WTN: mostly dull wines in mostly rainy Scotland

Betsy, her mom, her cousin Nancy, and I flew to Europe for Dave’s graduation last week. On Air France there was a forgettable Chardonnay from the VdP d’Oc that I’ve already forgotten. Then Paris to Edinburgh, where I got my first taste of left side of the road driving. We checked into the MacDonald Holyrood, and enjoyed walking around the city. For dinner we chose Stac Polly just off the Royal Mile. A good meal (I started with haggis bonbons, plus guinea hen in a white Burg/mushroom sauce)- as mains spanned a large variety, went with a bottle of rose, the 2011 La Bourette. I prefer my pinks with a bit more zip and vim, but this was not bad. B-

Friday was rainy, we spent the AM in Edinburgh then drove to St. Andrews. Found our cottage (charming, spacious, great rural location, but no phone, cell service, or internet- but there was a red BT Dr Who box on road in front), headed into town to meet David. We cruised out to see David and Mary Kate’s cottage (rustic, but incredibly beautiful setting- surrounded by farm land and forest, about 6 minute walk to North Sea).

Oh yes, wine. I’ll say that wine pricing in St Andrews is scary. The Tesco Metro has mostly Tesco brands, Tesco selections, and dull negoce stuff. Morrison’s is a bewildering bunch of labels I’ve never heard of (even in regions I know well), with an apparent concentration in vignerons with same last name as famous one (the other Ogier etc) . Luvians - an actual wine/liquor store- had some interesting stuff- LdH, Meo, etc.- but pricing was a little more than dollar pricing is here except in pounds (i.e. LdH Cubillo for 21 pounds)!. I drank less this week.

Restaurant wines.
First night we were exhausted and just hit Pizza Express (wasn’t actually bad pizza). I had a glass of dull Fiano that was disjointed, but Betsy got a nice enough glass of Grillo/Chardonnay blend (missed producer). We had lunch one day at the Adamson, upscale place where Dave and Mary Kate work. I had an excellent nicoise salad (perfectly grilled tuna), and ordered a glass of the 2010 Gerald et Philibert Talmard Macon-Uchizy. Lovely midbodied Macon- crisp, rich, just a whisper of oak, long minerally finish. B++
We went to Nam Jihm the night of graduation (with Dave’s dad making 7), really unexciting list, but I ordered a bottle of NV Ruggeri Prosecco for a toast (hey, I wouldn’t have normally gone for that, but the other bubbly choices were an English “Champagne” I’d never heard of for 50 pounds and Moet Imperial for 78 pounds). Light, appley, light petillance, inoffensive. B-/C+

Cottage Wines.
We mostly ate in:
2011 Ocean’s Edge Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough)
Clean, simple, quite ok for 5 pounds. B-

2009 Monte Real Malbec-Shiraz
Hot, disjointed, with a chemical edge. Overpriced at 5. C-

2009 Chivite Gran Fuedo rosado - chosen to go with bouillabaisse (wine store had no Provencal rose, I bought this without noting vintage), going a tad dull, but decent rose that should have been drunk up. B-

2008 Tissot (A & M Tissot, wine made by Stephane T) Arbois Chardonnay
With roast chicken, rice, and salad, this was probably wine of the week. Rich but lively, pear and fennel, nice mouthfeel, excellent length. B++

Monday Nancy made mujadarra, we opened the 2010 Vermorel Morgon. I love cru Beaujolais, but it’s good to be reminded not all are that good, consider myself reminded. Generic, short, anonymous red wine. C+

2009 Ch. des Jacques (Jadot) “Clos de Loyse” Bourgogne
The des Jacques makes me wonder if this is Beaujolais, but doesn’t really resemble the Brun which is only white Bojo I buy. This is a fairly full, ripe version of Chardonnay, pear and apple and white flowers, a bit of oak, good. B

2006 Uggiano Chianti Classico Riserva
Woody and dull, this comes across as needing a spine. I wish I’d had another option to pair with my spaghetti with meat sauce once I tasted. Did ok in an herb sauce next night/ C+

2010 La Vieille Ferme rouge
Screwcapped, bright cherries, decent. Went ok with lamb chops in herb sauce, potatoes, and salad. B-

