Whilst searching out a few wines for Christmas, I was advised not to
consider any bottles with plants, animals or birds on the label. Those with
would undoubtedly be naff. Don't say you haven't been warned!

MikeCT

In message , MikeCT
writes
Whilst searching out a few wines for Christmas, I was advised not to
consider any bottles with plants, animals or birds on the label. Those with
would undoubtedly be naff. Don't say you haven't been warned!

I know Famous Grouse is spirit and not wine, but it is lovely and has a
grouse on the bottle.
--
June Hughes

MikeCT wrote:
Whilst searching out a few wines for Christmas, I was advised not to
consider any bottles with plants, animals or birds on the label.
Those with would undoubtedly be naff. Don't say you haven't been
warned!
MikeCT

Although this may well be broadly helpful, sadly you need a bit more
knowledge (and happily a lot more practice) to be certain.

:-)

--

John

MikeCT wrote:
"Bioboffin" replied:

Although this may well be broadly helpful, sadly you need a bit more
knowledge (and happily a lot more practice) to be certain.

:-)
---
So what do I do John? Risk buying a few bottles with plants, animals
or birds on the labels, open one or two and find too late that they
are indeed naff. Or live in hope that friends might just have bottles
with natural history subjects on the labels. Decisions, decisions!

Mike (Hic.) CT

My advice (Mary will tell you this is mostly worthless) is to buy what you
like, decide whether you like it or not, and then buy a lot of the ones you
like! You could go to a 'wine-tasting' class, obviously, but you will
probably be expected to spit it out after each taste...

"Bioboffin" replied:

Although this may well be broadly helpful, sadly you need a bit more
knowledge (and happily a lot more practice) to be certain.

:-)
---
So what do I do John? Risk buying a few bottles with plants, animals or
birds on the labels, open one or two and find too late that they are indeed
naff. Or live in hope that friends might just have bottles with natural
history subjects on the labels. Decisions, decisions!

Mike (Hic.) CT

"MikeCT" wrote in message
...
Whilst searching out a few wines for Christmas, I was advised not to
consider any bottles with plants, animals or birds on the label. Those
with
would undoubtedly be naff. Don't say you haven't been warned!


What nonsense! 'Il Papavero', for example, is an excellent wine (e.g. Sunday
Times Wine Club's most re-ordered red wine for the past three years) and has
a picture of a poppy on the label.

My advice, FWIW, would be to resist being influenced by the appearance of
the label, regardless of what is or isn't depicted on it, and to try the
wine, if possible, before you buy.

BAC wrote:
What nonsense! 'Il Papavero', for example, is an excellent wine (e.g. Sunday
Times Wine Club's most re-ordered red wine for the past three years) and has
a picture of a poppy on the label.

My advice, FWIW, would be to resist being influenced by the appearance of
the label, regardless of what is or isn't depicted on it, and to try the
wine, if possible, before you buy.

Bought the Boutinot 'Old Git' for a friend's birthday (on
recommendation). Returned and bought 5 more bottles, I liked it very
much indeed, whether or not there's a picture of err... an old git on
it ))

In message , MikeCT
writes

"Bioboffin" replied:

Although this may well be broadly helpful, sadly you need a bit more
knowledge (and happily a lot more practice) to be certain.

:-)
---
So what do I do John? Risk buying a few bottles with plants, animals or
birds on the labels, open one or two and find too late that they are indeed
naff. Or live in hope that friends might just have bottles with natural
history subjects on the labels. Decisions, decisions!

Buy it from Waitrose. I've been shopping there over 21 years and have
never had a naff bottle of wine yet.
--
June Hughes

June Hughes wrote:
In message , MikeCT
writes

"Bioboffin" replied:

Although this may well be broadly helpful, sadly you need a bit more
knowledge (and happily a lot more practice) to be certain.

:-)
---
So what do I do John? Risk buying a few bottles with plants, animals
or birds on the labels, open one or two and find too late that they
are indeed naff. Or live in hope that friends might just have
bottles with natural history subjects on the labels. Decisions,
decisions!
Buy it from Waitrose. I've been shopping there over 21 years and have
never had a naff bottle of wine yet.

You've been lucky!

"June Hughes" wrote in message
...
In message , MikeCT
writes
Whilst searching out a few wines for Christmas, I was advised not to
consider any bottles with plants, animals or birds on the label. Those
with
would undoubtedly be naff. Don't say you haven't been warned!

I know Famous Grouse is spirit and not wine, but it is lovely and has a
grouse on the bottle.

I spend a lot of time grousing!

