Cleanskins

[KillerB]

I'd sort of come across this before but not to the same level that I've seen it in Australia. A cleanskin wine is a bottle with a basic label saying what the wine is (Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Chianti etc), the country, year and a code on a small white label. The highest price that I have seen is about Aus$15, that was for a reserve Shiraz, the lowest was Aus$2.20 for a Chardonnay. The wine inside can vary from OK to genuinely very good.

What is inside is over-production wines from producers willing to just rid themselves of bottles taking up space, so sell them to the cleanskin companies who then sell them in this way. I've had a few of them so will give my opinions in an assessment post by post.

[KillerB]

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2008 - First one that I bough and it was a disappontment. In the store they had a tasting that included a couple of Shirazes that were very good indeed. It was a blistering hot day and I'd just been walking in the Sun for a mile, I wanted cold, white and zingy. It was all of these but a bit on the tart side rather than fruity. I nearly didn't buy any more due to the disappointment. The cost of trashy wine, let alone good wine, in Australia at the moment convinced me that this was an error.

[JacobH]

This sort of thing might even make more sense in Europe where there is lots of AOC / DOC wine which has to be sold declassified for various reasons (particularly quotas) but I don't think it's ever done.

[KillerB]

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2008 RP94 - $10.

This was more like it. Much more fruity beast with lots of tropical flavours like pineapple and lychee. Fresh and clean but plenty to keep the interest, this is a bit like Cloudy Bay used to be before it went to become mundane. An absolute bargain at £6, easily the best tasted.

[KillerB]

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2009 RP95 - $9.

Not quite as good as its elder brother (don't think RP95 stands for a Parker rating) but still a very good NZ SB. I bit more citric with the grapefruit tones but genuinely good stuff.

[KillerB]

Chardonnay 2009 AT7 - $2.20

OK, had to buy this. A bottle of Aussie wine for about £1.35. If it was rank then so what? Chilled it and opened in anticipation of some bilious concoction. It was actually quite pleasant - lemony chard which was very refreshing. It's not great but this is wildly better than some thing I have tasted for a lot more than a tenner. Bargain but not inspirational. Have bough the SBs again but not this.

[KillerB]

Sparkling Shiraz - $8.

Aussies are under the impression that fizzing up heavy red wine is uniquely Australian and quirky and therefore a great thing. In general, this is unadulterated bolleaux. The reason other countries have stopped doing it is because it's just so wrong. All prior to this visit have been too sweet and more than one glass leaving me feeling physically sick. However, TORB and Red Bigot gave me some very pleasant Spangly Shirazes so when I saw this I had to try it out. The fact that TORB, Ric Einstein (yes - related), gave me Joseph SS which is just about the top of the tree meant that I expected little from this.

It was OK. It wasn't Joseph but I didn't feel ill either. It was pleasant for a couple of glasses then the novelty began to wear thin to the point of boredom. One glass is enough. At least I didn't spend $50 like some of them cost.

[benread]

This sort of thing might even make more sense in Europe where there is lots of AOC / DOC wine which has to be sold declassified for various reasons (particularly quotas) but I don't think it's ever done.

Virgin Wines do this sometimes. I have bought 2 cases of red from them on this basis and both have been excellent. They generally sell it to existing buyers only so it rarely gets onto the website.

[KillerB]

This sort of thing might even make more sense in Europe where there is lots of AOC / DOC wine which has to be sold declassified for various reasons (particularly quotas) but I don't think it's ever done.

Virgin Wines do this sometimes. I have bought 2 cases of red from them on this basis and both have been excellent. They generally sell it to existing buyers only so it rarely gets onto the website.

In Aus cleanskins are sold in supermarkets. They seem to be better than the stuff next to them by some considerable amount and are usually half the price or even lower. I'd love to see this done in the UK with overflows from France, Italy and Portugal as well. I suspect that we are not priority 1 for this though. Remember, Aus has a very large wine industry and 22 million people. France and Italy have 60 million each. Germany has nearly 80 million. We have 60 million as well and a wine industry of miniscule proportions in comparison.

[benread]

This sort of thing might even make more sense in Europe where there is lots of AOC / DOC wine which has to be sold declassified for various reasons (particularly quotas) but I don't think it's ever done.

Virgin Wines do this sometimes. I have bought 2 cases of red from them on this basis and both have been excellent. They generally sell it to existing buyers only so it rarely gets onto the website.

In Aus cleanskins are sold in supermarkets. They seem to be better than the stuff next to them by some considerable amount and are usually half the price or even lower. I'd love to see this done in the UK with overflows from France, Italy and Portugal as well. I suspect that we are not priority 1 for this though. Remember, Aus has a very large wine industry and 22 million people. France and Italy have 60 million each. Germany has nearly 80 million. We have 60 million as well and a wine industry of miniscule proportions in comparison.

If I remember correctly, these were both from Spain.

[KillerB]

This sort of thing might even make more sense in Europe where there is lots of AOC / DOC wine which has to be sold declassified for various reasons (particularly quotas) but I don't think it's ever done.

Virgin Wines do this sometimes. I have bought 2 cases of red from them on this basis and both have been excellent. They generally sell it to existing buyers only so it rarely gets onto the website.

In Aus cleanskins are sold in supermarkets. They seem to be better than the stuff next to them by some considerable amount and are usually half the price or even lower. I'd love to see this done in the UK with overflows from France, Italy and Portugal as well. I suspect that we are not priority 1 for this though. Remember, Aus has a very large wine industry and 22 million people. France and Italy have 60 million each. Germany has nearly 80 million. We have 60 million as well and a wine industry of miniscule proportions in comparison.

If I remember correctly, these were both from Spain.

But they hate us almost as much as the French!

[angeleyes]

I've seen the ones on Virgin Wines and had good results too. I get the impression however that a lot of wines are sold relabelled with a quickly made up brand so as to avoid people being put off by a cleanskin style label.

[mosesbotbol]

Cleanskins sounds like a brand of condoms... Not an appealing name for a wine.

[KillerB]

Cleanskins sounds like a brand of condoms... Not an appealing name for a wine.

First of all, it's not a brand, it's a concept. Secondly, this is a country that had a brand of sticky tape called Durex. I need say no more.

[DRT]

Cleanskins sounds like a brand of condoms... Not an appealing name for a wine.

First of all, it's not a brand, it's a concept. Secondly, this is a country that had a brand of sticky tape called Durex. I need say no more.

KillierB, you missed a news story in the UK when you were away. Apparently 110% of cases of STD encountered in The Land of Oz involve a Brit on Tour.

Check BBC - I'm not kidding!