Any wine buffs out there?

[MirandaGoshawk]

I had some delicious wine in a restaurant. Made a note of the name and searched it online - Waitrose. Bought, chilled, uncorked with a flourish, and... it was horrible. Bland. vinegary. I've got another bottle - any advice?

It's this one

Actually, forget the reference to 'cork'. It's a screw top so couldn't be 'corked'.

There is apparently a lot of fake wine on the market these days, even from major supermarkets.
Do you still have the bottle?
Does the label look like a decent quality wine label? Is the text raised from the flat label etc?
I wonder if you got a dud fake bottle?

I have cases of the stuff that I have just bought back with me from Spain, what a shame. I would take it back to Waitrose. The least they will do I should think is give you a refund.

It sounds to me like it's a fake though - I have yet to have one of Torres' wines that have been dud, but I have only ever bought them in Spain, having lived there for the past 8 years until last week.

Majestic have it on special at the moment. But you have to buy a minimum of 6 bottles.

Sometimes you do get a dud bottle - if it hasn't travelled well or has been stored incorrectly, for example. We get a lot of wine by the case and every now and then you do get a bottle that's just "off" (I don't mean corked - just vinegary).

I would open the other bottle and see if it's the same - and if it is bad, then take both back to Waitrose and complain! Actually, even if the second one isn't bad I'd still take the first bottle back and ask for a new one.

Now, here's a theory. I read somewhere that the way in which one perceives wine changes according to the phases of the moon (yup, it was in the daily Telgraph I think). This sounds like madness but apparently some wine merchants plan their buying and their wine tastings on the back of it.

'Tis a full moon......

Did you get the same year? Wines can change immensely between vintages.

Thanks, I had no idea about fakes. As to the vintage, I don't know about that.

No doubt the food you eat with a wine can change your perception of it, for example, if you try a delicate wine with something really strongly flavoured it'll taste bland presumably. But, in my case, both times I tried it before eating anything. The only difference is that I would've recently cleaned my teeth when I was at the restaurant. I wonder if that would make a difference?

I've just had a look at the second bottle - the writing is raised, yes. So seems genuine. Thanks for the tip

Even screw-top wines can be "corked". It's to do with the oxidisation of the contents of the bottle. Try the next bottle - it will be perfectly alright, in all probability. If not, try this:

www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Cono-Sur-Gewurztraminer/33711011?from=search&tags=%7C20000&param=gewiurztraminer&parentContainer=SEARCHgewiurztraminer_SHELFVIEW

Ruby I am indeed! Long old drive it was though, but lovely to be back now.

Mmm, thanks Chrissas, that looks yum, I love gewurtz-thingy!