Oddbins - What I chose...

After our recent Oddbins tasting we decided to go back and get a case. Oddbins offer 20% off a mixed-case of any 12 (or more) wines, plus your ticket price back if you attended any of their tastings. (NB: Single ticket i.e. £10 back if you spend over £75, but couples-ticket i.e. £15 back if you spend over £100).

This sounds like a pretty good discount and for the majority of bottles it might be, but, certain things are more expensive to begin with. For example, Villa Maria Reserve Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc has a particularly high markup at £14.99 before discount (£11.99 after). This can be had for cheaper elsewhere, for example: £13.49 at New Zealand House of wine (www.nzhouseofwine.co.uk/) (or as low as £10.79 if you buy 2 bottles) and at Slurp (www.slurp.co.uk) for £12.49 if you're only after the one.

So, bear in mind that any permanent discount is more of a marketing trick and the wines are probably marked up sufficiently to cover it. However, the range at Oddbins is nonetheless very good, so we got stuck in...

Taking my own advice for picking a mixed case (see here:) we chose the following: (prices shown are before discount!).


1. Sparkler – Lindauer Special Reserve NV, £11.99. A sparkler from New Zealand made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

2. Rose – Benchmark Rose 2008, £8.49. A Rose made by Grant Burge in South Australia from 100% Shiraz - hopefully giving it full colour and flavour.

3. The “off the wall” one – Craggy Range Block 14 Syrah 2007, £18.99. Yes I know. I really pushed the boat out on this one! Lately the wine press have been banging on about New Zealand Syrah (it's always called that, not Shiraz as the Aussies do) and especially from the Gimblett Gravels area of Hawke's Bay. Being a Shiraz/Syrah lover I really had to see what all the fuss is/was about...

4. Something for the cellar (or wardrobe) – Domaine Chantegut Vacqueyras 2007, £14.99. 2007 was a superb year in the Rhone. Never had a Vacqueyras before and its blend of Grenache and Shiraz, along with the "good year" should give it the ability to age and develop complexity.

5. Old World White #1 – Huber Riesling 2009, £11.99. We are Riesling lovers. Austrian - never before tried so I thought we could give it a go...

6. Old World White #2 – Adriano Gewurztraminer 2009, £15.49. We actually ordered an Alsatian one for £11.99 but this turned up, which hails from the Italian side of the Alps. Should be "fresh"!

7. Old World Red #1 – Villa Wolf Pinot Noir 2007, £10.99. Again, new territory here having not tried German Pinot before. This hails from the Pfalz region.

8. Old World Red #2 – El Furioso Tempranillo 2007, £6.49. Coming from the fashionable Castilla y Leon region. 100% Tempranillo (i.e. the Rioja grape) but not oaked.

9. New World White #1 – Villa Maria Reserve Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2009, £14.99 . The requisite NZ Sauv Blanc. Recent Decanter World Wine Awards Gold Medal winner and I am dying to get this down my belly!

10. New World White #2 – De Bertoli Vat 7 Chardonnay 2008, £9.99. From the Riverina area of New South Wales. They may be a "mega Brand" but should be a big, fruity, creamy Chardonnay nonetheless.

11. New World Red #1 – Casillero del Diabolo Pinot Noir 2009, £7.49. Again possibly a mega-brand (they are stalwarts of the supermarket shelves) but, if it's nice then it's one hell of a bargain. I've had the Cab Sauv before and enjoyed it so why the hell not?

12. New World Red #2 – Familia Zuccardi Reserva Bonarda 2007, £8.99. I saw the Familia Zuccardi advert in a recent Decanter so this caught my eye. Bonarda is one of Argentina's "other" red grapes next to Malbec, but by no means far behind. Some good stuff is apparently coming out of there so I thought I'd give it a look...

So that's it. After the discount £97.70 spent, £8.14 a bottle on average! Not bad seeing as most bottles are well over a tenner! There are (hopefully) some beauties in there, so we're really looking forward to drinking and reviewing them.

