Naked Wines Share Discussion Threads

[isis] 26/1/2006 13:05

What I can tell you though is Tesco have over 800 wines to choose from, many often with large discounts and nearly always cheaper than anywhere else in the UK.
Not easy to beat them.

[isis] 26/1/2006 13:02

46% of pubgoers like a smoke and many non-smokers are indifferent, I only ask for
non-smoking and smoking premises but the fanatical anti's are against this even though they would'nt even be there.
If that's not despotic I don't know what is.

[jl202] 26/1/2006 12:59

Unfortunately the majority of peeps are clueless morons and the only way for them to moderate behaviour is by price and/or legislation. I like a cuban every now and then ;-)

[isis] 26/1/2006 12:57

jl202 - I am not a regular smoker, but enjoy a smoke every now and again.

I cannot agree with the PC's they have gone to far and deserve a swift kick in the
bolox. imo :-))

[jl202] 26/1/2006 12:54

LB, seriously, reckon if you bought 3 boxes, made boxes of 6, you could clear a grand easy :-) (well £400 having kept one for yourself ;)

[jl202] 26/1/2006 12:53

isis - 26 Jan'06 - 12:43 - 2081 of 2082
Regardless, wine snobs have been ousted.
Especially French ones. ;-))


>>> swine! Like you can taste anything beneath that tar anyway ;-)


jl.

[jl202] 26/1/2006 12:52

Little Beaker - 21 Jan'06 - 20:40 - 2075 of 2080
Here's one for people who want an expensive wine at an affordable (lol) price:



>>> nice one LB. Fancy that.



Market price seems to be more £150-£200... Assume au tesco paid the lower. Also 1997@£75, plus 1999@£125 - its a deal. You could probably make some money selling the contents singly on ebay, or cellar them for a while....


jl.

[isis] 26/1/2006 12:43

Regardless, wine snobs have been ousted.

Especially French ones. ;-))

[jl202] 26/1/2006 12:40

isis, like anyone ever paid full price for that sh*t,

jl.

[bionicdog] 25/1/2006 07:55

LB
re 2075 , I prefer to wait until they have a 20% off aussie promotion instore (plus another 5 or 10% for buying 6). They do actually stock grange (an absolute benchmrk wine) at some of their larger stores and unbelievable this promotion still applies , even though they will be losing money hand over fist.

[ariane] 25/1/2006 07:19

Pre-Close Trading Update

RNS Number:3988X
Cosentino Signature Wines plc
25 January 2006

25th January 2006



Cosentino Signature Wines plc "Cosentino" or "the Company"



Pre-Close Trading Update



Cosentino Signature Wines plc, the Napa Valley based, AIM listed wine company is
pleased to announce that it expects turnover in the full year to 31st December
2005 to marginally exceed the Board's expectations. In particular, trading in
the important fourth calendar quarter was strong with turnover approximately 34
per cent ahead of the corresponding period last year.



Particularly pleasing has been the consistently strong monthly sales volumes
through third-party distributors (Cosentino's channel to the US restaurant and
wine store market) which were up approximately 30 per cent for the year,
compared to 2004; with record trading volumes achieved in the key selling
periods of November (up 25 per cent, compared to the corresponding period in
2004) and December (up 45 per cent). Retail sales have seen a significant
increase in November and December compared to the same time last year, up 52 per
cent and 61 per cent respectively, with the Wine Club membership numbers
increasing to 3,761 by the year end.



In July 2005 the Group purchased its own in-house bottling line, which has
benefited the Company and has enabled a significant reduction in operating
costs, as well as significantly increasing the Group's ability to bottle its own
product in line with its own requirements. The Group has now installed 6,000
cases (equivalent to 15,000 US gallons) of new storage and production capacity
at its Pope Valley (CE2V brand) winery and expects this to become active during
2006.



The 2005 grape harvest was exceptionally good in terms of grape yields and
quality and we have again been able to buy and grow grapes at competitive
prices.



Consistent with the Company's strategy outlined at the time of the AIM listing,
the Company actively continues to review complementary acquisition candidates.



Noting the usual seasonality of the US wine industry, the Board remains
confident that the strong sales trend the Company has experienced in recent
years will accelerate during 2006.



Results for the year ended 31st December 2005 will be announced in March.



