Was the wine corked is the 1st question ? Or is the wine faulty ?

Ba, I could not find the 2007 vintage of this, so I have not bought yet, and don't know.

I think we should await for GK's assessment again, before relying on your graphic display of displeasure Based on his opinion, I would buy the 2007 with confidence

What say you to the foregoing ?

I do feel that our ability to judge the bargains on their merits has deteriorated of late. Our pranks and amusement is great fun, but we should not let it cloud our judgement for quality and value, where and when we find it.

Yeah....OK

One man's meat is another man's poison. For the main issues, I recon we could, or may be should pass judgement on the wines that we have known and loved for many years, QBE in other words.

Discovery wines are always the exception.

Those statements I've just scribed are pretty damn pompous - forgive me..

Folks reading this stuff, may like to think that our judgement could be relied upon for the regions that we know.

Am I aiming too high here ?

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Duncan

Are you talking wine regions, or that I can describe wines for those living in Gloucestershire only.

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mel

Ha ha, beautifully side stepped. I should investigate Beaky Bottom, and talk about Twyford nearer to home. We have Lambourne as well to consider.

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Duncan

Sorry to read that B, sounds like you either had a bad'un or your palate has turned its back on red.

As an amateur wine taster, there is always the chance I could give you poor advise, but surely this lot know what they're doing?
http://www.decanter.com/winefinder/wine ... ?wid=69270

Dunc, please hunt this one down and confirm I’m not going mad!?!

Tim Atkin-Buy of the week
2007 Chartreuse de Bonpas Réserve Côtes du Rhône
£8.99, 14%, Sainsbury's

Yet another example of the wonderful 2007 vintage in the southern Rhône: an opulent, unoaked, Grenache-based red with aromatic berry fruit.

It's me, nowt wrong with the bottle, I was really looking forward to it. It's a G-S-M mix and has had many good reviews. It's frustrating not to be able to enjoy reds any more but I have bought 6 different in the Sains offer, plus a straight merlot that came as a gift. Perhaps I should refrain from comments on reds, as for a couple of yrs they all smell and taste the same.

I'll phone a few branches to see if they have the '07. I was dissapointed on Friday that it was not available, and as always, predictable me, ended up spending a little more on some £15 wines to nurse my addction for the incomplete chase.

Ba, you know that if we could identify a red for you, then we would be . But for now, it is best that you keep an army of white wine lovers informed.
My dear Misses has not been able to enjoy a red for over 25 years due to Headaches caused by the tannin, oak and other constituents in the wine.

To give you some idea of what a wrench that was, she bought a bottle of Mascelot Expurey for our tenth wedding anny evening supper without any promotion from me.

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Duncan

I have the solution Bacchus.........

Port.

Port is not for the very young, the vain and the active. It is the comfort of age and the companion of the scholar and the philosopher.
-Evelyn Waugh

Thanks, but I don't think anyone could find that red. Will try one of these per day and then give up for a couple of yrs.
Stopping smoking has had so many effects on me, and, after the maniac kill-everything period, mostly good: skin, hair, stamina etc.
The other downside is that my hearing has gone mega-sensitive, everything is intrusively loud (seems it is better blood flow).
Background "music" and bongings to documentaries, reversing lorries, sirens, alarms, pa announcements in s/mkts all drive me mad. Will not go into any place where there is "music".

End of gripe, but not grape.

That overlapped my post GK. Indeed you may well be right. I did enjoy a Manzinilla last Xmas, but haven't had port for ages...hmmm...and it's nearly Xmas...

One to test the theory with-
DOW Trademark Finest Reserve Port @ Sainsburys.

This is usually around £12 all year but for the last couple of years Sainsburys have reduced it to £5.49 (half price) just before Xmas, due any day now. That's when I stock up. It givea a decent LBV a run and has picked up a few Gold awards.

B - If you can't stomach red wine, then port is unlikely to work. You could try Tawny though. Taylor's Ten Year Old is splendid and has fewer tannins.

Then there's sherry, but I don't want to go on and on.

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mel

I got the impression its the gritty dryness B has a problem with, I thought the creamy, sweetness of a Port might be worth a go with its mellow acidity. I guess he wont know 'til he tries it.

I love Tawny Port, M&S do a nice one which is usually discounted in the run up to Xmas. Graham's Crusted is another fave. If it's an LBV I like the Warre's Traditional, '92 & '95's. I have a Taylor's '69 QdV waiting to be opened on my birthday, looking forward to that.

I'm fairly sure that the M&S Tawny is made for them by Taylor's. Have just checked. They say it's David Guimaraens, who is Taylor Fonseca's w/m.

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mel