xylophone

@superal the Pinot Noir I mentioned earlier in a post, was a Pinot Noir from Henri de Bareuil in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, and as I said earlier for me it was very agreeable, and I would add that I believe this one had been open for a while, so had been allowed to breathe, and that can make a lot of difference. These days I rely on my own tastebuds, although at my age they are getting a little bit "ancient" however after more than 50 years of collecting and tasting wines from around the world I have got a pretty good handle on what I like and what I don't and have no problem with recommending some wines to friends. I would agree with the above post because it's your personal taste that matters, irrespective of what others think about it, and there would be many times when I have tried a wine which has been well recommended by a friend, yet I couldn't get on with it!

Perhaps if you tasted a really good/top-class wine you would be able to appreciate it and tell the difference between that and a fruit wine. As regards Pinot Noir, another poster did ask for a recommendation for a good Pinot Noir and I'm afraid I couldn't recommend one as I don't really drink that wine these days, HOWEVER the other evening I was dining in Wine Connection and because I was driving I only wanted one or two glasses of wine and the only one available at that time was a Pinot Noir from France, so I ordered it and I was very surprised because it was a bit like the Pinot Noirs that I had tasted in France all those years ago and was a nice wine. I couldn't find/remember exactly what it was, even though I checked on the wine list online, so I will call in again and check what they were serving, because it was very likeable for me.

Following the list of the worst 10 war movies ever made, I came across another site which listed the 10 worst movies ever made (not war movies) and thought I would download and watch, "The Alamo" (2004 version) because from what I can remember it wasn't at all bad. So I watched it last night and, it wasn't at all bad, nothing spectacular, but okay to pass the time after watching the Match of the Day on BBC iPlayer!

Well there is a flaw in your argument because if the French wine was sent to Vietnam in bulk to be bottled, because of the "lower taxation/duty schemes available to cooperating Asia countries" it would not need to have the words "fruit wine" included on the back label to qualify for the tax break you mention!! Indeed this article in the magazine "The Londoner" explains a little about the confusing situation with regards to buying wine in Thailand and it does state the following: – A few years back, Siam Winery began selling Montclair “Celebration White and Red” with a label declaring, “From the Breede River Valley in South Africa.” As in the other blended wines being sold, consumers have to turn to the back label to read that the wine in the bottle is “Fruit Wine” and “Produced and bottled by Siam Winery.” There are now seven other fruit wine labels on the Thai market: Belleville, Berri Estates and Cask 88 (Aussie Red and White), from Australia; Corte Antica, from Italy; Finca De Malpica from Spain; Mar Sol, from Chile; and Peter Vella, a low-tier wine produced by the Gallo Winery, California. With the exception of Belleville and Corte Antica, all of these fruit wines appear to come out of Siam Winery. That article includes Belleville wine as a fruit wine, so somebody is wrong, somewhere, and as another poster, Partington said, "Obviously you are correct and LatPhrao is not......." I also take offence at your description of me as a "tasting room tourist" which is a demeaning term to someone who has bought many of the Bordeaux Cru wines, en Primeur going back to the 1970s, visited vineyards/châteaux in France, Australia and New Zealand and been invited as a guest to such properties as Château Lynch-Bages, Château La Bastide and have been asked to give feedback on a particular wine which was about to be launched onto the market in France. I accompanied a New Zealand-based French wine importer on a month long visit to meet his French wine suppliers and took in all of the regions that produce notable wine, ranging from wine produced in concrete vats in the Languedoc to the computer-controlled wine production in Ch.Pichon Baron Longueville, Bordeaux. When I retired from my position of Chief Manager Investments for a major NZ bank, this particular wine importer asked me to do some work for him in producing a monthly wine magazine covering many of the aspects of French wine – – grapes, production methods, terroir and tastings as well as vineyard management and so on. When I suggested that I wasn't sure that my knowledge was up to it, his reply was, "my friend, you know as much about wine as I do, so I would have every confidence in you producing our magazine". Finally, it seems like you will be sticking with your "definition/explanation" of the "fruit wine" conundrum and I will be sticking with mine.

Agree in the main and one nomination which should alarm people is the nomination of Robert F Kennedy jr, who I believe is an absolute nutter..........read on and be alarmed:- How Robert F. Kennedy jnr has worked abroad to weaken global public health policy https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/how-robert-f-kennedy-jr-has-worked-abroad-to-weaken-global-public-health-policy/RU2DOOMDJJBQLANDOGIN7RN4OA/

I've seen that movie, however IMO there is a far better one called, "Bottle Shock" which is based on a real event and pertaining to, "The Judgement of Paris 1976" which was a shock to the whole wine world, but I won't say more, other than the movie is easy-going/light-hearted with a few other events woven into it, but the base of it is true and is well worth watching........and Alan Rickman stars in it!!