OK, so absent the Talmard and Tissot not a very exciting week of wine. But a good week overall- I quite enjoyed both Edinburgh and St. Andrews (for an American the depth of European history is always so amazing). Really a thrill to be there for his graduation - ceremony steeped in 600 years of history, cool to see Noam Chomsky and AS Byatt getting honorary degrees, and the best graduation speech I’ve ever heard (from an English professor who is a neighbor of David- anyone who can use the phrase “ the building where these gentlemen polish their medieval maces- thankfully, that is not a euphemism” wins points from me). I didn’t kill anyone on roundabouts or lefthand driving (even with flooded roads). That’s good enough!

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

[David M. Bueker]

Anyone who uses the term "haggis bonbons" in a tasting note gets an A+ from me!

Luvians used to be a pretty good wine shop, back in the early 90's at least. The owner was always there and he had lots of interesting things, and was always enthusiastic. I recall asking him what the best QPR wine in the shop was, and he showed me a bottle of the 1986 Cheval Blance for something like 50 pounds! Ah, the good old days... Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Dale.

Last time I was in Edinburgh was in 1998 and we had three days of superb weather. That is, however, a rarity in Scotland and for most of the time on that trip and previous the skies were leaden.

I too have never been lucky with wines in Scottish restaurants but the friends we stayed with (both sadly now deceased) owned a few superb clarets (including Latour 1961). One bright vinous spot in Edinburgh is Valvona & Crolla, which must be one of the finest shops selling Italian wine and food products outside Italy.

Luvians & Raeburns. Don't expect anything appealing in the super(sic.)markets.

Bulgarian Merlot was the staple at UK academic parties when I lived there. Try to find a good pub and have a pint of Deuchar's IPA.

Bulgarian Merlot was the staple at UK academic parties when I lived there. Try to find a good pub and have a pint of Deuchar's IPA.

When did you live in the UK, Joe?

I haven't been a regular visitor there since the turn of the century but already then the taste for Bulgiarian varietal wines was a thing of the past amongst the people I knew. There was already then a far wider choice of the wines of the world available in London at serious wine merchants and at stores like Harrods and Harvey Nick than in any other European city I know. However prices were high and there was less depth of choice for France in particular than there was here in Belgium. I don't think things have changed other than that the price differential narrowed when sterling weakened after 2008.

I guess that Scotland is not quite so favoured but I would still expect to find wine merchants with a decent choice near an élite academic town like Saint-Andrews and in the big cities.

Incidentally I tried to visit the Luvians website and got a Google warning about potential damage to my computer .

David, the haggis bonbons ("Bread crumbed haggis bonbons, zingy plum and coriander chutney") were actually very good (much better than haggis dumplings/wontons that someone ordered at Nahm Jim).

Patrick, Luvians was small, but a very nice selection in certain areas (I saw producers such as LdH, Meo-Camuzet, Fontodi, Ridge, etc), but prices were quite high by my standards. And some areas I thought were weak- Loire seemed to be second tier producers, and when looking for a Provencal rose closest they could come - only still pinks- were a 2 vintage old Chivite and a P45. I'll admit my reluctance to splurge was also influenced by fact that my MiL and Betsy's cousin really were happy with any glass, and I was often driving after dinner, so thought of paying $50+ for a bottle of Meo-Camuzet Bourgogne that I'd have one glass of seemed not in my self-interest.

Tim, while grey skies and sudden changes are the norm in Scotland, Dave said he had never seen so much rain. Luckily we had 3 pretty days in middle.

Joe, I've gotten so into wine that I seldom drink beer these days, but did have a lovely half-pint of an IPA (name forgotten) at Aikmans.

If we visit David again (they're staying another year, he's getting an M. Litt in Shakespeare studies) my plan would be to research better shops in Edinburgh, and load up before going to St Andrews- D and MK would be happy with any extras.

I love Edinburgh, but I have never thought of it as a foodie or wine lovers destination. Maybe I need to go again and look more closely, though as one of Scottish descent, I have never eaten haggis and have no plans to do so.

