Wotwine dot com website

Anyone here look at the popular Wotwine.com website or app, which purports to review the current wine on offer in UK supermarkets?

I used to think it was great but I realised lately that the wines they review are hardly ever available on the shelves.

For instance, they are currently strongly tipping a French red Reserve des Tuguets Madiran 2014 in Tesco. The label is there for sure but the vintage is 2018 in the store. And it's not great, trust me. It's flat and lacking in flavour.

Now I may not know much about wine but I think there is often a difference in quality from one year to the next. Could it be that the vintages reviewed by Wotwine are only available online?

I think we should be told.

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Originally Posted by heretoday

Anyone here look at the popular Wotwine.com website or app, which purports to review the current wine on offer in UK supermarkets?

I used to think it was great but I realised lately that the wines they review are hardly ever available on the shelves.

For instance, they are currently strongly tipping a French red Reserve des Tuguets Madiran 2014 in Tesco. The label is there for sure but the vintage is 2018 in the store. And it's not great, trust me. It's flat and lacking in flavour.

Now I may not know much about wine but I think there is often a difference in quality from one year to the next. Could it be that the vintages reviewed by Wotwine are only available online?

I think we should be told.

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Never heard of the site, but New World wines (Aus, NZ, Chile, SAF, US etc) tend to be predictable and consistent.

Euruopean wines can fluctuate massively from year to year, just because of the lack of consistent climate and research is important though straightforward. Some years will be sublime and exceptional, some will be underwhelming.

If you go outwith the supermarkets there are lots of online suppliers and almost all have great introductory deals, and then lots of offers as you go on. They will try and draw you into regular purchases of cases, plus a Xmas case and so on.

If if you are clear on your budget and know what you like, then it is probably best to mix it up between supermarkets and specialists. I don’t drink much red wine but I enjoy a relatively cheap own-brand that one of our big supermarkets does, and I enjoy a particular bottle that Laithwaites seems to have the distribution rights to.

Similarly, there is a dry white that one of the German premium stores does that we like and for a couple of quid more, the specialist has a really nice Sauvignon blanc.

If you do like wine then it is probably worth buying a case online and unless you really want to continue, then cancelling within the cooling-off period. We are signed up to a couple of packages. Mrs Mibbes has some expertise in doing a short-term sign-up to various deals which invariably seem to involve a gift box from Beer52. The fridge is full of grapefruit IPA :greengrin

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Originally Posted by Mibbes Aye

Never heard of the site, but New World wines (Aus, NZ, Chile, SAF, US etc) tend to be predictable and consistent.

Euruopean wines can fluctuate massively from year to year, just because of the lack of consistent climate and research is important though straightforward. Some years will be sublime and exceptional, some will be underwhelming.

If you go outwith the supermarkets there are lots of online suppliers and almost all have great introductory deals, and then lots of offers as you go on. They will try and draw you into regular purchases of cases, plus a Xmas case and so on.

If if you are clear on your budget and know what you like, then it is probably best to mix it up between supermarkets and specialists. I don’t drink much red wine but I enjoy a relatively cheap own-brand that one of our big supermarkets does, and I enjoy a particular bottle that Laithwaites seems to have the distribution rights to.

Similarly, there is a dry white that one of the German premium stores does that we like and for a couple of quid more, the specialist has a really nice Sauvignon blanc.

If you do like wine then it is probably worth buying a case online and unless you really want to continue, then cancelling within the cooling-off period. We are signed up to a couple of packages. Mrs Mibbes has some expertise in doing a short-term sign-up to various deals which invariably seem to involve a gift box from Beer52. The fridge is full of grapefruit IPA :greengrin

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Yeah great but the point I am actually making it that basically the thing with Wotwine is a confidence trick.

The wines that they recommend are not available.

The supermarkets are colluding with them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by heretoday

Yeah great but the point I am actually making it that basically the thing with Wotwine is a confidence trick.

The wines that they recommend are not available.

The supermarkets are colluding with them.

---

I don’t tweet but Mrs Mibbes does. I don’t know if you do. Almost invariably when she tweets about something dodgy or malpraticious, there is an apology, change of behaviour and usually some offer of a discount, special offer or refund and it is quick.

It seems to be the sharpest way of getting redress nowadays.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by heretoday

Yeah great but the point I am actually making it that basically the thing with Wotwine is a confidence trick.

The wines that they recommend are not available.

The supermarkets are colluding with them.

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If there is one thing that I would say about wine is once you find what you like, keep to it.

I used to try various varieties but it was so disappointing. In fact, I saved 15 years' worth of Air Miles ( enough for a return to Oz )

and blew them on wine of the highest quality £20 plus per bottle ) but did not enjoy them as much as my £5 per bottle supermarket drink.

I am predictable to myself but as my daily wine is important to me with my food I stick to it.

Good luck in finding what suits you, as well as what you like !

New Zealand produces the world's best wine IMO.

I haven’t really go a clue about wine other than I enjoy a glass of Sauvignon Blanc as much as I do a glass of Pino. I also prefer any red wine slightly chilled

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mibbes Aye

I don’t tweet but Mrs Mibbes does. I don’t know if you do. Almost invariably when she tweets about something dodgy or malpraticious, there is an apology, change of behaviour and usually some offer of a discount, special offer or refund and it is quick.

It seems to be the sharpest way of getting redress nowadays.

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Agreed. I'm having a bit of bother with an alcohol company just now and am on around my 7th or 8th email. I've no doubt that if I publicised the issue on Twitter it would have been resolved very quickly.

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Originally Posted by Since90+2

New Zealand produces the world's best wine IMO.

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I'd agree, though a Californian Zinfandel is probably by favourite red but all round NZ wine is outstanding. A NZ Viognier or Gewurztraminer are my favourite whites.

I was in NZ North Island around 10 years ago and did various wine tours. It was amazing. At that time, in the UK pubs and bars generally only a house red and a house white would be on the menu. At that time in NZ, asking what the house red/white would be met with a response of "of what variety?". They would have a house Sauvignon Blanc, a house Chardonnay, a house Pinot Gris, etc. You get that a little more here now but not to the same extent.

I'm a member of Naked Wines. I quite like being able to try different wines from around the world from smaller scale producers. The free magnums every now and then are decent too.

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Originally Posted by Since90+2

New Zealand produces the world's best wine IMO.

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100 % agree.

Although Aimone from Aldi is hard to beat for a red.