Sorry, but I can't agree with you and what you stated was part of a "misconception" put around a few years ago. For a start, if the ABV is 10% or thereabouts, then the product will not attract the full tax/duty anyway, so why would a producer lie on the label and to the authorities that it was a fruit wine when it wasn't, because it simply doesn't need to do this when the "wine" has a low ABV%? So the producer and seller of this wine which you believe is really pure wine and has no fruit juice in it, means that producer/importer is actually breaking the law as is the retailer and I don't believe any company would risk that. Furthermore, some of these "fruit wines" are produced in Australia and a wine buyer I know in Australia got back to me (and actually posted on this thread a few years back) with my questions about this "fruit wine" and stated that the producers of "real wine" really did frown upon this practice of adding fruit juice to the grape juice in making the wine, which was against their principles. They stated that this was not what they considered "wine" but was pure cr@p. So it does happen. So what you're trying to say is that the whole "fruit wine" industry is a lie perpetrated by producers in Australia and Thailand, not to mention other countries from which this fruit wine emanates, namely France, Italy, Chile, South Africa and New Zealand to name a few that I can recall. Sorry it is just not feasible and not only the winemakers in Australia who were in touch, but also a senior manager of Wine Connection here admitted to me that in some cases, bulk grape juice was shipped to Vietnam, where it was mixed with pineapple or passionfruit juice in the case of white wine, and sold here as Les Solstices (and still is). And just to make it perfectly clear to you, Siam Winery, in its early correspondence, admitted that it imported bulk grape juice from South Africa and addedl Roselle to the juice before fermenting it, so it attracted the lower tax breaks because it could be labelled "fruit wine". PS. There was also an article in a magazine a few years back where the author was aghast at the fact the so-called "fruit wine" (Mont Clair) was being sold in UK supermarkets and was positioned next to "real wines" thereby confusing the consumer and strongly condemned this practice. So do you really think that the perpetrators of this "fraud" with regards to mislabelling of wine would risk huge reputational damage and huge fines by lying on the labels – – I don't think so because not only the producers, but the sellers (supermarkets and importers) would sustain fines and brand damage.

Your pic of the Robert Mondavi Vint Cabernet Sauvignon brought back some nice memories for me, because in the early 1990s I was gifted a case of the Robert Mondavi 1984 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve for some work I was doing for a US company and it was the first time I've ever tasted a Mondavi wine, or indeed one from California, and I thought it was absolutely delightful. I hadn't really explored any other wines from the US apart from a lovely Syrah from Washington State Winery, but then I came across my favourite wine at the moment, which is from the US and is a "Gnarly Head" Petite Sirah Authentic Black 2018. It is a full-bodied wine and has really started to open up with a bit of age, although I will say that there is some bottle variation which I found surprising, although also could be my palate! I should really explore more wines from the US although I have tried a couple of Zinfandel wines, but have found that the quality varies quite considerably. Anyway, thanks for posting the wine pic.

Well you can drink whatever you want, and no one is stopping you, and if you prefer the "fruit wine" variety, then so be it. As for your "breaking news", the international standards for wine dictates that anything else (fruit/juice) that is added to a wine made from grapes means that the resulting liquid has to be called "fruit wine". Different varieties of grapes can be added, or the juice thereof, but any other fruit variety does not fit with the international ruling as regards wine. Hence the reason why the likes of Castle Creek and others have a label on them which says, "red fruit wine product". You could of course contact the organisation which dictates what constitutes "wine" and what doesn't, however I don't think they'll listen to you! And there is a reason I never buy wine in a bar, because the only wine they serve is the poor quality fruit wine variety and I prefer the real stuff. Also if you cannot distinguish between a quality wine and a fruit wine, then you're best off staying with your Castle Creek wine and the like.

Well the CEOs of some of the biggest US companies, after having a meeting with him, said that he was and "didn't know what he was talking about".

Agree and I read this or a similar research paper a short while ago.

