Carrefour wine recommendations please

[Russethouse]

Next weekend we are taking advantage of a BF offer (found on this forum) and having 24 hours in France, in fact we are just having a day in St Malo.

We hope to stock up on wine, specifically dry white. We particularly like Muscadet sur lie, Sancerre, Sauvignon blanc, we are most likely to end up at the big supermarket just outside St Malo which if I remember correctly is a Carrefour. (Miki,  am I right ?) I just wondered if there was anything anyone particularly liked or could recommend as a good buy?

[Chris Head]

I don't know if there's an Aldi in St Malo Gay but if there is you really will save some money. The Muscadet at about 1,40 and the D'oc in a box at about 4,00 are both really good for the price...promise!

[Miki]

What a shame you never came this weekend. The place is just as vibrant

as it is in the height of summer. The reason being, as I have stated

elsewhere, the Route du Rhum.

From the port take Toutes Directions and aim towards Rennes. As you

arrive after just 5-7 minutes or so, at the Decouverte area (you will

see Intermarche and then McDo's and the two small roundabouts right on

top of each other) carry straight on and at the next roundabout (much

larger) take the first exit and pass Norauto and there at the next

roundabout is the Carrefour Complex. I think that is probably your best

bet and the annual wine fair may still be on as well.

No Aldi that I know of around Saint Malo.

Muscadet sur Lie (always buy Sur lie, paying the extra centimes are

worth it). Sauvignon Blanc is always a good white wine to buy, I would

think that Carrefour would have their own marque. Really all the whites

you are buying are fine. There are the obvious dearer choices

but.............. As you reach that large roundabout just before

Carrefour, we buy most of our wine from Promocash or Metro, both being

off the last exit (the one before you would be return on the same road

you would have left for Carrefour) but normally purchase our Bib's (Bag

in Box) Main House wine from a local cave.

So I can't really suggest what good buys are in Carrefour as we do not

normally buy our wines, beers or spirits from there but we do use it as a

supermarket very often. Although having said that, their small 3 litre

boxes of wine are pretty good value, we have taken them home for

friends and have supped them ourselves. The 3 litre boxes tend to be

our choice when it is just us, as the 5 litre or even 10 litre boxes we

buy for the table d'hôte, do not have that long a shelf life, even though I do hear stories

that some people can keep the red for up to a month and it's still OK,

I certainly wouldn't fancy drinking it that long after opening, sealed

bag or not !!

[Gardian]

[quote user="Miki"] The 3 litre boxes tend to be our choice when it is just us, as the 5 litre or even 10 litre boxes we buy for the table d'hôte, do not have that long a shelf life, even though I do hear stories that some people can keep the red for up to a month and it's still OK, I certainly wouldn't fancy drinking it that long after opening, sealed bag or not !!


[/quote]

Evaporation has usually occurred within a week or so.

[Eslier]

Miki, you should find you are ok keeping the larger BIBs for longer periods. I can't say I've ever had one from a supermarket but regularly get them from wine caves or makers and guess they must all be the same.  As a general rule, the box will keep up to six months, unopened, from the date it is bagged up. Once open it will be ok for up to about three months. I've never managed to keep one that long but often it can take us around six weeks to finish and it is still good to drink. It is oxidation that causes wine to go off but with a BIB, the bag simply contracts as the wine is used up so no air enters within the bag to cause a problem and the wine never comes into contact with the air.

[Russethouse]

 You are right Miki, if I had known I would have been tempted to come over this weekend although my sister has gone to Seville and with my mother in her 86th year we try not to both be away together.

The 'plan' such as it is to go to Carrefour to shop, Cancale for lunch and then probably off to Mont St Michel along the coast road for a couple of hours, then meander back to St Malo for the evening boat........all depends on the weather though.

We used to do quite a few long weekends in France through the year but BF have hiked the prices and now it seems expensive just for a night or two so we don't do it so much. If I could persuade the other half I'd be going to Quimper the weekend after for Penviller, the antique fair, there is usually a good gathering of Quimper Club folk around, but its a long drive in limited time for us, so we are giving it a miss this year.[:(][:(]

[Miki]

[quote user="Eslier"]Miki, you should find you are ok keeping the

larger BIBs for longer periods. I can't say I've ever had one from a

supermarket but regularly get them from wine caves or makers and guess

they must all be the same.  As a general rule, the box will keep up to

six months, unopened, from the date it is bagged up. Once open it will

be ok for up to about three months. I've never managed to keep one that

long but often it can take us around six weeks to finish and it is

still good to drink. It is oxidation that causes wine to go off but

with a BIB, the bag simply contracts as the wine is used up so no air

enters within the bag to cause a problem and the wine never comes into

contact with the air.

[/quote]

With respect.

We had been in the restaurant business for some while, as well as now

only doing Table D hôte(thankfully) for a very long time here in France and I can tell you, that some years

before that I was in the wine trade (nicely based for much of the time,

on the racecourses of England) and wine in one way or another, has

played a fairly significant part in my life. I mention this only to say that it kind

of allows me to have a fair opinion, maybe or even possibly, no better than

anyone else but speak with at least some experience on the subject. I am

surprised, that as a Moderator you are not aware of my history, I have

in the past mentioned this, normally when some of us have had chats

about wine. ?

So having said all that, sure, unopened there is a fairly long shelf

life up to and beyond a year is not unknown (normally somewhat less)

but

no way in hell will it keep for up to 3 months if one is constantly

using it, by that opening I mean, opening the valve to serve a glass or

two. I have been around friends houses when they say "have a glass of

wine" and out it pours and it really  is undrinkable but to them,

it is fine. This is then not a case of drinking what you like (always a

fair point) but, in this case its a matter of, I've bought it now, so

I'll finish it, whatever it tastes like !!

