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On the Hunt for a nice white wine Portuguese or French that's nice with food and not chardonnay. Up to £15. From Tesco or Asda. Any suggestions?
Has to be a Sancerre.
Oyster bay sav blanc.
I know bugger all about wine but I always use this site [url= http://supermarketwine.com/blog ]http://supermarketwine.com/blog[/url] if I want a bottle recommended from a particular supermarket and I've not had a bad one yet!
Possibly the 2013 Tesco Finest Côtes de Gascogne Gros Manseng Sauvignon Blanc could fit the bill.
Savennieres AOC Chenin Blanc (France) or a Vinho Verde (Portugese)
I got the Sav Blanc bit right then as I've never had a bad one. White I'm hit and miss with but reds easier. It's just for my Dad and I always get him red so he can have white for a change.
Chablis
Macon Villages
Really?
I just go for whatever's on offer. Pino Grigio if you've a date, cider oblivion if you have to get drunk
Go for a themed evening.
Either go with a nod towards ironic, knowing retro….
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Or with a nod towards ironic, knowing, nickers-round-your-ankles, just-dropped-me-kebab….
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Not a bad SB....
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My current favourite SB, from M&S is:
http://www.marksandspencer.com/single-block-series-s1-sauvignon-blanc-case-of-6/p/p60028763
What kind of style to you like?
Crispy and dry? Tesco finest Sancerre at £12.79
Fruity and dry? Tesco have their finest vino verde at £7.50 from Portugal.
Gooseberry? tesco finest Sancerre at £12.79 or Tesco Pouilly Fume at £11.99
Floral plus fruit? Tesco finest Gewürztraminer at £7.99 but not everyone's taste!
Why not Chardonnay? Are you turned off by the over oaked new world ones that invaded (until recently)? Some of France's best white wines are Chardonnay but a long way from the clichéd crap you get in many bars and pubs (IMO). Note that (the otherwise sensible suggestions above of) Chablis and Macon Villages are both (fine) examples of the Chardonnay grape but in the more subtle and appealing variety (IMO).
Only looked at Tesco wines (pretty limited ie 3 from Portugal) but HTH.
I know someone called Chardonnay
Yep. Exactly like that as well x
Chablis
Pouilly Fumee
hp_source - Member
Chablis
Macon Villages
bwfc4eva868 - Member
On the Hunt for a nice white wine Portuguese or French that's nice with food [b]and not chardonnay.[/b] Up to £15. From Tesco or Asda. Any suggestions?
I can't stand any white wine. It doesn't agree with me at all (red, on the other hand….)
But, can anyone explain to me the 'anything but Chardonay' thing? What's all that about then? Is it just purely snobbery? Or is there more substance to it than that? I suspect I know the answer to this one already….
Can anyone explain?
Binners I thought buying wine was all about the snobbery?
If you're willing to widen your search to include Spain, the Rueda white wines are excellent. (Well, can be excellent - as with any wine producing area they also produce plonk...)
Albariños are good, too.
Binners, I think many people don't realise that Chardonnay is behind some of the worlds greatest white whites eg White Burgundy and Champagne (mixed). I think the hostility came from the wave of over oaked and unsubtle new world Chardonnays that became popular about 10 years ago, All the subtlety of a brick. I think that there was just a backlash to this in the main. Sauvignon Blanc took over more recently and again this can suffer from over fruit and become little more than alcoholic gooseberry juice. Both grapes can be sublime though from good vineyards.
As you can see from the above, people may not realise that it is the grape behind some of their favourites eg Chablis and Macon Villages.
Villa Maria do some excellent whites their Pinot Gris (or grigo) are very good one is Taylors pass which is very very nice . also their sauvions are very drinkable.
I personally hate chardonnay but decent Chablis has little of the taste I dislike and is very drinkable.
What food is it to go with ?
Sancerre
But, can anyone explain to me the 'anything but Chardonay' thing?
I think it's because historically a lot of new world chardonnay had some ageing in american oak chips making it quite oaky and that's what people associate with Chardonnay (in fairness to the above burgundy chardonnay is light years away from most NW chardonnay). I don't think it's snobbery, just tastes have now changed, Pinot and Sauv blanc are clean and crisp which is now to most tastes. BTW I still sell loads of NW Chardonnay.
