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Friday 4 May 2007

Chat-en-Oeuf........



No I didn't spell it wrong!

This is definitely Chat-en-Oeuf not Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the expensive stuff. A clever play on words don't you think?

I am not a wine connoisseur, but I know what I like and I like this.


I have had the expensive wines and whilst, yes, they are lovely, to be honest for the amount we and our friends drink I'd have to take out a second mortgage to buy anything over a fiver a bottle! We have drunk our way through gallons of wine over the years, some good, some bad but I don't think we've ever paid more than £10 for a bottle and that would have been a special occasion. Oh I tell a lie! We paid £85 for a bottle of champagne in the Maldives on New Year's Eve 1999! Well it was the Millenium and we were a captive market so we didn't have a choice!

We once went wine tasting in the Hunter Valley in Australia. What a day that turned out to be! Another story!

I get annoyed at the prices restaurants charge for wine, especially when the £12 bottle they bring to your table is the £6 bottle you've seen that very afternoon on the supermarket shelf! I don't understand how they can justify that, if they just charged a couple of pound extra that wouldn't be too bad, but double the price is just not on.

We were recently given two bottles of wine by my FIL. He said he'd tell us where he got them from after we'd given him our verdict on them. They were both the same, red and very, very fruity, 10% proof and apparently guaranteed not to give you a hangover. Well that was like a red rag to a bull so we had to drink both bottles in one go just to test the theory. He was right, we didn't have a hangover, we woke up bright as buttons. He then revealed that they had cost him £14 a bottle. Well they were very nice, but to be honest I wouldn't have paid more than £6 a bottle for them 'cos at £14 you'd want to know you'd had a drink wouldn't you?

Thankfully our local supermarkets always have deals on whereby you can pick up a bottle of Pinot Grigio or a Rioja at half it's usual price - usually £5 instead of £10. They also do what they call a 'Good French Wine' (mind you they're hardly likely to say 'Crap French Wine' are they) marketed under their own name which tastes remarkably like Pinot Grigio - I love this one but unfortunately if I drink too much white wine I get heartburn so I tend to stick to red. I can hear you saying "Well don't drink so much!"

So you see I don't believe you have to spend a fortune to drink good wine, you just have to know what you like and where to look, there's plenty of reasonably priced wines about so there's no need to be a wine snob!


My knee
Friday 4th May
Feels good today. Have introduced new exercise into my regime - squats - well little ones!

26 comments:

Lo Kelween said...

things will have different values at different places. i have even paid 2 bucks for a cup of mineral water!

Akelamalu said...

elween
I refuse to buy water. I pay my water rates so what comes out of the tap better be good enough! :) Except when I'm abroad of course, 'cos I wouldn't trust tap water.

GEWELS said...

Totally agree about the cost of wine. I have had both very, very good and very, very bad "expensive" wine. And, have also had very, very good inexpensive wine.
I am in the process of trying to open up a wine store- hopefully by Christmas, but we'll see.(lease negotiations are brutal)
We are planning on carrying more of the up-scale and boutique wines. But, also, will offer great bargains at less than 10.00!

Cheers!

Queenie said...

Cheers, being tee-total, wouldn't know the cost of wine. I am prepared to pay for top of the range spring water in bars. I am fortunate enough to have a spring in my garden, this is filtered by a dragon process, that is unique to my home. Hic, hic
I am thinking of retailing this on the open market, Hic,If you are interested in trying a sample akelamalu, hurry up and get fit enough before the rush hic hic.....

Queenie said...

Oh forgot to say, apparently this is best drank on the East coast, whilst trying to fly a kite!!!!

Cream said...

I saw that wine at Morrisons yesterday and had a chuckle.

As for the price of wine in restaurants, I do agree with you when some are very overpriced.
In our restaurants we apply a fair profit margin that covers our costs.

Personally I would not pay more than £30 for a bottle of wine at a restaurant unless it was a very special occasion and less than £10 from a supermarket.

Anonymous said...

Morning Akelamalu!

I JUST started drinking wine (back in November 2006).

I can't believe what I've been MISSING!!!!

What a beautiful ritual wine is. Such an art.

My favorite is red. Piot Noir. However, I need to branch out and try a few more. Maybe...Merlot?

