Naked Wines Share Discussion Threads

[bionicdog] 18/11/2006 12:56

I don't feel like my endurance has increased this morning.

[bionicdog] 12/11/2006 12:59

Tasting out of their minds.
I always try to sample as much as possible in the run up to the festive season , then we seem to have run out before the big day and have to go elsewhere.

[grupo guitarlumber] 12/11/2006 07:11

every one is too busy wine tasting

[yellowbelly2] 11/11/2006 23:05

How come this thread kinda dies at the weekend?

LOL

Yellowbelly

[itsourpete] 10/11/2006 22:58

cheers bionicdog - will try.

[bionicdog] 10/11/2006 08:08

A better deal than my beloved aglianica , how dare you! :o)
Seriously though , I've not given it to anyone who hasn't loved it.

[itsourpete] 09/11/2006 19:51

This week's 'deal of deals' has got to be at Asda. The Kumala INTULO Cape Red 2005 13.5% is a rich fruity and typically 'earthy' South African Red and at 3 bottles for a tenner is unbelievable value for money. Am buying up the shop as I type!

Pete

[grupo guitarlumber] 09/11/2006 16:40

World's Most Expensive Fizz by P. Ricard - 08-Nov-2006

Pernod Ricard announced on Tuesday its plan to launch what would be the world's most expensive champagne at £670-a-bottle under the Belle Epoque brand, currently Perrier Jouet's premium cuvee at a mere £70. The new ultra-premium bubbly represents an attempt of the Ricard group to move further upmarket and strengthen its position in the competitive arena of luxury drinks, where groups as LVMH (owner of Krug and Moet) reign supreme.

Some wine trade experts remained unconvinced about how much more quality the drinkers would derive from splashing £670 in a bottle of sparkling wine, regardless its provenance and credentials. Ronan Sayburn, head of wine at Gordon Ramsay's London restaurants, commented that "there is a trade-off point where the price and the actual flavour of the wine begin to split. When you are paying more than £400 to £500 a bottle, you are not getting something better in flavour, but exclusivity, rarity."

The Ricard group has only re-entered the champagne scene since last year after acquiring Mumm and Perrier Jouet, in the wake of the £7bn Allied Domecq takeover in August 2005. Ricard's spokeswoman expected that it would be enough demand for such a costly bubbly, and noted that the global trend is to develop more and more premium brands. According to Patrick Ricard, the chief executive, the new champagne would be released only in the US, Russia and China and in extremely limited quantities.

Champagne is enjoying a boom that contrasts with the slump facing other French regions, excluding top-notch Bordeaux and Burgundies. The champagne growers are trying to push the regions regulatory boundaries to expand production, in order to meet the world's ever-growing demand.
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© BB&R Limited, 2006

[ariane] 08/11/2006 18:02

The Times November 08, 2006


Champagne adds extra sparkle for the super-rich - at £675 a pop
From Charles Bremner in Paris



French rappers, nouveaux Russians and City millionaires were offered a new outlet for their excess yesterday: what at €1,000 (£675) a bottle was dubbed "the world's most expensive champagne".



Pernod Ricard, the world's second-biggest drinks group, is creating the ultra-premium bubbly in an attempt to profit from the sky-high prices that some foreigners seem prepared to pay for champagne.

Announcing what he said would be the world's most expensive champagne - a Perrier-Jouët labelled as cuvée Belle Epoque - Patrick Ricard, the chief executive, said that the main customers for the €1,000 champagne would be in the US , Russia and China. "We won't do many cases and won't be offering it here."

Pierre Pringuet, managing director of Pernod Ricard, explained at the company's annual meeting that "premiumisation" paid handsome dividends. "Consumers all over the world want to identify with brands that represent themselves and this has to be brands with quality which are exclusive. It's the same for fashion, cars . . . and spirits."

Pernod Ricard's move is in part an attempt to glamorise a company whose 3 per cent share of the champagne market is overshadowed by the big luxury groups such as LVMH, with its Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Krug and Dom Perignon. Pernod Ricard re-entered the market last summer when it took over Britain's Allied Domecq, with its Mumm and Perrier-Jouët brands. Its bestselling sparkling wine is Jacob's Creek Chardonnay Pinot Noir.

The French houses have been fighting to keep prices high on what they like to call an "aspirational product" that should be protected from vulgar price-cutting. The Louis Roederer company is trying to staunch a black market in its Cristal brand, which was created for the court of Alexander II of Russia in 1876. The retail price of Cristal in Britain is about £150 a bottle.

Ghislain de Montgolfier, the chairman of Bollinger, is threatening to sue French supermarkets that mark down his brand because he says they are destroying its reputation. Bollinger was on offer in some French outlets recently for as little as €27, compared with a standard retail price of up to €70 in France.

M Pringuet, of Pernod, gave shareholders an idea of the money to be made from creative pricing. Premium versions of the group's Ballantine's whisky accounted for only 15 per cent of the brand's sales volume, but half its profits. The company is now offering a Martell-Extra cognac for €250.

Champagne is in the midst of a boom that contrasts with the slump facing other French wine makers, except for top Bordeaux and Burgundy brands. The champagne growers, whose acreage and production is tightly regulated, are considering plans for expanding production to meet the world's insatiable demand.

Earlier this week a survey of champagnes on sale in Britain suggested that own-label champagnes are as good or better than many of the best-known brands.

JUST CORKING

On Bastille Day, 1789, revolutionaries toasted their success with champagne

35 million bottles are shipped to Britain annually. Producers admit targeting Britain with the most expensive bottles, which are shunned by the French

A magnum is the equivalent of two bottles, and a jeroboam, the equivalent of four

The glass of a champagne bottle is thick to allow the bubbles to form without risk, and dark to protect the wine from light

Champagne is usually subject to the ageing process to evolve in taste. It ranges from a minimum period of 15 months to at least three years for vintages and much longer for the special cuvées

[bionicdog] 08/11/2006 14:02

Couple of little bargains to look out for in Tesco. The fantastic finest aglianico (which is worth a fiver of anyone's money) is down to a daft £3.79 and the lovely Villa Maria sauvignon blanc is down to £5.98 from £7.99.

