Wednesday, 16 January 2008

Is New World Pinot any good ?

What is the fuss about the New World Pinot-Noirs ? Who wants to drink young pinot-noir? Pinot should be a warm velvety flavour, 8 or nine years on a classic burgundy is hard to beat.

Well, a good burgundy is very hard to beat. They are fabulous. Sometimes, sadly they are quite expensive. Tonight I had some griddled meats for supper. A little bit of chicken and some sausages - a mixed grill is always a delight. We opened a Kiwi Pinot. The Montana South Island Pinot Noir 2007 to give it its full name and year

It was fabulous. Ok, it still is - I write this article at my kitchen table with a third of the bottle left. This wine is probably about 6 months old. It has been shipped half way around the world. It is fabulous.

Why are the New Zealand boys and girls making wine in Marlborough region so clever and darned good at their job ? They give us fabulous, almost unrivalled value for money sauvignon blanc's and now they are doing fabulously with pinot noir - and before the wine is out of nappies ! I am very tempted to hide a few bottles in the cellar to come back to in later years .. what do you think ?

Would really like to get another bottle out to open now !

Wine from 99p per case - Virgin Wine Auctions

Wine from 99p per case. Ninety-nine pence. One penny less than a pound

Just thought I'd be clear so there is no confusion.

Yes, the clever chaps at www.virginwines.com have come up with a trump card.

Online Wine auctions - Virgin style http://www.virginwines.com/auctions/instructions.jsp

You enter your bid at a minimum of 99 pence. You work up in increments of £1 - so you only pay £1 more than the next lowest bid if tou win - even if say you bid £10 or £15 higher !

Right now the case of 'Australian Favourites' has had 5 bids and the highest bid is only £11.00 - eleven pounds for a case of fine Ozzie greats. Madness and less than a lot of people spend per bottle ! Check now as it expires in 13 hours - aproximately 930 am Thursday 17th January 2008 morning .....

Instructions as per link above.

Happy bidding and happy drinking

Remember - if you don't like the wine, you don't pay

Tuesday, 15 January 2008

Virgin Wine Offers - Virgin Wine of the Month

Another great bottle brought to you by Virgin wines - their wine of the month this time comes from Chile

Yes, Chile. This little dynamite of a wine is from Tokerau and using the local grape carmenere.
This produces a well structured and lovingly made wine to pair with lamb, pork or beef - in fact any roast meats and goes fabulously with cheese - particularily a good chunk of mature cheddar

Carmenere is fast becoming the signature wine of Chile and touted by many as the new Shiraz, with a slightly less overpoweringness about it. A wine that has its roots in the vineyards of Bordeaux though using a grape equivalent to the most popular one from the new world

Try a bottle, mix it in a case or get a whole case - remember if you don't like the wine for any reason, you don't pay

Now that is something less to worry about.

Visit VirginWines.com/ now to see what else tasting fabulous right now

Happy Drinking

Monday, 14 January 2008

Win your weight in Wine with Virgin Wines and the Virgin Wine Club

VirginWines.com have been running their 'Win Your Weight in Wine' competition' and it expires on the 31st January 2008

Here is a link to the Virgin Wines competition

They will ransomly pick an entrant and remember - you will have to declare your weight !

In addition, there is a £40 voucher for all new entrants for the Virgin Wines wine club

Remember - VirginWines.com have a no quibble guarantee on all of their wines - if you don't like it - you don't pay for it

http://www.virginwines.com/

This offer was brought to you by LollyMax.com the latest cashback, voucher codes, discount and offers website.

More Expensive Wine taste better than their cheaper rivals ?

Expensive wine tastes the best ? Why ?

Some research at the California Institute of Technology has found people enjoy a wine more if they are told it costs more. This and the creative headlines have been picked up on by the weekends press - The Sunday Times picked up on it and also the free newspaper Metro

Well. The headlines are a little misleading. The research doesn't say it actually tastes better, it says you get more enjoyment out of it.

This does make sense. The pop of a champagne cork at a party sets off the mood. A special present will be anticipated (and hopefully lived up to)When you get beyond buying a bottle of wine because it is the cheapest or the colour, develop your palate and understand what you like or prefer - some of us go a step further.

We get 'into' it. It becomes a hobby. Then an obsession. The knowledge of either the love of crafting the garagiste bottle or the majesty of a top wine from a great vintage lends to the occasion. You are in front of greatness, you want to know what the fuss is about. It is almost like art - In the remake of 'The Thomas crown Affair' a teacher is speaking about a painting to some bored school children. She then announces it is worth 'Over a 100 million Dollars' That gets their attention and I'd bet they might not forget that painting in a hurry.

