Attention: Please take a moment to consider our terms and conditions before posting.

Chateauneuf Du Pape

I've been given a bottle by the boys who I help coach, for a christmas present. I have never had the pleasure before but been told it's a nice drop of plonk. So do I open it up Christmas Eve whilst I'm preparing the veg for the next day (this way I keep it to myself), or do I share it with others on Christmas day. I'm leaning towards the Christmas Eve option, however will I have the mother of all hangovers if I go solo.
«1

Comments

  • I got a bottle for my birthday a couple of weeks back. Am going to have it Christmas day.
  • It is a classic wine for the Christmas lunch, really needs good food like that to go with it
  • trouble is chaps I have 11 for christmas dinner, 8 adults of which 6 drink red wine, not wanting to be too selfish, I would like to savour it. I could open it about 11'ish before they all turn up whilst cooking.
  • laboratoire garnier
  • Drink it in the morning then fill the bottle back up with some cheap shit and see if anyone notices. Win-win for you as you get all the decent stuff for yourself yet everyone else thinks you're being bloody generous !
  • Thought it was running in the king george.
  • edited December 2011
    What ever you decide, let it breathe for an hour or two at room temperature before supping: makes all the difference. As Prague says, it's a class wine. It was one of my old man's favourites along with Nuit St. George and always had 'em at Christmas.
  • Drink it in the morning then fill the bottle back up with some cheap shit and see if anyone notices. Win-win for you as you get all the decent stuff for yourself yet everyone else thinks you're being bloody generous !
    Sounds a good option , not much cheap shit though, I've bought loads of Isla Negra which was on a deal at Tesco's, this is also a very nice drop of plonk. We have asked the outlaws to bring the cheese and biscuits. I have stated it must be St Augur and Carrs water biscuits, not crappy Jacobs shite.
  • neck it in the bog, fark them all xxxx

  • It depends what neuf du pape you have. Some are excellent and some are rank - it can be made from a variety of different grapes and no two vineyards produce the same taste and quality, even if they're next to each other. The Rhone region for neuf is about 10 square miles and like a St Emillion in Bordeaux they can be very cheap or very expensive. With French wines I'd always go for quantity over quality :-)

    The Italian neuf partner is Gandolfo, which I think is a better wine generally.

    Neuf used to be thought of just another quaffing wine until some American wine critic began to tell the world how fantastic it was.

  • Sponsored links:


  • NSS
    Out of interest what did you pay for the Isla Negra?
  • Fatkit knows
  • edited December 2011
    Mix it with white lightning cider to make a festive "cranberry" snakebite, leave to breathe for 30 seconds then drink at 9am Christmas morning with a few "special" friends.
  • Nothing wrong with pouring out a small glass the day before you want to drink it to increase the area of the wine in the bottle in contact with the air, thus softening the tannins and making the wine drinkable, even if it isnt the highest quality. I never find an hour or two is enough with Rhone reds, overnight is better. It's the new world wines that you can usually drink within minutes of opening.

    I always pour the "tasting" glass from a few inches up to get air into the wine as it hits the glass, but people look at me as if I'm mental.


  • Nothing wrong with pouring out a small glass the day before you want to drink it to increase the area of the wine in the bottle in contact with the air, thus softening the tannins and making the wine drinkable, even if it isnt the highest quality. I never find an hour or two is enough with Rhone reds, overnight is better. It's the new world wines that you can usually drink within minutes of opening.

    I always pour the "tasting" glass from a few inches up to get air into the wine as it hits the glass, but people look at me as if I'm mental.


    ... I'd be inclined to agree with them!
  • Right, RM, I'm going to experiment tonight with a bottle of Cotes du Rhone. One glass from a height, one gently, and I'll see if there's any difference. If not, evidently I have problems.
  • Ha ha good luck buster, you know how to enjoy yourself of Christmas eve!
  • IdleHans, having seen a friend of mine who has his own restaurant do the same, so do I. It works quite well.

    In answer to Steve's question, kneck it yourself as you have too many to share a proper glass with on Xmas day.    

  • trouble is chaps I have 11 for christmas dinner, 8 adults of which 6 drink red wine, not wanting to be too selfish, I would like to savour it. I could open it about 11'ish before they all turn up whilst cooking.

    Chateauneuf du Pape is best consumed with a good meal but also benefits from being drunk when mature, so leave it in the rack and save it for a later date, like 24 hours later when everyone has gone home.
  • Decant it if you can and let it breath for a couple of hours. Also pour small a small amount into a large glass when drinking.

    I'd rather have an nice Barolo though.

  • Sponsored links:


  • I'd rather have an nice Barolo though.

    Got a lovely 2007 Barolo ready for Christmas day.


     

  • Mmmm... Barolo...

    If you can get it in the UK, I recommend a Portuguese red called Cartuxa if you like CNdF and Barolo.

     

  • Barolo ... my favourite ... will be indulging tomorrow
  • From the Guardian

    An expensive wine may well have a full body, a delicate nose and good legs, but the odds are your brain will never know.

    A
    survey of hundreds of drinkers found that on average people could tell
    good wine from plonk no more often than if they had simply guessed.

    In
    the blind taste test, 578 people commented on a variety of red and
    white wines ranging from a £3.49 bottle of Claret to a £29.99 bottle of
    champagne. The researchers categorised inexpensive wines as costing £5
    and less, while expensive bottles were £10 and more.

    The study
    found that people correctly distinguished between cheap and expensive
    white wines only 53% of the time, and only 47% of the time for red
    wines. The overall result suggests a 50:50 chance of identifying a wine
    as expensive or cheap based on taste alone – the same odds as flipping a
    coin.

  • Let us know how you drank it Steve, and how was it.

    As for me, I am getting ready to try English champagne for the very first time.

    Cheers :-)
  • As a philistine who couldn't tell the difference between your plonk and Lambriini I'd say pour yourself a sneaky one before dinner. If it's as good as you're hoping, save it for later when the hoards have gone home, or if it's nothing special put it on the dinner table.

    All tastes like sarsons to me...........................
  • Let us know how you drank it Steve, and how was it.

    As for me, I am getting ready to try English champagne sparkling wine for the very first time.

    Cheers :-)
    Despite my dislike for wine, I love a good bottle of bubbles and some of the english stuff is very good.
  • Well I took Idle Hans advice opened a small glass xmas eve, then let it breathe for a couple of hours xmas day. Then drunk it , christ what a lovely bottle of plonk.
  • trouble is chaps I have 11 for christmas dinner, 8 adults of which 6 drink red wine, not wanting to be too selfish, I would like to savour it. I could open it about 11'ish before they all turn up whilst cooking.
    Chateauneuf du Pape is best consumed with a good meal but also benefits from being drunk when mature, so leave it in the rack and save it for a later date, like 24 hours later when everyone has gone home.
    Humour from BFR! Whatever next?
  • I got given a bottle of chateauneuf du Pape Blanc for Xmas, really looking forward to drinking that, will make a nice change from the red.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Roland Out Forever!