Category Archives: Buying Wine

The Quest for Affordable but Drinkable Chardonnay

Posted on August 25, 2011 by physicsman

Not as snappy a title as the one with the Holy Grail, but still a serious quest for what might yet prove to be a myth. My Supermarket Raid and Wine Society delivery resulted in six Chardonnays with prices from … Continue reading →

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A Supermarket Raid and a Delivery

Posted on August 19, 2011 by physicsman

Getting a bit low on everyday wines and ever the optimist, I thought it was time to try the supermarkets again for drinkable wines (I put it no higher) at bargain prices. This required a bit of online research as … Continue reading →

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Pork Fillet stuffed with Prunes and a Claret

Posted on July 30, 2011 by physicsman

The dish is best known in the Loire and D has cooked variations on the theme for longer than she would want me to reveal. This kind of longevity is achieved only by classic combinations and that is what we … Continue reading →

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Jancis Hymns Beaujolais

Posted on July 30, 2011 by physicsman

In today’s FT Magazine Jancis Robinson gives a well-deserved boost to much improved Beaujolais. The region is fighting back against the persisting reputation of thin, acidic Beaujolais Nouveau to re-establish its quality. Though the 2008s were a bit light, the … Continue reading →

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Choosing Clarets

Posted on June 18, 2011 by physicsman

The previous post reminds me of my problems in choosing clarets. The French just say ‘there are 3,500 of them, so you are bound to find one you like’. Yes but that’s 10 years of tasting at a bottle a … Continue reading →

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What it Says on the Bottle: Interpreting Descriptions

Posted on June 17, 2011 by physicsman

Tonight’s experience of a very good wine that was not what I expected is salutary. I expect a wine with an advised drinking window of 2008 – 2013 to be in very good shape in 2011. Wines do not have … Continue reading →

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Arrival of Wine Orders

Posted on June 2, 2011 by physicsman

The Alsace 2009 Order and the Summer Wines Order from The Wine Society both arrived within a 24 hour window leaving only one case to come. The cellar is looking very much better for it – a lot of white … Continue reading →

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Another Wine Society Offer – Groan

Posted on May 28, 2011 by physicsman

Today it was three offers in one envelope – 2009 Alsace, rosés, and summer specials. I wanted far more than I can afford to spend in one go. After a month or two of scanning supermarket websites for their usual … Continue reading →

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Varietal Colour Inversion?

Posted on May 28, 2011 by physicsman

Time was when cheap white wines were very much worse than cheap red wines. Something seems to have changed. Recent experience with varietals seems to me to give the lie to the old convention: wildly over concentrated Carmenère, jammy and … Continue reading →

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Buying for the Coming Season

Posted on May 4, 2011 by physicsman

The Wine Society has made a well-timed offer of 2009 Beaujolais. It was a near perfect year for Beaujolais, some say the best since 1947. But more important for the drinkers of modest wines like this is the season. Summer … Continue reading →

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