Hock a Doodle Doo! (Tesco, Hock)

Member Name: Blurbubble

Product:	Tesco, Hock
Date:	06/03/02 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good price, a classic

Disadvantages: May be too sweet for some tastes

Ah, time for another wine review! Of course, I hardly ever touch the stuff really, it's all in the name of research.. ;o)

This time? The item under scrutiny is Tesco's Hock. As usual I have bought the large 3 litre box full of the stuff for about £7.50 but it is also available in standard (75cl) and large bottle sizes and is reasonably priced too - about £3.00 for the standard bottle. They've certainly spared every expense on the box design anyway! It looks a little cheap, admittedly, in simple brown and beige colours with a small castle on it but the contents are much nicer.

Again this white wine is firmly on the sweet side of the tracks, a little sweeter than I normally like being a medium white drinker normally but it is very pleasant and drinkable. If anything I find it goes down rather quickly like a sweet soft drink would (hic)!

It is described on the box as "medium sweet full-flavoured white wine with a rich fruity flavour". I would argue that it is a little more than medium sweet although it is fruity and the aroma is very sweet which indicates its flavour well.

Produced in Germany, Hock is an old, widely available classic very similar to Liebfraumilch in both taste and sweetness. It is produced in the Rhein region of Germany and takes its name from its originating town of Hocheim. On the dry to sweet scale (1-9) it ranks a 5, again as Liebfraumilch generally does, so if you prefer a drier wine you will probably find this far too sweet. It is marginally too sweet for my taste but makes a nice tipple on its own or with a more savoury, spicy dish to counteract the flavours. The box label recommends it for parties and barbecues too, best serve chilled of course, as with most white wines.

The alcohol content is 9.0% volume so it is not a particularly strong wine and therefore a whole bottle, if your constitution is the same as mine, leaves you mildly happy but nothing more! So if you're
looking for something to get the party going this may prove a little too sweet and weak!

Summary: