# Bad Wine - can it be returned?



## Mark A (21 Feb 2013)

I thought I'd buy a "nicer" bottle of red for the family while in Tesco earlier this week, but because I'm not a wine connoisseur I ended up looking at the prices. I settled for a £12.79 one, so not the most expensive but better than the brick cleaner the local Nisa stocks (or so I thought). Upon opening it tastes very acidic, similar to the £3 rubbish I refuse to buy. It's so bad it's undrinkable.

Is there a particular reason for this, and would I be able to return it to Tesco? (I poured two glasses but they've hardly been touched) If not then it's literally going down the drain.

This is it - Saint Vigni Chateauneuf du Pape. No hints of spice or chocolate, just an overpoweringly acidic taste.

Thanks,
Mark


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## Russell (21 Feb 2013)

Pour the glasses back in the bottle and take it back, I would give it a go they can only say sorry go away but hedging my bets I think tesco would at least replace it with the same or different bottle you may have a rogue there.


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## Jonzjob (21 Feb 2013)

When ever I open a bottle of wine I immediatly smell the cork. You can very soon tell just from that what condition the wine is, but unfortunately it is too late to do that now Mark. I too would take it back. s Russel said, the worst answer you can get is no way mate.

You could always tell them that it ruined your meal of their horse burgers :roll: :roll: 

Seriously though, a wine at that sort of price shouldn't be acid enough to put you off, but it could be a bad cork. We get them here too but not very often. Is it a bit vinagery?

"Tescos Tasting Notes
Fresh red fruits with spice and hints of chocolate."

It don't sound like that from what you said!!

Edit : - I meant to say. See if you can find an AOC Minervois and you will be drinking a glass full of sunshine, just like what's produced all around us 8) 8)


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## Phil Pascoe (21 Feb 2013)

Tesco tend to replace without question, just take it back.
John - they still use corks in your part of the world? I haven't bought French wine since 1980 - a purely political decision, they don't like our exports so I don't buy theirs.


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## RogerS (21 Feb 2013)

Screw caps here!


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## pip1954 (21 Feb 2013)

hi, 
take it back, on the telly a while back they where talking about counterfeit drink and mentioned it has also been found in tesco stores believed to have been mixed in along the distribution route labeled as good wine someone had been mixing it with other bottles in cases on normal pallets among good wine, tesco denied it but they had it tested and was made of all kinds of rubbish.


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## No skills (21 Feb 2013)

Not wine specific but generally the larger food retailers will at least replace an item not up to scratch if you approach them in a civil manner, storming up to the desk and giving the staff a load of verbal will not help usually - then they will start being picky.. wheres the receipt.. why didnt you bring it back earlier etc etc.


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## Phil Pascoe (21 Feb 2013)

I've always found Tesco very good for replacing things, despite their bad name. There's only one thing the British hate more than failure, and that's success.


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## No skills (21 Feb 2013)

So true.


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## stevebuk (21 Feb 2013)

i had exactly the same bottle bought me from the wife, i expected a lovely taste but instead it was worse than the cheap brands of weasel water they usually sell, i will stick to my merlot any day..


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## Mark A (22 Feb 2013)

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I tried phoning Tesco this evening but the customer service desk was closed so I'll call in tomorrow. 



stevebuk":2nlz9bv4 said:


> i had exactly the same bottle bought me from the wife, i expected a lovely taste but instead it was worse than the cheap brands of weasel water they usually sell, i will stick to my merlot any day..


 It's interesting that you thought the same. What did you do with it?

Cheers,
Mark


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## Sawyer (22 Feb 2013)

Remember you have Statutory rights, _inter alia_, that the product must comply with its description and be of 'merchantable quality'. A well-known quality wine which is undrinkable fails both of these tests spectacularly. 8) 
You pay a lot for wine in the UK and are entitled to expect a reasonable product.

My experience has always been that British supermarkets will replace or refund in such cases. If the person at the desk looks dubious, invite them to taste it for themselves.


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## Jonzjob (22 Feb 2013)

phil.p":3dicp5r4 said:


> Tesco tend to replace without question, just take it back.
> John - they still use corks in your part of the world? I haven't bought French wine since 1980 - a purely political decision, they don't like our exports so I don't buy theirs.



