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Wine talk 🍷

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    Wine talk 🍷

    I thought we could use a more focused thread for winos to strike up conversation and share a virtual glass. Let's talk about favorite types, vintages, appellations, food pairings, tasting notes, cellaring, etc etc etc.

    Snobs allowed! (Nice snobs, that is. Remember the Pit guidelines )

    #2
    Wino? Aren't those the people who drink their wine (Boone's Farm, Thunderbird, Annie Green Springs, 20/20, etc. out of a paper bag? In a park?

    We're all wine connoisseurs around here.

    Or, at least oenophiles.

    OK, my favorites from California.

    Red - Marlstone from Clos du Bois.
    White - Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay.

    Those are both Russian River Valley (Sonoma).

    Since I got to meet lots of the owners of the wineries back in the 80s (Wine country tours were in their infancy), I like many wines from Napa as well.

    Grgich Hills makes terrific wines, as does Conn Creek, Beringer, Chateau Montelena and Mondavi. Margrit Mondavi introduced my wife and I to well aged Chardonnay when everyone thought they had to be consumed young.

    Jim

    Comment


    • Huskee
      Huskee commented
      Editing a comment
      Wino, connoisseur, winnoisseurs... it's all good.

    • Meathead
      Meathead commented
      Editing a comment
      Difference between a connoisseur and a wino? $10 a bottle.

    #3
    Favourites.......
    Red - Rockfords Basket Press Shiraz from the Barossa Valley South Australia
    White - Any Savigion Blanc from the Malborough region in New Zealand.

    Have yet to have any American made wine that comes close to any of these......just saying )

    Comment


    • (Upnorth)
      (Upnorth) commented
      Editing a comment
      Huskee those 2 brands of wine are ...well what you might say the homeless drink, Aussie wines are some of the best in the world, if you get the oportunity try any Shiraz from the Coonawarra district is South Australia but spend a few dollars on the bottle.

    • Huskee
      Huskee commented
      Editing a comment
      (Upnorth) Lol, that's kind of what I thought. I have fond memories of Lindemann's but I realize it's not Australia's best. Kind of like American beers being judged by Budweiser....

      I promise you I will keep an eye out for some better Aussie wines. I was just looking at a Coonawarra wine on an online retailer I buy from.

      I know too that most supermarkets will never carry the good stuff, and that probably goes for American wines on Australia's shelves as well. Michigan USA makes some fantastic Riesling and Chardonnay, and Napa Valley in California is known for its and Cabernet Sauvignon, and Oregon for it's Pinot Noir. (To name a few)

    • theroc
      theroc commented
      Editing a comment
      Nice to hear another fan of Rockford. Had the pleasure of visiting the winery about 12 years ago during the harvest season. Really admired their vintage belt-driven power distribution system! Brought home a bottle of the Basket Press, back when you could still carry a bottle of wine on an aircraft. Alas, we drank it a couple of years ago. It was truly wonderful and brought back memories of our trip to the Barossa.

    #4
    Does anyone save wine- whether for a year or two or actually cellar it for long term?

    Comment


    • fttank
      fttank commented
      Editing a comment
      I do. I have a 36 case locker at an off-site cellar about 10 miles from home, along with a small 48 bottle wine fridge at home. Staglin, Silver Oak, Phelps, a few others are sitting in the locker. I'll pull bottles out for special occasions.

    • Tim
      Tim commented
      Editing a comment
      I do. I have a irresponsible amount of wine. I use CellarTracker for inventory and drinking windows. I think most quality wines benefit from at least a little time. And some require it to really show their stuff. I'm super excited you started this thread!!!

    • Huskee
      Huskee commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks Tim. I've been more into whiskey lately than wine, (re-aging my own, also aging gin in used whiskey barrels, etc) but I value your thoughts in this thread. I will likely get back into wine more in time, sooner than later probably, I tend to be kind of phasey. I only have maybe 3 reds on hand right now, a cab or two and a petite sirah I think. I just can't drink a whole bottle when I want a glass or two, and wine doesn't store after being opened like whiskey.

    #5
    Originally posted by Huskee View Post
    Does anyone save wine- whether for a year or two or actually cellar it for long term?
    I tried about 3 years ago as we have a dark corner in the basement that maintains 62-65 all year long. When we found a bottle we really liked, we would go to the store for 2 more bottles and 1 would go into the reserve wine corner in the basement. About a year later my wife had to have a knee replaced so my sister-in-law volunteered to stay with us for the first 2 weeks of my wife being home. Once she left I went downstairs and noticed that our secret stash that had been close to a full case was down to one lonely bottle. A bottle that she actually had given us for Christmas the prior year. Since then I haven't had intestinal fortitude to start a new collection. Maybe I will make this my New Year's resolution for 2016.

    Comment


    • Craigar
      Craigar commented
      Editing a comment
      No kidding. But it is half my fault as I was the one that successfully introduced her to red wines that didn't taste like diesel fuel, as she used to say. Live & learn.

    • Atalanta
      Atalanta commented
      Editing a comment
      That's sad. I'm sorry for your loss.