Binners, I think many people don't realise that Chardonnay is behind some of the worlds greatest white whites eg White Burgundy and Champagne (mixed). I think the hostility came from the wave of over oaked and unsubtle new world Chardonnays that became popular about 10 years ago, All the subtlety of a brick. I think that there was just a backlash to this in the main. Sauvignon Blanc took over more recently and again this can suffer from over fruit and become little more than alcoholic gooseberry juice. Both grapes can be sublime though from good vineyards.As you can see from the above, people may not realise that it is the grape behind some of their favourites eg Chablis and Macon Villages.
^This.
Do not dismiss a Chardonnay, pick carefully. Try a nice unoaked chardonnay, a good one is akin to a good chablis. (same grape)
Also try a nice German DRY white, like a really good Riesling. Delicious, steely, crisp white.
Also try a nice German DRY white, like a really good Riesling. Delicious, steely, crisp white.
I hardly ever drink white wine, but if I did, Riesling would be my choice also. A decent Alsace Riesling up to 10yrs old for a special occasion. New World Riesling is generally good as well.
I have a nice collection of Furstentum (Alsace AOC Grand cru) in the cellar at the moment. Good Riesling are great, bad ones are toe-curling 🙂
I'm jealous, what year is it Stoner?
Dr Loosen Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett
Not dry, great balance between sweetness & acidity, fruity and absolutely ****in' delicious! You'll have to go to [url= http://www.waitrosedirect.com/product/loosen-wurzgarten-riesling-kabinett/047615 ]Waitrose[/url] though.
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The only white wines I've drunk are sav Blanc and chardonnay. I don't mind chardonnay as some can taste quite nice, but my dad refuses to even try it.
top of my head I cant remember, but it's something like 05-09 ish. Blanck. I also have some of their Rosenbourg.
TBH though, Savennieres is my first love.
Good Riesling are great, bad ones are toe-curling
Agreed. I've poured a bottle or two down the sink before, but a good one is lovely.
Any decent Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.
Not a cheap one though, okay at least £12 ( before offer) for those glorious flavours.
At around that price try Esk Valley Sauvignon Blanc it's that bit better than Oyster Bay/Villa Maria, don't know how widely available it is tho.
OP
French that's nice with food and not chardonnay
and everyone says
which is a chardonnay and not a great food winechablis
another alternative to the above suggestions is white bordeaux, whether tesco or asda do one I don't know, I would try and find an independant wine shop at that pricepoint, go in and ask them
If you're planning a romantic night in then you can't go wrong if you start with a Sémillon
Try [url= http://www.therealwineco.co.uk/louis-fabre-sauvignon-blanc.html ]this [/url]Louis Fabre Sauvignon Blanc. I rated it higher than wines twice the price when blind tasting.
I've got a penchant for viognier myself. but like has been said a not very oaky chardonnay can be very good. Sancerre is also nice, Lidl do an excellent one.
All IMO of course, i'm no expert!!
If you're planning a romantic night in then you can't go wrong if you start with a Sémillon
the old ones are the best 🙂
and Pouilly [s]Fumee[/s] Fuissé
which is a chardonnay and not a great food wine
Must say I didn't realise Chablis was Chardonnay as it seems quite different to most other Chardonnays I've had. However, saying it's 'not a great food wine' just sounds like pretentious nonsense.
Pouilly fuisee is also Chardonnay!!!
Grum, about 10 years ago I did a wine course and one section was all about why people were wrong about Chardonnay. Nearly everyone fell for missing that at least one of their favourites was made from the Chardonnay grape!!!
I've got a penchant for viognier myself.
x2
Try an Albarino. It's actually got a taste. Generally not a fan of whites but Albarino is about the only white I'd consider, even better than a lot of reds. (It's Galician, which is nearly Portuguese)
Cotes de Blaye is another excellent white from the Bordeaux area. Good luck in tracking a bottle down in the UK.
Lidl sell a Mosel Riesling with a blue R logo and a French Alsace Riesling in France and Germany for around 5e. With luck you might find them in a UK Lidl too for a little more. Try before you serve to guests but we were pleasantly surprised by both having bought them as plonk to wash down Pizzas.