Yummy...yummy!

Have a wonderful day...and thanks for a great post!

Be well...and drink up!

Ron

P.S. Your right...price does'nt mean a thing!

Akelamalu said...

gewels
It's a pity you live so far away - I could come and sample your wines!

queenie
Haha, we must stop these private jokes people will think we're mad!! :)

Cream
I'm glad to hear you don't overprice the wine in your restaurants - somehow I didn't think you would! If ever I'm over in your neck of the woods )not that I'm sure where that its - North East?) I'll be sure to pop in and sample your wines and food of course. :)

Ron
You've only just starting drinking wine????? My you've a lot of catching up to do! Have fun doing it. :)

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

i am sad to say i don't know good wine from kool aid, but i do know iced tea! and my knee feels almost better too!

smiles, bee

Akelamalu said...

Hey Bee if Tea is your tipple you go with it! So glad to hear your knee is getting better. :)

Tammie Jean said...

Hi Akelamalu! So funny - my husband and I went out for dinner last Friday, and on the menu I noticed a $20 bottle of wine that sells for $8 in the liquor store. I always tell him not to spend much on wine, since I can't tell the difference anyway.

Unknown said...

neat post! We are learning about wine here at the Christopher house!! Glad I stopped by

Linda said...

I don't know one wine from another, just what I like. And, I prefer a sweat wine, not dry. I panic when someone says, "You bring the wine".

CG said...

Am always happy to read about good wines to try :)

Linda said...

What gets me is when you order a glass of wine at a restaurant, just a glass mind you, and it costs more than a full bottle would at the local store! I guess you're paying for the ambiance!

Catch said...

I like a nice glass of a fruity wine that I always think Im going to sip...but I never just sip! LoL

la bellina mammina said...

Wines and champagnes are sold at exorbitant prices at bars and clubs here...and at restaurants I usually just order a glass or 2 to go with my dinner.

I'd rather buy a case to enjoy with friends at home.

Elaine Denning said...

Red, white, cheap, expensive....as long as it pours, I'll drink it!

ramblingwoman said...

Hi!

I had to read the name of your wine again because I didn't get the play on words first time round - Doh!

I too am a lover of wine and only know a bit about it really. I tend to go for the wine blends rather than the single grapes. I just can't drink Cabernet Sauvignon on it's own! It takes six visits to the dentists to have all the tannin cleaned off my teeth!

Last year we were lucky enough to go to the South of France twice! We went down the wine route which I found incredible, reading out all the villages that I've seen on the wine labels that I've drunk over the years(well, apart from the really really expensive ones!). We even ventured into a few 'caves' and had some samples!

Phew that was a long comment!

(PS: I think the Coop is great for wine!)They recently had a 'Muriel' Rioja in there for £4.99 which was £9.99 in Sainsburys!)

Akelamalu said...

tammie jean
Thanks for stopping by. I know it's ridiculous what they charge!

Amy
Glad you enjoyed your visit, thanks for taking the time. :)

linda
I don't like dry wine but I can't drink it too sweet either.

cg
Glad you found it interesting -hope you find some wine bargains!

catch
You mean you're meant to 'sip' wine????

la bellina mammina
A case with friends sounds so much better to me! :)

miss u
You're a girl after my own heart! :)

rambling woman
Tonic water sets my teeth on edge - so I stick to wine.
I'd love to do the whole French wine region - maybe when I retire.
We haven't got a Co-op nearby to check out that Rioja - Damn!!

Anonymous said...

I always thought the Goats Do Roam brand was very clever. It doesn't taste very good, but still very clever.

Akelamalu said...

123valerie
I haven't seen that one but yes, it's very clever. If you say it doesn't taste so good I'll take your word for it and not bothere trying it. :)

katie eggeman said...

We have a great specialty grocery here in the US called Trader Joe's their speciality is great wine at reasonable prices they have cornered the market on wines from Charles Shaw vinyard. It is good wine (not great) that sells for $1.99-3.90 a bottle and every one refers to it as Two Buck Chuck!

Akelamalu said...

bankerchick
I like that "Two Buck Chuck" :)

LondonEye said...

Great blogg - I'm in awe.

And more importantly - I agree, this wine is a bargain, clever and tasty.

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