Red Wine bargain in Phuket

[JetsetBkk]

On 11/13/2020 at 10:59 AM, xylophone said:

On 11/13/2020 at 10:31 AM, luckyluke said:

I tried to explain it was common ( still ? ) to not use a cheap wine for cooking, and a better one for drinking.

Nothing wrong with using a cheaper wine for cooking, provided the wine is stable and not off.

 

Talking of cooking with wine... anyone seen this product on sale?:

I used to make delicious steak in red wine sauce (in a pressure cooker) with rice but can't find this sauce anywhere. A mate of mine brought a couple of tins back from England last year, but they didn't last long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[xylophone]

31 minutes ago, JetsetBkk said:

 

Talking of cooking with wine... anyone seen this product on sale?:

I used to make delicious steak in red wine sauce (in a pressure cooker) with rice but can't find this sauce anywhere. A mate of mine brought a couple of tins back from England last year, but they didn't last long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly have never seen it here, but do make my own and also use red wine for cooking beef in my slow cooker, then drain off some of the sauce and reduce it, adding a few things along the way!

[churchill]

17 hours ago, xylophone said:

Thanks for the tip Schlog, so I went out and bought a couple of bottles to try and whilst I was there I noticed that the Beaujolais Villages was on special, so decided to try a bottle, and it was very average to say the least and I had expected something a little more.

 

Having said that, I haven't tried any Beaujolais for decades, and the last time I did was in New Zealand at a special function I organised as sales and marketing director for American Express, whereby we hired a restaurant for the evening, had the Beaujolais Nouveau picked up at the airport and taken by helicopter to the restaurant, which had a lovely big lawn on which to land.

 

Not a great fan of the Nouveau, but it was part of our marketing for high-value customers, who were invited free of charge to participate.

 

Well I made an absolute pig of myself with the wine, not to mention the food, and the next morning I really couldn't lift my head off the pillow as I had the most vicious hangover I think I've ever had (I did go to work though).

 

Since that time I haven't really tried any, although years ago I did have some quite wonderful Beaujolais Grand cru wines, but the escapade with the Nouveau soured my opinion.

 

Anyway, for what it's worth, I won't be buying any more of it although it was well priced at 359 baht, but had not retained any of the fruit or the characteristics of the Gamay grape as grown in Beaujolais.

 

Will be trying the Valpolicella tomorrow night and see how I feel about that.
 

 

I didn't like the valpolicella but found the Beaujolais Villages very drinkable at about 350 Baht . In Samui there are several good wines under 500 baht including a Pinot Noir from New Zealand , a Rioja and , I think a bargain , Grand Vin de Bordeaux Medoc 2016  about 470 Baht .

[xylophone]

8 minutes ago, churchill said:

 

I didn't like the valpolicella but found the Beaujolais Villages very drinkable at about 350 Baht . In Samui there are several good wines under 500 baht including a Pinot Noir from New Zealand , a Rioja and , I think a bargain , Grand Vin de Bordeaux Medoc 2016  about 470 Baht .

Just goes to show how our tastes vary, however haven't tried the Valpolicella yet and may well do that tomorrow.

 

Also here in Patong I seek out the "better value" wines and there are plenty under 500 baht, including "Hopes End" at 440 baht, and "19 Crimes" at 499 baht and a good Aussie drinker called "Barwang" at around 400 baht, so plenty to choose from.

 

On the subject of varying tastes, although I am from NZ, I really think that the Pinot Noir offerings are very average to say the least (lolly-water was one description), especially if they are around that price, and I've probably been spoilt by my taste for French Burgundies, which are way out of my price range here, and despite that, have not travelled well!

 

There are several wines from the Medoc available here too and they do make a change from the Aussie wines.

 

I suppose that's the beauty of wine, it means different things to different people, and long may that continue.

[churchill]

All good value imo ... I assume Tesco is clearing out although not advertising .

 

I haven't noticed so many , especially Tesco  Finest , under 500 baht . 

 

IMG_1657.HEIC

[churchill]

This should be the picture

[xylophone]

Just now, churchill said:

All good value imo ... I assume Tesco is clearing out although not advertising .

 

I haven't noticed so many , especially Tesco  Finest , under 500 baht . 

IMG_1657.pdfUnavailable

Yes, agree good value when you can find them, and I spoke to the GM of Big C a few years ago when they were having a little clear out, and asked why it wasn't advertised in store, and he explained that they were not allowed to advertise alcohol that way, which probably explains why Tesco don't do it.

 

Having said that I have had some wonderful bargains out of Tesco's over the last two or three years and they were never advertised and I just happened across them.

 

One range was from a top vineyard in South Africa, another from a very well known Californian producer, and one was a Brunello de Montalcino at about 10% of its original price, so needless to say my little wine cooler fridge was topped up to the max!
 

