Things I STILL don't like about England

Crikey, haven't seen Colombard Chardonnay since I can't remember when. And I am Australian! We spent a month in London recently, and I don't recall having a bad wine. And wine is our tipple of choice.

you should have had the pinot grigio, pubs always have it these days and it is usually reliable. i don't much like french whites and would rather have italian any day. i have also had some realy good english wines last few trips. my mum brought me over some red which i was expecting to be awful and it was lovely.

Have admired one South African vineyard's sense of humor: Goats Do Roam!

Yes not far at all.

OK will keep an eye out for it, we are staying with my parents up North but will be passing around Kingswood to visit my aunt & uncle and it looks pretty close to there.

If you get a chance Tracy, pick up some Denbies wine - we used to live next to the vineyard and it was excellent. There was another small vineyard nearby - (Thorncroft I think?) and that was also very good and slightly cheaper as not so well known.

I remember some friends of mine refusing a bottle of wine that had been opened before it was brought to the table, they took it away and a few minutes later brought the same bottle back with the cork stuffed back in, the waiter then proceeded to attempt to reopen it whilst they looked on aghast.They left.

Wine and England in the same sentence if pub is introduced is like asking for marmite sandwiches in Bordeaux... Does work. I used to go to pubs and also restaurants that allowed or encouraged taking your own wine.

My worst recollection in a pub ever was asking for a Montepulciano from a list and then getting a Monte la Reina already opened by the time it arrived at the table. Well, to ask for Italian and then get Spanish prompted me to ask whether if they had risotto on the menu did they serve paella instead? The barman looked dumbstruck and my OH said let's go somewhere else, which is what we did.

That is so true of buying wine in the pub in England. You ask for a glass of wine and get offered red or white. They then proceed to fill the glass to the brim so you can not even attempt to let the wine breath. We are planning on spending Christmas there this year for the first time in ten years - taking the kids to pantomimes and so on. We will be driving there loaded up with wine of varying qualities, for various relatives but fully intend to drink cider and bitters whilst over there and bringing a fair amount back with us.