We were in London near the end of May and had 5 continuous days of nothing but sunshine and warmth. Shirt sleeve weather into evening. Hyde Park was filled with sunbathers. I lived in London years ago for about 9 months, and never had that many days of sunshine the whole time!!!

Patrick, Luvians was small, but a very nice selection in certain areas (I saw producers such as LdH, Meo-Camuzet, Fontodi, Ridge, etc), but prices were quite high by my standards.

That sounds very odd. The UK (including Scotland) is still in the EU and should be offering lower prices for European wines than is possible in the USA, particularly in view of the notorious three tier system. New York is, of course, a very competitive environment and the St.Andrews area probably the reverse. Nevertheless there must be some blatant profiteering going on at Luvians......

And don't forget all the interesting Scottish beers. All the tinkering they do gives them such a wide array of flavors. I've only been to Scotland once, but that's mainly what we drank.

And don't forget all the interesting Scottish beers.

And I'm sure there is something else there worthwhile drinking....

And don't forget all the interesting Scottish beers.

And I'm sure there is something else there worthwhile drinking....

With dinner?!

I never got into that.

But yes, of course.

In my experience overseas, the US always seems to have the best prices for wine. I've always assumed it was higher taxes abroad and/or the high efficiency of the US market with a reliance on the internet. But even a decent, local USA mom-and-pop wine shop has better prices for most wines than anywhere I've been overseas. Italy might be the exception, though only for Italian wines.

One thing I've noticed is how radically different Bordeaux prices are in the US-- while mom-and-pop price their Spanish/German/American and even most Italian wines reasonably close to the best non-sale prices on wine-searcher, Bordeaux prices usually show a ridiculous premium at the local shop. French wine in general, but Bordeaux seems to be the worst (and mom-and-pop usually don't even both with any real Burgundies).

In my experience overseas, the US always seems to have the best prices for wine. I've always assumed it was higher taxes abroad and/or the high efficiency of the US market with a reliance on the internet. But even a decent, local USA mom-and-pop wine shop has better prices for most wines than anywhere I've been overseas. Italy might be the exception, though only for Italian wines.

One thing I've noticed is how radically different Bordeaux prices are in the US-- while mom-and-pop price their Spanish/German/American and even most Italian wines reasonably close to the best non-sale prices on wine-searcher, Bordeaux prices usually show a ridiculous premium at the local shop. French wine in general, but Bordeaux seems to be the worst (and mom-and-pop usually don't even both with any real Burgundies).

Apologies for thread drift.

I remain puzzled.

I accept that in most states US taxes and duties are probably lower than the exorbitant levels on this side of the Atlantic. For example VAT (Value Added Tax) is 21% here in Belgium, 20% in the UK and 19.6% in France and the UK has a punishing excise duty at about £1.16/bottle, which heavily penalises the lower end of the market. On the other hand the three tier system in the USA must mean a high cumulative level of mark-up and and there are also sales taxes and duties and, for European wines, transatlantic freight costs.

Another oddity over your side is that mom-and-pop overload the prices of French wine. Here in Belgium I find better QPR from French wine than from Italian and Spanish with French stuff which I find drinkable starting at about €5/bottle (c.US$ 6.20), e.g. last night's lively and fruity bottle of Marionnet's Gamay de Touraine at <€6.

Bulgarian Merlot was the staple at UK academic parties when I lived there. Try to find a good pub and have a pint of Deuchar's IPA.

When did you live in the UK, Joe?........

That would have been for a few years either side of 1990. Most cities had a few specialist wine merchants but the vast majority of wine was purchased at chains or, increasingly, supermarkets. Oddbins was in ascendency, and actually had some pretty good selections in those days; they had grown boring and predictable before their demise. Tescos and Saintsbury were coming on strong, but I wasn't too impressed. My gut feeling for the overall market: the variety French wines wasn't bad, but fell off sharply for other countries of interest (Germany, Italy, etc.). And Aussie wines were very popular.

ry to find a good pub and have a pint of Deuchar's IPA.

And don't forget all the interesting Scottish beers. All the tinkering they do gives them such a wide array of flavors. I've only been to Scotland once, but that's mainly what we drank.

Seconded.