What do you consider to be a 'Decent Bottle of Wine' ?

My choice would be Chateauneuf du pape.A good bottle can be bought for about£20 though they can go higher.

If you have a Waitrose or Majestic Wine near you, they will advise.
Waitrose have an extra special section, as do Sainsbury’s. Majestic Wine are very helpful.
Personally, when I need to repay a similar kindness I’d look at something around the £25 mark and possibly some flowers. It depends on the situation.

Majestic all the way. The staff are really friendly, helpful and knowledgeable and will be happy to put together a gift, maybe get one each of white and red? Also, it shows you have put a bit of thought into it rather than just popping a bottle in with your supermarket shopping! Their prices are comparable with supermarkets, but service far superior.

I would suggest a bottle in the £10-£20 range would give you a decent bottle. A lot of the price in a bottle is fixed, e.g. The tax paid on it, so proportionately, once these costs are taken into consideration, what is left is the wine itself, so the better the wine tends to be.
You could look in a supermarket or seek advice from a wine merchant, telling them you want a decent bottle within a given price range. Personally, I think New Zealand wines are a good option.

Good luck.

I really know nothing about wine even though I drink it most nights but you could ask one of the retailers for advice or look online for recommendations. Since I lost my sense of smell and taste anything red and alcoholic is fine for me usually in the £5 aisle 'hic'

I’m sure a bottle of champagne would not be sniffed at.

I was just going to say that. Champagne is always welcome! Shop around though. There's champers and champers...

If there's a Waitrose near you, the Wine Manager will be a font of knowledge and happy to help. The one in our local branch - who is French - delights in telling us what's coming up that we would like... often on Special Offer too !

His one lament, is that nobody ever asks for his advice !!

A good bottle of wine is one that I enjoy . If I was buying as a special gift I'd go to the £15-20 range. I know an elderly who used to be keen member of the wine society and knew his wines. Recently an Aldi opened near by and now he buys his wines from their top shelf and says they are as good as anything he bought through the wine society!

A good bottle of wine is one that doesn't set my teeth on edge.

Any one that makes me want another glass!

Bollinger...

As it would have cost you hundreds and you could afford it, then how about pushing the boat out a bit and have something sent from somewhere like Laithwaites or The Wine Society. they do a variety of wines in boxes of 12. we used to use them a lot when we lived in England.

Veuve Cliquot gold.

it is quite difficult to know what is mean't by a good bottle of wine. For example either whte or red, however much it is, if it is oaked I do not like it.

for white wine I like Oyster bay

www.oysterbaywines.com/

you can read about them here and get them at Majestic, Sainsbury or waitrose.

For red wines I like those that are described a fruity
www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/food-drink/wine/best-malbec-wines-from-argentina-under-20-30-top-good-new-zealand-french-a7664296.html

Good luck

French old world classics always.... St. Emilion, Chateauneuf-du-pape for reds then for whites: Chablis or Sancerre. My daughter is an expert, that’s her job and these she highly recommends.

Go back to the partner for advice. 'OK, the bottle of wine is a great idea! But I know nothing of wine. Educate me? ' No man could resist this!

If you have thirty odd quid to spare, a Nuits Saint Georges from the Les Plateaux vineyard. More modestly, there are some very good Riojas around, but wine is a matter of taste, and what suits one will taste foul to another.

You can pay a lot for Champagne and still get acidic rubbish, and many people don't like it anyway.

Waitrose is good. They have a separate section for their 'fine' wines and the staff are knowledgeable.

Having said that, we often go into Majestic and have a taste of what's open and buy if we like it. You are probably looking for something a bit more special than they usually have open.

I would ask the wine Manager in either Waitrose or M & S or possibly Sainsbury but a larger branch (smaller one s may not have their own wine manager) or if you have a Majestic nearby they will encourage you to the tasting bar!!!!
I'm sure your friend is not a snob like me but if she were she probably wouldn't be impressed by something from a discount supermarket. There you are you can all shout at me now.

Try Camel Valley and their sparkling wine - delicious.

Oh dearie me. After reading the above I really want a nice glass of something.

I think I'd check her preference for red or white. And, if it's white, ask her partner if she likes chardonnay or not. Lots of people are 'ABC' (inc me) - Anything But Chardonnay! She may like a NZ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Perhaps a bottle of sparkling wine too? As whitewave says, Camel Valley sparkling is fab.

And a box of chocolates from Hotel Chocolat?!

I would go for a bottle french Meursault - red or white - both are fabulous. And if you have a good local independent wine shop, get something from there rather than something from a supermarket or chain because it will make it seem even more special. Our local independent has a white Meursault at the moment at £34. not that I have been looking.

Whitewave, I too would vote for Camel Valley - the white Bacchus is nice. And it's interesting to have an english wine.