You’ll have noticed that things have been a little quiet on here since Christmas. Just been snowed under with all sorts of stuff. Still, you can follow what we’re doing by following us on West Mount Wine Twitter or by looking us up on Facebook.

It also makes a lot of sense to check our On-line Wine Merchant pages for great offers and fantastic wines for every occasion.

Or alternatively why not book a Wine Tasting Event where you can enjoy learning about wine in a fun and relaxed environment.

I promise we’ll be back blogging soon.

Things have been very busy over the last couple of weeks here at West Mount Wine. It looks as though Christmas started late this year though. Last year, November was really busy and it became a little quieter in December. This year looks like it’s the other way around.

Still, there’s time to order from our great range of wines. The last order date for Christmas will be 14:00 on Tuesday 22nd december 2009. Be quick….!

‘Tis the season to be jolly…  And it’s also the season when all the supermarkets start discounting Champagne for the Christmas period. Some of these bottles can be snapped up for less than £10.

Cheap Champagne - not enough fizz?

But what can you expect when you get the bottle home, nicely chilled and with a thirsty group of friends and family waiting in anticipation to sample the elegant bubbles within?

Read on to find out more

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The Government last week announced that they have underestimated the number of calories we can consume in a day by up to 16%. That could allow up to another 400 calories per day for a reasonably active man.

We all know that wine contains calories. But how many and is it responsible for all too often seeing sights like this on British high streets?

Another “Wardrobe Malfunction” at West Mount Wine                                    

But what do these precious 400 calories mean to the dedicated wine drinker?

Well, I’ll let you do the sums for yourself, but to calculate the number of calories the following formula comes in handy:

% ABV of wine x size of glass in ml x 0.054 = Approximate number of calories

So, for example:

13% alcohol x 125 ml glass x 0.054 = c. 88 calories.

We can therefore expect up to four small glasses of Aussie Shiraz extra per day to use up our new calorie intake. Oh, but this would be 7 units of alcohol – and that would be binge drinking.  So, not only can we expect our waistline to expand, but our liver to deteriorate too.  

Ah well, all the more reason to maintain the moderate drinking. It makes sense.

Or better still, drink something low alcohol, like these gems:

Dr Loosen Berkasteller Lay Riesling Kabinett 2008 - 54 Calories per 125 ml glass

Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett 2008 - 61 Calories per 125 ml glass

It made Oz Clarke and Gilly Goulden famous and spawned many a series where we watch people drinking wine on TV.

Wine Tasting is a practical pursuit

There’s even a whole TV channel dedicated to it for goodness sake. Wine tasting on TV – what is the point in that?

Read on to find out more  Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a reasonably well known fact that restaurants mark-up wine. And their mark up will vary considerably, but will usually be at least 200% if not more like 300%. Some even go beyond this – sometimes as far as 450%.

We all know the arguments (staff, glassware, investment in a cellar, etc.). However, have you ever wondered why you can rarely find your favourite supermarket wine on the wine list of your local restaurant?  Well maybe you can, you just don’t realise it. Read on to find out more… Read the rest of this entry »

A simple question you would have thought? We go to the supermarket or preferably our local wine merchant and buy some bottles. We open it up and drink the alcoholic white, pink or red liquid inside and generally enjoy it very much.

We all know wine is made from grapes, but what about elderflower wine? And what about non-alcoholic wine? Are these products really wine?

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We’re often asked how many units of alcohol are in a particular drink. You’ll be pleased to hear that it’s straightforward enough to calculate.

Multiply the alcohol by volume (abv) by the volume of drink in litres (one standard bottle of wine would be 0.75 litres for example, a standard glass would be 0.125, etc).

So, for example, drinking one glass of wine at 13.5% alcohol would be 0.125 x 13.5 = 1.7 units.

Or, a whole bottle of wine at 14% would be 0.75 x 14 = 10.5 units.

Or a pint of beer (0.568 litres) at 4.5% = 2.6 units.

Easy and really, really helpful…

And please don’t forget the Government’s recommended maximum limit is 3 -4 units per day for men and 2 – 3 units per day for women. And in some circumstances such as driving, operating machinery and pregnancy, it is better not to drink at all.

Deep golden colour with amber highlights. A pronounced honeyed nose of Seville marmalade, almonds, citrus and honey. Hugely complex and enticing. The palate is rich and sweet with marmalade, honey and complex, nutty undertones. The very well balanced acidity sets off a long and complex finish. Drinking well now but certainly has 5 to 10 more years in it, when it will gain more complexity. Good to very good, 18.

Fixed costs such as duty, shipping and bottles account for a considerable proportion of the price of a bottle of wine in the UK. There are considerable variable costs too, such as VAT and wholesale and retail margins, not forgetting the cost of actually growing the grapes. A really good question was recently asked at a wine tasting event; “what is the optimum price of a bottle of wine”?

This got us thinking and we have applied the vast resources of the West Mount Research Labs to answer that very question. The answer is £19.99, but read on to see how we reached that conclusion…

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