Same with wine. No matter how it actually tastes - after all - a great wine has been made to be drunk (I think) and shouldn't be in the sterile conditions of a laboratory . It deserves, no Demands an occasion, friends to share, food - well that is how I tasted my first Petrus.

It was a half bottle of the '92, not a fab year and some may accuse me of infanticide here as was drunk in 2002. It was a friends birthday and there were 3 of us - I can't remember the food, though I remember starting with a bottle of nv Bolly (it had a year or so's lying down for a bit of extra badabing) followed by a 1996 Conseillante. Then we had a 1986 Leoville Barton drank with the Petrus - we had a small glass of Petrus and polished off the Barton - we let birthday boy drink the lions share of his Petrus. Why do I remember -well, it was my first time drinking this legendary name, the lights were dimmed and pompously we played Mozarts Requiem. We were drunk, merry and thoroughly enjoyed the evening. I am sure some will call us philistines for the rack and order of these wines - please don't - It was a 30th Birthday and we wanted to try these bottles - you have to drink them sometime

There is the otherside of this. Most people I know think they know a little about wine, though everyone gets their enjoyment from wine in different ways. Some like to scan the supermarkets for the bargains and offers, knowing what they like. Others may scour their local off licenses for new untasted wines, from lands we didn't know made wine, with grapes we have never heard of. A lot of people snarl at the big Burgundy and Bordeaux names .... that is fine, just when I open a particularily 'special' bottle from the lands either side of the Gironde, I will be less reticent to share it with those who won't also appreciate the majesty of what is in their glass

Happy drinking

Sunday, 13 January 2008

Burgundy 2006 to be released soon - Corney and Barrow Recomendations

Taken from an email from Corney and Barrow

"Every January sees the British wine trade paying homage to the most recently released Burgundy vintage. It is a time-honoured tradition which focuses the mind after the festive season and launches a new year. "

Well, Burgundy, home of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay the way it (imho) tastes the most fabulous. The futures (en primeur) campaign will be out soon and the citys wine brokers will start one of their more profitable seasons

The feeling from some of the C&B people is that the Whites are more superior this year and worth looking out for - though as ever - apart from in the most fabulous of years cherry picking your producers and growers will be paramount

Who to look at ? Top picks from CC - all are 'delicious'

Chablis 1er Cru "Les Lys", Vincent Dampt
Bourgogne Chardonnay, Thierry Matrot
St Romain, Thierry Matrot
Meursault 1er Cru "Les Charmes", Thierry Matrot
Bourgogne Blanc "Vieilles Vignes", Francois Labet
Bourgogne Blanc "Cuvee des Forgets", Patrick Javillier
Meursault "Les Tillets", Patrick Javillier
Meursault "Tete de Murger", Patrick Javillier
Nuits St Georges Blanc 1er Cru "Clos de l'Arlot", Arlot

and the pick of the reds

Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru "Les Varoilles", Varoilles
The Trapet Grand Crus
Gevrey Chambertin, Rossignol Trapet
Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru "Petite Chapelle", Rossignol Trapet
Chambertin Grand Cru, Rossignol Trapet
Chateau de la Tour Grand Cru "Clos de Vougeot" VV
Nuits St Georges 1er Cru "Clos des Forets St George", Arlot
Volnay 1er Cru "Champans", D'Angerville
Pommard, D'Angerville
Blagny 1er Cru "La Piece Sous le Bois", Matrot

Time to keep an eye out on the prices now

Written by Lolly and Max from LollyMax.com

Sign up with http://www.lollymax.com/ for cash back on wine and 1000's of other online shops

Prosecco is better than Cava and Champagne ?

In the last four or five years I have been drinking more and more Prosecco than Cava and it also seems to be an awful lot cheaper than Champagne .. quelle surprise !

Currently, a great bargain can be had in some of the supermarkets. The bottle I have opened right now is the La Marca Prosecco - Extra Dry. The label says 'Vino Spumante Aromatico di Qualita' 11% vol and a 75 cl bottle all for £5.99 from my local waitrose. Bought this afternoon - it travelled fine and was put into a freezer bag/wine chiller to chill it to perfection for 5-10 minutes (these things are invaluable for that bottle you want to drink *now* ) Leaving bottles in the fridge for too long does them no good at all.

Some experts have recomended a quick 30mins in the fridge is all that is needed. Well, I am not so sure - if your fridge is relatively empty it may take longer to chill and I didn't want to wait.

So - back to the wine. Prosecco to me seems to be slightly less fizzy than the other sparkling wines out there and maybe just ever so slightly sweeter for its class. It is also generally super cheap and a great celebratory fizz to buy in a restaurant.

So - the La Marca Prosecco is going down ever so well and if it wasn't for my large lunch I might be devouring bowl of olives with it

Happy glugging

The Lollymax team writing about discount wines offers

Lolly and Max

Check Lollymax.com for cashback offers and discounts on wine and 1000's of other types of shops

www.lollymax.com

Wednesday, 9 January 2008

Half Price Wine offer from Warehouse Wines



Warehouse Wines have a fantastic half price offer where you can save over £64 on a superb mixed case of wine. Choose from a case of reds, case of whites or a mixed case for tis amazing saving. Please click the banner above to enter the site.


Warehouse Wines are committed to providing you with superb quality wine at unbeatable prices, delivered direct to your door.
We are able to provide such unbeatable value by going direct to vineyards around the world and importing into our distribution warehouse, cutting out the expensive layers of middlemen that are traditionally part of the wine trade. We have no expensive shops, no fancy offices, no unnecessary overheads, and therefore, no overpriced wines it?s no wonder we are the fastest growing wine club in the UK!!
You can be confident in every bottle you buy from Warehouse Wines. Our team of expert wine buyers go to great lengths to source exclusive wines from small vineyards, tasting hundreds of bottles and selecting only the best of the best to make it onto our extensive portfolio (only around 1 in 400 wines makes the cut!).
And you can make your purchase with complete peace of mind, as all our wines are covered by a 100% money-back guarantee - if you are not completely satisfied with any wine you purchase from us we will refund or replace the bottle, so there really is no risk at all!
Order today and enjoy:
1.) Top-quality wines at warehouse prices!
2.) Fast, secure delivery, direct to your door
3.) 100% satisfaction money-back guarantee
4.) An exclusive selection of wine from around the world
Warehouse Wines
Wine merchant quality at warehouse prices!
www.warehousewines.co.uk

Mix Your Own Case of Wine with Virgin Wine - and still benefit from their offers

Virgin are having their Bumper Winer Sale with 50% off selected cases. Whilst this is a great offer and something we'd recomend you had a close look at - take a peek at what else they have to offer.

With a global range of wines from all varietals and styles, you can mix and match your own choice of case of wine. Wines are available for all tastes and budgets.

Reasons why to buy some wine now with Virgin Wine

No quibble money back guarantee
Free Delivery to your door within 7 days
Absolutely Loads and loads of discounted wine in their winter sale
Genuinly fantastic wine at great prices to drink now

Check their site now before the deals and best offers get snapped up

Monday, 7 January 2008

Virgin Wine Deal of the Day - 50% off selected wines

Its that post Christmas, after New Years Eve time of year when we feel like we may have over partied and over done it. Well - for some of you you may feel like it is time to dry out though for the rest of us it makes it an excellent time of the year to actually buy wine. Yes Buy Wine. Why ?

Well, Virgin Wines have their 50% Sale on right now so selected bottles and cases are sooo much cheaper. What else - well they have offers like free delivery and up to £30 off your first order (which really helps if you find some wine which isn't in the sale!)

Whats more - Virgin wine have a promise to you : If you don't like the wine, the service or anything else, you can have your money back - amazing no quibble offer and guarantee

So ; lets recap why you should buy some wine from Virgin Wine right now with a breakdown of their available offers

1.) 50% sale on selected wines
2.) Up to £30 off your first order or a buy 6 bottles get 6 free offer -
3.) Free Delivery
4.) - most importantly - it really is great wine
and
5.) If you don't like it - you get your money back

Is there anything else ?

Well - Virgin Wine also operate their 'wine bank'. What exactly is this of use to you and I ?

Well, you drip feed a small amount of money into an 'account' with Virgin Wines Wine Bank and they pay you a fabulous 33% 'interest' .

Step 1.) Buy a 'no brainer' superb case of wine worth £100 for £49.99
Step 2.) Pay £20 per month into your wine bank 'account' with Virgin Wines
Step 3.) Every 3 months Virgin Wine pay £20 into your account ! 33% interest

Remember
**Virgin Wine has 100's of wines to buy online, from boutique wine makers that care about their product - and your palate (and wallet)
**7 day delivery direct to your door
** No quibble money back guarantee

There is no time like the present so take a peek at their 50% money off offers before they all get snapped up and drunk

Welcome to The Wine Discounts Blog

I started to write this blog out of a geniune love for wine & an increasing need to see more information on this on the web. I also in speaking to a lot of people have seen a there are a good few Merchants / Retailers out there who will offer exlcusive deals and offers for online wine, will also offer exclusive voucher codes which can reduce your online wine shopping bill further. We will hopefully cover (or uncover!) a good deal per day and have some discounts to use with it. Where possible we will provide links to also get a cashback offer also - more of that later !

Concentrating on wine we will start with listing and providing links to the main online wine merchants and detail any standard offers or discounts. As promotions come around by wither they telling us or and helpful readers telling us - we will post that information for you

Many thanks and more to follow later

Happy glugging and saving

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