Official - Christmas has started..

uncle tom · Post by **uncle tom** » 17:06 Wed 14 Nov 2007

Got an email promotion from Waitrose today offering 25% off all wines in full cases..

..checked the link and found only 5% offered off the good stuff - but the price was much lower than when I last looked..

Phoned them up and confirmed 25% off (+ free delivery) the already discounted price of £15 for Fonseca Guimaraens '87

Have therefore bought 12 bottles for £135 (= £11.25 each)

Only need half of these - anyone want a share? (Free delivery to the Xmas offline!)

Tom

Michael M. · Post by **Michael M.** » 18:00 Wed 14 Nov 2007

It seems, you want to have us Continental-Europe-Folks on with these prices. Or maybe you are an agent of the UK tourism industrie to bait us over the channel. Or you have a cruel streak. I must admit that my good deals in D and BeNeLux are just lousy by comparition to yours. Thank Good, it must be the price for a half bottle.

Cheers
Michael

Post by **DRT** » 08:18 Thu 15 Nov 2007

uncle tom wrote: anyone want a share?

Tom,

I'll take 3 please. That Morgan 91 feeling is coming over me again so may be in touch by PM

Derek

KillerB · Post by **KillerB** » 11:01 Thu 15 Nov 2007

Thanks for the notice, I want more than three so will look at getting another case.

uncle tom · Post by **uncle tom** » 12:27 Thu 15 Nov 2007

I've had three phone calls from Waitrose this morning - they have realised their mistake!

After giving them a brief primer in contract law, and speaking to a manager, they have agreed to lick their wounds and supply at the agreed - double discounted - price.

From their website, they appear to have less than a case left now.

But I have 3 bargain bottles still available..!

Tom

KillerB · Post by **KillerB** » 13:04 Thu 15 Nov 2007

Sadly, they had realised their mistake before I got there. I have, taken the last seven anyway because £15 is a good price for a good Port, but I will take the other three off your hands, thank you.

RonnieRoots · Post by **RonnieRoots** » 13:51 Thu 15 Nov 2007

£15 is still very good for this one. The usual price for this port over here is close to Ã¢”šÂ¬40.

KillerB · Post by **KillerB** » 14:43 Thu 15 Nov 2007

I agree, that's why I took the last seven. However, with Tom's kind offer it brings the average price down to an even more reasonable £13.88, which I'm not going to complain about.

Conky · Post by **Conky** » 23:24 Thu 15 Nov 2007

Tesco's Wine Club have 30% off their wine. You have to buy 12 bottles or 6 bottles of Champers. If you use XX-R32V on the promotional code on an order worth at least £50, you'll get a further £15 off. So if your crafty, you get £65 worth of wine/port for £35.

Alan

KillerB · Post by **KillerB** » 11:06 Fri 16 Nov 2007

Thanks Conky - just got some Quinto de Vargellas and Penfolds Bin 28 at extraordinarily good prices and free delivery.

The Penfolds was six for £36, down to £6 from over £10

The Vargellas was six for £75, which took the total over £100 - free delivery. Conky's voucher took the cost down to £60 - £10 per bottle - woo hoo!

Conky · Post by **Conky** » 11:27 Fri 16 Nov 2007

Happy to oblige,

Now you've seen how easy it is, have a go. Just be quick. When the Companies see their Promo codes are being 'well' used, they pull them.
Not illeagal, the companies want the interest, just dont want many thousands using them, were it might start effecting profits.

Alan

Post by **DRT** » 11:36 Fri 16 Nov 2007

Conky wrote:Not illeagal, the companies want the interest, just dont want many thousands using them, were it might start effecting profits.

What's the sick bird got to do with it?

Derek

Conky · Post by **Conky** » 11:49 Fri 16 Nov 2007

She's the one that gives me the codes. Then I make her better. I get codes for allsorts. Just bought my lad the new United Shirt for £15 off the Littlewoods catalogue. Should be £40. I'm presuming you only want Wine/Port ones, let me know if you want the others, and I'll Meaningless Drivel them.

uncle tom · Post by **uncle tom** » 12:11 Fri 16 Nov 2007

Yep - it works!

6 bottles Bomfim + 6 bottles Dr L Riesling = £99.52

plus free delivery & £15 off = £84.52

Even if I only value the Riesling at £4/bottle (it's only a Qba..) - that's still barely £10 bottle for the Bomfim - and I got a further £14 off by using up some clubcard vouchers..!

Don't assume the SQ's on Tesco's list will be the 96's - I've noticed the '98's are starting to appear on the shelves, and they are not promising the year for these.

Tom

KillerB · Post by **KillerB** » 12:52 Fri 16 Nov 2007

It did say that it was the 1996 for the Vargellas but I will assume otherwise and possibly get a nice surprise (the virtues of pessimism)

Post by **DRT** » 13:09 Fri 16 Nov 2007

6 x Bomfim and 6 x Vargellas for £132 (£11 per bottle)

Thanks Alan

I may be persuaded to let some of these go

Derek

ajfeather · Post by **ajfeather** » 19:59 Fri 16 Nov 2007

Happy to join the party too! Good timing my brother was looking for some every day port and this will do the job with a couple of QdN LBV's. Appears he drunk a mixed six pack of Vesuvio a little quickly

Conky · Post by **Conky** » 23:42 Sat 17 Nov 2007

When we all get our Vargellas delivered, the race will be on to taste it. There's not a 96 in the TN Index.

Anyone remember having had one? This is surely a great example of one of us trying one, and the rest hiding them for at least 5 years.

Alan

uncle tom · Post by **uncle tom** » 00:47 Sun 18 Nov 2007

Well, the 12 FG's arrived today - and guess what? - most of them are 1988's...

