What are you drinking tonight 2024.

531Man said:

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This morning a coffee on DFDS ferry to Calais for a pre Christmas wine buying trip.
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Preprandial Chimay Biere Blonde in a little town restaurant in Marck, just outside Calais.
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Then it's Alsace Pinot Noir with local smoked salmon starter.
Both amazingly tasty.
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The it's another glass of red with the in-house Flanders speciality Potscheuelsh, salad and the thinnest of chips imaginable.
Suffice to say also top flavours.
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Then SWMBO'D followed with a serve-yourself pears in spiced red wine.
I tried some, the tastiest poached pear I never had.
I just had a coffee (not shown).
I then tasted a few (few too many) in the Calais wine superstore.
Obviously no photos there either!
A little sleepy now.

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Donegal john said:

What’s your wine allowance now after brexit ?

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531Man said:

As of 2021 (when even the conversion of the Champagne +/spirits allowance to still wine, permitting an extra 9 litres was removed by HM Gov.),
it's now only 18 litres wine per person.
That's 24 bottles of 750ml each.
The only thing that make it remotely financially viable now is the vat reclaim systems operated by Global Blue or Skiptax.
'Pablo' terminals for the scanning of vat reclaim barcodes when leaving France are at all Channel ports / shuttle sites.
Oh, and 42 litres beer!

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Druss said:

I'm not usually much of a cider guy, but these were on offer in Tesco.

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Not bad, a bit chemical tasting.

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Nice enough, not amazing though.

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A bit sickly, sort of like liquified boiled sweets.

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Probably the best of the bunch, tastes more like an alcopop that a cider.

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Donegal john said:

I like an odd cider but not that kind of offering. I would assume it’s all artificial flavouring and colouring that’s used in them.
Did you drink all of them or just a taste then drain pour them ?

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dad_of_jon said:

Can't say exactly what I've been up to in the last few months.

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Donegal john said:

Are you a spy ??

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Druss said:

Yeh, they're all very artificial tasting, not terrible but not really what I would call 'cider'.

They were cheap enough that I got a four pack of each flavour and I'm cheap enough (and/or borderline alcoholic enough ) to drink the lot.

They're only something like 3.4% ABV though so it's not gut rot, just tastes like slightly boozy pop.

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Hazelwood Brewery said:

He can’t answer that

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Donegal john said:

Are you a spy ??

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Clint said:

Can't remember?

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Clint said:

Most of that.

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Donegal john said:

He could if you let him

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