Jurançon and Pacherenc drys, like Riesling, can be served with a variety of lighter dishes without shocking food freaks, wine snobs or simply people that wouldn't mix Fanta and Glenmorangie, or use peanut butter in their salmon sandwiches. Hmmm, you've got me thinking of salmon and dry Jurançon.
good point, it won't turn it from diamonds to pigswill but if you serve it with pasta with a cheese sauce then the flavours aren't as recognisable compared to eating fish or salad - sauvignon stands up to food better than chablissaying it's 'not a great food wine' just sounds like pretentious nonsense.
Ok that makes more sense - I had a bottle with some fish and thought it was a great combo.
What white wine for a fish finger butty? with cheese single and ketchup on, obviously?
A Cremant obviously, binners.
Another Oyster Bay Sauv Blanc fan here. A chilled bottle on a nice day doesn't last long.
No need to go crazy spending lots when looking for decent Chardonnay try this
http://www.corneyandbarrow.com/p-31668-chardonnay-les-grenadiers-igp-pays-des-cotes-de-thongue-2012-chardonnay-france-buy-now-at-corn.aspx
Would go very well with fish & chips in fact might do this tonight
Côtes de Gascogne Sauvignon Blanc from Tesco is pretty nice, around £8 a bottle
I've never understood the "I hate chardonnay" or "I live sauvignon blanc" thing. There is such a vast array of different wines out there I don't see how anyone can say they love and/or hate a particular grape variety. I can understand someone saying they like or don't like eg dry or flinty or tannic or some style of wine, but not a grape.
As for the ABC (anything but chardonnay) people it is amazing how many will happily drink Chablis and the like.
its what comes of people buying wine by the grape rather than the terroir. Its like walking into the bar and ordering a pint of Challenger hop please.
*shakes head, dons smoking jacket, talks of a peppery nose and hints of edlerflower...*
Cotes de Thongue? If I were to get something from the Languedoc, I'd be more inclined to choose a viogner or a marsanne roussanne mix. Too much sun does something to chardonnay that doesn't ring right IMO. Chardonnay from other regions can be so much better, my preference would be something eastern, a cotes de jura for instance.
Saying that, the best white from around these parts (again IMO, it's so subjective) is an odd beast of chardonnay, viogner, manseng and chenin (not exactly local varieties the last two)
"Chardonnay" sells though, Ocrider. You can't blame co-ops such as the one that produces wool's suggestion developing wines for export to suit foreign "tastes" or should I say the "marketing model" of the dealers they supply.
I've just remembered the perfect ketchup wine for binners: Pol Remy vin mousseux. 😉
OP as you say no Chardonnay then Sauvignin Blanc is a good grape for food combinations and at your budget you should get something decent from the Loire (some suggested sbove). Damn UK taxes but I've found a very drinkable Touraine for £3 when bought in France.
@grum Chablis is part of the Burgandy appellation although it's further north and a bit separated from the heart of the region, style is indeed different.
@binners I am a fully signed up Burgandy fan, red (pinot noir) and white (chardonnay). I think chardonnay has developed a footballer's wives assocatation due partly to the tv series and partly due to the very crude and heavily artificially oaked American wines in particular. The proper way to make it is to use oak barrels so the flavour infuses slowly rather than chemical additions or handfuls of wood chips put directly into the wine.
Oh, I wouldn't say otherwise, Edukator. It's the lifeblood of quite a few villages around here, but the current trend is replanting older local varieties in place of the lower quality, higher yield vines. It can only be a good thing for all of us!
For ketchup, may I suggest a clairette de Die or a blanquette de Limoux? 8)
Further to Stoner's comments on terroir and the Sauvignon/Chardonnay/pinot debate that's running here, cêpage names seem more important to the British importers than the taste. "Chardonnay" is a marketing man's dream but "gewurztraminer" is not, as it sounds horrible and is hard to remember, though it does tell you something about its taste if you speak German.
Is it a coincidence that the popular grape varieties in Britain sound classy, and are easy to pronounce and remember? I think not. "Manseng", ugly right? Jurançon doux is nectar. "Viognier", can you really see a floosy in a cocktail dress ordering something called "viognier".