I know nothing about wine. Nobody I know drinks it.
Now you've all fallen over in surprise, I have just been through some feedback thing for a service online, and after posting my comments they gave me a online wine discount voucher.
It's worth £60 when you spend £99 or more at NakedWines. I looked at the site but it all means nothing to me.
Am I turning down a mega bargain here and ought to get something to give away to someone, or is it, as I suspect, that you pay your £99, use the voucher, thus spending £39 and get a case of indifferent plonk that is only "worth" £25 in the first place?
Last edited by: smokie on Mon 7 Dec 15 at 18:38
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Naked Wines are very up and coming. Good stuff.
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Naked wines stuff is OKish at the subscriber prices (subscribers are called Angels IIRC), the headline price is inflated, in my opinion.
If you want to go through the palava of signing up to a monthly payment, ordering, then cancelling your sub, you probably can get a reasonable deal out of it.
Last edited by: smokie on Mon 7 Dec 15 at 18:37
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Yuk. Sounds like a no go, all that. Ta.
If anyone else here already has an account, I wonder if I can pass the voucher on?
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Lidl's don't make a bad job of wine for a decent price. Bought plenty at just under a fiver which was superb. Bought SA Cab/Sav last weekend for £3.99 and it was a little wanting to say the least.
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See my drinking buddy, who drinks a lot of wine and I think knows a bit about it said the Lidl SACab Sav was good for the money. It's all a matter of taste I suppose...
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>> See my drinking buddy, who drinks a lot of wine and I think knows a
>> bit about it said the Lidl SACab Sav was good for the money. It's all
>> a matter of taste I suppose...
We tried the Cimarosa branded SA CabSau. a couple of weeks ago and thought it superior to Aldi's Australian CS at similar price point.
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Lord only knows what Aldi's was like then...
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Those Naked vouchers fall out of just about everything I order online, and people have taken to leaving them out in the break rooms at work. I wouldn't bother, and it appears others take the same view.
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Ok, WDB. Thanks. I suspected they were effectively worthless, especially if as Manatee says there is Faff attached.
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Each to his own. We've had some nice wines from them. If you don't like the subscription service you don't have to opt in and if you find you're building a pot up you can opt to take your money out. There's no obligation to buy neither is a box sent to you every month.
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>> Lidl's don't make a bad job of wine for a decent price.
Something in the news a while back about them being 'best' supermarket for wine; might have been this (from Nov last year):
www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/11216317/Lidl-crowned-the-best-supermarket-for-wine-in-the-UK.html
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Had exactly the same mega-bargain a few weeks ago = Bin.
Don't mind a pint of red wine now and again, but I prefer beer, gorn back to Guinness lately, proper Dublin stuff, like.
It's a health drink IMO.
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I used to prefer Beamish to Guinness when I drank stout. Bass or 6X is my tipple these days.
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>> How about a day trip to France?
>> www.lidl.fr/fr/offres-513.htm?id=824
Doing a pre Xmas overnight in Dunkerque next week. Maybe worth visiting Lidl as well as Cite Europe?
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"Doing a pre Xmas overnight in Dunkerque next week. Maybe worth visiting Lidl as well as Cite Europe?"
nights
Want to stop off somewhere near Dunquerque to pick ups some wine and other goodies on the way back. Where is the nearest decent large supermarket to the port?
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>> Want to stop off somewhere near Dunquerque to pick ups some wine and other goodies
>> on the way back. Where is the nearest decent large supermarket to the port?
Over there for 36 hours or so. Chunnel was much cheaper than ferries but we're overnighting in Dunkerque 'cos we like it better than Calais and while Le Touquet would be ideal it always seems expensive for an overnight.
Could shop anywhere as long as we're back at Coquelles for the booked shuttle.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Mon 7 Dec 15 at 20:17
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"Could shop anywhere as long as we're back at Coquelles for the booked shuttle."