I think that you will find that a lot has changed Phil. You can't go into to very many shops that don't have stuff in there without the Union Flag on it these days. From coffee tables to bedding and biscuit boxes. M&S have just reopened a couple of stores up north and can't get enough kit to satisfy demand.

My old lady would never buy French for the same reason and didn't even like it when I came over here on holls.

As for merlot, I haven't had any since I started the course of antibiotics on Monday :mrgreen: One of our friends is a loca producer and makes a really nice merlot. Lots of others too. His wife has asked me if I wuld like to display some of my wood in the brand new tasting room they have just opened too.

Sorry to hijack for a mo, but this is our neighbour, about a km away. Have a look at 'About', some of the comments and Henri's replys http://www.nakedwines.com/winemakers/henri-forest.htm . I don't think that I have ever seen him without a big grin on his face?


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## spinks (22 Feb 2013)

Hmmmm Chateau Neuf Du Pape is normally a nice smoothe wine, we have 2 bottles in out rack aging nicely, maybe it was a bad batch or something but it should be silky smoothe as it slips gently down your throat!! Take it back and get your money back....and if you want a nice smoothe wine that doesnt cost the earth you can't go wrong with a "gallo" zinfadel, turning leaf (about 8 quid)...make sure you have the turning leaf and not the ordinary zinfadel as its from a more mature grape and infinately more pallatable!!!


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## Harbo (22 Feb 2013)

Chateau N D P is a powerful wine and I think at 2011 is really too young to drink?
However it should not taste acidic - pour it back and return it - shops don't think highly of complainers who have consumed most of it then taken the leavings back! 

Rod


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## stevebuk (22 Feb 2013)

i actually threw it away, never thought about taking it back, still i have got a free bottle of the red coming on monday..8)


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## adidat (22 Feb 2013)

i dont like wine, i want to like it but....

adidat


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## No skills (22 Feb 2013)

adidat":3i3inv54 said:


> i dont like wine, i want to like it but....
> 
> adidat



Dont do it, think of all the tools and wood you could buy if you didnt drink it.


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## No skills (22 Feb 2013)

Thinking about it wine is still better value for money than drugs, at least when you finish the wine you have an empty bottle you can use.


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## adidat (22 Feb 2013)

No skills":g7pkaeat said:


> adidat":g7pkaeat said:
> 
> 
> > i dont like wine, i want to like it but....
> ...



i make up with for it by drinking cider!

adidat


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## Random Orbital Bob (22 Feb 2013)

Tesco will definitely take it back. They can't risk their reputation. I bought a chiminea from them last year and it cracked on first firing despite carefully running it in etc

I took literally a pile of ash covered pot shards back with no receipt and they refunded me. 

Having a club card account probably helped

But you could see it was a policy decision. As long as the complaint is credible, their more than reasonable. I'm pretty impressed with the modern tesco actually. They're a far cry from the old style shops


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## Mark A (22 Feb 2013)

Thanks for the advice guys.

I called in to Tesco this evening and explained to the customer service lady that the wine was undrinkable and she let me exchange it, even though I didn't keep the receipt (who does?) I swapped it for Plantagenet The Lioness Pinot Noir as it was the only other red for about the same price. We haven't opened it yet but hopefully it'll be okay.

On the subject of cider, I quite like Henneys and the Tesco Finest Organic Pear variety. 

Mark


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## adidat (22 Feb 2013)

my current favourite!







adidat


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## Jake (23 Feb 2013)

I bet this is the usual bullshit supermarket trick. Sainsbury's and Tescos are the worst at it. They "sell" wines for silly prices and then do "special offers" which are half-price and ordinary value. If you get caught with a bottle at full price, you get charged twice what it is worth. Saint Vigni is a low end brand which Tescos seem to have picked up (or invented). The Cotes du Rhone is almost drinkable cheapo at a half-price fiver, then they sell it for nearly a tenner at which price it is stupid. It is not a name I have seen on a Chateauneuf bottle, but I would not trust it - as with all the other Rhone crus there are a few great vineyards, and then a whole load of tiny little plots with very variable land stewardship and a whole of load of negociants who like the stand-out price they can get over and above an ordinary Cotes-du-Rhone. Call me cynical, but I reckon if you tallied up the world's annual supply of Chateauneuf, Crozes-Hermitage, Gigondas etc it would probably take quite a lot more of the Rhone valley's vineyards to fill all the bottles than can actually be found in those villages. I bet the Saint Vigni Chateauneuf is sold at 7.99 or something or other soon enough, then rotated, etc.


