May I ask why you limit yourself to supermarket wines, on the site at least? Is it because this is your USP for the site, so to speak?

I'm quite sure I'm not the only one who finds that the more I get into wine, the less interest I find in the supermarkets. I'm sure that with the amount you taste, you must welcome the far greater individuality found in wines from independents?

Despite the "news" this week that 8 hours' sleep is too much, I absolutely need a minimum of 8. In addition, I am steering 3 teenagers towards adulthood, including filling in a UCAS form, ironing out the complication of hormones combined with severe special needs, keeping a chaotic house on the peaceful side of a bombsite, clearing a garden that seems to have been given an overdose of fertiliser, dropping down to London about twice a week for supermarket tastings, writing a weekly article, helping Jancis to input her tasting notes, trying in vain to pass the MW and keep the website up to date.

It would be great to include other wines, but there is no time left for expanding in that direction. It wouldn't just be twice the work, but much more. Also, supermarkets are quite reliable in that they have promotion periods, pr departments and their ranges change relatively slowly. They also have budgets for press samples.

In addition, between now and Christmas, in my wisdom, I have decided to build a walk in wardrobe. To be fair, a very nice man is actually putting up the stud partition, but the IKEA inserts won't allan key themselves together and the walls won't paint and wallpaper themselves. I also need to find a reasonably priced sofa bed that will fit in the space available, at the same time as fitting my 6ft 4in father, and matching everything else.

Sorry, the essence of my answer is, No, I don't have time to water the plant on my mantlepiece, which is visibly dying. Independent stores will have to be covered by someone else.

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mel

Well, here's to your superwomanly efforts in (wo)manfully testing those endless lakes of supermarket wine!

Mel, a suggestion...

In the tasting note section, perhaps you could split this into two sections, one for your notes and one for visitors/members.

Why?
I am not big on writing notes but am happy to add one now and again. I have found with this particular site that I could add a tasting note in the evening, by lunch time the next day it will be three pages back as you have just added TN's for the entire Sainsburys wine portfolio. My TN was probably read by two people and will probably never see an LCD again, know what I mean like?

BTW- you are amazing be good to your plants!

After that little rant I immediately watered the plant and it has already perked up considerably. I think it may survive, for now.

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mel

err....what are you wittering on about, GK ?

Why don't you use the offers quaffed page to add your tasting notes.

This shouldn't be too difficult as you've been doing it for the last year or so and it would save Mel from having to open up a 3erd TN page.

1 Tasting Notes....for Mel's notes
2 offers quaffed....for our notes
3 option 3....for plonkers who can't see option 2

I didn't get the 'err...peach' comment either..

I suggest a week off the riesling and a short holiday and I don't mean a long weekend at Oddbins..

G -apologies if i've misunderstood-

ooooh, get her!

btw- you are quite right about option 2, I withdraw my earlier statement, please forgive me, and don’t take the 'peach' thing personal, it was in reference to common tasting note terms, It wasn’t a euphemism.

Fortunately, I am indeed off on hols very soon.