The Auswine Forum

I see the word "quaffer" used in different contexts. It seems to mean different things to different people. What does it mean for you?

P.S. I wanted to give a few more options, but I'm only allowed 10.

As I age Ozzie, the wines that I say to myself can't drink that...too good, or too expensive will turn into quaffers
I do marvel at types here and on other forums who drink $100-200 like they are quaffers!

Cheers craig

Yes, I think it can mean a range of things, from mindless deliverer of stupor (which I really don't want), to a celebration of an easy to appreciate wine with enough character to make it enjoyable. If I don't notice what I'm drinking, then I'd be worried about why I was drinking it.

Quaff certainly has connotations of drinking freely, even quickly. Perhaps a fraction less than glug, and a fair bit less than chug.

I have 2 different types of quaffers

- the mid week dinner wine. Usually red and one I would not spend more than $15 on. That means something from Dans or a supermarket that is on special
- my weekend quaffer which is a wine I like and can’t stop drinking until the bottle is finished. Price is a factor ( $45 or less), and it’s a wine I would want at least half a case of. Ruggabellus Salio would be a perfect example.

for me quaffer has the characteristics:

I dont feel guilty opening it
I dont feel the need to finish the whole bottle
Usually weekday wine with dinner
Under $ 15ish per bottle
Delicious, easy drinking and dont have to think about it, just enjoy it in front of the TV with wife
Crack & Pour

Perfect example was the 2016 Balgownie Limited Release Cab/Shiraz I got the other day. $ 12.50
and bloody delicious.

I call them Tuesday Night Wines. Rip the top off an inexpensive but nice wine and have it with something nice. Last night it was a T-bone steak with a MV Mourvedre. Great combo. Drank the whole bottle and feeling a bit second hand this morning.

Quaffers...
Id say $20-25 or under.
Something I can buy in a half or full dozen.
I like to see some structure and texture. Some of the 'red cordial' red releases I've tasted of late are exactly that.
A wine the boss and I can both enjoy.
Ultimately I'm looking for something that punches above it's perceived level and price point.

The easiest way to procure decent quaffers, particularly in the white department is head up to the Clare Valley.
Pick some lesser known cellar doors and you're bound to find decent quality cleanskins (hello riesling) at an excellent price point.
Go and see a TIM! Any of them.

Solid quaffers are great at larger non wine geek gatherings too. I don't want to hold back but sometimes opening that 30 yr old treasure is a waste of time and most folk and keen on a decent 'ready to go' wine.

Still got a fair bit of cleanskin riesling from CV and the boss and I find them absolute winners in the warmer months at BBQ's and so forth.

For me a quaffer:
- Is under $25 per bottle purchase price.
- Drink it on weekdays or weekends.
- Enjoyable to drink to the very last drop.
- Can be cellared if desired.
- Can be a retail or auction purchase.

A few recent examples I've drunk:
- 2014 Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir @ $20
- 2012 Wynns Cabernet The Siding @ $15
- 2014 Le Casematte Terre Siciliane Peloro @ $20

Rossco wrote:I dont feel the need to finish the whole bottle

This was actually one of the additional options I wanted to add, but was only allowed 10.

Rossco wrote:for me quaffer has the characteristics:

I dont feel guilty opening it
I dont feel the need to finish the whole bottle
Usually weekday wine with dinner
Under $ 15ish per bottle
Delicious, easy drinking and dont have to think about it, just enjoy it in front of the TV with wife
Crack & Pour.

Couldn't have said it better. Bravo!

It's the stuff I put in the cupboard for the wife.

Rossco wrote:I dont feel the need to finish the whole bottle

In which universe is this applicable?

Mahmoud Ali wrote:

Rossco wrote:for me quaffer has the characteristics:

I dont feel guilty opening it
I dont feel the need to finish the whole bottle
Usually weekday wine with dinner
Under $ 15ish per bottle
Delicious, easy drinking and dont have to think about it, just enjoy it in front of the TV with wife
Crack & Pour.

Couldn't have said it better. Bravo!

Seconded.

Opened a Leasingham 2016 Bin 56 Cabernet Malbec (deleted line at BWS...don't know why?) and timely in terms of a pending Wendouree mailer. Can see why this blend has been around. Simply moreish with such a lovely soft balanced palate...bottle finished in seconds with a Massaman beef curry

Fits the quaffer bill, however, should be a thread whats the fastest time a bottle of wine has gone down...there were three of drinking with dinner, I had a second glass, next minute looked up and bottle empty!!

