supermarket Chateauneuf

Tom Cannavan

Tom Cannavan

Administrator
Sorry if you were expecting reviews or for me to point out a reduction in Chateau Rayas to £3.99 in M&S, but just an interesting thing that I thought might be worth sharing.

I get a weekly report from google on search stats for wine-pages - what page of the site people landed on, having clicked on a link from their google search results. Top is always wine-pages' home page, second is always the wine forum page, and third is always - week after week - this article from 2015: Is supermarket Châteauneuf-du-Pape any good? | wine-pages.

To be fair it is a fairly distant third behind the other two landing pages, but last week for example, 734 people landed on this page from a google search link, whereas in fourth position with 530 visits was my wine quizzes home page. As the Chateauneuf page is consistently the 3rd most clicked on google link, I presume it is the thing people search for more than any other that would bring them to the plethora of wine coverage on wine-pages.

Should we invest in supermarket Chateauneuf?
 
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Dont like it much anyway.

One of my vinous learning experiences of the past few years is how much I detest aged CNDP.

Not sure how popular it is with the general public either. If you ask a non wine geek, who drinks the stuff what red they like its invariably something with a critter or criminal on the label...... or Rioja. :)
 
Gareth J Welch said:
Dont like it much anyway.

One of my vinous learning experiences of the past few years is how much I detest aged CNDP.

Not sure how popular it is with the general public either. If you ask a non wine geek, who drinks the stuff what red they like its invariably something with a critter or criminal on the label...... or Rioja. :)
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Phil Wilkins doesn't know where you live, does he? :cool:

It's not a wine I buy very often I confess, and I do tend to enjoy the wines more with a bit of age, or with slightly lower alcohol.
 
Yes, I've had some great ones - from very good producers - with age. A different world from the supermarket own labels I think, but I wonder how those age too....
 
In my experience, Chateauneuf du Pape is pretty much the only wine that non-wine geeks have ever heard of that is regarded as "expensive" or posh. I suspect it is seen as THE wine to trade up to that supermarkets sell, and it's not cheap (in the public sense). So they see it, want to trade up and then naturally think, "but is it worth it?" That's the great fear of the non-wine geek public: "will I taste the difference"? (and the implicit fear that in not doing so, one has no taste or it's all a rip off anyway / emperor's new clothes). And then: can I tell that its more expensive and what does more expensive taste like anyway?

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Yep, perfect case in point is my nephew, who is not a wine drinker, but buys his dad a bottle of CnDP every year for Christmas. I don't think there's much knowledge goes into the buying or the drinking, but it is recognised on both sides as "a top quality wine" :)
 
Tom Cannavan said:
Yep, perfect case in point is my nephew, who is not a wine drinker, but buys his dad a bottle of CnDP every year for Christmas. I don't think there's much knowledge goes into the buying or the drinking, but it is recognised on both sides as "a top quality wine" :)
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I think the name "Chateauneuf du Pape" and the bottle design featuring an emblazoned AOC coat of arms - all help seal the wine as "top quality" in the eyes of Joe public.
 
I've long viewed the cheap supermarket / restaurant versions of widely recognised appellations as likely the worst value options to buy. They have an easy market due to the 'brand' recognition, but they also have to compromise hard to get the wine down to the price punters will pay. Similar issues for Barolo, Chablis, etc. where (say) a langhe nebbiolo might be a better option than a cheap Barolo.
 
I got some very heavily reduced Clos de L'Oratoire des Papes, the 2016 and 2017 from memory, and I'm looking forward to the former in particular, as I've heard the domaine has improved. Though I should presumably wait 12 years or whatever!!
 
The aforementioned Charvin 2000 was one really outstanding wine. I regret that I got through all mine rather more quickly than I intended. Also, the (underrated?) Beaucastel 1999 would have been my wine of last Christmas had it not been (narrowly) beaten out at NY by a particularly good Brunello. I’ve happy memories of some older vintages with 20-30 years of bottle age from there and, further back, a stunning (especially to an overawed wine neophyte) Les Cèdres 1967 opened by a kindly don to mark my last tutorial of first term at university.

Out of curiosity I had to see for myself that wine-pages is indeed the top link if you google “supermarket chateauneuf”. Interestingly, “supermarket chateaubriand” takes you to a page on the Scotsman.
 
Alex Lake said:
I recall asking my Mum what wine my Dad liked, back when I was about 10 or 11 and she said "Chateauneuf du Papes" and "Nuits St Georges". Sadly he died before I got into wine. I have a strong feeling I could have persuaded him to become a Musar addict....
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Starting with an in-glass blend of those two, and then moving on to Musar?
 
Oh I love a good chunky CNDP. At this time of the year, when the nights are dark and cold I crave them. Normally I prefer lilghter more elegant wines, but a good chewy southern rhone sometimes hits the spot.

I've come round to drinking some younger these days - although I do like the sweaty-leather palate of the older ones. Vieux Donjon for some reason I recall always enjoying. aaaah man.....now I want a drink!
 
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