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Red Wine Recommendation?


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Old 19-12-2007, 01:04
sajid78
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I don't drink myself, so need a recommendation to buy some red wine for a friend of mine for Christmas.
I am willing to spend up to about £15, not sure if that's too strict a budget, you guys will have to guide me.
And also would prefer one I could buy at one at the major supermarkets, either Sainsburys, Asda or Morrisons.
Thanks in advance.
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Old 19-12-2007, 01:11
Joni M
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I don't drink myself, so need a recommendation to buy some red wine for a friend of mine for Christmas.
I am willing to spend up to about £15, not sure if that's too strict a budget, you guys will have to guide me.
And also would prefer one I could buy at one at the major supermarkets, either Sainsburys, Asda or Morrisons.
Thanks in advance.
Most people like Chateau Neuf du Pape, it's a bit cliched but always makes a great gift: Morrisons about £9 I think.
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Old 19-12-2007, 01:12
Ambassador
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I love Spanish wine and my 2 recommendations would be

Basically anything from the Torres vineyard -a superb wine though the good reserve stuff isn't openly available here, Sangre del Toro is only about £6 a bottle

Faustino Gran Reserva Rioja - about £14 and my favourite Rioja...highly recommended and one of Spain's most popular wines. Even Oz Clarke couldn't find any fault in it...and he tried!

forgot to add...my pricing comes from Sainsburys

M&S is a good place to try, they use the major vineyards and labels but stick their own name on so you can grab superb wines at below normal price!
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Old 19-12-2007, 07:20
snowy ghost
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St Emilion or Margaux....beautiful wines
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Old 19-12-2007, 07:59
Les Willis
 
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I very rarely spend over 3 quid on bottles of wine.

Cheap wines that I like are (Generally French):

Corbieres
Minervois
Fitou

For 15 quid you could get 5 bottles
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Old 19-12-2007, 08:03
Blackhorse47
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Chateau Neuf du Pas is a very stong wine, but most people appear to like a Shiraz or a Cabernot Sauvignon.
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Old 19-12-2007, 08:05
Claratana
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I very rarely spend over 3 quid on bottles of wine.

Cheap wines that I like are (Generally French):

Corbieres
Minervois
Fitou

For 15 quid you could get 5 bottles
But you wouldn't spend 3 pounds on a present would you?

How about a nice bottle of Merlot?
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Old 19-12-2007, 08:17
AaronG
 
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Red wine recommendation?

Yes, drink white it's nicer.
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Old 19-12-2007, 08:17
fainéant
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Good suggestions so far. I recommend Tim Adams Shiraz and also his Fergus (Grenache) both for around £10 from Tesco. If you can stretch a lot further his Aberfeldy Shiraz is a real treat at £24.
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Old 19-12-2007, 09:07
sezegg
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Faustino Gran Reserva Rioja
I love any of the Faustino wines, lovely!
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Old 19-12-2007, 09:22
Mindee
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Sod paying more than £4.00 for a bottle of decent red wine.

St. Lucia Chilean Merlot from Aldi at £2.99 is excellent value and a full bodied taste.
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Old 19-12-2007, 09:31
iain
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you can't beat a good Aussie Shiraz - you can usually get a decent bottle for £4-6 on offer in the supermarkets. if it's for someone who likes their wine and it's a present, even then £15 is plenty for a single bottle.

Iain
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Old 19-12-2007, 09:59
Taglet
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One of my all time favorites is a Chillian Cabenet called Casillero del diablo.....its about £6 a bottle so you could get three for a little over your £15.

Love an Aussie Shiraz or a Rioja but the diablo is the best
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Old 19-12-2007, 10:01
jamesp26
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Hmm. Personally, i wouldn't bother with Faustino. Every bottle i've had's been awful. Very surprised Oz Clarke liked it. We always refer to it as a tourist trap wine. You always see loads of brits buying it on their way home from Spain or the Canary Islands.

The french notoriously keep the best stuff for themselves and it can be hit and miss what is good at the supermarkets. A good Chateauneuf du Pape will be excellent (although a bit heavy going) but many will be ordinary for the price. I much prefer Chasse du Pappe (http://www.tesco.com/winestore/contr...aspx?R=4035541) but you can't often get it in this country and i wouldn't go looking for it before christmas. Magical stuff and much nicer that Chateauneuf.

If i were you i'd probably go for a good Aussie red. You often can't wrong with them. Something like a Penfolds Bin 407 for about £13 a bottle or one of the more expensive Wolfblass wines (i've found the Wolf Blass President's Selection good at arounf £10 a bottle).

Remember though, just because its expensive doesn't make it good. Try and find if they have a favourite.
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Old 19-12-2007, 11:07
EvilMeMeMe
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you can't beat a good Aussie Shiraz - you can usually get a decent bottle for £4-6 on offer in the supermarkets. if it's for someone who likes their wine and it's a present, even then £15 is plenty for a single bottle.

Iain
Oh yes you can.

To the OP: you could buy a bottle of Barolo. Prices start around the £10 mark. It's not called "the king of wines" for nothing.
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Old 19-12-2007, 11:12
Inkblot
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I'm surprised so many people are recommending Shiraz. Isn't it quite a "Marmite" wine?
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Old 19-12-2007, 11:13
alan29
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You will get a decent Cotes de Rhones Villages for that. It will whip the ass of most clarets and burgundies. Don't get a Chateauneuf de Pape. I was there in the summer. Most of the price goes into keeping the village looking prosperous and not into actual production - seriously resting on past quality. Any aussie from Clare Valley will be fantastic. Don't rate USA at all, blanded down to the lowest common denominator.
Alan
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Old 19-12-2007, 11:17
richclever
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I very rarely spend over 3 quid on bottles of wine.

Cheap wines that I like are (Generally French):

Corbieres
Minervois
Fitou

For 15 quid you could get 5 bottles
Ooh, nice Languedoc wines there. I'm lucky and can get it direct from the 'caves' for around €1.60 for a litre and a half.

Wine prices in the Uk always astound me when I'm over. What we pay a about 3 Euros for you lot have to pay 8 or 9 quid!!
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Old 19-12-2007, 11:18
random_man
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I don't drink myself, so need a recommendation to buy some red wine for a friend of mine for Christmas.
You need to find out how sweet they like their wine. If you're spending good money on a bottle, I'm guessing that your friend likes their red wine. If so, it's really important to find that out!
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Old 19-12-2007, 11:32
alan29
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It's worth remembering that on a £3 bottle of wine £1.60 is tax and duty, so the wine is only worth £1.40 less bottle/cork/storeage/transport/everyone's bit of profit. Tax goes up to about £2 on a £5 bottle, so you are getting a much better product.
Alan
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Old 19-12-2007, 11:33
El Guapo
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Wines from the Jumilla part of Spain are pretty good!
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Old 19-12-2007, 11:36
Staroffurby
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Great Spanish wine, Casillero del Diablo. Only about £5+ a bottle, but a great taste and feels more expensive then it is.
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Old 19-12-2007, 11:37
Baroness Bunkum
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I like Shiraz

... but shhh!
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Old 19-12-2007, 12:01
2-Pot Screamer
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Peter Lehmann The Barossa Shiraz is a lovely drop - usually around £8 from Waitrose, amongst others.
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Old 19-12-2007, 12:03
Taglet
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Great Spanish wine, Casillero del Diablo. Only about £5+ a bottle, but a great taste and feels more expensive then it is.
Its chillian......my favorite too
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