I've not bought from Laithwaites for quite a while now, having been a regular customer a couple of years ago. The main reason I stopped buying was because I generally found that I could get better wine for the same money elsewhere. They tend to have really well-priced deals on their bestsellers, but I increasingly found that I wasn't very interested in any of them. I always take the time to browse their monthly mailshots, but haven't felt compelled to buy from them.
When I became aware of those offers, I had already put together a 12-bottle order from The Wine Society which I was poised to submit, but I thought it might be worth seeing if I could get similar wines at a better price from Waitrose. The short answer to that is, ‘No, I couldn’t’. Firstly, Waitrose simply didn’t have matching wines. I was ordering a Moulin-a-vent from The Wine Society, which Waitrose didn’t offer. The closest replacement would have been their Morgon (which would have been 50p cheaper than TWS’s Moulin after the 25% discount). I also had a Portuguese red (Dao Ribeira Sacra) and white (Esporao Duas Castas Alentejano) in my TWS basket and there was no like-for-like replacement for either at Waitrose. There were a couple of other compromises here and there, but the only significant one was that I would have needed to upgrade to a reasonably priced white Chateauneuf-de-Pape from TWS’s excellent Lirac white. I might invest in the Chateauneuf next time I'm instore.
When all was said and done, I would have had a decent collection from Waitrose, but even with the 25% discount my TWS order would have come in £12 cheaper. Decision made, my Wine Society order landed on Friday, just in time for the start of Euro 2016. Happy days.
I have, however, been back to Sainsbury’s and taken advantage of their offer, as it’s my local supermarket and I’m a slave to the bonus Nectar points. I tend to head straight for their ‘Taste The Difference’ range as I usually find the best value there. I picked up 2 reds and 4 whites, and found them to be a fairly mixed bag. The reds were slightly underwhelming. I didn’t have any Spanish reds in the house at the time, so went for their 2013 Priorat, and 2011 Ribera del Duero. The latter was alright, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend the Priorat. Both were less than a tenner, and I think it’s really worth spending an extra few pounds to get a good example.
The whites were variable too, but the standard was a little higher. The Macon Villages was predictably good with Roast Chicken – bright and citrusy. The Gavi is fresh, crisp and lemony. Very lemony, in fact. There were definite lemon flavours in the Macon, but the Gavi took that to a whole new level. The Verdicchio Dei Castelli Di Jesi was pretty good, but not memorable. Crisp, clean, light and a good picnic wine on a sunny day. Sadly, we were at Brighton Open Air Theatre watching a play in absolutely pouring rain, so we probably didn’t get it at its best.
The clear winner, however, is the Taste the Difference Languedoc White. This is an absolute gem for £7. Made from a blend of Grenache, Marsanne and Vermentino, it’s got a rich, creamy texture to it, but that doesn’t stop it from being a really refreshing summer wine. There’s a lot going on here – some citrus, peach, a hint of elderflower too. Make no mistake, this is a deep and interesting wine, but one that slips down a treat as well. The wife and I are smitten with it, and it’s likely to be the go-to bottle in our fridge this summer.