OV9

I have a Hiatus Hernia, so I am not great with wine. Which is a shame, as some reds in particular are yummy. But because of the above - wine ignoramus.

Want to give a mate some wine as a thank-you, and his missus advises that he is partial to an Australian Chardonnay. Anyone with any knowledge provide any recommendations to save me applying the idiots “more expensive must be better” regime?

Planning to spend £60-£80 total.

Appreciated

PS : advising me that all Australian Chardonnay is donkey piss and I’d be far better yada yada probably won’t help me much. Jus’ sayin’ like

mik wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2020 11:16 pm PS : advising me that all Australian Chardonnay is donkey piss and I’d be far better yada yada probably won’t help me much. Jus’ sayin’ like

Fine. Change your mate.

Think how much you want to spend per bottle. Go to Tesco. Buy the one that costs that much because it’s got money off. Done

mik wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2020 11:13 pm Planning to spend £60-£80 total.

Hi, it's me, your mate. I have moved. Will send new address.

Orange Cola wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2020 11:26 pm

mik wrote: ↑Sat May 16, 2020 11:16 pm PS : advising me that all Australian Chardonnay is donkey piss and I’d be far better yada yada probably won’t help me much. Jus’ sayin’ like

Fine. Change your mate.

The budget does sound like about 10x more than I could imagine spending on Aussie chardonnay. Not something I know much about tbh - most of the ones I've ever had have been massively over-oaked so it's never been my thing.

Per bottle or case ?

Go to Tesco and buy the one with the fanciest bottle for £15. Spend the rest of the money filling the tank on the Evora.

I should charge for sharing my great wisdom.

Carlos wrote: ↑Sun May 17, 2020 12:36 am Per bottle or case ?

Per gift. Whether that is 4x £15-£20 bottles, or wotevah.

There's no way of knowing what they'll like, so go with something interesting - that way, even if they hate it, they still get an experience and it shows that you put in some thought rather than just picking whatever.
Australia has a strong natural/organic wine scene, google a UK based wine shop who specialise in that kind of thing and they'll probably have some Aussie chardonnay. BK Wines Pet Nat, Jamsheed Madame Chard, Patrick Sullivan, Gentle Folk are some examples of what to look for.

My advice is get your advice from somewhere better than this forum. It might not have a good rep at the budget end, but you'll be able to get high end gear I'm sure.

I'm quite found of wine and have familiarised myself with the odd Aussie winery in my time. Mrs hates Chardy though so less help with that sorry.

There's an endless choice of boutique wineries from Aus however getting their stuff over here is the problem.

Personally I'd avoid anything from the supermarket not because it wouldn't be good but because 1. He may have already seen it and 2. The stock may be transient and you'll never be able to get it again should he absolutely love it.

Find a local wine merchant who loves his job (who wouldn't) and get their recommendations.

Oh and an obtuse recommendation, Aussie sparkling reds are fantastic and wonderful special occasion drinks.

A wine expert I am not, but I've tried an Eileen Hardy chardonnay and it tasted amazing to my "rarely spend over £10/dislikes chardonnay" palatte

https://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/E ... 16/2386016

(can't guarantee that's the exact one I tried)

ETA - just noticed they had Dog Point on offer, which I've heard of (positively!) but never tried

https://www.laithwaites.co.uk/product/D ... 16/2378216

Mik, whenever I want anything nice I go see the guys below. Mark in particular. (Not sure if furloughed or whatever?) If you want nice wine see
or speak to a specialist, as you would for anything else.

https://www.yorkshirevintners.co.uk/

On that budget with no advice I’d buy 6 random bottles at 15-20 a bottle so he gets a good selection, chances are they’ll all be half decent but you might allow him to experience one he’s not tried before and he might even find a new favourite.

Thanks all - ordered a couple from McSwede’s link (cos some sites want to sell cases of 6 only).