Wine

[ipwn]

I'm after some wine but I don't have a clue about wine at all.

I have a budget of around £200 for 6 good quality bottles and would prefer to have a variety of colours and types in there to.

They are going to be a gift so don't want something exremely cheap.

I am looking at costco, tescos etc

So anyone got any tips for what to pretty much buy?

Thanks ph.

[chukka64]

For a lot less than your budget you could try www.laithwaites.co.uk, never had a bad bottle from them yet.

[Simond001]

I dont think you would go far wrong buy tesco's or waitrose's best own brands.

Wine is such a personal opinion, you will never be able to judge exactly what is nice to someone elses pallete.

[Don]

Spending £30 to £40 a bottle gets you into serious wine territory. You certainly don't want to be going to Tescos or Sainsburys for THAT!

My advice: go to a GOOD local independent wine merchant. Ask for advice. Tell 'em what your budget is and how many bottles you want and they will certainly help you out. A good one will even ask you if you know anything about the tastes of the person who will recieve the gift.

Given the above and not knowing anything about what you really want here's a suggestion.

One bottle of a good Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne Montrachet and Meursault each. These will be your white wines from Burgundy. Then I'll go with Henschke Mt Edelstone Shiraz, a Nicolas Potel Nuits St George and a Humbert Freres Gevrey Chambertin for the reds.

If you need to buy on the 'net.

http://www.laywheeler.com/


But, like I say, you should really go to a local specialist who will personalise the choices for you.

[miniman]

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you don't know anything about wine, I wouldn't be buying 6 bottles at £50 a pop. I would look at a mixed case through Laithwaites, Virgin Wines, or one of the Sunday broadsheet wine clubs. For something unusual, what about a mixed case of English wine:

http://www.three-choirs-shop.co.uk/shopdisplayprod...

I don't drink red wine, but on the white side of things, I can strongly recommend the Bacchus, Coleridge Hill, Fumé and Willow Brook.

[jessica]

you will be able to get some really nice wine for your money at a oddbiins for that. Or if you want to go more upmarket try online wine merchants.
e mail them and ask them for some advice.

[selmahoos]

winebuythecase.com - excellent place. Try "The Dead Arm" (d'Arenberg S. Australia) for a tasty tipple.

[scotal]

You could, witht at sort fobudget get some rally gems with that, or get horribly ripped off.

Ph'er bebs is a wine auctioneer, if you must spend that sort of money absolutely blind, have a chat with him, I've not bought form him myself, but have heard nice things. If not, as suggested,the likes of Laithwaites or Majestic would be a good place to start. (Both ahve shops with staff who can advise.)
A bit of knowledge might make a call to Lay and wheeler worthwhile (they'll ask what sort fo thing you like so you'll need to know)

[sleep envy]

al, you been at the vino?

[Plotloss]

Half case of Barolo.

Done.

[ipwn]

I don't want to seek advice from people selling me wine as they would choose the bottle that has the higest profit margin.

Can anyone reccomend some decent names of wine bottles that I can just go in store and pick up.

[scotal]

sleep envy said:

al, you been at the vino?

lunch at the in-laws, I'm recovering with a bottle of Merlot.

[sleep envy]

scotal said:

sleep envy said:

al, you been at the vino?

lunch at the in-laws, I'm recovering with a bottle of Merlot.

were you dipped in gin?

[scotal]

sleep envy said:

scotal said:

sleep envy said:

al, you been at the vino?

lunch at the in-laws, I'm recovering with a bottle of Merlot.

were you dipped in gin?

You've met them??

[sleep envy]

scotal said:

You've met them??

no but guessed a bottle of merlot is a good way to get over 'mother's ruin'

[HiRich]

ipwn said:

I don't want to seek advice from people selling me wine as they would choose the bottle that has the higest profit margin.

Can anyone reccomend some decent names of wine bottles that I can just go in store and pick up.

I appreciate where you're coming from, but to put this in context, I have a book with tasting notes on some 25,000 premium wines. Some of these are produced in parcels of just a few thousand bottles a year. So I'd give you three options:
1) Take Don's advice: visit an independent, a Laithwaites, or a reasonably sized Oddbins. You might test them by first asking for a £30 claret for Christmans dinner (expect to be offered something five or more years old, but more importantly listen to how they describe and present the wines - expect confidence rather than selling). Then tell them what your real brief is. A decent merchant will lead you quickly through the choices and do a good job - they are looking for repeat business.
2) Pop into WH Smiths and look for a small book, probably with the words IWC in the title. Inside there will be a list of recommended wines by merchant (including supermarkets). Read, take book to your store if choice, and pick six.
3) www.laithwaites.co.uk

[Mr Beaumont]

I'd reccomend 2 bottles of Chablis Premier/Grand Cru, around £20-£30 per bottle.
2 Bottles of something like 2006 Lynch Bages, around £50 per bottle.
and
2 bottles of http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z315/lagrandejo...
Tsarine Rose, basically just for the bottle, but the stuff inside is good as well, around £25-£30 a bottle.

[jessica]

Plotloss said:

Half case of Barolo.

Done.

[smiller]

Failing the half case of Barolo, try a half case of Valpolicella Amarone

[VTECMatt]

smiller said:

Failing the half case of Barolo, try a half case of Valpolicella Amarone

Ding