Cheers Craig

Rossco wrote:for me quaffer has the characteristics:

I dont feel guilty opening it
I dont feel the need to finish the whole bottle
Usually weekday wine with dinner
Under $ 15ish per bottle
Delicious, easy drinking and dont have to think about it, just enjoy it in front of the TV with wife
Crack & Pour.

Seems like a pretty fair definition. I particularly subscribe to the first 2 and the last one
Up to $20 seems to be my price point.

The one I'd add is that I am happy to use some in cooking and not feel like I am wasting wine

For me, its reasonable quality and a modest price point, suitable for every day drinking.

Rossco's Balgownie and Ozzie's Wynns Siding are both in my quaffer slot.

Price point could be anywhere from $12-$20+

Right now drinking some Vasse Felix Filius Cabernet for 20 bucks

Petaluma white label cabernet is another, Seppelt Chalambar as well, Wynns Gables, lot's of options around $15+/-, but some of these are also wines that also respond well to a couple of more years of age.

My definition of a quaffer is something that doesn't have any intrinsic 'collectability' - generally a combination of scarcity, critical acclaim and/or potential upside from cellaring.

Another important factor is a wine that will appeal to people who enjoy drinking wine, but don't care much for the intricacies of wine appreciation.

My definition is simple - a bottle that poses no logical or emotional opposition to opening.

It's also a somewhat dangerous definition, as sometimes the only logically & emotionally correct thing to do is to open that $100 bottle, haha.

cteague wrote:My definition is simple - a bottle that poses no logical or emotional opposition to opening.

It's also a somewhat dangerous definition, as sometimes the only logically & emotionally correct thing to do is to open that $100 bottle, haha.

It all depends on how many $100 bottles you own.

For me a quaffer is any wine I don't say "I should only be opening this up with others to share it with".

There are wines I want to share with other people..and there are bottles where I will *only* open them with other people...

This also means the same wine might be a quaffer or not a quaffer...eg. if I have multiples maybe that's quaffer...if I've now downed the quaffer...its twin is maybe not a quaffer...

This of course incorporates all of the ideas others have mentioned...

Mahmoud Ali wrote: It all depends on how many $100 bottles you own.

Personally - certainly not enough to be drinking them as quaffers, but somewhat perversely, often most enjoyable when done as so.

Lots of first world problems in this thread

cteague wrote:

Mahmoud Ali wrote: It all depends on how many $100 bottles you own.

Personally - certainly not enough to be drinking them as quaffers, but somewhat perversely, often most enjoyable when done as so.

Okay, but try avoid drining it from a paper cup in a fast-food joint.

For me a quaffer means that its good quality and under $20 a bottle. It must be enjoyable and a Thursday or Friday night type of wine (I generally don't drink Sunday to Wednesday). Quality is still important ..... if quality is not there then it is plonk, not a quaffer.

Last night I had a bottle of Hoddles Creek Wickhams Road, Gippsland Pinot Noir 2018 with Lasagne. At $18 a bottle, I would describe it as a quaffer - however I would not describe the Estate Pinot Noir as such - it is a Saturday night wine to be served with something like roast duck.

2008 Mr Riggs Coonawarra Outpost, a supposed $25 wine picked up for $100 a dozen...lovely drinking and yes very quaffable!
Cheers Craig

phillisc wrote:2008 Mr Riggs Coonawarra Outpost, a supposed $25 wine picked up for $100 a dozen...lovely drinking and yes very quaffable!

Bargain buys make excellent quaffing wines, well done.

I’m on holidays in queenstown. Quaffers for me sit between 30 to 70 AUD. May sound a little price-high but Central Otago is a new wine region and wines around the 20 mark are vile.

New vintage wines are all that’s available and they deliver the cerebral simpleness of a quaffer.

When i look in the mirror...... i see a Quaffer!

JamieBahrain wrote:I’m on holidays in queenstown. Quaffers for me sit between 30 to 70 AUD. May sound a little price-high but Central Otago is a new wine region and wines around the 20 mark are vile.

I shall have to be wary of Central Otago wines, for the $20 wines there will be much more pricey here in Canada.

Rory wrote:When i look in the mirror...... i see a Quaffer!

No need for a mirror, I have on occasion been accused of it.

Something I do enjoy drinking but don't feel the financial pain of sharing it with a 'I'm not really a wine drinker but I'll have a glass anyway' type.