Where's The Wine?

Advantages: Quite Tasty
Disadvantages: Covered In Sugar

...I got home a couple of nights ago, turned on my PC and settled down to eat a packet (or at least part of a packet) of Fruit Pastilles only to discover in horror, that in my hurry to pick up the local newspaper and something to chew on, on the way home from work, I'd made a bit of a boob and must have picked up a packet of Wine Pastilles in error. The look on my face must have been comical, my other half said I looked like a little spoilt child with my bottom lip stuck out, and eyes bulging like they were about to burst. I must admit I hadn't actually had Wine Pastilles before so after the initial disappointment had worn off I decided to give them a try. The Background Wine Pastilles were originally made by a company called Maynard's who are the same people that make the Fruit Pastilles and Wine Gums. Maynard have been making...

micksheff 13.08.2005 · Read review
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Review of Maynards Wine Pastilles

Fine Virgin Wines

Advantages: Great value boutique wines
Disadvantages: The on-line wine auctions are addictive!

...I have been buying from Virgin Wines for about three years and I have been consistently impressed with the quality and value for money of their wines. They have got a very good range of wines from all around the world, which vary in price from as little as £4 right up to £85 for a bottle of Dom Perignon 2000. I belong to their Wine Bank, which is effectively a loyalty programme. You pay £20 each month into the Wine Bank and every three months Virgin Wines will add another £20 in interest, so when you come to buy your wine you effectively get 25% off. You can pay more into your Wine Bank if you want to and you will be rewarded with a reciprocal amount of interest (i.e. £30 a month would attract £30 interest and so on). Because most of the wines they stock are generally small production 'boutique' wines, you cannot buy them anywhere...

staceyjwall 22.07.2008 · Read review
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Review of Virgin Wines

Fuji FinePix S1500. Descendant of the S1000fd

Advantages: Huge zoom, Focus Tracking, Easy to use
Disadvantages: Bulky, A little slow, AA batteries are a bit inconvenient

...The Fuji FinePix S1500 is the latest incarnation of the very successful FinePix S1000fd. It is very SLR-like in appearance and the added bulk of the battery-holder/grip does give it an assured feeling in your hands. Of course, this can be a disadvantage, and if you want a camera that you can just slip in-and-out of your pocket, then maybe a slimmer compact should be considered. The 12x optical zoom is excellent and it equates to 33-396mm in 35mm terms - and if this isn't enough, there is a 5.7x digital zoom feature too. The menus are friendly and easy to navigate, and there are helpful explanatory prompts that appear on thew LCD screen when the mode-dial setting is changed. There are 14 preset scenes to choose from, each setting the camera to its optimum settings for the given scenario, but on top of this, the camera can be used...

rabidbadger 31.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Fujifilm FinePix S1500

Scrumptious Lamb In Red Wine from Morrisons

Advantages: Extremely tasty, lean & tender lamb, lovely sauce
Disadvantages: High in fat

...process, there was a lovely, almost sweet smell of lamb roasting and the wine aroma permeated the air quite strongly. I hoped that the finished article would taste as delicious as it smelled. On removing from the oven, I decided against carving slices from the shank as it would have been too cumbersome being as I was only feeding myself, so I placed the whole thing on my plate then surrounded it with the potatoes and green vegetables. There appeared to be quite a lot of meat on the bone, and I noticed that it hadn?t shrunk at all during the cooking time. The sauce was a pale red colour (a bit like rosé wine), and the smell of rosemary was not overly strong, but definitely there. One thing I wasn?t too keen on was that the sauce was extremely thin ? almost watery ? and I felt that for appearance?s sake, a little thickening with some...

CelticSoulSister 20.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of Morrisons Lamb Shank In Red Wine & Rosemary Sauce

A Delightful Tale of Wine and Hashish

Advantages: A telling recollection of encounters with narcotics and alcohol
Disadvantages: short

...1921, Baudelaire attended the Ecole de Droit, studying Law, where he developed a fondness for wine and hashish, the stimulants so intriguingly analysed in his masterpiece, On Wine and Hashish. Dying at the age of 46 having contracted syphilis, Baudelaire?s work remains bright and inspiring to this very day. It would be hard to compare modern writers to this genius as that flair and passion for writing appears to have ebbed somewhat in recent years. Baudelaire?s On Wine and Hashish is an eloquent reminder of Parisian indulgence and romanticism: the very language used in this book helps recreate the very scenes and experiences Baudelaire encountered in his short but productive life. The following are a couple of sentences that caught my attention: ?It is impossible to say what kind of sounds emerged from the drunken violin; Bacchus in...

heideroosjes 18.12.2003 · Read review
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Review of On Wine And Hashish - Charles Baudelaire