Auchan Calais is about 3km from Chunnel.
magasins.auchan.fr/magasins/calais/105/informations-pratiques/
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We did the ciggy and wine run this weekend and always go here.
www.pidou.com/
They have a few stores so you're never far away from one of them.
Pat
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>> we're
>> overnighting in Dunkerque 'cos we like it better than Calais and while Le Touquet would
>> be ideal it always seems expensive for an overnight.
Have you tired Hardelot Plage as a cut-price mini-Le Touquet? Or Wimereux, which is probably even nicer?
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>> Or Wimereux, which is probably
>> even nicer?
Top shout there 'vic. Found a super Logis place almost on the sea front. Room same price as chain place in Dunkerque but had character and restaurant was superb.
Will post a little more detail later but possibly in the hotel v caravan debate to which facts/costs are relevant.
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Brill, delighted you had a good stay. I got quite au fait with that part of France when my youngest was little. She suffered lousy car sickness as a baby/toddler (still gets a bit on rare occasions) so we tried to holiday as close to home as possible for a few years. Now we do Vendee every year which has the perfect climate for us in the summer. And seemingly no biting insects on the coast. Heaven I tell you. Want a retirement place there.
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"somewhere near Dunquerque. Where is the nearest decent large supermarket to the port?"
magasins.auchan.fr/magasins/dunkerque---grande-synthe/11/informations-pratiques/
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Hi Phil, an I getting an Auchan better than Carrefour message here?
Used to favour the Cote D'Opal one at Boulogne but find exiting it in a RHD car problematic - One of those junctions where stuff hides behind the A pillar.
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"Hi Phil, am I getting an Auchan better than Carrefour message here?"
No, often use Carrefour (esp further south where Auchan is not found much) - have just found these Auchans pretty convenient for ports/chunnel and like their wine boxes for swigging (about 10-12 euros for 5 litres of Appelation Controlee of various kinds!.)
Carrefour equally as good but was not impressed by the Calais town one (bit tatty - but that was a few years ago!)
Carrefour in Cite Europe is huge and equally as good (as are their wine boxes!) as Auchans and there is also a big Tesco at Cite Europe.
Usually get a good few bottles of the better stuff (the stuff in bottles!) for dinners, birthdays, Christmas etc - though I hasten to add, I'm no expert - usually go by price and region - particularly like the Loire and Bordeaux wines. Oh, and Burgundies, Bergeracs, Cahors, etc., etc,.
;-)
P
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Tried a bottle of Prosecco last week for the first time ever, after Steve Allen (LBC Radio) kept going on about it.
Nothing special really, just a sparkling dry white wine. Good one it was too ... from Tesco :) £8 a bottle mind!
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Rarely drink in the house. Doesn't work for me. Two hours of dubious pleasure followed by being stuck indoors 'cos you now can't drive anywhere and so instead fall asleep in front of a TV programme you didn't really want to watch in the first place, and then you wake up with a dry mouth but no longer tired, and can't get to sleep at your normal time. So to amuse yourself you have something to eat ( usually a cheese and raw onion sandwich ) and get indigestion.
All of the above has cost you the price of the wine, beer, spirits, cheese and or onion consumed and you've had a rubbish evening.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Mon 7 Dec 15 at 19:46
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I love wine, when I'm in the mood. The mood often descends when one is in a wine-producing area, oddly enough.
It's best in my experience in its country of origin, lovingly poured by a local expert. But can be incredibly good, or very disappointing, under almost any circumstances.
White red or pink, if everything comes right sublime more or less. If it doesn't, hard luck.
The Jesuits at my last school had it on their dinner table. We used to nick it and scoff it in our rooms.
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>> The Jesuits at my last school had it on their dinner table. We used to nick it and scoff it in our rooms.
Red usually, but I was far too young and philistine to know or care what sort. The crucial points were Sin, keeping our end up against the authorities and most importantly, Alcohol...
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Given that it seem that if you put a red scowly you ought to justify it, here's my green thumb justify for Runfer.
