I remember a time when UK supermarket wines offered great value for money. But now I’ve come to loathe, hate and detest their wine retailing operations, just like that former champion of the wines Malcolm Gluck, of the Guardian. Why? Insulting fake ‘bargains’ for the most part. I’ve a good sense of what a genuine £8-10 a bottle wine tastes like, and how well I can drink with a 4-6 euro spend in a French supermarket. So, whilst I’ve largely abandoned Sainsburys, Morrisons, the Co-Op and M&S for daily drinking tackle, over the last year or so I’ve found a good friend in the most unlikely shape of……Adsa. They have regular offers that offer real value for money, but it pays to watch the shelves and fill your boots when the good stuff is well-priced. I’ve no commercial relationship with them, BTW. Just a very happy customer. Check ‘em out.

For the most part my taste is for big reds on the dry side. Based on previous tasting, today I bought;

Barbera D’Asti £5 (Italy)
Tiers II Tempranillo £4 (3 for £10 last Xmas I recall)
Tiers II Rioja £5
Luis Felipe Edwards Shiraz (Chile) £4
Chateau de Jau (Cotes du Roussillon) £5
Cassilero Del Diabolo Cab Sauv. (Chile) £5
Brancott Est (Montana) (NZ) Sauvignon £5


Looking back over the last 12 months other bargains have included

Rigal Malbec (Fr) £5 (Stunning!)
Asda Ex Special Argentinian Malbec £5
Vinsobres £5
Caves St Pierre CDR Villages £5
Asda Extra Special French VdPD’Oc range made by Paul Mas; Shiraz and Merlot (avoid the Cab Sauv) great when on offer at £4-5, as are the Chardonnay & Viognier in the same price range.
Recently the Ex Spec. Minervois was a bargain at £4
Decent Kiwi sauvignon (The Rise?) was on offer last Xmas at 3 for £10

You'll go far kid.

Long live the Gluck.

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Yep, Im still here.

Broke me leg a couple of weeks back. Meant to post this months ago! Time hangs heavy.....

Ouch....

Dave demonstrates another way to get legless...

BTW, welcome.

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Yep, Im still here.

Forgot this stunner

Chateau Le Pre Du Moine, Bordeax (2008?)

A really lovely merlot-based claret which was going at £4 a bottle for weeks and weeks. Even worth the £6+ it was recently priced at.

Both my nearest Asdas are inhabited by zombies. Kids screaming at parents, parents sceaming at parents, adults having conversations at distances of 10 m plus.
Many of the rest are screaming into mobiles, often shuffling along 5-wide and expecting individuals to get out of the way. To combat this the stores play abominable radio at deafening volumes, and the customer announcements would rival concorde at take-off.
They are happy to stay cro-magnon, and I am happy to go elsewhere.

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Four wheels move the body - 2 wheels move the soul.

I still go to Asda whenever I want a bottle of Alsace gewurz as it's good and fair value at £7.07.

I buy a few when on offer.

As for the MSB it's dire. Full of UK bottled sweet imitation wines with fancy names. Oyster Bay is about their best unless you like the full bodied Bordeaux style then Lobster Reef is good for about £8. It reminds me of VM PB. Not my style of sb at all.

As for the store it's like going to Essex for the day.

Blimey, Bacchus. I can be in and out of Asda in a few minutes. Just demands focus.

BTW, the Macon Villages Chardonnay Cave de Lugny at £5 that I sampled yesterday is another nicely-priced bottle

Welcome Dave,

Which year was that Lugny Macon villages ?

The '05 Lugny was a Star, as chardonnay was all over the southern region the '08 however was a Macon style that Mel and I thought was incorrect. I thought rather unsatisfying, stalky and green concrete vats for the fermentation perhaps. A wierd 2008 elevage for a Macon blanc villages, and put me off Cave de Lugny
Not Good

We have been spoilt by the Jadot offers for the '09 Macons and me - by Chanson's more expensive '09 offering - so it's difficult to go back

** As you said above - the cellier de Dauphins' Vinsobres 2009 for a Fiver was a star. Same producer as the Sainsbury's offer in May - wasn't it ?

Please advise - thanks

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Duncan

I once had a w/e at Carreras in Basildon playing with my balls.

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Four wheels move the body - 2 wheels move the soul.

See if you can spot the boy bacchus waving a union jack for Prince Philip's arrival at Carreras, who picks up 200 Rothmans on a flying visit to Basildon.

the boy baccus and Progress in the white heat of British Industry

Ba .....Essex played just one county match on the Carreras playing fields ? And, you were there ! Is that right

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Duncan

Have started new post as this was going sideways...see Essex / Carreras

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Four wheels move the body - 2 wheels move the soul.

Did brave the slough last year in search of Goose's Gew. Checked all my shots were up to date, dug out the wellies, inserted motor-racing ear plugs, covered by runway-quality ear defenders and entered.
No Gew...bah

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Four wheels move the body - 2 wheels move the soul.