Get more from a bottle of wine

Advantages: Quick, easy and helpful
Disadvantages: can get busy

...Having worked at my local Thresher wine shop for just over three months (part time, in between college), I feel it appropriate to give my opinion on the whole business. Walking through the door in to a sauna (well in my shop it is!), you will be greeted by the sales assistant/manager (who ever has the unfortunate task of working that shift). All the shelves and chillers should be stocked according to the standards set by Head office. Please note: all the wine shops in the country are sent this same list/diagrams of where the monthly promotional items should be placed be it in the chillers, on the shelves, or the what’s on offer displays. If anyone travels round the country they will find that all shops should be the same. Well it doesn’t always work like this, maybe because some of us are lazy or maybe because it would...

Please_believe_me 11.10.2001 · Read review
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Review of Thresher Wine Shop

First Chocolate, Now Wine. Great

Advantages: Easy to read, a cosy, interesting book
Disadvantages: Slightly underdeveloped characters, inevitable comparisons to Chocolat

...For those of you that don?t know, I?m a bit of a fan of books. Well reading in general actually, magazines, newspapers, crisp packets, whatever. Writing a review of a book however is a completely different kettle of fish and up until now I?ve been a bit chicken about doing it. I?ve wanted to, you know ?. I just haven?t done it. There are very few books where I?ve struggled to get into the story and wrap the characters around myself. Blackberry Wine was one of those rare books where I felt I really had to plough through the first few chapters until I got to a point where I could look forward to picking it up again next time. I always persevere though, and on this occasion I?m glad I did. The book begins to open up nicely a few chapters in, and you start to feel as if there might be a story to tell. But let?s go back to...

amyturtle 09.11.2002 · Read review
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Review of Blackberry Wine - Joanne Harris

Gather around I am making Wine, 30 bottles in 3 weeks

Advantages: quick easy no problems and tastes great
Disadvantages: if you dont know home made wine, you could make the mistake of thinking it is weakish, but wait

...Years ago I used to make my own wine as a hobby and what with the family growing older other things took up my time and I forgot all about it. Then the other week in a "remember when" mood we started talking about how good it was and wondered if they still did the 3 week wine kits. They do. They are roughly £18 each but for that and 4 x 2.2kg you can have 30 bottles. What you will need to buy before you can get started 5 gallon fermenting bucket syphon tube sterilizing powder Bung with hole in a hubble bubble tube bung with no hole in it corks hydrometer and glass tube or plastic. Once you have bought the above which should come to about £20 - £25 you wont have to buy it again and can make any wine with this equiptment. Carafe 21 is an express wine but please dont think because it is done quickly that it...

MAllen400 28.04.2009 · Read review
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Review of Carafe 21 Wine Kit

One of the greatest wine experiences

Advantages: Beautiful setting, great wines and great fun for the family
Disadvantages: None that I can think of

..."An enchanting Cape African experience awaits you at historic Spier in the heart of the Stellenbosch Winelands. Spier is undoubtedly the most unique Winelands development in the world.." This is the quote on the Spier website, and believe you me they are right on the money!! With fabulous wines, a great picturesque setting and friendly knowledgeable staff, Spier is the best wine estate that I have visited to date. Spier wine estate is situated about 45 minutes drive out of Cape Town nestled between Stellenbosch and Somerset West. Either the N1 or N2 can be used to get their, after which you just follow the clearly marked road signs. Alternatively the Spier train runs on set dates monthly from Spier Monument Station in Cape Town to the Spier Estate; with return tickets costing just R100/R50 (£9/£4.50) per adult/child. Wine...

tomsox 10.05.2006 · Read review
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Review of Spier Wine Estate, Cape Town

Whine, whine and mmmmmm Wine !!

Advantages: Easy to drink with nearly anything
Disadvantages: One bottle is not enough !

...thanks for it (even though it is the best one you have cooked) !! Well this is a typical day for me and I like to unwind by packing son of to bed with a good book, banishing partner to the pub (hope they get a lock in) and locking the cat flap so the cat cannot get in !!! I then take a bottle of nicely chilled wine out of the fridge, uncork it and......aaahhhhhhhhh reeelax !!!! I do NOT profess to be a wine buff, however I do like my wine, in particular the cheaper brands. This is probably because my own palate is not honed to appreciate the finer wines (neither is my pocket). Over the years I have discovered that Californian and Australian white wines are preferable for me and my latest discovery is 'Echo Falls Californian White'. I have decided to write this after only 2 glasses, as , if I wait until after the 2nd bottle it would...

Averilla 15.03.2005 · Read review
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Review of Echo Falls Californian White Wine