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## Sawyer (23 Feb 2013)

Speaking of marketing baloney, what does 'premium' (as an adjective to wine, beer &c) mean? (hammer) 
I know what we're _supposed_ to think, but often find that 'premium' products are far from being the best of their type.
In plain English, 'premium' in fact just seems to mean 'pricey'

A bit like 30 years ago when everything was 'luxury' !


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## Jonzjob (23 Feb 2013)

I'm glad that we can just pop down to our village shop and buy local wines, or stop at a local roundabout and buy and have a chat with the producer, or call into the various chateaux and taste before buying. It gets around all, or most, of the pitfalls, init already :mrgreen: 

If any of you are concidering moving over then I would recommend going to Dordoigneshire 'cause we don't want our bit clogged up with ex-pats :twisted: And you can still get some OK wine up there too.

Jake, I have done a search on that Saint Vigni that you mentioned and there isn't any mention of it anywhere on the French sites either? The only place I can find is Tescos. If they are only selling to that place then all I can say is good luck when the plug is pulled by the buyer!


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## Jacob (23 Feb 2013)

We often intend to return dud bottles of wine but usually find that we have drunk it all. Am empty bottle is _so_ unconvincing!


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## Jonzjob (23 Feb 2013)

They can't have been that 'dud' then Jacob?? :mrgreen:


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## Jacob (23 Feb 2013)

That's what they say in the shop! We explain that we had to force it down but it's unconvincing.


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## Jonzjob (23 Feb 2013)

Unconvincing? The wine, or you :twisted: :twisted:


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## Jake (23 Feb 2013)

Jonzjob":3ng981fu said:


> Jake, I have done a search on that Saint Vigni that you mentioned and there isn't any mention of it anywhere on the French sites either? The only place I can find is Tescos. If they are only selling to that place then all I can say is good luck when the plug is pulled by the buyer!



The supermarkets here are increasingly buying by tanker and bottling it themselves. At a guess, this is one of those brands.


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## Phil Pascoe (23 Feb 2013)

Many years ago, the amount of Chianti sold in this country alone was six times Chianti's total output - mind there was possibly even more fraud then. One of the largest thefts ever was something like 2.3 million litres of wine (it may well have been Chianti) stolen..........overnight! It was reckoned that it would have taken about forty tankers working all night to shift it, and no one saw or heard anything. It was a tax fraud.
With regards the C. N. de P. - it wouldn't be one vineyard selling exclusively to Tesco, it would be Tesco's buyers (and the others are no different) buying in bulk here there and everywhere (in that area), shipping in bulk and blending in this country - everything is done to a price. There is a sauv. blanc that is advertised regularly at half price - the stuff isn't worth anything like the full price, and the place of origin doesn't exist. If anything is shipped in bulk, it probably isn't up to too much. They tend to security tag anything over a tenner, so if you see something with a tag on it for £5, £6, £7 - it's probably a more genuine reduction.


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## doorframe (24 Feb 2013)

What are all these fancy wines you all keep mentioning? 

Here in Basildon it's Blue Nun or Black Tower. One bottle each. Innit!


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## Racers (24 Feb 2013)

Never had a bad bottle of Thunderbird :shock: :wink: 

Pete


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## Jonzjob (24 Feb 2013)

I should think not!

Thunderbirds are GO :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K9rVRuehGU


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## No skills (24 Feb 2013)

doorframe":3r1ykpxh said:


> What are all these fancy wines you all keep mentioning?
> 
> Here in Basildon it's Blue Nun or Black Tower. One bottle each. Innit!



Or if your feeling very exotic - Liebfraumilch!


Over in my part of hell I'm not sure what they drink - probably methylated spirits with red meat and turpentine for fish.

Joking of course.

:?:


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## Jake (24 Feb 2013)

phil.p":e965fy7g said:


> They tend to security tag anything over a tenner, so if you see something with a tag on it for £5, £6, £7 - it's probably a more genuine reduction.



In my experience, they are cute to this perception.


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## Phil Pascoe (24 Feb 2013)

My local one doesn't seem to be - the ones I've seen have only dropped in price once or twice a year. Some of the other "half price"s are marked down every three or four weeks.


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