| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? 18:22 - Feb 16 with 17610 views | GeoffSentence |
The sort that you'd have to pay hundreds of pounds a bottle in a restaurant or bar.
Does it taste noticeably better than a bottle of plonk you can get from your local supermarket? |  |
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 20:06 - Feb 16 with 4709 views | HARRY10 |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 19:45 - Feb 16 by Oxford_Blue |
Because you can’t tell the step up from a £7 to a £70/100 bottle if you don’t have the stepping stones and reference points in between.
Like starting with a ford focus then going straight to a Ferrari.
Sure, it will be great. But if you’ve driven a Z4, Porsche boxter, Aston Martin etc first then you’ll be well placed to judge the Ferrari in context and relative to the others.
With wine, especially older and powerful reds, they absolutely need food and red meat to come alive. |
What I meant was why hoard the stuff, get it down your neck and enjoy it |  | | |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 20:15 - Feb 16 with 4704 views | HARRY10 |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 19:54 - Feb 16 by Lord_Lucan |
I love doing sh1t like that. |
My niece told a slightly similar story of when she was house sharing as a student. Basis like milk tea, sugar etc were bought communely. However one goirl insisted on them having to be the 'best'.
Which meant when it was her turn to spend the communal mony she bought stuff at M&S. So as a return the other three bought cheaper TBags (not basic) and just stuffed them into the M&S box.
Nothing was ever said
and on another note whaton earth are those 'foreign jonnies' doing buying huge packs of water ? It's mostly the same stuff that comes out of the tap. Has no one explained that to them ? | | | |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 20:20 - Feb 16 with 4692 views | Oxford_Blue |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 20:06 - Feb 16 by HARRY10 |
What I meant was why hoard the stuff, get it down your neck and enjoy it |
Because much of it was bought on release from the barrel, and needs 5-10 years to be ready - especially good Bordeaux. It wouldn’t be very good to drink early - the tannins are too tough. These are huge wines that need age.
You can buy ten year old Bordeaux now, ready for drinking, but it will cost a lot more.
I’ve got some Langoa Barton 2014 for example. Bought when in the barrel for £30 a bottle then it was cellared by a broker for two Years then I paid duty and taxes (about £8) so total cost was £38 a bottle. To buy this now in the shops now is about £50-60.
It’s also nice to have a collection to look forward to drinking and to look at. Plus I guess it’s an investment that I could sell if needs be. | | | |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 20:24 - Feb 16 with 4683 views | jeera |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 20:20 - Feb 16 by Oxford_Blue |
Because much of it was bought on release from the barrel, and needs 5-10 years to be ready - especially good Bordeaux. It wouldn’t be very good to drink early - the tannins are too tough. These are huge wines that need age.
You can buy ten year old Bordeaux now, ready for drinking, but it will cost a lot more.
I’ve got some Langoa Barton 2014 for example. Bought when in the barrel for £30 a bottle then it was cellared by a broker for two Years then I paid duty and taxes (about £8) so total cost was £38 a bottle. To buy this now in the shops now is about £50-60.
It’s also nice to have a collection to look forward to drinking and to look at. Plus I guess it’s an investment that I could sell if needs be. |
That makes a bit more sense put like that.
It's a hobby and if it's what you're into, then good for you.
Why not indeed. |  |
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 20:28 - Feb 16 with 4678 views | Oxford_Blue |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 20:24 - Feb 16 by jeera |
That makes a bit more sense put like that.
It's a hobby and if it's what you're into, then good for you.
Why not indeed. |
But I can’t really afford it anymore. Fine wine is an expensive hobby and all my wine was bought a few years ago before kiddies came along!
Still good to know it’s there though! | | | |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 21:13 - Feb 16 with 4625 views | catch74 |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 18:56 - Feb 16 by Dyland |
Sounds right for "lower" investments. Property by far the best performer on "higher" levels though.
One thing about fine wine is that there are no bargains around in the secondary sales market. Deffo beats inflation but you can't really pick up desirable wines for under their current market value, and if it looks too good to be true it probably is (highest end is rife with fakes).
