The last time I had a drink out of a test tube, I was in a dodgy club in Birmingham about nine years ago. I think it was Apple Sourz, and it contained more sugar and E-numbers than alcohol…
Flash forward to 2017, and I’m opening an expensive looking giftbox containing five over-sized 100ml test tubes filled with French wines from The Rhone, Bordeaux, Graves, Provence, and Burgundy.
If you want to try more expensive wines in the comfort of your own home, you’d usually have to fork out for a few bottles. But this is where Drinks in Tube comes in.
Back in 2007, French wine growers came up with the 100ml tube to enable tasting of their wines. The Hampshire-based Drinks in Tube team came across the idea in 2014, and they’ve developed the business from there, selling wines and spirits in handy taster packs.
As well as wines, they’ve expanded to gins, rums, cognacs, vodkas, and spirit-filled Christmas crackers. Most of the sets are around the £30 mark, but some of the spirits sets cost from £20 for three tubes.
If you’re struggling for present ideas for friends or family who want to learn a bit more about wine, they’re a bit different from the usual standard bottle of vino. The packaging looks expensive and high quality, and in each set, you get tasting notes and information on each wine.
My wine box contained: Crozes Hermitage Domaine Habrard; Saint Emilion Grand Cru Chateau Coutet; Sauternes La Perle d’Arche; Cotes de Provence Rose Chateau de Saint-Martin; and Chablis Premier Cru ‘Montmains’ Domaine du Chardonnay.
Both the reds were really full-bodied and rich – absolutely my kind of wines – and I made sure to have them with a proper French cheeseboard. Naturally.
The Chablis Premier Cru was my favourite, and the one I was most disappointed about only having 100ml to try! It’s full and creamy and rich and packed with stone fruit. I also really enjoyed the sticky sweet caramel deliciousness of the Sauternes. But when don’t I enjoy a Sauternes? I was most disappointed in the Rose. For me it just didn’t really have anything to it. It’s described as ‘delicate’, but I felt it just disappeared on the palate. One out of five ain't bad going though!
Both the reds were really full-bodied and rich – absolutely my kind of wines – and I made sure to have them with a proper French cheeseboard. Naturally.
The Chablis Premier Cru was my favourite, and the one I was most disappointed about only having 100ml to try! It’s full and creamy and rich and packed with stone fruit. I also really enjoyed the sticky sweet caramel deliciousness of the Sauternes. But when don’t I enjoy a Sauternes? I was most disappointed in the Rose. For me it just didn’t really have anything to it. It’s described as ‘delicate’, but I felt it just disappeared on the palate. One out of five ain't bad going though!
I think most people would be happy to receive one of these sets as a present for any occasion. They'll certainly change opinions about drinks in test tubes, anyway.
Drinks in Tube sent me a wine set to review, but as ever, my opinions are my own.
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