    • phecksel
      phecksel commented
      Editing a comment
      couple hundred bottles in my basement

    #6
    The season and food pairing dictates my choice in wine. For casual siping spring to fall I like a crisp rose like domaine montrose or a nice NZ sauv blanc. For weather like right now (cold, snowy and little sunlight) it's tough to beat a big Amarone, Burgundy or Malbec.

    It's always the season for good bubbles.

    Comment


      #7
      I know practically nothing about wines. I would probably try anything, but my favorite is a sweet red wine. I'll watch this thread and hope to learn something.

      Comment


        #8
        Originally posted by fuzzydaddy View Post
        I know practically nothing about wines. I would probably try anything, but my favorite is a sweet red wine. I'll watch this thread and hope to learn something.
        We like to keep a bottle of Port (some labels say Oporto) around the house this time of year. Just a little nip before bed warms the bones and aids in a quick snore.

        Comment


          #9
          I drink wine when it's in front of me. I do love this sweet red from LLano.

          Comment


            #10
            I cellar or store about 200 bottles of wine, but some of them rotate out pretty quickly, especially the whites. Lately I'm in to drinking a glass of Prosecco or a really mineraly (not sweet) Reisling while cooking supper. Like you, Craigar , whenever we find a wine we like I lay in a few bottles of it.

            This Christmas we're opening a few bottles of hopefully nicely aged Amarone. One never knows with those older wines until they're uncorked and decanted how drinkable they are.

            For backup, there are several good reds and whites--not expensive, bought more for flavor like Marietta Old Vine Red and Cline Ancient Vine Zin, both of which are family favorites. For a lighter red, I like Meiomi Pinot Noir.

            Kathryn
            Last edited by fzxdoc; December 18, 2015, 10:46 AM.

            Comment


            • Craigar
              Craigar commented
              Editing a comment
              If my SIL is ever in your town, don't mention your wine stash. Just sayin'...

            • Baker Dan
              Baker Dan commented
              Editing a comment
              I adore Amarone

            #11
            fzxdoc 200 bottles? Wow. You are my hero.

            Comment


              #12
              Many years I bought a Vinotheque 500 wine cellar. It actually only holds about 440 bottles, durn it. I have had some great parties from its contents, a few of which I even remember! While I still have some good bottles from the 80's, I go through periods where I like older reds and those all disappear. Then I have to build up again. Right now it is at a low point, but there are some exceptional California reds that will be coming out of the wineries in the next couple of years, so it might just reach capacity again. That being said, while I only call myself a snob with my tongue firmly in cheek, I generally don't drink much but California reds, and mostly those mostly only from wineries I have visited and like. I know little about wines from countries other than the Republic of Sunny California. Although I certainly do enjoy a Premier Grand Cru Classe when offered!

              Comment


                #13
                All it takes, Huskee , is a place to put them. I have a wine rack wall from Wine Enthusiast built into in a dark cool area of the house--nothing as fancy as you have, Yno , but it suits our needs.

                I have about a dozen bottles from the '80s and '90s, mostly cabs and amarones. Every now and again we'll open one. Sometimes they're vinegar; other times, they're the nectar of the gods. My husband always makes me take the first taste and then judging on the type of face I make or , he'll decide whether or not to join me.

                Kathryn

                Comment


                  #14
                  Yno fzxdoc I am new to wine storage, just realized I should buy a few and save instead of always buying and drinking new wine dated 2013, 2014 like what's on supermarket shelves. My question is, is it worth buying the $13-20 bottles and trying to save them? You know- Decoy, Cline, Coppola, etc, stuff that's really good but likely not 'great' to wine connoisseurs. Or are those simply not of the caliber that will benefit from storage? By storage I don't mean cellaring for 10-15yrs, I mean saving 3-5 years, maybe 7 or 8 if I can make it that long. I have a few Napa cabs that i think will be good for that, but I'm curious about the less luxury but still really good wines.

                  Comment


                  • richinlbrg
                    richinlbrg commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Huskee , we selectively store/age SOME.
                    We have a great little vintner in town and they really know their stuff. I take seriously their warning to turn the stock over or you'll have a high loss ratio. BUT, they sometimes get some wines in before they are really ready. When that happens, they'll send us an email and let us know when the wine will be at its peak.
                    If you can find a good little wine shop, they are worth their weight in gold.

                  • Tim
                    Tim commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Best thing in the world you can do to get wine figured out is to find a trustworthy and knowledgeable wine merchant in your town. They should be tasting what they buy and should have a sense of how long a wine would improve.
                    I find that non-luxury priced wines can definitely age, if you find the right ones. Value-driven, fruit forward CA cabs can do OK for a few years but they are produced for early drinking so you don't need to.

                  #15
                  Huskee , I was recently at French Lick Winery in French Lick, IN (home of Larry Bird) and doing a sampling. I tried one wine that I just seemed to like and asked what they recommended to pair it with... Their immediate recommendation was BBQ! The wine was FOCH. I haven't been able to pair it myself yet but I'm looking forward to trying it with my next batch of Q.

                  Other than that I am always up for a good Port with some Chocolate for dessert.

                  Comment

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