For me it's all about finding nice and interesting stuff for drinking, now and over next ten or so years. |
You’re right - I think it was £50000 infested 50 years ago. |  |
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 22:13 - Feb 16 with 4579 views | solemio |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 19:16 - Feb 16 by NBVJohn |
I enjoy wines and have a reasonable knowledge without claiming to be any kind of connoisseur. I was given a bottle of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1971 as a wedding present - it was worth about £400 (20 odd years ago). I was incredibly grateful and overwhelmed with the generosity of the person who gave it to me. It was one hell of a present.
As someone who had looked forward to tasting it, it was an experience I’ll never forget, and the wine was everything I had hoped it would be, but to give you some balance, those in the room with me included someone who had no interest who was completely indifferent, and another person who claimed they had tasted better., simply because they always had to make such claims.
Would I pay £400? No chance.
Am I glad I had the opportunity? Bloody right I am.
The point is, it’s only ever as good as you want it to be. If you have such a bottle, choose your drinking companions carefully! I doubt I’ll ever get a similar opportunity. |
That is cheap Rothschild. If you go to the wine shop at Waddesdon bottles are available at £4000 each. | | | |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 07:01 - Feb 17 with 4514 views | Churchman |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 19:49 - Feb 16 by Darth_Koont |
When you can mimic the same effect by just telling people a wine cost £50+ then it's probably wasted on the vast majority of us.
I remember I was going to wind up my step-father who was a huge French wine snob and give him a glass of Chilean instead. But he then spent 10 minutes telling me why this taste just couldn't be recreated in the New World. He went so over the top I didn't have the heart to burst his balloon. |
Certainly wasted on me. I’ve been to a few wine tastings over the years and the first was the best 25 years ago. A business contact invited me and it was the full monte, brass bucket n all. The wines went from £20-£250. It was great fun, but the most expensive didn’t really do it for me. Mind you, we’d all had 5 pints to warm up before the wine tasting and the brass bucket remained unused so maybe that had something to do with it.
However, subsequent goes at it without oiling the wheels first suggests I’m a lost cause, much as I enjoy wine. Each to their own. [Post edited 17 Feb 2020 7:15]
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 07:49 - Feb 17 with 4501 views | StokieBlue |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 18:30 - Feb 16 by footers |
For most mid-range wines I doubt there's too much difference. The bottles you're on about are either for true connoisseurs or oligarchs with small willies. Can you imagine spending thousands on a bottle of bloody plonk?!
That being said, there is a huge step up in quality from, say, a £10 bottle from Sainsbury's and a £20-30 bottle chosen from a vintner. But it's all about finding someone who'll help you pick what's right for you or what you're planning to eat.
Also, it's good to open your mind from what we have available here in the UK. I used to hate roses and sherry, but having found decent, non-sweet roses and dry sherries from Spain/Portugal has opened the old noggin a bit. |
Spot on
SB |  |
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 08:27 - Feb 17 with 4491 views | JakeITFC |
I know absolutely nothing about wine but am fortunate enough to have eaten in some amazing restaurants and either had the wine pairing or had a great sommelier who we’ve allowed to just pick the wine for us all night.
Obviously it is their job to pick and sell wine, but I’m always amazed at how much a good glass of wine can elevate a dish (and vice versa) and I always make a note or take the wine list home with me to sample elsewhere but never actually get around to doing it. |  | | |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 08:43 - Feb 17 with 4475 views | hampstead_blue |
I've had a few over my time.
The difference is significant.
Supermarket wine is blended to give a 'universal' taste according to the grape varieties.
When you buy a bottle which is 'bottled at chateaux' you get it made by their winemaker in their own style.
The most expensive I've bought is £50 around 15 years ago. I had two. The first was drunk 10 years ago and the other last year. It was outstanding.
I've a few more at that price level in the rack.
I play cricket against the WIne Trade each year and they are happy to lift the lid and tell you how the trade works.
When you open wine you can't just pour it. You need to let it breath. Decant it and leave it for a good while. |  |
| Assumption is to make an ass out of you and me.
Those who assume they know you, when they don't are just guessing.
Those who assume and insist they know are daft and in denial.
Those who assume, insist, and deny the truth are plain stupid.
Those who assume, insist, deny the truth and tell YOU they know you (when they don't) have an IQ in the range of 35-49.