[spawny100] 06/11/2006 08:48

Excellent stuff thanks CCNP for the informative reply. Just checked the port and the level is about half way up the shoulder. A fair amount of lees in the bottom but I guess that is to be expected after 50 years or so? I have no idea how it has been stored or cellared as the lady I bought them from was clueless about this but had got them from a friend whose Dad was really into wine but who had now passed away and she was going to chuck these!

Any ideas about the rest of the Bordeaux?

[bionicdog] 06/11/2006 08:24

Sorry mate , posts crossed , that was for Ariane from the post before.

[spawny100] 06/11/2006 08:22

Thanks bionicdog. However, that table only goes back to 1985. One here goes back much further
Funny - I was also considering the Chrissie present idea!

[bionicdog] 06/11/2006 08:15

Not too good by the looks of things :o(

Give it to someone for xmas and tell them that it will only improve if kept.

[spawny100] 06/11/2006 08:14

Right all you wine buffs. I have in my possesion the following bottles (picked up for a song from the local paper from someone who I believe didn't knwo much about what they had in their possesion:

Calvet 1955 Chateau Veyrin Listrac (Appelation Controlee)
Clos du Merle 1972 Bordeaux (Appelation Controlee)
Croft's 1945 Vintage port (Decanted 23/12/1959)
Schroder and Schyler Chateau Beausite Haut-Vignoble Saint Estephe 1966
Calvet Margaux 1958
Baron Phillipe de Rothschild Mouton-Cadet 1966 (Appelation Controlee)

My questions for you all are:

1. What to do with these? They may well be worth significant money but when will I ever get another chance to drink a 50 year old wine or 60 year old port (1945 is supposed to be Croft's legendary year!). What would YOU do with them?

2. Are there any auctions that will sell wine for private customer's?

Many thanks for any feedback!

[ariane] 06/11/2006 08:11

how good might a 1991 medoc be,and can it be kept longer.

no wise cracks, like drink it and see, please

[bionicdog] 06/11/2006 08:06

Asda are selling Andrew Peace Mighty Murray red , white or rose for £3. It really isn't all that bad (well the red isn't anyway) , great for when the in-laws come round.

[itsourpete] 05/11/2006 22:44

Grypo - thank you for confirming that - but my secret is out now!

Its Our Peter (Pan)

[grupo guitarlumber] 03/11/2006 06:27

its true lads. i've been 30 for the last 30years.

[grupo guitarlumber] 03/11/2006 04:48

Cheers! How red wine 'stops' ageing
02/11/06
By Martin Evans

DRINKING vast quantities of red wine could help fat people live longer, according to a scientific study.

Researchers say they have found evidence that massive doses of a "magic" ingredient can lower the risk of diabetes, liver problems and other diseases connected with obesity.

And they believe the extract could help everyone live longer by combating a range of life-threatening illnesses including cancer and heart disease.

One scientist involved in the American study described the results as the "Holy Grail of ageing research".

The positive health benefits of red wine have been known for centuries, but now researchers claim to be close to identifying a way it can help virtually halt the ageing process.

Unfortunately, in order to reap the benefits you would need to drink around 100 bottles of red wine a day – enough to kill a man many times over.

Scientists are now working on a way of extracting the key ingredient, resveratrol, and creating an easy to take pill or capsule.

They hope the supplement could cut the risk of early death for millions.

Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant produced by certain plants as a defence against the effects of injury and fungal infection.

It is found in high quantities in grape skins, in peanuts and some berries.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School and the American National Institute of Ageing tested mice which had been fed on a high-fat diet.

They were treated with ultra-high doses of the red wine extract and the results astounded scientists.

The organs of the obese mice looked completely normal and were relatively undamaged by their high-fat diet. Fat-related deaths among the mice fell by 31 per cent after they had been given doses of resveratrol.

Mice which had been fed on a normal diet also enjoyed a longer lifespan after being fed the extract.

Dr David Sinclair of the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass-achusetts, said: "If we are right, you could have the benefit of restricting calories without having to feel hungry. It is the Holy Grail of ageing research."

He added: "The 'healthspan' benefits we saw in the obese mice treated with resveratrol, such as increased insulin sensitivity, decreased glucose levels, healthier heart and liver tissues, are positive clinical indicators and may mean we can stave off in humans age-related diseases such as type-two diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, but only time and more research will tell."

The mice were given extracts of resveratrol equivalent to 100 bottles of wine a day and scientists believe it works by spurring regrowth in the central powerhouses of the cells.

Dr Sinclair said: "For mice at least it shows that you can be fat, happy, healthy and vigorous."

Dr Richard Hodes of the US National Institute on Ageing, said: "These findings are a notable step."

[itsourpete] 28/10/2006 21:33

Colleagues!

A pleaseant surprise!

Asda are doing selected red (and um, white!!!) wines for 3 for a tenner and I've discovered one which is well worth the £3.33333333333333etc price!

Kumala INTULO is a 13.5% alc by vol full bodied red which captures the South African 'earty' taste quite nicely but tastes like a £6 (min) bottle.

DO try and get some. I got the last 3 bottles at my local Asda so it might be a 'quicky' offer only.

Regards to all Gluggers!

Pete

[ttg100] 05/10/2006 16:07

Tesco doing free del this week so
just orderred some Lindemans bin 65 chardonnay
as think excellent slurping turps and this is
great price (was around £6 in waitrose)