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Christmas Wine II

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BTC3 said:
@eternumviti I’m not trying to engage in one-upmanship, but I can relate to what you’re going through, especially the number 53 aspect. I thought we’d got through COVID relatively unscathed, then 6 bereavements over an approximately 4 week period; none directly attributable to covid.
I haven’t learned anything in particular from it, certainly no pithy insights, but my heart goes out to you. It’s horrible.
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Likewise, and thank you.
 
Dogberry said:
Me too,but I don't want a fruit bomb.Please try it.
Actually I might get it a mixed case from Majestic
it's ~£18.Its easy to check which stores have it.
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Get some, it is outstanding because it is balanced: very well balanced richness and acidity. Not heavy, you could easily drink a bottle without food. It is not a fruit bomb.
 
mandryka said:
Get some, it is outstanding because it is balanced: very well balanced richness and acidity. Not heavy, you could easily drink a bottle without food. It is not a fruit bomb.
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I did see above.Thanks.
Bagged three from Majestic.
The aftermath wasn't pleasant though I believe two
toothpaste squeezers were sacked at the Towers.
 
Cold night, woodburner going, steak dinner, Dolphy going bonkers on a Mingus live album, funeral to attend in the morning - I felt like something a bit heavy tonight. This certainly fits the bill - like a torrent of thick primordial magma oozing down the side of a volcano (think maybe you ought to turn it down a few notches - ed) this would have a case of prissy Pinot Noir for breakfast. 95% Tannat, the remainder CF. Three bottles left, excellent! I wonder if I should be concerned that only Malbec and Tannat really hit the spot at the moment, but maybe it’s just a phase. Maybe. Mustn’t drink too much, don’t want to turn up at the funeral looking confused and unshaven - ah...

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Marchbanks said:
Thanks. It’s a Riedel Malbec. Or maybe a Merlot. I bought two of each on offer in TK Maxx, but I can never remember which is which. Rather defeats the object, I suppose.
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However is the object (from the glass maker's PoV) simply to sell more glassware?

The only glasses where I care a lot are for Champagne where to get the most out of its subtleties I find you need a rather bigger glass flute/tulip than you commonly can find and fill it no more than 1/4 full. Normal white wine glasses (the Champenois tasting practice AIUI) IME don't preserve the bouquet for continued sipping as long as a big flute or tulip.

For red wine I am quite unfussy and actually use the largest John Lewis own brand white wine glasses.

Am I missing something?
 
John Phillips said:
However is the object (from the glass maker's PoV) simply to sell more glassware?
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I’d be surprised if there wasn’t an element of that in their methods, yes.
John Phillips said:
For red wine I am quite unfussy and actually use the largest John Lewis own brand white wine glasses.
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I like Riedels, and my three pairs of ‘varietal specific’ all came from TK Maxx at about one-quarter RRP. The glass I use on any given night is chosen by a combination of mood and ease of reach. I don’t have a John Lewis in my local town so they don’t enter the equation for me. So TK Maxx it was (I’m fairly unfussy too!) I’ve also got a box of generic ‘Restaurant grade’ Riedels that came from Nisbets. Decent but inexpensive - useful for banquets, picnics or when the accountant, tax man or National Trust representative calls and I want to appear hospitable without being extravagant.
John Phillips said:
Am I missing something?
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Who knows? There are folk on the fringes of all interests who say you can’t have the full experience without going the extra mile. Am I missing something by not having wet tantalum capacitors or rhodium interconnects the thickness of drainpipes? No idea, but I don’t have the time, inclination or resources to find out!
 
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Marchbanks said:
I’d be surprised if there wasn’t an element of that in their methods, yes.

I like Riedels, and my three pairs of ‘varietal specific’ all came from TK Maxx at about one-quarter RRP. The glass I use on any given night is chosen by a combination of mood and ease of reach. I don’t have a John Lewis in my local town so they don’t enter the equation for me. TK Maxx it was (I’m fairly unfussy too!) I’ve also got a box of generic ‘Restaurant grade’ Riedels that came from Nisbets. Decent but inexpensive - useful for banquets, picnics or when the accountant, tax man or National Trust representative calls and I want to appear hospitable without being extravagant.

Who knows? There are folk on the fringes of all interests who say you can’t have the full experience without going the extra mile. Am I missing something by not having wet tantalum capacitors or rhodium interconnects the thickness of drainpipes? No idea, but I don’t have the time, inclination or resources to find out!
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i thought you told us glasses were superfluous at the towers.
 
Marchbanks said:
I can’t see any reference to the vintage - have they hidden it somewhere? Whatever it is, that looks like a good buy. The labelling is subtly different - the bottle they show is the same as the original one that I had. But as I said there, I’m pretty sure they are the same. If you want to order half a dozen I’ll take three, or five if you don’t like it. How’s that? In fact, I’ll extend the same offer to the matching label Cabernet Franc at the same price. I’d like to try that, and it would cut down on the postage cost per bottle.

I’m curious about the merchant, though - search for ‘Ministry Of Drinks’ and compare addresses and prices for the same bottles!
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Hurry up and taste the Cabernet Franc as I'm kind of tempted to order half a dozen.
 
Yes, I’ve been making too many very expensive daubes recently so it’s good to find one which will not end up in the stew pot.
 
Marchbanks said:
I like Riedels, and my three pairs of ‘varietal specific’ all came from TK Maxx at about one-quarter RRP. The glass I use on any given night is chosen by a combination of mood and ease of reach. I don’t have a John Lewis in my local town so they don’t enter the equation for me. So TK Maxx it was (I’m fairly unfussy too!) I’ve also got a box of generic ‘Restaurant grade’ Riedels that came from Nisbets. Decent but inexpensive - useful for banquets, picnics or when the accountant, tax man or National Trust representative calls and I want to appear hospitable without being extravagant.
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I have liked and bought good, simple, elegant glassware for many years. I too like Riedel - for the simple pleasure of using what I think of as very well made glass rather than any obvious matching of wine to glass design.
 
gintonic said:
indeed but which one
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While living in Basel for several years, we tried many Crémants d'Alsace, and this was one of the best we found;



Not available in supermarkets, but only directly from Wolfberger. Their place is conveniently located at the entrance to Eguisheim, one of the most attractive Alsace towns, and also home to Domaine Sorg.
 
mandryka said:
Yes, I’ve been making too many very expensive daubes recently so it’s good to find one which will not end up in the stew pot.
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I’m thinking of replacing ‘Jesus Christ!!’ with ‘Mander’s pot’ as level 1 of the Marchbanks 5-point scale.
 
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