There are circumstances, where for proving for the record that it will

last, a BIB has been opened then stuck in ideal temperatures for 3-4

months or more and been OK BUT that is not why one buys it, it is

really a party wine, for a large gathering or a way to drink wine

economically over a few weeks, not months .  White wine

(especially the standard of most white in these boxes, sure some fairly

good but mostly average or less are in boxes) will

need to be kept chilled and carefully tended to survive anywhere near

that long and still taste like the day it was opened and a red wine

will never be kept with us for any longer than the time the taste has

started to sour and that is not too long after opening and certainly

nowhere near 3 months. If the wine does not taste as good as the day it

was

opened, then there is little or no point in buying them.

We use around one 5 litre per two days in high season and in the close

season a lot less. That is when one has to be extremely careful on how

one keeps it. Keep it too cold and it loses its natural taste, keep it

at room temperature like a good bottled red and it will not last long

at all. Three months !! Jeepers, one would certainly need to be

desperate to drink something opened and half used from a BIB after that long!!

At last years Rennes tourism and trade fair, the BIT was introduced, a

cross between a bottle and a BIB, the bag in tube has been around a

while but the French, as ever, are slow to adapt but the producers are

keen to say that the "better" producers have shown a strong interest.

[Miki]

[quote]

Evaporation has usually occurred within a week or so.

[/quote]

One of lifes little phenomenons eh Ian [:D]

[Russethouse]

Yep - it evapporates straight out of my glass !

I'm not too worried about reds, we get a good, reasonably priced case from Direct Wines but we are fussy about whites because we both like dry whites without any oakyness. As for wine boxes, yes for gatherings and parties but for everyday I like to have some idea how much we are having...these days many bottles here have a screw cap (not just cheapies either) so keeping an opened bottle for a day or even two, isn't so difficult.

We always go for 'sur lie' with Muscadet, its well worth the extra.

[Bob T]

Miki, Not dry white, but I have just written a post on local wine on my blog a couple of day ago. I normally only drink red myself, but also like a medium white. These are local to the Dordogne though.

[Miki]

[quote user="Bob T"]Miki, Not dry white, but I have just written a post

on local wine on my blog a couple of day ago. I normally only drink red

myself, but also like a medium white. These are local to the Dordogne

though.

[/quote]

Bob,

Not Dry white?

By that do you  believe you can chill it right down to practically

freezing and it will still taste like it should because that is not

right, well it is, if kept at the right temperature or do you just

think it will last better ? It  will beat the length of time of a

sweet white in a BIB but, Dry white wine will suffer the same fate and

not last the time that was suggested. These BIB's were (are) great for

us (and English wine bars !!) when they made the boxes with a better

sealed vacuum (the taps were a weak link earlier) but they cannot work

miracles with time, only act a lot better than opening a bottle which

of course causes automatic oxydation. Good

chillers cost a real load of money, I doubt many of us (we haven't) go

to the extent of ensuring the whites are kept between  2º to

8º..........and as for storing the red at the correct temperature or

even near, is for most, right out of the question. Best thing, drink

'em quick (ish) and buy them for what they are intended

for..................

Bibs really are not any good to anyone who does not finish them within

a month or so at best. Lots of false claims all over the wine world,

one could write a book on the all the old fables and tales that have

germinated from this most snobby of subjects...Mmm now there is a

thought !

We like your area Bob, we lived for over 5 years in the Dordogne and used

an excellent cave in a small town 20 minutes or so from Perigueux for

all our wines. Took a few trips over the years to Bergerac for the reds

and to Monbazillac for the sweet whites (can't afford Barsacs and

Sauternes !!)

[Eslier]

Thank you, Miki, for your interesting post. It is interesting to hear of your experiences. As I said, I can't really speak from personal experience as I've never managed to make a 10litre BIB last more than five or six weeks at most. My suggestion of three months was based upon information given to me by a French winemaker in the Anjou region, but perhaps it was just part of his sales pitch.

I haven't heard of the bag in a bottle but it sounds as though there could be some benefit to it. I agree it may take some time to catch on - a bit like screwtop bottles which are now very popular down under.

[Miki]

No, it's a bag in TUBE. (BIT) Do try to read a little more attentively.

It is wine placed in a round and varying size tube and to many, 

looks rather better than  a box (BIB), although when we were a

restaurant, like many others, we took the bag out of the box and put it

in  a barrel, which can be bought, for the purpose, so as to look aestheitically

better than a box on display.  As I said before, there are fables,

tales and to add to that, damned lies from the unscrupulous in the wine

trade !

[Alexis]

I like Cora.

Not been there for a long while.

We are taking some wine over with us next month.  Something sweet to go with the foie gras, and a few bottles of Muscadet.  I shall be buying Australian red from Tesco.  Or Asda.  Or Sainsbury's.

I can't wait.....fortnight from now I will be sitting in the pub after spending all the morning reading the Sunday Times and looking forward to spending all afternoon reading the rest.

[Miki]

Is this the big one Alexis ? and I haven't really dared to ask how hubbie is but I hope no news is continuing excellent news ?

I do like to try the Chilean wines. Not a secret any more, I think most

people have now discovered a Chilean wine they rather like. I rate it even better than yer red Oz stuff and often easier

to find than Ozzie wine as well !! Still in the UK you can find many

items from all over the World unlike..........................

Bon voyage...........

[Dick Smith]

!

[Miki]

?

[Dick Smith]

...

[Cassis]

[quote user="Eslier"]I've never managed to make a 10litre BIB last more than five or six weeks at most.

[/quote]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dick Smith]

Show offs, both of you.

[Miki]

[quote user="Dick Smith"]...[/quote]

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