{"id":63,"date":"2012-06-03T21:20:39","date_gmt":"2012-06-03T20:20:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.northeastwine.org.uk\/Blog\/?p=63"},"modified":"2012-06-03T21:24:51","modified_gmt":"2012-06-03T20:24:51","slug":"wine-buying-in-the-north-east-makro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northeastwine.org.uk\/Blog\/wine-buying-in-the-north-east-makro\/","title":{"rendered":"Wine Buying in the North East – Makro"},"content":{"rendered":"

I don\u2019t shop at Makro often, 2 or 3 times a year on average, but whenever I do I enjoy spending a little time delving into their wine section because there\u2019s usually several hidden gems amongst the cases of big brand quaffers. This time round I returned to the store in Washington<\/a> within a month of my last visit because of some wine I noticed when I was there but wasn\u2019t confident enough to buy without doing a little research first.<\/p>\n

As a bit of background \"\"<\/a>Makro is a UK Warehouse club, a \u201cCash & Carry\u201d like Costco, where to join you have to run a business or be \u201cauthorised to purchase on behalf of the business<\/em>\u201d (luckily for me my other half meets those requirements!). The Washington store is on the Wear Industrial Estate a couple of junctions off the A1 Washington Services and opened in 1973, the 4th<\/sup> store to open since the group was first founded in 1971 (it now has 30 stores across the country). Up until this month it was part of the International Metro group but looks like it has just been sold to UK Food & Drinks wholesaler Booker<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Makro proclaims itself<\/a> as \u201cone of the UK\u2019s leading wine suppliers<\/em>\u201d with \u201can eclectic selection of fine and rare wine from independent vineyards.<\/em>\u201d Definitely their general Fine Wine selection<\/a> (by the bottle purchase) is worth a look, but for me there\u2019s always something unusual or unexpected in the single-bottle Bins. Over the last few years I\u2019ve noticed a large selection of obscure Italian Appellations and grape varieties (Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio, Greco di Tufo, Cannonau di Sardegna, Morellino di Scansano amongst others) and old Australian vintages, particularly from the Yalumba range<\/a> \u2013 a very reliable producer and \u201cAustralia\u2019s oldest family owned winery<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Up until now the best wines I\u2019ve tasted from the store were Penfolds 1997 St. Henri Shiraz (bought in 2010 for \u00a326.50) and Miguel Torres 2001 Manso de Velasco Viejas Vinas (2009, \u00a317.50) with the 2006 Crios de Susana Balbo Torront\u00e9s being the best value for money (2008, \u00a37.50). Still biding their time in my collection (and hopefully improving with age) are a 1993 6 Puttonyos Tokaji Asz\u00fa \u00a0(2007, \u00a321 \u2013 but still available in store and supposedly one of the best Tokaji vintages in memory) and a Masi Costasera 2001 Amarone Classico (2007, \u00a321.70). To be fair I\u2019ve had some disappointing ones as well, typically Italians that have been left on the shelf too long, but isn\u2019t that part of the fun of bargain hunting?<\/p>\n

On my earlier visit to the store this year I couldn\u2019t resist picking up a Brown Brothers 2002 Orange Muscat & Flora for \u00a36.30, 3 bottles of the Crios de Susana Balbo 2008 Torront\u00e9s for \u00a33 each (hiding behind decidedly brown looking bottles of the 2006 vintage which I didn\u2019t feel lucky about!) and a lone bottle of E. Guigal 2003 Brune et Blonde C\u00f4te-R\u00f4tie for \u00a37.20 (yes, that\u2019s right, \u00a37.20 for what looks to be a classic and long-living Northern Rh\u00f4ne red \u2013 if only they\u2019d had more!).<\/p>\n

However, it was their mature Bordeaux that caught my eye as I\u2019m giving a tasting later in the year to the NEWTS, prompting me to take a few snaps on my phone for research back home. After some digging it looks like most of it is past its best, except for one 1998 from the M\u00e9doc which I bought but won\u2019t mention by name (in case any NEWTS read this ahead of the tasting) – suffice to say it looks like it should be a classic example of a mature Bordeaux, albeit at a higher price than you can find through on-line specialist suppliers.<\/p>\n

Although the Bordeaux was the reason I went back to Makro this weekend I found that a new batch of wine had appeared, even though it was just under a month from the first visit. I grabbed the bottles I was after and took a few more photos of the rest to look up when I got home. So for those of you who have a Makro membership card (or can blag a visit with a friend who does) here is my summary of what\u2019s on the shelves right now worth thinking about (prices including VAT);<\/p>\n