- Trust a bloody supermarket to not appreciate the difference!

There's not much point in grumbling, as they're out of stock, and they were cheap - but not so dazzlingly so for an '88 SQ

I can't find any TN's for FG88 - anyone tried one recently?

Tom

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 01:32 Sun 18 Nov 2007

I'm pretty sure that I tried the FG'88 in the summer and ended up buying some halves as a result. When I get the chance, I'll dig out my notes and check.

Alex

KillerB · Post by **KillerB** » 13:07 Sun 18 Nov 2007

Rats - I wanted the 1987. Ho hum.

RonnieRoots · Post by **RonnieRoots** » 15:32 Sun 18 Nov 2007

Hmmm... probably still a nice port for the price, but the 87 would definitely have been better.

KillerB · Post by **KillerB** » 09:13 Tue 20 Nov 2007

Turned up yesterday - all 1988

Conky · Post by **Conky** » 09:19 Tue 20 Nov 2007

Alex,

Although

sums up your current mood, will it turn to this

Alan

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 23:55 Wed 21 Nov 2007

This isn't going to cheer you up much, but here is a link to a tasting note on the 1988 that I drank earlier this year.

Alex

uncle tom · Post by **uncle tom** » 20:56 Thu 22 Nov 2007

But that was Vargellas '88 - not Guimaraens

Anyone got a note on FG88?

Tom

Andy Velebil · Post by **Andy Velebil** » 19:36 Fri 23 Nov 2007

Seems the annual UK sell-a-thon is getting some heat from a couple Portuguese producers. Guess they are tired of the UK markets selling Port for super cheap prices during the holidays.

i have no problem buying at cheap prices, and personnally think it helps to keep those making a less than top notch Port from selling them at over inflated prices just because it was a good vintage "overall."

KillerB · Post by **KillerB** » 11:54 Sun 25 Nov 2007

All the Vargelasses were 1998

RonnieRoots · Post by **RonnieRoots** » 21:26 Sun 25 Nov 2007

Hm, Vargellas 1998... I bought a case of that port for a very low price once. Drank one bottle and don't remember much of it except that I though it was a very strange port.

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 07:40 Mon 26 Nov 2007

Vargellas 1998 is currently on promotion in my local Tesco for £17.49 a bottle. I must confess, at that price I still passed on buying any when I did my weekly food shop on Saturday. £17.50 for a 9 year old single quinta from a vintage that is not recognised as a good SQ year...not for me.

Alex

RonnieRoots · Post by **RonnieRoots** » 11:31 Mon 26 Nov 2007

I believe I paid around the same amount in euros. That made it attractive, as it is around the same price that I would pay for a good unfiltered LBV.

Post by **DRT** » 12:24 Mon 26 Nov 2007

My Tesco purchases arrived yesterday. 6 x Vargellas 1998 and 6 x Bomfim 1996 - 12 bottles for £132 delivered

The Bomfim's are each packed in their own little wooden coffin's with perspex lids. The have strange cream and gold coloured labels in celebration of the centenery celebration of the brand. They do look very nice and are no doubt going to be the Christmas present of choice for port lovers who's loved one's shop at Tesco.

I don't really want to break into either of these 6 packs as they are too young for me so I nipped down to my local Tesco yesterday to see if the 25% off deal was still on. It was, so I had 2 more bottles of QV98 plus 4 bottles of cheap plonk that Jo normally buys. I also had a Clubcard Voucher for £7 which meant that my 2 x QV98's cost me just under £8 each

I popped one last night and have started a TN which I will post later. The remainder of the bottle is in my hotel room and is this weeks 3 night challenge.

I would be interested to know if anyone has tasted the QB96. They didn't have any in store and I really don't want to break the case.

Derek

RonnieRoots · Post by **RonnieRoots** » 16:47 Mon 26 Nov 2007

Derek T. wrote:I would be interested to know if anyone has tasted the QB96. They didn't have any in store and I really don't want to break the case.

There you go.

Post by **DRT** » 20:30 Mon 26 Nov 2007

Being one of the people who have campaigned vigorously for member TN areas on port websites you would think I might have thought to look there

Good thread, I'm with Tom

Derek

Post by **Alex Bridgeman** » 22:19 Mon 26 Nov 2007

I called into Tesco on my way home tonight. I hadn't realised that the Tesco 25% offer was still going - or at least it was until Sunday

So I missed out. Now you only get 5% off a purchase of 6 or more bottles.

However, I did find that the Dow 2001 LBV is currently on the shelves for £5.49 a bottle. Despite Alan's mediocre review in the tasting note section, at a price less than a bottle of 1991 Morgan I thought that this was worth a couple of bottles to see what it was like.

Sainsbury tomorrow to see what they have on offer - if anything!

Alex

Post by **DRT** » 22:26 Mon 26 Nov 2007

I visited Sainsbury yesterday and they had Dow's Trademark at 50% off - wich is arounf £5 per bottle. I think I had this last year and it was a decent premium ruby. At £5 it is worth stiking 6 bottles in the time-capsule in the Blue Peter Garden and revisiting with your grandchildren

Derek

Conky · Post by **Conky** » 18:57 Fri 30 Nov 2007

Whilst out of the IT loop, I also visited Tesco's and took their last Dows 2001 LBV for that price. I'm not keen on it, but they will make superbly economic Christmas presents for those stuffy relatives who claim to like Port, but haven't got the foggiest!

If any of them pull a face on tasting it, I'll crack open a better one.

You also need the odd bottle in for when your to drunk to notice the good stuff, but sensible enough to realise that fact.

Alan

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Official - Christmas has started..

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