Most of your posts make me laugh, but that one made me laugh a lot. I can't go round green thumbing all your custard cream nonsense, but I do often find them amusing.
Just so as you know.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Mon 7 Dec 15 at 19:55
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I'm very fond of you too Crankcase. Near brought a tear to the eye that did...
;-)
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Been using Naked wines for about 12 months now, but to be honest I'm not really sure the stuff is any better that a bottle at the same price from the supermarket.
Majestic have just opened up down the road so might give them a try
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Gave old Runfer a green thingy. VERY funny post which summed it up beautifully. Chapeau.
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You are all too kind.
Autographs are of course available...
;-)
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It was the Cheese and raw onion that did it for me. I knew some git had been peeking through the window. Burp!!
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Majestic have bought Naked Wine or are in process of doing so. Back to the original query I think the vouchers are OK, all the online wine retailers do similar things and they are relying on getting you on the hook with little or no profit on the first, discounted, order but making profit from you in a long term relationship where you buy more. I am not criticising, it's a valid approach. They are a reputable company. I took up a similar Virgin wine offer a few years back and they got about a dozen orders out of me before I was stockpiling at a rate quicker than I was drinking it so didn't buy any more. I now tend to buy at supermarkets based on wine columnists recommendations but you never know how independent these reviewers are.
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My wine of choice now is the Aldi boxed Shiraz - wine on tap 24/7 and keeps fresh in the box.
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>>Majestic have just opened up down the road so might give them a try>>
Used Majestic for many years - been there for the Christmas requirements this afternoon and trying hard not to be tempted...:-)
PS
You get what you pay for with wine as with most other things...:-)
Last edited by: Stuartli on Wed 9 Dec 15 at 21:07
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Naked are largely pretty rubbish for buying wine. Naked are largely pretty amazing at selling wine though. They've created a social media wine-selling environment, where people who know nothing about wine give five stars to easy drinking wine that's generally over-priced. But it's carefully chosen and easy drinking, so it's difficult not to give it five stars. So everybody else likes it too.
Any wine they sell that is actually interesting and good quality where they've managed to pick up a cheap parcel is too sophisticated for their customers, so they end up having to refund everybody. That's when their social media approach turns against them, as the weight of public opinion kills anything interesting. Needless to say they don't make that sort of mistake any longer. So all their wine is boring.
And they're brilliant at coming up with these sob stories for their Angels regarding their producers and how the Angels have saved them from going to the wall. Hard to say 'no' to that sort of sell. Except, it's all rubbish. You pay your Angel's share (or whatever they call it) which they tell you is 'invested in our winemakers for the long term.' BUT, at the same time, they reassure you that your money is safe as it has been placed in trust so you can get it back whenever you wish. Needless to say you can't both have your money on deposit AND invest it in a winemaker. So they're lying.
In summary, if you want to buy 'nice' wine and be told it's a bargain because you're buying direct (did anybody mention Naked stand between you and the producer), and get a warm glow because you're told that your investment is helping a winemaker then go for it.
I fell for an introductory offer from them for six bottles of red for just the cost of the tax and delivery. "Normal price" £11 per bottle, "Angel price" £8, offer price about £3 per bottle. Trust me, it wasn't worth the £3. And I will drink anything (though I prefer nice stuff); it's not often a bottle goes unfinished in my household. But I could see that it was a very 'nice' wine that would not challenge somebody who knows nothing about wine.
This is delicious. www.nakedwines.com/wines/manzanilla-la-jaca-sherry.htm But £14? Even the Angel price of £10 is rather steep. And note only 75% would buy it again as it's too sophisticated for many.
This post might sound rather pompous. So be it; it wasn't trying to be, but it wasn't trying to offend any reader. And having written it I'm not going to delete it.
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Thanks for the post Mapmaker. Always glad to learn about something about which I know little or nothing.
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Our easy purchase solution is to include wine with our periodic Waitrose grocery delivery. The selection is good although not for those on a tight budget. Wines have rating points and many have a customer feedback section on the website.
