Shard

I'm a Sauvignon Blanc guy and so far the throat remains unripped. Usually a New Zealand one like Brancott or Oyster Bay, in a box Sainsbury's does a surprisingly drinkable House Sauvignon which goes with summer barbecue.

bats

I think it's a feature of old age, the oesophagus screams in agony over some whites. Chardonnay, Viognier, champers become your friends.

Shard

Champers has always been a very close friend

Actually, my fave white is Chablis, but I only tend to have that out or entertaining.

Pizzawheel

I've generally only been getting red wine boxes so far since I don't have space in the fridge for white. But I've found decanting a couple of glasses into a water bottle and popping that in is a good enough work around. I always avoid the cheapest boxes and the bottom of the range ("dry red wine") or the "name" brands. I've found Sawmill Creek is consistently OK- it is plonk we're talking here.

As for value red is around $40 for 4L, white somewhat less. So that's $10 a litre which is the same as $7 for that drinkable Chilean stuff you get. So it's more about convenience than outright savings.

caretaker

If you're ever in Oliver and want to see where Sawmill Creek comes from the Vincor / Jackson-Triggs winery is just north of town and worth a tour. There's a great big stuffed eagle in the front room that's pretty formidable.

not2old

As for 'drinkable' - is the 'Chilean' plonk really that good or comparable to a VGA Canadian wine?

Pizzawheel

I'd say yes, as long as you stick to the merlots, and relative to the $7: $11 delta. There's a lot of utter crap under $10 mind.

caretaker

Your Sawmill Creek may contain Chilean wine too. Half the fun in drinking wine (for me anyway) is the adventure of trying new products, new wineries, and learning as I go. Last summer in Oliver the government store had a close-out sale on a chianti I'd never heard of and it was fantastic, I went through quite a few bottles of it. The Desert something liquor store by the mall near our place has a far better wine selection than the BC Gov store but I usually stay away from the vqa shelves unless there is a real good sale on something. I got class but I ain't rich.

Pizzawheel

I've just googled Oliver- isn't that where Growers Cider comes from too? Now a question- when I've been to BC I've really enjoyed growers. The stuff we get in ON though seems to be fruit flavoured swill. Is there a difference or is it rose tinted glasses?

Agree with you on the adventure of wine, in the UK I used to buy from majestic- minimum purchase 12 bottles but you could mix as you will. That was great. Then down in Botswana I was sampling all of the saffer stuff. Here due to costs and an unpredictable schedule the wineboxes work.

I think I'll chance a white over the weekend and report back.

BristolUK

$7?
$13.99 for my Chilean wine

You're not comparing like with like.

On NB Liquor price list, Sawmill Creek Chardonnay is $44.48 for 4l which converts to $8.34 a bottle, while a bottle is actually $9.99. Surprisingly it's the same for their Merlot.

I don't think that's much of a saving for buying that quantity, to be honest. But I wouldn't risk buying a white for a tenner, let alone a red, unless there was a big reduction.

Hardys wines are about the cheapest I can manage.

I see from Sainsburys they have a Merlot at £6.62 a bottle but the equivalent of £4.17 by the box. Now that's a saving.

BristolUK

I guess it depends on the definition of plonk. Personally, I wouldn't say a $14 bottle was plonk. No doubt others might disagree, but compared to $7 it's not.

Canadian wine? Jackson Triggs Rosé aside I've not found one I managed half a glass before consigning it to cooking use.

scrubbedexpat091

I tried wine a few times, I haven't found one I can drink yet, suppose its an acquired taste like beer.

I think my taste buds have an aversion to alcohol....lol

not2old

could it be down to 'dollars & cents'

scrubbedexpat091

In Canada yes, the amount they want for booze here is enough to keep me from buying it.

When I was in California living and booze is basically cheaper then food a lot of the time, I still didn't care for alcohol.

Best I can do is vodka mixed with 7-up and cranberry juice so I can't tell their is any boose in it...lol

caretaker

Growers acts like it's some kind of secret but ratebeer.com says they make it in Kelowna. A few of the Jackson Triggs labels used to say Kelowna too but the addresses were storefronts in strip malls. The Vincor winery (Jackson Triggs) is the biggest but not necessarily the best. If you look at google street view about a mile north of Oliver hwy 97 turns east, then north toward Gallagher Lake; at that curve just over the bridge on the east side of the road is Vincor. It's the place that looks like a miniature oil refinery. There are literally hundreds of small independant producers that make up in character what they lack in volume. JT owns vinyards and wineries in the Okanagan, the Niagara Penninsula and Chile so if bad weather wipes out the grapes in one area they're still in business and the shelves are full. One very pleasant wine I found from a new local vintner last year was Forty Nine North; they had 2 kinds ( red and white) and it was 2 bottles for $20. Easy to drink and very pairable, if a little on the sweet side. For new offerings like that you almost need to be in the valley to see it.