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May wine news
You'd be forgiven for thinking that the glass wine bottle is dead based on the large number of 1.5-litre wineboxes that have been launched in the last month. Jam Shed Shiraz is now available in a two-bottle sized 1.5-litre format at Tesco for £13, although the 75cl glass bottle alternative is still selling at a £6 making it actually cheaper by volume to buy, while [Yellow Tail] also launched a Shiraz in a 1.5-litre winebox (nicknamed the 'shelfie' because the winebox can remain sitting on your shelf or worktop as you pour, plus it's funny) selling at £13 but, again, the 75cl glass bottle version is selling at a cheaper rate of £5.99. Gone are the days when buying wine in volume worked out cheaper.
But there is the other extreme of wine in 250ml cans which work out extraordinarily expensive when compared to a full-sized 75cl glass bottle. Canned Wine Co's Gruner Veltliner and their Grenache Rose are quaffable wines but at £6 a can their cost is eye watering when comapred to a standard-sized bottle. So the choice is carrying convenience or cost?
But the glass wine bottle isn't dead and is being used to carry Calvet's great range of wines - most of which are coming out at 4 or 5-star ratings. Look out for Calvet Limited Release Sauvignon Blanc or Calvet Prestige Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon.
Latest wine reviews
Aldi Grapevine Cabernet Sauvignon
£3.69 Aldi
Amazingly this quaffable red has actually got cheaper over the years
£15.65 The Alcohol Free Co, Master of Malt
Marketed as a non-alcoholic alternative to wine, this berry and spice drink is for those who like their cordials heavy on the menthol.
£26.25 Friarwood Fine Wine
This Canadian sparkling wine has all the hall marks of being a great wine in about 5 years time. So buy it then.
Co-op Irresistible 30 degree Pinot Noir 2020
£7 Co-op
This is even better than the 2019 version. Fab stuff.
Wine articles
Can the UK be self-sufficient in wine?
Importing wine into the UK has become even more bureaucratic and costly since Brexit and one suggested solution is for UK citizens to drink UK wine and not wine made in any other country. But how feasible is this - can the UK wine industry supply all the wine that UK wine drinkers want to drink?
Malbec: is it always better to pay more?
This is a tale of two supermarket French Malbecs: one costs £4.49 and the other £6.50. Both taste fruitily of damsons, plums and cherries; both are quaffable, and both are excellent value for money. So why does one just taste a little bit more exciting?
Wine Q&A: What does Shiraz taste of?
So what can you expect from a Shiraz?
VinUno: the designer winebox cover
From the archives we find the Danish design that covers up rubbish looking cardboard wineboxes with a shiny box selling at over £70. But did it catch on?
More wine reviews and educational articles follow in our next newsletter. In the meantime let us know what you think of the wines you've been quaffing recently or ask us your wine questions: email me at the address below or you can find us on Twitter and Instagram @wineuncorkeduk.
Cheers!