I tried Naked Wines twice but couldn't get on with the business model or the products. Majestic has lost its former information and advice service. So has the Wine Society.
If your taste buds have been blasted by former overindulgence in tobacco and spirits (like mine) a guide is to buy hot-country, in-your-face wines for pronounced flavour.
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>> This post might sound rather pompous. So be it; it wasn't trying to be, but
>> it wasn't trying to offend any reader. And having written it I'm not going to
>> delete it.
That analysis chimes with me, though I hadn't quite thought of it in those terms. Simply as a means of shopping online, I used them for about 18 months, and didn't find the member ratings very useful. As a marketing machine it is impressive, with a very 'chummy' style. They create a picture of buying direct from small producers that is suggestive of good value but actually have an expensive marketing operation so that never really added up.
I ended up with a £100 unspent balance, unsubscribed and got it back. I did get some nice wines, but many were quite ordinary and to my mind fully priced (at the Angel price), so I had no sense of getting a bargain
Interesting article -
www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/wine/11798513/Can-Rowan-Gormley-work-his-magic-on-Majestic-Wine.html
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Ah, thanks Manatee. You've reminded me. Naked belonged to WIV Wein, who also own Pieroth. Pieroth are a dreadful thing whereby a double-glazing salesman comes to your door with some very 'easy drinking' German wines, guarantees you no hangover as they are 'pure' and takes a shed load of your money for that tat.
Pieroth have a *dreadful* reputation (and a large band of very loyal followers). But when your visit-you-at-home salesman's previous career was selling cars or double glazing, what do you expect. Acquaintances of mine are victims, and regularly show off their latest £15-£20 purchases. They're Ess-Aitch-One-Tea.
I buy much of my wine from Les Chais in Boulogne and Auchan, loads of French Country wines for €3-6. And more, from Waitrose Wine Direct, in their twice-a-year 25% off campaigns. And a further 6% cashback through these guys tinyurl.com/z48c3m2 gives you 30% off. Bargain. And at auction, though Christies and Bonhams are generally far too expensive for me these days.
Last edited by: Mapmaker on Tue 8 Dec 15 at 12:02
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I remember many years ago, a Sainsbuys Vin De Pays drinking very much ahead of its name and designation. My neighbour and I both liked it, and drank umpteen bottles and it was often on offer, perhaps as a loss leader too. Then some fool alerted the Daily Telegraph who 'reviewed' the wine in their Saturday food and drink bit who came up with the same conclusions as us. What was on the shelves sold and we never saw it again. Doubtless now sold as a more expensive wine somewhere.
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Pompous, MM? Nothing of the sort, just a clear, reasoned, insightful dissection of a business model that has very little to do with simple enjoyment of the product it was designed to sell.
We had the polar opposite experience last summer: the pleasure of a holiday amid the wineries of the Côtes de Duras. I thoroughly recommend visiting producers by bike; it takes away any pressure to buy more than a bottle or two for that evening's evaluation. Then, when you've decided which are worth a return visit, I also recommend a large Mercedes estate car (other capacious motor cars are available) in which to carry home the booty. I think we brought home 36 bottles - £6-8 apiece, nothing hifalutin - but every one tells a story, to us anyway.
Even if you're confined to buying in the UK, given the high fixed costs involved in the wine trade - bottle, shipping, duty and tax - it seems unlikely that any 'wine club' is going to achieve significant economies compared with a good local wine merchant, who will look you in the eye and make his recommendations in the hope that your eyes will be back the next week to look into again. Even if it's an extra pound a bottle, it's worth it for the confidence, and the pleasure of buying from someone who truly knows his subject.
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Tue 8 Dec 15 at 14:49
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>> A business
>> model that has very little to do with simple enjoyment of the product it was
>> designed to sell.
That's not quite fair, I'm sure it has introduced a large number of people to drinking and being interested in wine. And it has therefore introduced them to simple enjoyment of wine, through the whole social-media approach to selling wine.