[xylophone]

4 minutes ago, churchill said:

This should be the picture

What did you think of the Burgundy and how much was it?

[Crossy]

On 12/25/2018 at 8:35 PM, xylophone said:

I know this thread will be a little short lived

 

And yet, here we are 2 years later ???? 

 

Oh for the days we lived in Tervuren (near Brussels), the local cash-n-carry had French vin-de-table at Eur 4.50 for THREE bottles, it was called "Le Bolleux" and at that price is was indeed.

[churchill]

6 minutes ago, xylophone said:

What did you think of the Burgundy and how much was it?

having a sip now ... Very good for the price .. I think about 470 Baht

[xylophone]

33 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

And yet, here we are 2 years later ???? 

 

Oh for the days we lived in Tervuren (near Brussels), the local cash-n-carry had French vin-de-table at Eur 4.50 for THREE bottles, it was called "Le Bolleux" and at that price is was indeed.

Ah yes, reminds me of the French warehouses across the English Channel, where we would occasionally slip across on the ferry to load up with French wine and cheeses......a lot of cheap Château Collapso, but some good wines to be had if one took the time to look for them.

 

Those days are long gone for me, unfortunately????

[Tarteso]

I'm reading your taste for good wine very carefully.  Being Spanish and an usual consumer of red wines, I find your choices very interesting.  I usually buy wines from Spain, Australia, France, Italy and South Africa.  Personally I prefer Riojas, simply because I have grown up with them, especially CRIANZA, which delight me because of their freshness.  Difficult to find them outside the country.  Another wine that I sometimes buy is La Manzanilla or “TIO PEPE”, both from the fields of Jerez and certainly perfect for cooking seafood such as fish, clams ... even meat.  BTW ... Thanks for your advice.

[madmitch]

9 hours ago, churchill said:

 

I didn't like the valpolicella but found the Beaujolais Villages very drinkable at about 350 Baht . In Samui there are several good wines under 500 baht including a Pinot Noir from New Zealand , a Rioja and , I think a bargain , Grand Vin de Bordeaux Medoc 2016  about 470 Baht .

Just picked up a bottle of the Tesco Finest Medoc 2016 from the local Tesco Express. Marked at 344 baht, when it was scanned it came up as 427 baht. Still bought it. They had a Tesco Finest Sauvignon Blanc for a similar price as well/

[xylophone]

13 hours ago, Tarteso said:

I'm reading your taste for good wine very carefully.  Being Spanish and an usual consumer of red wines, I find your choices very interesting.  I usually buy wines from Spain, Australia, France, Italy and South Africa.  Personally I prefer Riojas, simply because I have grown up with them, especially CRIANZA, which delight me because of their freshness.  Difficult to find them outside the country.

Thank you for your compliment, and collecting wine, and of course drinking it, has been a hobby for over 50 years now, and I have to say that I very much enjoyed the Spanish wines when I was living in England in my younger days, and my favourite "go to" red wine was the Siglo Saco (with the sacking on the bottle) which was a lovely wine and not too expensive.

 

I had already purchased more than a case of Frederico Paternina Gran Reserva 1964, in the early 70s, and had a liking for the Riojas so was experimenting with a few others of that ilk, but little was I to know that the Frederico Paternina wine was to be such a well sought after wine that even in 1987 in a Spanish restaurant in Adelaide, the owner offered me a huge price for the one or two remaining bottles I had, which was more than the 12 bottles had cost me in the first place!

 

I think the world changed for Spanish wines when the Miguel Torres Gran Coronas Reserva beat such well-known wines as Château Latour in a blind tasting of wines in France in 1979, to be voted the best Cabernet Sauvignon (which it was, with about 15% of Tempranillo added) and that really focused people's attention on the evolving wine situation in Spain, with people like Torres experimenting with Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

There seemed to be a shift away from the Rioja Gran Reserva type wines which had to spend two years in oak casks and another three years in bottle before they were released, and to some people these had lost some of their "fruit" and the move was to more wines with fruit characteristics.

 

Great to experience the evolution of Spanish wine in my younger days and I have nothing but high regard for them these days, when they are available, however the government tax here does nothing to tempt me to buy too many of them, however occasionally they are a welcome treat.
 

[xylophone]

On 12/8/2020 at 7:06 PM, Tarteso said:

I usually buy wines from Spain, Australia, France, Italy and South Africa.

I have just seen a good Australian red wine, and by good, I mean quite a big wine with evident fruit and very upfront as some Australian wines can be, and it's a range by JJ McWilliams and they are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and a Cabernet/Shiraz blend, which are now priced at 399 a bottle in Big C, and are excellent value for that, in my opinion.

[Tarteso]

2 hours ago, xylophone said:

I have just seen a good Australian red wine, and by good, I mean quite a big wine with evident fruit and very upfront as some Australian wines can be, and it's a range by JJ McWilliams and they are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and a Cabernet/Shiraz blend, which are now priced at 399 a bottle in Big C, and are excellent value for that, in my opinion.

