UKC

Sainsburys has a Sangiovese Appassimento at the moment which is classy and delicious. Smooth, rich, fruity and full bodied, all that good stuff. Reduced to £8 at the moment. 

It's called Santodeno.

I had a bottle recently, but didn’t feel all that keen to buy more. I thought it was a bit sweet, which surprised me.

Do you buy white wine too? If you do and shop at Sainsbury I recommend a Hungarian wine they sell called Dry Furmint. Often down to about £8. Apparently it’s a traditional Hungarian grape variety, barely grown elsewhere. I have never tasted a white quite like it.

I far prefer red, but occasionally buy white to pair with food. Coincidentally I recently received 3 Hungarian reds in a subscription box, and really enjoyed them. I have a friend with Hungarian heritage whom I've known for 53 years, yet we'd never talked about Hungarian booze. I told him about these wines and he recommended others. I'm sure Furmint was one of them. I'll check it out if I can, thanks.

For the discerning palate, you can get MD 20/20 Blue via https://www.drinksupermarket.com/mad-dog-md-20-20-blue-raspberry-fortified-...

But Alas... Thunderbird is impossible these days

There is also Buckfast which is available in either 35cl bottles or the larger 75cl bottles, it packs quite a punch.

If drinking at home it is possible to be creative and put Buckfast through a "sodastream" machine, thus getting a carbonated drink known, colloquially, as Buckfaster, or so I believe. 

Don’t buy wine from a supermarket…you’re welcome 😃😃

unless your local wine merchant is a rude pretentious pr1ck who , when you call in wearing work clothes but intending to buy a reasonably expensive bottle to take to a friend s house who you know will have taken a lot of time trouble to cook you dinner  , completely  ignores you despite you being the only person in his stupidly over priced shop . Then, Sir , Sainsburies will do nicely thank you . 

I don't drink much these days, but do love both red (more so), and white. Simply I just wanted to point out very cheap deals at Waitrose, and not in the usual forward facing boxes. These are not flagged up, but just have a yellow sale label:-

Endeavour (2020) Cabernet Shiraz(Hardy's) reduced from £7.99 to £3.99.

13 Trees (2019) Shiraz (Australian) reduced from £9.99 to £4.19.

Yet I have not tried them yet, but it's part of the fun just trying unknowns, and either using them as poor mouth wash (hence the price), or getting the full enjoyment experience from a new quarter.

Or Dragon Soop. 

Shame. El Dorado is still around if that's your thing.

known, colloquially, as Buckfaster, or so I believe. 
 

Haven’t you got the B and the F transposed here?

Buckfast, gets ya f*cked fast.

Buckfaster, presumably, achieves a similar effect in more timely fashion?

There's an offer in Morrisons at the minute, two bottles of The Wanted Zin zinfandel for £15, which isn't bad for the price.  It's not as good as, say, Majestic's Definition zinfandel but it's worth trying at that price if you like a full-flavoured wine that wrestles with your taste buds.

My current favourite bargain is the Wine Society's Southern Spanish red which for a shilling less than £6 is very good value.  

T.

Personally I tend to buy on this thing called the internet 😂

I prefer physical venues where you can taste, and converse, that have online options. It's also a big benefit to get full refunds if you don't like a wine that was recommended (let alone if a bottle is corked or otherwise off).

I find enjoyment is very loosely related to cost. I prefer big flavoured red wines with lower tanin levels and tend to buy either side of the 'ten'  (in the UK pounds, in the EU Euros or in the US dollars). If budgets are tight, Lidl are not to be sniffed at (and have had some amazing bargains over the years including a ridiculous priced Canadian Eiswein); equally, if you have the money, some independent wine shops are very good.

I'd never recommend just buying random discounted wine, other than a cheaper way to try something. A top tip if you really like something is to buy as much as you can afford, as wines can change from year to year.

My current contribution to the thread from UK supermarkets would be these from Majestic.

Their Bread and Butter pinot, especially if it ever goes on sale again (I think it was reduced to £10.99)... great value for a quality pinot and almost creamy.

https://www.majestic.co.uk/wines/bread-butter-pinot-noir-18128

Plus my standard quaff which is The Guvnor, a Spanish red, very fruity with low tanins.

https://www.majestic.co.uk/wines/the-guvnor-14666

For the decade following the 2008 crash Majestic had some amazing value and selection range for Spanish reds (especially non riojas).... not a patch on a proper Spanish bodega though

The 19 Crimes wines are very good and often on offer in Sainsbury's.

I also like the Campo Viejo rioja they have.

Don't like them.

I like the Campo Viejo white.

It seems odd to me that no-one seems as fond of white wines. I drink them in a ratio of six or seven to one over reds.

On the same night?

I suspect that’s because many folk only drink their wine with food and most white wines (imho) are overpowered and therefore wasted by any strong flavoured food. I really only drink whites as a pre-prandial appetiser maybe with a few crisps or a cracker.

 I will drink white to accompany any meal, though occasionally I might think a red more appropriate.

I will drink a red with certain meals which I think call out for a red.

Thanks for the tip on Majestic's Definition Zinfandel. It's a grape I like, so it's odd I overlooked it .... but their placement system is odd. Not as good as Guvnor but one I enjoyed and will buy again.

I was in Majestic last week and agree with you about the way they place stuff around the shop; not only curious, but it seems to change with every visit so I'm never sure where to go to find what.

I - purely for research purposes, of course - bought a bottle of their Guv'nor, which I was told was their best selling wine, and a slightly more expensive Monastrell (aka Mourvedre) to compare with the Wine Society's southern Spanish red I mentioned.  The Wine Society's offering was, to my tastes anyway, nicer than them both and cheaper than either.

The red grapes I like most all seem to have dual names: Zinfandel/Primitivo, Garnacha/Grenache, Shiraz/Syrah, Monastrell/Mourvedre.  It can either make buying wine confusing or doubles the choice . . .

T.

They keep running out of stuff in the shop as well. Both of these were missing last time (but are available on line) which I really enjoy:

https://www.majestic.co.uk/wines/orga-primitive-di-manduria-13937

https://www.majestic.co.uk/wines/bouachon-beaumes-de-venise-red-06318

I'm pretty sure I've tried that wine society spanish red at a friend's house... it was very nice but I still prefer Guvnor.

The larger Co-ops have an interesting range. Not bought this year’s offering but drunk a few cases of the following in previous years:

https://www.coop.co.uk/products/chateau-joanin-castillon-773548

https://www.coop.co.uk/products/chateau-brassac-774501

Totally agree. My favourite is Blue Nun with salt'n'vinegar. Splashing out I might go with Black Tower and a packet of Ritz.

If you’re in the Booths ambit - mainly Lancs and Cumbria - youmay have noticed they’re having a do with  wine discount at the moment. It’s 25% off selected lines.  I’ve just opened a Spanish red, a Navarra called Boyante which was just over £6. It’s a real bargain at that price. I’ll be getting a few more while available at that price.

Ilkley has one!

Curiously enough, I'm up north this week with a Booths in walking distance so your recommendation couldn't have been timed more perfectly.  I shall go buy some!

T.

Hope you aren’t disappointed.