You see, this is where you get a French girlfriend to import you the shithottest 6 and 7 year old reds for about 3 pounds a bottle.

"Smug Cunt" smiley.

(I feel I am going to lose all my friends if I continue posting on this subject).

and all the brand names that line the supermarkets are just sweet and tasteless

Rubbish! Go get yourself a bottle of Wither Hills S'Blanc now... it's neither sweet nor tastless, and you can get it from plenty of supermarkets.

WINE FIGHT!

GRRRRRRRR!!!!!

Gramsci wrote:Trust me, there is nothing boring about NZ Sav Blancs and Chars at the moment.

Ah, I'm in red mode for the winter and won't be returning to white until the external temperature reaches at least 5C.

Probably mid August then.

[Englishman complaining about the weather face]

Champion Rabbit wrote:Reasonably priced New World wines tend to be very, very boring...

My wine dealer tells me that this is because most US wines are produced for the local/national market, so there is no need for export or international marketing.

In the slightly higher prized segment, however, there are a lot of good ones to enjoy.

Any NZ wine you recommend, Gramsci?

EDIT: for less whining.

WINE FIGHT!

GRRRRRRRR!!!!!

No fight... I'm just wishing I had a French girlfriend now.

B_M_L wrote:

WINE FIGHT!

GRRRRRRRR!!!!!

No fight... I'm just wishing I had a French girlfriend now.

They smell bad and they are hairy though....

si-maro wrote:Time to reveal how much of a snob I am - I won't buy any wine that isn't French, Italian or occassionally Spanish. I've drunk the odd nice New Worlder but they're so hard to find, and all the brand names that line the supermarkets are just sweet and tasteless. Europe all the way!

I'm sorry, I'm a snob like that.

I'm in agreement. Apellation Contrôlée is the name of the game. Even the cheapest French reds are better than most new world wines*. Just look out for the AOC approval under the vineyard name on the label. As for whites, I'd say Italian all the way(particulary Pinot Grigio, Orvieto or Scilican Grillo).

*Any red wine will benefit from being opened and left next to the stove while you cook. The warmth will get rid the malodorous gases that build up in the air in neck of the bottle after its corked.

sunlore wrote:
Any NZ whine you recommend, Gramsci?

www.nzwine.com

At the top end Cloudy Bay, expensive -around 30 euros a bottle- but the best fucking chardonnay in the world.

www.montanawines.co.nz make good, not too pricey whites and methods.

Those just two very easy to find... Too be honest, all of the export wine from NZ is of very high quality, all the cheap stuff stays at home.

si-maro wrote:They smell bad and they are hairy though....

I can second that!