Aklan

--
June Hughes

In message , Bioboffin
writes
June Hughes wrote:
In message , MikeCT
writes

"Bioboffin" replied:

Although this may well be broadly helpful, sadly you need a bit more
knowledge (and happily a lot more practice) to be certain.

:-)
---
So what do I do John? Risk buying a few bottles with plants, animals
or birds on the labels, open one or two and find too late that they
are indeed naff. Or live in hope that friends might just have
bottles with natural history subjects on the labels. Decisions,
decisions!
Buy it from Waitrose. I've been shopping there over 21 years and have
never had a naff bottle of wine yet.

You've been lucky!

Why? Have you?
--
June Hughes

June Hughes wrote:
In message , Bioboffin
writes
June Hughes wrote:
In message , MikeCT
writes

"Bioboffin" replied:

Although this may well be broadly helpful, sadly you need a bit
more knowledge (and happily a lot more practice) to be certain.

:-)
---
So what do I do John? Risk buying a few bottles with plants,
animals or birds on the labels, open one or two and find too late
that they are indeed naff. Or live in hope that friends might just
have bottles with natural history subjects on the labels.
Decisions, decisions!
Buy it from Waitrose. I've been shopping there over 21 years and
have never had a naff bottle of wine yet.

You've been lucky!

Why? Have you?

Any supplier can have a 'corked' bottle of wine. Not their fault, but to
suggest that a supplier is always going to be OK is disingenuous, don't you
think?

"MikeCT" wrote in message
...
Whilst searching out a few wines for Christmas, I was advised not to
consider any bottles with plants, animals or birds on the label. Those
with
would undoubtedly be naff. Don't say you haven't been warned!

MikeCT
Never had to buy wine as I get given loads of the stuff from grateful
customers. Usually Christmas time sees me getting in sufficient bottles to
las for ages, Not being a connosseur I couldn't say whether or not a
particular bottle is good or not but they get used up all the same.
Jim

Jim Paterson wrote:
Never had to buy wine as I get given loads of the stuff from grateful
customers. Usually Christmas time sees me getting in sufficient bottles to
las for ages, Not being a connosseur I couldn't say whether or not a
particular bottle is good or not but they get used up all the same.

You can't say that!! There's good wine and there's cooking wine. If I
drink a wine which makes my ears feel as if they'd drop if I drank any
more, it ends up next to the bottle of vinegar ;o)

On 20/11/06 16:51, in article ,
"Bioboffin" wrote:

June Hughes wrote:
In message , Bioboffin
writes
June Hughes wrote:
In message , MikeCT
writes

"Bioboffin" replied:

Although this may well be broadly helpful, sadly you need a bit
more knowledge (and happily a lot more practice) to be certain.

:-)
---
So what do I do John? Risk buying a few bottles with plants,
animals or birds on the labels, open one or two and find too late
that they are indeed naff. Or live in hope that friends might just
have bottles with natural history subjects on the labels.
Decisions, decisions!
Buy it from Waitrose. I've been shopping there over 21 years and
have never had a naff bottle of wine yet.

You've been lucky!

Why? Have you?

Any supplier can have a 'corked' bottle of wine. Not their fault, but to
suggest that a supplier is always going to be OK is disingenuous, don't you
think?


The supermarkets have huge buying power and if they have a good wine buyer,
are in a position to get some very good stuff. Of course, some chateaux
won't sell through supermarkets, either because they think it 'lowers the
tone' for them or because their output is just too small for supermarkets to
be interested in. One of our favourite Chardonnays is Montes Alpha from
Chile which sells at Majestic for 9.99 and sometimes at Morrisons for 7.99,
so it's worth keeping an eye open!
OTOH Le Troubadour from Chateau Romanin has a rather sickly (to my mind) pic
of a languid lady and gent on it but I know it's a delicious wine, as is
Cloudy Bay with a mountain scape on the label and a setting (or rising) sun
on their Pelorus and Fetzer with a tree and a vineyard. ;-)
But vineyards can go through good and bad patches. We fell in love with a
delicious white when we were in Provence and I have tried to buy it in UK
since but was told it had become too 'unreliable' as to quality and the
normal stockists weren't bringing it in. Later, I heard from another source
that there had been a divorce and a huge disruption following on from that
and thus the wine had gone downhill for a time. But given a bit of luck and
a following wind, it will pick up in the future.
The thing is to taste lots of different types of grape from different
regions and decide which type you like best and then experiment further
within that range, trying oaked, unoaked etc. Write down the names of the
ones you really like and then you'll remember them when you get to the shop
and are confronted with literally hundreds! And remember - if you don't
like a wine for drinking, cook with it so nothing's wasted! ;-)
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/