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 09:03 - Feb 17 with 4456 views | Adelaideblue |
We moved to South Australia a few years back and live near the Adelaide hills, on the doorstep of the Barossa, and Clare valley which are two of the best wine regions in the world...
Hence our kmowledge and appreciation for wine has grown beyond belief...
I would agree that the step up from basic level "cheap wines" to mid range is huge in quality and taste....and doesnt have to be in price.. here we spend around $20-30 on a lovely bottle (10-15 pounds).
The only diference going up again is the rarity of the vine/ wine, and or the name of the producer.... we have tried expensive, but prefered one of our fave mids!
But what do i know - drink what you like but treat yourself once to a mid range, and make sure its served at the right temp - reds included!!
Ps, Barossa Shiraz mmmmmmm!!! | | | |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 09:06 - Feb 17 with 4452 views | Oxford_Blue |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 08:43 - Feb 17 by hampstead_blue |
I've had a few over my time.
The difference is significant.
Supermarket wine is blended to give a 'universal' taste according to the grape varieties.
When you buy a bottle which is 'bottled at chateaux' you get it made by their winemaker in their own style.
The most expensive I've bought is £50 around 15 years ago. I had two. The first was drunk 10 years ago and the other last year. It was outstanding.
I've a few more at that price level in the rack.
I play cricket against the WIne Trade each year and they are happy to lift the lid and tell you how the trade works.
When you open wine you can't just pour it. You need to let it breath. Decant it and leave it for a good while. |
Actually, it’s not true that supermarkets blend all their wine. For a start, they buy it from producers and the question of whether it is blended or not depends on the style. Bordeaux, for example, is a blend - Cabernet Sauvignon then normally merlot and Cabernet franc - and these bottles from top chateaux for for at least £40-50 a bottle (if a classed growth). Champagne is a blend.
Other styles, such as red burgundy, aren’t blends - virtually all red is pure Pinot noir and all white is Chardonnay.
This isn’t whisky where a single malt is better and more expensive.
The real issue with cheap (£5-10) supermarket or cheap wine generally is that it is made for the mass market - the people who want to just drink something cold on a Friday night that tastes of chewitts. To do this, the mass producers force yields (the numbers of grapes per vine) to be high so that more volume is produced, but this damages taste and quality. These producers also make wine that tastes the same every year.
In somewhere like Burgundy, forcing higher yields of Pinot noir makes poor wine, but lower yields make truly magical wine but reduce supply (when the amounts made are limited anyway) so if you see a red burgundy under £15 or so leave it well alone.
As for decanting - you only need to do this for powerful wines that are tannic. Decanting a cheap wine or lighter wine does nothing.
Best thing - as said above - is to get some expert input and learn about it. It’s a huge world of wine, and people like Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson are very good at helping you navigate through it.
Finally - some supermarket wine is decent! [Post edited 17 Feb 2020 9:10]
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 09:20 - Feb 17 with 4430 views | sparks |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 09:06 - Feb 17 by Oxford_Blue |
Actually, it’s not true that supermarkets blend all their wine. For a start, they buy it from producers and the question of whether it is blended or not depends on the style. Bordeaux, for example, is a blend - Cabernet Sauvignon then normally merlot and Cabernet franc - and these bottles from top chateaux for for at least £40-50 a bottle (if a classed growth). Champagne is a blend.
Other styles, such as red burgundy, aren’t blends - virtually all red is pure Pinot noir and all white is Chardonnay.
This isn’t whisky where a single malt is better and more expensive.
The real issue with cheap (£5-10) supermarket or cheap wine generally is that it is made for the mass market - the people who want to just drink something cold on a Friday night that tastes of chewitts. To do this, the mass producers force yields (the numbers of grapes per vine) to be high so that more volume is produced, but this damages taste and quality. These producers also make wine that tastes the same every year.
In somewhere like Burgundy, forcing higher yields of Pinot noir makes poor wine, but lower yields make truly magical wine but reduce supply (when the amounts made are limited anyway) so if you see a red burgundy under £15 or so leave it well alone.
As for decanting - you only need to do this for powerful wines that are tannic. Decanting a cheap wine or lighter wine does nothing.