- Ends -


For further information contact:

Neville Calvert, CEO [phone]

Larry Soldinger, Chairman [phone]

Jonathon Brill/Billy Clegg, Financial Dynamics 020 7831 3113




This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END

TSTSEEFWLSMSEIF

[stoic warrior] 23/1/2006 19:14

Right; decision time for the 2004 Rhones. For these e.p.'s I'm going strictly south instead of north - which I will certainly be able to buy easily after release (no slight to those lovely Cote Roties, jl208); the choices are Gigondas & Ch du Pape; one ea La Tour Sarazzine (Cazaux) & the Domaine du Cayron, and one ea of the Vieux Telegraphe and the Clos des Papes. Had an '89 Vieux Telegraphe this past wk-end; soft and silky it was; long as a model' s legs; excellent.

[little beaker] 21/1/2006 20:40

Here's one for people who want an expensive wine at an affordable (lol) price:

[jl202] 16/1/2006 12:32

Can't beat a nice Cote Rotie :-)

[itsourpete] 15/1/2006 18:34

Stoic - I tend to agree (shock horror!).

I DO enjoy a nice bordeaux but then again I enjoy a nice Cotes de Rhones too. So it comes down to value for money in my opinion. A Ferrari is better than a Mazda MX5 - but it costs a lot more. BUT a good cotes de rhone is as good as a good bordeaux but a fraction of the price. As full a body, possibly more age and oak, as strong and slightly 'smokier' but a fair bit cheaper.

No on balance I'd have to go along with you on that one my friend,

Pete

[stoic warrior] 15/1/2006 11:49

Just got my en primeur offer on the 2004 Rhones ... all things considered, I tend to prefer Rhones to Bdx, so I'd interested to read any one else's opinions and thoughts of this vintage and these offerings ...

[jl202] 09/1/2006 16:38

I'm sold on majestic for when I next buy in the uk!

jl.

[itsourpete] 04/1/2006 20:54

Red Ninja - interesting article that. The bit that stuck out was 'Many of the Riverland's 1300 growers are buckling under financial pressure because of a large wine oversupply and an expected bumper harvest next year'.

I've noticed prices easing downwards now for wine generally for the last 3 months or so. The number of wines either reduced or on special deals at my local oddbins is more than ever before. The oversupply can only be good for us consumers. there are more and more 'goodish' wines now selling at £5 a bottle on Oddbins '2 for a tenner' deal.

It appears as though from that last article that the downward trend in prices may continue, albeit slight.

Pete

[maywillow] 24/12/2005 07:31

The Times December 24, 2005

Majestic Wine uncorks formula for niche success
By Sarah Butler
As Unwins faces ignominy, our correspondent looks at a wine rival that is scouring the world to please its sophisticated clientele



THE supermarkets have seen off Unwins. Crippled by the buying power of Tesco, J Sainsbury and Asda - which control 68 per cent of the wine market in the UK - Unwins was forced to call in the administrators and yesterday faced the ignominy of being broken up by a rival.
Although the supermarkets are getting mightier - their share of the wine market has risen 6.9 per cent this year - and independent stores' market share has fallen nearly 5 per cent to 6.3 per cent this year, not all independent wine sellers are suffering.



Majestic Wine is not only surviving, but thriving. It continues to forge ahead, with sales up 8.3 per cent in the half year to September 26, and the City expects its success to continue.

So why is Majestic doing so well? Part of the deal is that Majestic branches are big and are set up next to a car park. Putting stores in former car dealerships and other sites away from prime high street locations, in buildings that most retailers have dismissed, means that rents and overheads are low and Majestic can allow sufficient space for customers to park outside, a luxury that most independent off-licences cannot offer.

Another part of the formula is that customers must buy the minimum of a case of 12 bottles on each visit, so that the business can afford to invest staff time in helping customers to taste and discuss wines.

Tim How, chief executive, claims that the key to Majestic's success is its staff. "Customer service and wine knowledge is what stands us apart from the self-service environment of the supermarkets," he says.

Nearly all Majestic's staff are graduates and, aside from on-the-job training in customer service and management, staff are expected to complete an advanced certificate in wine knowledge from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust within six months of joining the business. About 80 staff are also completing a wine knowledge diploma.

