​Saving money with sensational wine

Don’t be fooled. Check your bank balance. It’s even worse than you feared, isn’t it? Nil desperandum- your old friend, Raymond Gleug, is here to ensure that you can have a few jars this weekend without having to sign into the Poor House on Monday morning.

I’m in a very privileged position insofar as I get sent lots of wine which I can drink for free by people who are hoping that maybe, just maybe, I might give them a little nod in my esteemed column. And yes, applying for my job is definitely one way to save a few bob on the vino but it’s not really free wine, is it? Think how long it must have taken me to craft these two paragraphs, measure it against the minimum wage and then ask yourself, how much do I value my time? On which note, boss, perhaps it’s time to revisit my renumeration package. Enough about my problems, even I don’t want to hear about my problems. Ultimately, tipplers, I work for you. And I do it for love.

Late last year I was sent a “free” bottle of the rich, satisfying 2022 Alma da Finha Douro (currently reduced to £5.79 from £7.29 at Lidl with their app). Ripe, muscular plum and blackberry flavours are enlivened by backnotes of black pepper and allspice while generous strands of creamy vanilla heighten its sense of luxury. At the reduced price, it’s a fabulous bargain. I served mine to my darling wife, the illustrious Madame G., last Sunday with an extravagantly flavoursome, spicy chorizo, cauliflower and chickpea stew. A real Winter warmer. Boy, did she enjoy it!

Another way to avoid damaging your bank balance is to get invited out for freebies as I did last weekend- going to the SSE Arena to watch the Belfast Giants in the Heineken Green Lounge with a free buffet and bar which involved drinking copious amounts of vibrantly aromatic and gloriously refreshing Birra Moretti before moving on to a Chilean red whose name I have forgotten. What I haven’t forgotten however is how my Madame’s Heineken Zero tasted as good as the real thing. It had all the characteristic fruity notes of original Heineken with a softer palate and a smooth malty body- one surefire way of saving money is to avoid the devil’s buttermilk if you can. Won’t harm the waistline either- only 69 calories per bottle.

Lovers of white, save some dosh by splashing out on the zingy, zesty and gloriously refreshing 2022 Mad Fish Sauvignon Blanc (reduced to £8 from £10 at Tesco with Clubcard). This elegant, delicately scented drop has an impressively floral bouquet which leads to a lively, mineral-rich palate with pronounced notes of apple and elderflower before a brief, discreetly acidic finish.

Which is where I must finish today with the hope that my ramblings don’t inspire you, Yosser Hughes style, to think “I could do that” and take my place in the VIP Lounge. Just remember, Yosser, it’s barely minimum wage. Till next week, tipplers, sante!