There are more deviants and misfits being added to the trump crime team........ US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as the US ambassador to France in the latest of several controversial picks. Kushner, who is now 70, pleaded guilty in 2004 to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign contributions. The case, which was prosecuted by then-US attorney Chris Christie, included sordid details, to which Kushner admitted: that he had hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, a man co-operating in a campaign finance inquiry, and then videotaped the encounter and sent it to the man’s wife, Kushner’s sister, to dissuade her from testifying against him. Christie, who worked on Trump’s first presidential transition team and then opposed him in this year’s Republican primary contests, later said Kushner had committed a “loathsome” and “disgusting crime”. In 2020, Trump issued a pardon to Kushner, whose conviction had resulted in him being disbarred in three states!!! Trumps picks are a danger to Americans……………. In November 2019, when an epidemic of measles was killing children and babies in Samoa, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – who in recent days became Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services – sent the Prime Minister of Samoa at the time a four-page letter. In it, he suggested the measles vaccine itself may have caused the outbreak. At the time of his letter, 16 people, many of them younger than 2, were already reported dead. The final number of fatalities topped 80. Vaccine skepticism has ballooned worldwide, and Kennedy and others who back him have encouraged it. Parents have mentioned fearing vaccines after watching Vaxxed, a 90-minute documentary, which was shown in many countries. The film, focused on unproven allegations, was released more than three years before the Samoa measles outbreak. Among much else, it claimed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had committed fraud. Two of the filmmakers – Del Bigtree and Andrew Wakefield – are buddies of Kennedy. The director, Wakefield, is a former doctor whose medical licence was revoked in his native Britain in 2010 amid charges of ethical violations. In the years before the documentary was released, evidence revealed that Wakefield’s research in the 1990s had been rigged at a London hospital to make it look as if the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine was linked to autism. This research was retracted in 2010. Now here is the real doozy..........Sherri Tenpenny, a doctor who has been declared by Kennedy as “one of the great leaders” of the anti-vaccine movement. She has falsely claimed that a “metal” attached to a protein in the Covid shots was making their recipients magnetic. “They can put a key on their forehead and it sticks,” she told Ohio state lawmakers in June 2021. “They can put spoons and forks all over them and they can stick.” Criminals and nutjobs are being selected by a known felon to form the Gov't of the USA..........and before a Maga goober jumps in with the now familiar and term "loser, you lost"; I am a citizen of two countries, neither thankfully the USA so I can just stand by and watch as that country is destroyed by its criminal leader (Trump University and convicted of stealing fom a charity etc) and his ciminal Govt picks. Yee Haw, break out the moonshine Mary lou

My memory serves me correctly, I think "Laughing Bird" wine has been mentioned on the thread before, and it hadn't been established whether or not it was a fruit wine, so I went to the supermarket today and checked and it is indeed a "fruit wine". I also checked on a couple of boxed wines from "Cedar Creek" and "Castle Creek" and they are also labelled "fruit wine" and also come in at the low 10% ABV end of the scale, however I'm not sure whether Montclair are still selling their boxed wines without any reference to "fruit wine" on them, which they did at one time, then they didn't, and now they are down on the 10% ABV mark, and I couldn't get close enough to check on the labels. However I do believe they sell non-fruit wines, and source the fruit/grape juice from other countries, Australia being one.