Best thing - as said above - is to get some expert input and learn about it. It’s a huge world of wine, and people like Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson are very good at helping you navigate through it.
Finally - some supermarket wine is decent! [Post edited 17 Feb 2020 9:10]
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I think he is getting at the negociant blend situation rather than the blend of grape types with one producer. Many wines are indeed a blend of lots of different wines to create a consistent end product. Thats very differnet to a single vineyard bordeaux using the usual combination of grape types together.
The point to note with supermarket wines, is that generally speaking, the quality takes a decent leap, value for money wise, between the 6.99 stuff and the £11/£12 stuff. In a cheap bottle- a large chunk is manufacturing costs, taxes, transport etc. So the remaining money left to spend ont he wine is minimal to hit that price point. At £12, suddenly the actual wine inside is a £7 wine rather than a £1 wine. |  |
| The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it.
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 09:25 - Feb 17 with 4423 views | Oxford_Blue |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 19:49 - Feb 16 by Darth_Koont |
When you can mimic the same effect by just telling people a wine cost £50+ then it's probably wasted on the vast majority of us.
I remember I was going to wind up my step-father who was a huge French wine snob and give him a glass of Chilean instead. But he then spent 10 minutes telling me why this taste just couldn't be recreated in the New World. He went so over the top I didn't have the heart to burst his balloon. |
I think most people could tell the difference between plonk and expensive wine simply on the basis of (in the case of red) colour, smell, depth of flavour and length of finish (i.e. you still taste it a few seconds afterwards). But whether they would like it or appreciate it, true, not everyone has the palette. | | | |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 09:45 - Feb 17 with 4402 views | hampstead_blue |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 09:06 - Feb 17 by Oxford_Blue |
Actually, it’s not true that supermarkets blend all their wine. For a start, they buy it from producers and the question of whether it is blended or not depends on the style. Bordeaux, for example, is a blend - Cabernet Sauvignon then normally merlot and Cabernet franc - and these bottles from top chateaux for for at least £40-50 a bottle (if a classed growth). Champagne is a blend.
Other styles, such as red burgundy, aren’t blends - virtually all red is pure Pinot noir and all white is Chardonnay.
This isn’t whisky where a single malt is better and more expensive.
The real issue with cheap (£5-10) supermarket or cheap wine generally is that it is made for the mass market - the people who want to just drink something cold on a Friday night that tastes of chewitts. To do this, the mass producers force yields (the numbers of grapes per vine) to be high so that more volume is produced, but this damages taste and quality. These producers also make wine that tastes the same every year.
In somewhere like Burgundy, forcing higher yields of Pinot noir makes poor wine, but lower yields make truly magical wine but reduce supply (when the amounts made are limited anyway) so if you see a red burgundy under £15 or so leave it well alone.
As for decanting - you only need to do this for powerful wines that are tannic. Decanting a cheap wine or lighter wine does nothing.
Best thing - as said above - is to get some expert input and learn about it. It’s a huge world of wine, and people like Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson are very good at helping you navigate through it.
Finally - some supermarket wine is decent! [Post edited 17 Feb 2020 9:10]
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I agree that not all supermarket wine is blended. I was looking at the £6 bottle of own brand type.
Good point about the Red Burgundy, thanks.
I was in the SUnday TImes wine club around 20 years ago for a while. The Claret Club as it's called was good. Decent entry level claret.
We now use an independent as much as we can afford. The local Majestic is Ok and I still like the Sunday Times club. A few faves still there.
Have to say, as others have, the arrival of our third has put a temporary stop to buying higher but we still have Perrier Jouet often enough.
Thanks and good tips. | |
| Assumption is to make an ass out of you and me.
Those who assume they know you, when they don't are just guessing.
Those who assume and insist they know are daft and in denial.
Those who assume, insist, and deny the truth are plain stupid.
Those who assume, insist, deny the truth and tell YOU they know you (when they don't) have an IQ in the range of 35-49.
