Art of Good Taste
in association with Tio Pepe
Peter McCombie
Peter McCombie is one of Britain's leading restaurant wine consultants and a respected judge in international wine competitions. Born and raised in New Zealand he has a relaxed, Antipodean approach to wine. He believes good wine can be found almost anywhere and that what is in the glass is much more important than the name on the bottle
How to Find Great Value Wine
Whatever the state of the economy most of us have to think about the cost of what we drink.
Sometimes we want to impress or we want certainty, so we buy brands or well known generic styles like Rioja or Chablis. Other times we just want a decent bottle for a Wednesday night dinner at home. Finding great value is not hard.
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Don't buy cheap wine, it isn't good value. Pay a pound more than you want to. Because of the fixed costs (excise tax, VAT, labelling, shipping etc) that pound will mostly buy better wine.
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Find a local specialist wine merchant. Patronise them regularly and ask their advice. But don't forget to track whether their palate is the same as yours! Tell them when it isn't.
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When you're standing in the supermarket aisles confronted by dozens of Chardonnays (or Sauvignons or Merlots...) don't buy them. Take a chance; seek out an unfamiliar grape. Like Pinot Grigio? Northern Italy is a great source of subtle dry whites that because of their obscurity, offer better value drinking. Like fruity New World reds, ignore the promotions - just because they are cheap doesn't mean they offer genuine value. Go for something Spanish - no, not Rioja, save that for a treat and pay proper money for it. The shelves are full of big, fruity blends from odd parts of Spain that offer character and value. Not just Spain either: southern Europe has a wealth of delicious wines.