The wine knowledge of its staff permits Majestic to sell a much wider range of wines than some stores would dare to offer, with less emphasis on well-known brand names.

Majestic's five wine buyers scour the world for parcels of interesting wines to add to the 800 stocked in most of its stores, far more than any supermarket would have space for.

In the past Majestic snapped up a surplus of fine claret from the Swedish liquor monopoly at a bargain price, allowing it to offer customers some fantastic deals. This August it bought a parcel of white Burgundy from a US investment firm in a variety of vintages and a recent similar deal will continue to fuel customer offers this winter.

Mr How says that the expertise of its staff means that Majestic has the flexibility to clear these wines even if, as with the American deal, it has just one case of some vintages.

Promotions and low prices that are equivalent to, or lower than, the supermarkets' are an important part of Majestic's winning formula.

Majestic has 364,000 customers on its mailing list and is also increasingly communicating by e-mail. Internet sales are up more than 40 per cent and new ideas such as Christmas gift deliveries are being tested. Customers tend to be more sophisticated wine enthusiasts than the average supermarket wine buyer and two thirds of them are men, quite unusual for a store not focused on gadgets or DIY.

As its customers' interest in wine has developed, Majestic has been able to sell them more expensive wines. In 2003 it set up a fine wines store in St John's Wood to specialise in sales of wine costing more than £20 a bottle. Sales of such wine have risen 43 per cent this year. Similar growth is expected next year as Majestic sets up ten more Fine Wine Centres.

Part of Majestic's success is driven by consumers' general move from beer to wine. Wine sales rose 5.8 per cent this year and as customers become more confident in their choices they are trading up to more expensive bottles, averaging £4, against £3.79 at the start of this year.

Majestic's underlying growth in sales has eased to 5.5 per cent, with the general market, but analysts say its niche should protect it against rising competition.

TOP TEN TIPPLES

Majestic's ten bestselling still wines

Bordeaux Saint-Paul de Dominique, St-Emilion Grand Cru £11.99

Burgundy Chablis, Caves de Chablis £7.99

Rhône Valley Côtes du Rhône, E.Guigal £7.49

South of France Cuvée de Richard Rouge, Vin de Pays de l'Aude £3.05

Italy Pinot Grigio Pavia, Pasqua £4.99

Rioja Reserva Berberana £8.49

Chile Casillero Diablo Merlot £4.99

New Zealand Oyster Bay Sauvignon, Marlborough £6.99

Australia Oxford Landing Cabernet Shiraz £5.49

Wolf Blass Yellow Label Chardonnay £7.49

[maywillow] 23/12/2005 09:52

Roast Duck, Roast Duck with Orange or Cherry Sauce,
Confit de Canard, Duck Breast
The perfect wine with Roast Duck is a light-styled Red Burgundy with the raspberry/cherry fruit flavours of these wines complementing the duck's flavour. If the dish is to be accompanied by a fruit sauce such as orange or cherry, the wine should be chosen to complement the sauce. With an Orange Sauce try a ripe Australian Chardonnay or better still an off-dry Vouvray; the slight sweetness will balance the fattiness of the duck. Cherry Sauce will match both Red and White wines. For White try a German Riesling Spätlese or if you prefer drier wines, then a Red Beaujolais Cru will have sufficiently low tannins so as not to clash with the duck. Preserved in its own fat, Confit de Canard is best with an off-dry, aromatic variety that will cope with the greasiness of the dish. An Alsace Pinot Gris is a sensational match. Again for those with a not-so-sweet tooth try varieties indigenous to the South of France like Picpoul or Marsanne or Roussanne. Reds also work; try a light-styled Red Burgundy, or if the Confit is served with that other Dordogne speciality Ceps, select a Cahors or a top Californian Merlot. With pan-fried Duck Breast we return to our banker wine the light-styled Red Burgundy. This would be especially delicious if a simple sauce is made by deglazing the pan with a splash of raspberry vinegar.

[maywillow] 23/12/2005 09:43

Bought a dozen easy to open oysters yesterday and washed them down with
a sprinkle of lemon and sips of chilled Chablis.


Bliss.

[realcooltrader] 23/12/2005 09:30

Fine Expressions magazine, I'm considering treating myself to a subscription. Does anyone subscribe, and can therefore recommend (or not), or is there anything similar that you can recommend?