Two points I would like to address in my post and I hope the posters and mods don't mind because one is slightly off track........ Whilst Eaglehawk is not a bad drinking wine I find it quite insipid and IMO one which is much better value is the Australian wine "Riddle Creek" which has a bit more body to it and is only 399 baht a bottle. Now onto the confusing subject of fruit wines/imported wines/tax and duties and other anomalies........ I found a post I had posted some while ago and it deals in great depth with the tax/duty/excise situation and how some companies tried to get round it, so if you want to know more then click on the links, BUT be prepared to be bamboozled by the content! Key Changes in Wine Taxation in Thailand (Jan 2024) 1. Unified Tax Rates for Wine Categories: ⦁ Wine and sparkling wine made from grapes will now be taxed at a unified rate of 5% based on the value and 1,000 Baht per liter of pure alcohol. This measure includes all kind of wines imported from Europe and USA and cancel the previouse tax scheme (read ⦁ HERE) ⦁ Fruit wines incorporating grapes will see a unified rate of 0%, with no tax based on value and 900 Baht per liter for alcohol content.This measure includes mainly the Korean Sojou. 2. The Ministry of Finance, through the Customs Department, is drafting a ministerial announcement on the reduction and exemption of customs duties in accordance with Section 12 of the Customs Tariff Act B.E. 2530 to amend the structure of customs duties on wine products to align with the adjustment of excise tax structures. The proposal includes exempting customs duties on all types of wine under tariff codes 22.04 (wine made from fresh grapes and grape must) Some information on tax and excise duty, and other taxes applied to wines here, along with some info on fruit wine.........very complicated!!!!! Importing Alcohol into Thailand…… http://www.siamdevelopment.com/regulatory-services-in-thailand-company-registration/company-registration-thailand/import-alcohol-in-thailand/ AND………….. The current effects of excise tax felt in the retail sector are most likely to be fruit wines, explains Bart Duijkers, Area Director – South for major distributor Bangkok Beer and Beverages (BB&B). “The wine in question is categorised as ‘fruit wine’, which by law is normal wine mixed with at least 15% fruit juice, mainly apple, pineapple, passionfruit juice and so on,” he explains. “Up until September last year this category enjoyed very low excise taxes, which are levied on many products including wines. Due to this ‘fruit wine’ category becoming very popular the government decided to raise the tax on this category which resulted in approximately 30% price increases. Identifying fruit wines shelved among genuine wines in stores has often been perceived as a tricky practice, though Mr Duijkers notes that it is a lot easier than most people think. “Wines which are in the fruit wine category are always marked ’fruit wine’ on the back label but most labels by law cannot mention the grape variety, such as pinot noir and so on, so usually the label simply refers to wine as a ‘dry white’ or ‘bold red’ or similar terms,” he says. In short, the new form of excise tax has levelled the playing field among alcohol products. The tax instituted with effect from Sept 16 last year (2017) saw all wines, and other alcohol products, taxed on percentage volume of pure alcohol, not the prices charged in the market. (See Excise Dept schedule here; full Excise Act here.). I will add that a certain importer of red fruit wines adds what they call, "dark fruits" to them..........blackcurrants, plums, blackberry etc to ensure the wine qualifies as fruit wine and also to give the wine a bit of "body".

I have tried the Chateau Haut Lamothe (Bordeaux) and thought it was a very pleasant drink. I have tried Ch La Bastide (did you mean this wine??) and stayed at the Chateau as a guest, and it is a nice wine which I bought in NZ as it became a favourite for everday drinking..........as for the others I don't think so. For some reason I can't seem to get on with the Malbec wines I have tried so far? However I am partial to Rhone wines and am always willing to give them a try, although Cote Rotie is an all time favourite of mine, but is expensive here.

Yes it is........and the price should be the "giveaway".

Problem solved I think, because just now I have received a message from a technician in Malwarebytes and he has informed me of exactly what my current cover is with Malwarebytes, and it is great news, so I will respectfully withdraw my post, if I can and say sorry for any inconvenience.

Just a few years back I signed up for Malwarebytes Premium and paid for a "lifetime subscription" and all has been fine up until just recently when I have been plagued by messages from Malwarebytes to upgrade my cover/program. I got in touch with them via their "chat bot" but really got no satisfaction because what I wanted to know was what my current program (don't forget, lifetime program) covered me for, but got no answer only a reference to checkout a link which talked about upgrades? So has anyone got any news on this or had the same problem, and more to the point are there more suitable and possibly less expensive programs out there if I cannot fix this?

Yes it does and is advertised as such, although I will give it its due as it is not too bad, but the tasting reviews on Vivino are poor. Probably ok with spicy Thai food. https://th.wine-now.asia/belleville

You have to log on to their website to get prices (as I recall), also the same with another supplier called "VinesToVino" whom I use quite frequently and they also have a good and varied selection.

Hmmm.......I'm afraid I've "fallen out of love" with everyday Pinot Noir ever since I tasted the top of the range French ones, because there is nothing to match them IMO. So I'm afraid I can't really help you on that score and my main drinking at the moment consists of wines from Italy, and you may well find a few "lighter" red wines there – – good luck. As an addendum to that posted above, I have tasted a few from Australia, but have never really come to terms with them for one reason or another, but then again everyone to their own.

They are from Germany and are labelled "Kartofflen" and I've seen them on Lazada, but they are quite a bit cheaper in Big C (189 baht I think).

These are ready peeled and cooked and are bought in large glass jars from Big C here.

So that's the reason for her appointment.......Bondi’s unwavering endorsement of these falsehoods persisted, even as court rulings repeatedly debunked the claims. Doesn't believe in facts but does believe in trump. Very sad.

As I posted earlier, it seemed to stop working, however last night I took another sachet of it and this morning I'm absolutely cleaned out – – unless it was food poisoning from the cold cuts at the Italian restaurant last night!!!!