Oh...I was a bit naughty here...I also got...13. a bottle of the Bodegas Renacer Punto Final Malbec 2009 (£7.99 after discount) because the 2008 recently won a Decanter World Wine Awards Gold Medal so I wanted to see what the fuss was about, albeit a different vintage


Oh, and I was naughty again and bought a bottle of...14... the superb Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Shiraz 2008 that we had in the tasting and loved. (£13.59 after discount!). I'll put this away for a few years if I can resist the temptation to open it. That might be a big "if".

Er, plus a couple of others but I better keep those quiet, D might be reading this! Ssssshhhhhh  :)

Speak to you soon.

Cheers

WBFTF

How to pick your own superb mixed case

Picking your own mixed-12 can be daunting. Where do you start? There’s so much choice. I’ve found myself spending hours pouring over wine lists and websites so I thought I’d try and structure it a bit to make it easier.

Picking to this plan allows me to get the maximum amount of diversity, not only for the blog, but for myself also. It provides a really good mix of everything and suits (more or less) my drinking habits: the occasional sparkler and rose, while the majority is red or white. In all honesty though, if I wasn’t writing the blog then I would probably add another red or two and take away a white or two. But in the interest of being as fair as I can to all tastes, I’ll keep it even-Stevens. 

Anyway, here’s how it looks:

1. Sparkler – If you’re feeling flush get Champagne or otherwise a sparkling white, rose or even red! Great to celebrate an occasion, a Friday, or whatever you want!

2. Rose – Go on, it’s ok to like it!

3. The “off the wall” one – Something different! A new or whacky grape/region combination. Something you haven’t tried. Expand your horizons!

4. Something for the cellar – (or wardrobe) Get a “nice” bottle, something that will age and has a good few years before the “drink by” date is up. Push the boat out, get something special, put it away for a few years. Will it be worth the wait?

5. Old World White #1 – As it says on the tin. Somewhere in Europe. Can be an old classic or a new discovery. Whatever you want.

6. Old World White #2 – Same as above. Something new or an old favourite? Up to you.

7. Old World Red #1 – A red this time. Somewhere in Europe. Can be an old classic or a new discovery. Whatever you want.

8. Old World Red #2 – Same as above. Something new or an old favourite? Up to you.

9. New World White #1 – As it says on the tin. Something not from Europe!

10. New World White #2 – There’s definitely a pattern developing here…

11. New World Red #1 – and again…and finally

12. New World Red #2 – done!

If you want to focus on discovery then go for things you would not normally go for, or haven’t tried before. One thing to remember though - It’s not rigid. Just a guideline. Feel free to get a case of 12 New World reds if you feel like it, and I can’t absolutely guarantee that I won’t do the same sometime down the line.

If you “know what you like and like what you bloody well know”, then stick to it! Maybe you love Syrah/Shiraz – why not compare France vs. NZ vs. Chile vs. Oz for the reds. The Malbec lovers amongst us could find the best region for Argentinean Malbec (e.g. Mendoza vs. Salta vs. Patagonia). Are there Chablis beaters in the New World? The possibilities are endless. One thing to bear in mind though…

Always be cost conscious and…yes, you’ve got it…frugal! Be on the lookout for value for money. Make the most of introductory offers, money-off coupons, promotional discounts and look at the bin ends. Using these offers can either:

a) allow you to trade-up to a higher quality of bottle but still keep the same price you would have been prepared to pay; for example if you’re prepared to pay £7.50 a bottle on average (£90 per case of 12) but you see a 20% off deal, then that allows you to go for an average bottle price of £9.37! OR, more obviously perhaps…

b) Save you some cash. For example, your £90 case becomes £72 with 20% off - meaning an equivalent bottle price of just £6!

Some merchants offer £20, £40 or even more off your first order meaning massive savings, or indeed, big trade-ups in quality. Often they want to tie you in to buying regular cases off them every few months – but you simply decline (make sure you do or you may have an unwanted case on your doorstep and your wallet will be several quid lighter!).

Anyway, I’m off to scour the Virgin Wines website. I just received a £40-off voucher. I didn’t really fancy their ready-mixed cases, so I’m going to pick my own mixed-12 and follow my own advice…I'll let you know how I got on...

Speak to you soon!

Cheers

WBFTF