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 09:59 - Feb 17 with 4397 views | dickie |
I once got taken to a Korean escort bar in Singapore and the bar bill at the end of the night came to nearly 3000 Sing dollars (luckily I wasn't paying!). We were drinking 400 dollar bottles of wine and 100 year old Japanese single malt. I couldn't tell that much difference with the wine to a 10-20 quid bottle bought here but I now have very expensive tastes in whisky (so much so I never drink it!) | | | |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 10:35 - Feb 17 with 4368 views | GlasgowBlue |
I tasted very expensive wine that was absolutely fabulous and I've tasted very expensive wine that has been awful.
I tasted seven quid a bottle wine that was absolutely fabulous and I've tasted seven quid a bottle wine that has been awful.
It's down to personal preference. |  |
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 10:38 - Feb 17 with 4363 views | footers |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 10:35 - Feb 17 by GlasgowBlue |
I tasted very expensive wine that was absolutely fabulous and I've tasted very expensive wine that has been awful.
I tasted seven quid a bottle wine that was absolutely fabulous and I've tasted seven quid a bottle wine that has been awful.
It's down to personal preference. |
So did you prefer the fabulous wine or the awful wine? |  |
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 10:55 - Feb 17 with 4354 views | Oxford_Blue |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 10:35 - Feb 17 by GlasgowBlue |
I tasted very expensive wine that was absolutely fabulous and I've tasted very expensive wine that has been awful.
I tasted seven quid a bottle wine that was absolutely fabulous and I've tasted seven quid a bottle wine that has been awful.
It's down to personal preference. |
It’s also down to ability to appreciate it objectively and see how well it is made, balance, structure, etc. Hence why there are wine professionals | | | |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 13:02 - Feb 17 with 4317 views | ChateauWines |
My home subject. What I did for 29 years before retiring in the summer. If you know your wines and so do your guests, an expensive wine will make your meal. The biggest jump in value is from going £6 a bottle to say £12. Double the cost but wine arguably 4 times better. £40 in a restaurant should get you a £12/15 bottle at retail prices. | |
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 13:41 - Feb 17 with 4283 views | Lord_Lucan |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 13:02 - Feb 17 by ChateauWines |
My home subject. What I did for 29 years before retiring in the summer. If you know your wines and so do your guests, an expensive wine will make your meal. The biggest jump in value is from going £6 a bottle to say £12. Double the cost but wine arguably 4 times better. £40 in a restaurant should get you a £12/15 bottle at retail prices. |
Interesting.
I'm going to but a £15 bottle from the Co-op this week and come back with my findings.
I will also buy a < £7 bottle for comparison. Genuine question as I will neck them both, which one should I drink first? I have found previously that if you get through a couple of glasses of sh1te then they all taste the same after that. |  |
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 13:48 - Feb 17 with 4267 views | ChateauWines |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 13:41 - Feb 17 by Lord_Lucan |
Interesting.
I'm going to but a £15 bottle from the Co-op this week and come back with my findings.
I will also buy a < £7 bottle for comparison. Genuine question as I will neck them both, which one should I drink first? I have found previously that if you get through a couple of glasses of sh1te then they all taste the same after that. |
I'd always say start with best you have and work your way down in quality. I've been shouting to my customers for years, "buy less buy better" | |
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 14:42 - Feb 17 with 4241 views | Radlett_blue |
If you like drinking wine - which is an obvious starting point - you can with a little effort work out what you like and why and then you can choose wines that you like and then by spending a little more, you will get good value for money.
First learn what different grapes taste like and then what those grapes taste like when the grapes have been grown in different regions. This isn't rocket science & New World wines are much easier to access because they are usually marketed by grape e.g. Aussie Chardonnay etc. Once you've worked out which grapes you prefer, you are half way there. The free Vivino app is very good as all you need to do is take a picture of the label & it will tell you about the wine.
Most supermarket wines in the £5-7 bracket are perfectly drinkable, but they don't taste of much so once you've established what you like, try spending just £2-3 more per bottle and you might be surprised how much better the experience is. Much of the costs in making wine are fixed e.g. the bottle, shipping so you will be getting much better wine for your money. |  |
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| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 14:45 - Feb 17 with 4235 views | Lord_Lucan |
| Anyone here tried really expensive wine? on 13:48 - Feb 17 by ChateauWines |
I'd always say start with best you have and work your way down in quality. I've been shouting to my customers for years, "buy less buy better" |
What if you are a borderline alcoholic? | |
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