Shiraz is a good Cavernet and good price, agree???? 

The problem is some wines are spoiled by the distributors, when they are left in high temperature places and Sadly losing its flavor and characteristics.

 

 

[xylophone]

2 hours ago, Tarteso said:

Shiraz is a good Cavernet and good price, agree???? 

The problem is some wines are spoiled by the distributors, when they are left in high temperature places and Sadly losing its flavor and characteristics.

 

 

Yes that can happen, but luckily out of the many thousands of bottles I have bought and drunk here, have only found spoilt wines  in, say, under 5 bottles in total, with a few more being "below average", so a pretty good record all told.

[JetsetBkk]

On 12/11/2020 at 10:42 AM, xylophone said:

I have just seen a good Australian red wine, and by good, I mean quite a big wine with evident fruit and very upfront as some Australian wines can be, and it's a range by JJ McWilliams and they are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and a Cabernet/Shiraz blend, which are now priced at 399 a bottle in Big C, and are excellent value for that, in my opinion.

 

I took a chance and bought some! Then I tried a glass or two... delicious! 

So I went back and bought some more. 

I think I'm all set for Christmas and New Year. 

[xylophone]

14 hours ago, JetsetBkk said:

 

I took a chance and bought some! Then I tried a glass or two... delicious! 

So I went back and bought some more. 

I think I'm all set for Christmas and New Year. 

Good on you.......I think it is one of the best value wines on the market at the moment!!

 

BUT did spy some Chianti at Bic C Patong, reduced in price from over 700b a bottle to 399b, and bought some........still a few left I believe!

[schlog]

Heard that Wine Pro is now in Cherntalay near Lotus. Maybe interesting to check it out. @xylophone you visit that shop already?

[xylophone]

16 minutes ago, schlog said:

Heard that Wine Pro is now in Cherntalay near Lotus. Maybe interesting to check it out. @xylophone you visit that shop already?

No Schlog have never been there, and do most of my wine buying at Promphan or from Vinum Lector........may try it soon though. Thanks.

[madmitch]

16 hours ago, schlog said:

Heard that Wine Pro is now in Cherntalay near Lotus. Maybe interesting to check it out. @xylophone you visit that shop already?

I went there in the previous location on Chaofa Road. The French guy knew what he was talking about but he was on the verge of covid-induced redundancy. More of a wholesaler but a few deals available. Worth checking out.

[eezergood]

33 minutes ago, madmitch said:

I went there in the previous location on Chaofa Road. The French guy knew what he was talking about but he was on the verge of covid-induced redundancy. More of a wholesaler but a few deals available. Worth checking out.

its the old (and new) owners of Wine Connection - same model 

[xylophone]

52 minutes ago, eezergood said:

its the old (and new) owners of Wine Connection - same model 

So some of the cheaper wines will have had fruit juice added to them at fermentation time.

[eezergood]

29 minutes ago, xylophone said:

So some of the cheaper wines will have had fruit juice added to them at fermentation time.

im sure they still sell fruit wines, but their portfolio is quite extensive 

[xylophone]

Just now, eezergood said:

im sure they still sell fruit wines, but their portfolio is quite extensive 

Yes, might be worth a look, but what I objected to was the fact that some of their cheaper wines, even though they looked, to all intents and purposes, like French wines (for example) were wines with fruit juice added and most folk weren't aware of this!

 

It was the small print that did it!!

[madmitch]

21 hours ago, xylophone said:

Yes, might be worth a look, but what I objected to was the fact that some of their cheaper wines, even though they looked, to all intents and purposes, like French wines (for example) were wines with fruit juice added and most folk weren't aware of this!

 

It was the small print that did it!!

I believe Wine Pro is owned by the original French owner/founder of Wine Connection. Their product deteriorated after he sold out. They seem to operate independently and Wine Pro don't offer much at the budget end from what I remember.

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, madmitch said:

I believe Wine Pro is owned by the original French owner/founder of Wine Connection. Their product deteriorated after he sold out. They seem to operate independently and Wine Pro don't offer much at the budget end from what I remember.

That's interesting MM so might be worth a look for non-budget wines?

[madmitch]

Makro in Kata have a few wines on offer. I've just bought a couple of Hardy's wines at 359 baht and 399 baht respectively. Should be perfectly drinkable for the price of a bottle of Montclair. A few of the Penfolds wines seemed to be 100 baht off as well.

[Psimbo]

Was in Big C Jungceylon the other day and they had put up the price of the McWilliams so I tried a Wolf Blas Eaglehawk Merlot at B399 instead. Very nice and now quite as heavy. Got another couple of bottles in Prompham today for B388 plus tax each.