending post 'quaffing', 'smooth', 'easy drinking' are all a bit of a trigger for me. They speak of thoughtless heavy drinking for intoxication rather than taste. How do I know - I'm as guilty as anyone - I keep simple wines like these around if I want to open a second bottle to stop me wasting the good stuff when I've already pickled my palate.
Shamefully these wines are designed for us Brits and our barbaric drinking culture. As one poster put it 'alcoholic ribena'. I would hazard you could make a nice 'wine' to satisfy this craving with a bottle of vodka shaken with a jar of jam diluted appropriately. Decent wine should offer everything it has for a sip not a gulp. They are part of a trend to industrial food and distance the producer from the consumer.
Look at the names and labels of most of what has been posted. They are designed by a marketing team and intended to disguise rather than inform you of what's inside. Most of these wines will have no information about vineyard or wine making practices. Some don't even have vintage statements. They will have been subjected to trickery such as late harvesting to maximise sugar, addition of sugar if required and reverse osmosis. They will have been filtered to within an inch of their lives so that some poor punter doesn't encounter a nasty residue.
I tried a case of Laithwaites wines on special introductory offer and expected great things. They were ludicrously alcoholic, jammy, smooth and characterless. I think The Wine Society is probably the best online source for value wines of character.
There are loads of producers working hard to make wines that express the character of the grape and place they are grown. They tend to be wines that go better with food as the alcohol and fruit is balanced with acidity and tannin which taste less pleasant when food (particularly fat and salt) isn't taken together with the wine.
Rant over - in answer to the question I think you can't go wrong with Rhône Village wines Cairanne, Vacqueyras, Ventoux and Rasteau. Also supermarket 'Taste the Difference' tyoe wines of the French South West such as Languedoc, Cahors, Pays d'Oc, Catalanes. These are usually 13.5-14.5% full bodied but with balancing tannins and acidity and interesting aromatics.
Reds to swerve a under £10 are Bordeaux, Burgundy and big name Rhônes such as Châteauneuf, Crozes Hermitage, St Joseph.
Portugal a good call too.
OP asks for a good quaffing wine and gets some good replies. Whether that wine is used for "thoughtless heavy drinking for intoxication" is more down to the imbiber than the specific wine, I would wager.
I love my wine and can happily enjoy a single glass of a 'quaffing' wine as much as I can a bottle of Montrachet. There really are no rules where wine drinking is concerned.
oddman said:
Wine bore alert.
'quaffing', 'smooth', 'easy drinking' are all a bit of a trigger for me. They speak of thoughtless heavy drinking for intoxication rather than taste. How do I know - I'm as guilty as anyone - I keep simple wines like these around if I want to open a second bottle to stop me wasting the good stuff when I've already pickled my palate.
Shamefully these wines are designed for us Brits and our barbaric drinking culture. As one poster put it 'alcoholic ribena'. I would hazard you could make a nice 'wine' to satisfy this craving with a bottle of vodka shaken with a jar of jam diluted appropriately. Decent wine should offer everything it has for a sip not a gulp. They are part of a trend to industrial food and distance the producer from the consumer.
Look at the names and labels of most of what has been posted. They are designed by a marketing team and intended to disguise rather than inform you of what's inside. Most of these wines will have no information about vineyard or wine making practices. Some don't even have vintage statements. They will have been subjected to trickery such as late harvesting to maximise sugar, addition of sugar if required and reverse osmosis. They will have been filtered to within an inch of their lives so that some poor punter doesn't encounter a nasty residue.
I tried a case of Laithwaites wines on special introductory offer and expected great things. They were ludicrously alcoholic, jammy, smooth and characterless. I think The Wine Society is probably the best online source for value wines of character.
There are loads of producers working hard to make wines that express the character of the grape and place they are grown. They tend to be wines that go better with food as the alcohol and fruit is balanced with acidity and tannin which taste less pleasant when food (particularly fat and salt) isn't taken together with the wine.
Rant over - in answer to the question I think you can't go wrong with Rhône Village wines Cairanne, Vacqueyras, Ventoux and Rasteau. Also supermarket 'Taste the Difference' tyoe wines of the French South West such as Languedoc, Cahors, Pays d'Oc, Catalanes. These are usually 13.5-14.5% full bodied but with balancing tannins and acidity and interesting aromatics.
Reds to swerve a under £10 are Bordeaux, Burgundy and big name Rhônes such as Châteauneuf, Crozes Hermitage, St Joseph.
Portugal a good call too.
Yep, agree 100%.'quaffing', 'smooth', 'easy drinking' are all a bit of a trigger for me. They speak of thoughtless heavy drinking for intoxication rather than taste. How do I know - I'm as guilty as anyone - I keep simple wines like these around if I want to open a second bottle to stop me wasting the good stuff when I've already pickled my palate.
Shamefully these wines are designed for us Brits and our barbaric drinking culture. As one poster put it 'alcoholic ribena'. I would hazard you could make a nice 'wine' to satisfy this craving with a bottle of vodka shaken with a jar of jam diluted appropriately. Decent wine should offer everything it has for a sip not a gulp. They are part of a trend to industrial food and distance the producer from the consumer.
Look at the names and labels of most of what has been posted. They are designed by a marketing team and intended to disguise rather than inform you of what's inside. Most of these wines will have no information about vineyard or wine making practices. Some don't even have vintage statements. They will have been subjected to trickery such as late harvesting to maximise sugar, addition of sugar if required and reverse osmosis. They will have been filtered to within an inch of their lives so that some poor punter doesn't encounter a nasty residue.
I tried a case of Laithwaites wines on special introductory offer and expected great things. They were ludicrously alcoholic, jammy, smooth and characterless. I think The Wine Society is probably the best online source for value wines of character.
There are loads of producers working hard to make wines that express the character of the grape and place they are grown. They tend to be wines that go better with food as the alcohol and fruit is balanced with acidity and tannin which taste less pleasant when food (particularly fat and salt) isn't taken together with the wine.
Rant over - in answer to the question I think you can't go wrong with Rhône Village wines Cairanne, Vacqueyras, Ventoux and Rasteau. Also supermarket 'Taste the Difference' tyoe wines of the French South West such as Languedoc, Cahors, Pays d'Oc, Catalanes. These are usually 13.5-14.5% full bodied but with balancing tannins and acidity and interesting aromatics.
Reds to swerve a under £10 are Bordeaux, Burgundy and big name Rhônes such as Châteauneuf, Crozes Hermitage, St Joseph.
Portugal a good call too.
BUT, I drink wine as a drink, to chill out and relax with. I totally respect people who like to explore the nuances of fine wine, but that ain't me. Fine ales on the other hand....
That's why I like Barossa Ink so much. You can drink it before a meal, with a meal, you can drink a bottle of it, its always reliable. It's never harsh.
Talking of the finer things in life, I once had a glass of 100 year old brandy. It was mind blowing (and I don't really like brandy) but at £2500 a bottle (probably more now), it was well, well out my reach as a Friday evening tipple!
I like cocktails too! Red Legs Rum, Ginger Beer and lime. Yum... Yeah I know I am a heathen
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