Important things - like Wine & beer

[Sailfree]

As a person who occassionally sips a glass of wine you may find the following of use.

In Carrifour (sorry spelling) supermarket complex there is a wine/beer shop that is now owned by Majestic Wines. They are on the majestic Website France showing the French price and comparing it to the UK discount price.

If you turn up and buy (I think £90) they will provide a Taxi to the top of the visitors Pontoon (you cart it down the pontoon yourself)

If you pre-order - you still only pay when you collect BUT you will be entitled to a further discount of IIRC £30 for £300 spent and £90 for £800 spent. So combine you and your crews orders, pre -order on the internet and collect in Cherbourg.

Next tip - if you pay by credit card you are charged in Euros but if you pay by UK cheque or or cash they charge in £ but with a favourable exchange rate (currently 1.20 Euro =£1).

Say Roger sent you and ask for a Taxi at the end and if you buy enough they will throw in , wine discount, further cash discount, favourable exchange rate and the Taxi!!

They are cautious about people sampling the wines as it has been know for some UK people to get a bit drunk and leave saying they will be back but if you pack a trolley (1 Euro deposit) first with what you are certain to buy they recognise you are a serious buyer and will helpfully open the odd additional bottles so that you can decide whether to buy more.

Hope this helps.

On one rough return trip my friends daughter fell out of the top bunk but luckily she did not hurt herself as the wine boxes were stacked up to within a few inches of the top bunk!

 

[Poignard]

Normandy Wines

I always buy from Normandy Wines, in Cherbourg. They offer quantity discounts and deliver it to the boat. They also let you sample the wine. On one occasion, after ordering the wine and having a good lunch, I went to see a film about Eric Tabarly and fell asleep in the cinema. I returned long after the appointed delivery time and found all the wine boxes neatly stacked in the cockpit.

 

[DJE]

As a person who occassionally sips a glass of wine you may find the following of use.

In Carrifour (sorry spelling) supermarket complex there is a wine/beer shop that is now owned by Majestic Wines. They are on the majestic Website France showing the French price and comparing it to the UK discount price.

If you turn up and buy (I think £90) they will provide a Taxi to the top of the visitors Pontoon (you cart it down the pontoon yourself)

If you pre-order - you still only pay when you collect BUT you will be entitled to a further discount of IIRC £30 for £300 spent and £90 for £800 spent. So combine you and your crews orders, pre -order on the internet and collect in Cherbourg.

Next tip - if you pay by credit card you are charged in Euros but if you pay by UK cheque or or cash they charge in £ but with a favourable exchange rate (currently 1.20 Euro =£1).

Say Roger sent you and ask for a Taxi at the end and if you buy enough they will throw in , wine discount, further cash discount, favourable exchange rate and the Taxi!!

They are cautious about people sampling the wines as it has been know for some UK people to get a bit drunk and leave saying they will be back but if you pack a trolley (1 Euro deposit) first with what you are certain to buy they recognise you are a serious buyer and will helpfully open the odd additional bottles so that you can decide whether to buy more.

Hope this helps.

On one rough return trip my friends daughter fell out of the top bunk but luckily she did not hurt herself as the wine boxes were stacked up to within a few inches of the top bunk!

Don't stop there Roger, recommend a few decent bottles too!

 

[Sailfree]

I always buy from Normandy Wines, in Cherbourg. They offer quantity discounts and deliver it to the boat. They also let you sample the wine. On one occasion, after ordering the wine and having a good lunch, I went to see a film about Eric Tabarly and fell asleep in the cinema. I returned long after the appointed delivery time and found all the wine boxes neatly stacked in the cockpit.

I always used to use Normandy wines and yes their delivery service is better and to the boat not just by Taxi to the Pontoon Access Walkway BUT Normandy wines mostly stock French Wines while Majestic stock both a few French and lots of New World Wines.

I have found both Normandy Wines & Majestic can be cautious over wine tasting until they know you are intending to purchase not just seeking a freebee drinking session!!

I find my taste buds prefer New World Wines these days hence my choice of Majestic.

I will make my recommendations only once my order is in and accepted !!!

 

[bedouin]

I also tend to like Normandy wines - they tend to have much better value French wines (which is what I go to France to buy ) But I do use Majestic in UK so I will probably check their catalogue / web site before setting off.

 

[Sans Bateau]

We always go to the cave at the back of the car park behind Cafe de Paris, good selection, at reasonable prices, and we always get a lift, with wine back to the boat. I still have to go to Carrefour to get multiple packs of Cambras for mid week quaffing!

I hear some people like to buy new world wine in France. Lets just hope the gendamerie, the douane and mostly the fishing fleets dont get know of this sacrilege!

 

[bedouin]

We always go to the cave at the back of the car park behind Cafe de Paris, good selection, at reasonable prices, and we always get a lift, with wine back to the boat. I still have to go to Carrefour to get multiple packs of Cambras for mid week quaffing!

Is that the place that has held tastings for us on a number of previous trips?

If so then their selection is stunning - and completely daunting A huge range of wines with no realistic way of telling one from the other.

 

[Sans Bateau]

Sorry, couldnt say I have not attended a SB wine tasting event.

 

[duncan]

Sorry, couldnt say I have not attended a SB wine tasting event.

I have - but couldn't say either due to strange memory loss....

 

[bedouin]

Just been looking at the Majestic details and they do seem strangely tempting - but it seems silly to go all the way to France to buy exactly the same wine, from exactly the same chain as I can do 5 miles down the road

 

[Sailfree]

Just been looking at the Majestic details and they do seem strangely tempting - but it seems silly to go all the way to France to buy exactly the same wine, from exactly the same chain as I can do 5 miles down the road

Not when you save approx £1.30 per bottle plus £90 if you spend enough. It also means you can buy larger quantities of a wine that you have already sampled in the UK and know its good.

one of my crew said he had to go back after last year to complain - complain that he had not bought enough!!

My aim in life is to spend everything I have and die owing the banks £1m but in the meantime I try to make it go as far as I can!!

 

[bedouin]

I think Majestic are an expensive source of wine in the UK - although I do use them. Their latest offers say that you save at least £2 per bottle when bought in France compared with their best UK price - not all of that is duty!

Quite whether I am going to get even to the lowest level of the "preorder" is a different matter. My usual target for these trips is about 6-8 cases. In the good old days that was about £100 but it's gone up a bit since then

 

[Sans Bateau]

I only buy French wine unless its a M&S dine in for two! I have not bought wine in the UK for about 10 years now.