However, the corollary of this approach (like paying too much attention to reviews and star ratings on Amazon, and I am just reminded of this article: www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/11945985/Call-me-a-snob-but-Amazons-idiotic-reviews-are-useless.html ) is that the reviews are useless, and the perpetual selection of popular wines means dumbing down to the bottom with the rejection of interesting wines.
There's a great line in that article, "the tyrrany of the majority" and amusingly, that's exactly what is happening to the Labour party at the moment.
If you want a moment's amusement, type
Manzanilla site:nakedwines.com
into Google. The better and more complex the wine becomes, the lower the satisfaction rating. They're not easy-drinking wines, that's for sure.
So I think that contrary to your statement, "simple" enjoyment is exactly what it has created. And my saying that can well be viewed as pompous/wine snobbish. But I don't care!
Last edited by: Mapmaker on Wed 9 Dec 15 at 10:20
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This is an interesting can of worms and a minefield for the politically correct.
The common denominators are what make for popularity whether it be in wine, food, or the arts.
Most people I know can enjoy both the popular, and some of the more demanding stuff in their areas of special interest or knowledge.
Amazon reviews are interesting. I use them but always read the comments. Same with Tripadvisor. If there are enough reviewers, a useful picture usually emerges.
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Tee hee. I love manzanilla - a chilled half-bottle and a bowl of cashews make up my Christmas morning cook's treat. I especially chuckled at the comments about 'what colour is it supposed to be?' and 'what country is it from?' But ignore the stars (or hearts) and read the comments and there is some useful information there.
I use - and write - Amazon reviews, and agree with the Telegraph writer that most are useless (not mine, of course!) but not with his reasons for saying it. Of course subjective reviews are going to be difficult - even a great death metal album is unlikely to get a strong review from a Bing Crosby fan - but there's another problem with consumer durables, which is that most people are idiots. OK, maybe that's harsh, but so many amount to '*****: I plugged it in and the light came on', or '*****: this only arrived this morning but it was on time and I'm sure it's going to be great' that I disregard all the five-star reviews on practically anything. Similarly, many one-stars have nothing to do with the product and are because it was late or damaged or not the right thing that they're best ignored too.
Two, three or four won't guarantee quality, of course, but at least show that the reviewer thought enough to notice the intermediate scores as well as the extremes. So they're the ones I read first.
One thing that does irk me is that every time I buy through Amazon Marketplace I'm urged to 'review the seller'. I can understand the motive for this, but what do I do - award five glittering stars because the thing arrived on time and wasn't broken? So I usually don't bother.
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The reviews are amusing. The key (from a NW perspective) is the answer to "would you buy this wine again?" Anything hitting only 75%, as these do,
These are manzanilla pasadas (even the £11 Jaca is heading that way), which range in colour from deep yellow almost to a brown, but of course end up looking rather 'odd' (to people who see sherry as nearly crystal clear or brown. They are what the Jerezanos might have called (before the EU stopped them) a "fino amontillado" but they can just about get away with calling a fino que va para amontillado. And of course the British are used to having their brown sherries slightly sweetened, whereas a true amontillado is as dry as a fino but without the freshness.
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I can recommend the Co-op South African Western Cape Fair Trade Chenin Blanc. Proper grown up wine, not sweet, not sharp, not over the top, smooth subtle and gentle flavours that build - all at £4.49 a bottle
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 12 Dec 15 at 19:22
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Will explore your suggestion as we now have a Co-op opened in a recycled pub.
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Me too...sounds nice. We have 3 co-ops in the village now. One's an old cinema and one ex Somerfields. You can't park at either. The 3rd is fine.
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>>and one ex Somerfields.
They took over Somerfields/Gateway in 2009. Weren't they Dees at some point in their previous incarnations? Isogcoles springs to mind as the parent group too. Fine Fare is related too?
Back to the wine question.... Just finished off some nice white Greek wine I bought near Ted/Rattle at Oddbins.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Sun 13 Dec 15 at 00:58
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Wine help - R.P.
