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Wine talk 🍷

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    #46
    The biggest change I've seen in wine over the last 10-20 years is how many places in the world are now producing excellent wine. You can't always find them "in your local store," but there are now world class wines from South Africa, several places in South America, New Zealand, Australia, and of course USA and Europe. Within the USA, more and more states are producing quality wines. That's great news for those of us who travel overseas a lot. There is always something to drink:-) And of course, great news for wine lovers everywhere, as it has kept prices down and quality up. The only issue is sorting through the many options!

    As a personal, non-scientific, observation, wine stores in NY/NJ feature a much greater percentage of European wines than wine stores on the West Coast that, logically, feature many more wines from California, and increasingly from other West Coast states, Australia, and New Zealand. Both tend to have a smattering of Chilean and Argentinian wines as well. Of course, I can see vineyards from my house, so there is no shortage of wine available here:-)

    Comment


    • Huskee
      Huskee commented
      Editing a comment
      Interesting observation. I don't have any wine shops w/in a reasonable distance form me, so I do my wine shopping at the local supermarkets which includes one big-box supermarket, and online.

      Of the two average-sized supermarkets near me, one is fantastic and has a large selection from the world over. The other store has far less, all US, all cheap. They put Woodbridge up on the top shelf (decent midweek cheap Cab but not great), along with Apothic Red & Williams Hill (which are just terrible if you ask me).

      Maybe I should be the guy to open the wine shop.......

    #47
    On the subject of aging/cellaring I thought this graphic was informative. Of course, this is a broad blanket statement and surely doesn't cover all wines. It's probably safe to assume we're not talking the $10 supermarket ones here.

    Click image for larger version

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    • Henrik
      Henrik commented
      Editing a comment
      Cool, thanks for posting! Do you possibly have a higher res version of that graphic? The text is a bit blurry with 640x800px (still readable of course), but I thought I'd ask.

    • Huskee
      Huskee commented
      Editing a comment
      Henrik no I just copied it from their site, sorry. Maybe their site winefolly.com would show it better?

    • Henrik
      Henrik commented
      Editing a comment
      Doh! I'll just go to the source, don't know why I didn't think of that. Thanks, Huskee.

    #48
    Huskee & others who like bolder wines with a bit of tannin on the side, I highly recommend Matetic Corralillo Winemaker's Blend from Chile. It's not too expensive and, if you can find it, is a pretty awesome choice ... either alone or paired appropriately with food.

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      #49
      This is my current favorite cheaper cabernet. I buy it online for $11/bottle, and have seen it in the grocery store for about $13 (but alas, not a store near me). It's so hard to find a really good cabernet for that price range. This one has great tannins and good flavor. Not the slightest bit fruity or jammy, which I despise in cabs and zins. Their website is cool, it shows chickens and sheep roaming the vineyards, they're all organic. They sell through their website but shipping is crazy high, unless you buy 12 then it's free.

      Click image for larger version

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        #50
        Thanks for the tip, Huskee . I've added that wine to my shopping list. I hope the local grocery carries it.

        For sipping on the deck or while cooking, I like a full-bodied fruity wine with a bit of a tannin kick to keep it in balance, but for steak, a husky, no-messing-around, great tasting/good tannin wine tastes best.

        Kathryn

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          #51
          Originally posted by fzxdoc View Post
          Thanks for the tip, Huskee . I've added that wine to my shopping list. I hope the local grocery carries it.

          For sipping on the deck or while cooking, I like a full-bodied fruity wine with a bit of a tannin kick to keep it in balance, but for steak, a husky, no-messing-around, great tasting/good tannin wine tastes best.

          Kathryn
          Cool, I hope you can find it and if you do I wait your honest opinion.

          I'm sure you've heard of Beringer? They are quite ubiquitous in most grocery stores. They used to be my personal favorite cheap cab ($8-10), but the current vintage isn't that great IMO. However, Beringer's "Smooth Red Blend" is crazy good. I think it will fit the bill for exactly what you describe. And the shocker is that it's actually better (again, IMO) than their cab. I think this is because the blend contains a mix of merlot (smooth), syrah (tannins, similar to cab) and petite sirah (more tannins, and pepper). It is definitely worth a try!

          Comment


          • fzxdoc
            fzxdoc commented
            Editing a comment
            Thanks, @ Huskee ! Adding the Beringer red blend to my shopping list as well.

          #52
          I had the privilege to enjoy a couple nice bottles of wine last night with my brother in law, an avid wine connoisseur like myself and David Parrish and many others of us here. He brought over a bottle of his favorite Napa vineyard, Castello di Amarosa, old vine Zinfandel. It was ok sipping it, got a little better after decanting, but wasn't amazing, were both agreed but knew we had to have it with food to really judge it. Then my ribs got done and it was amazing the difference in the wine while having it with barbecue. It really came alive on your tongue, the spice and pepper showed up like fireworks.

          After that was a bottle I'd been saving, Hailstone's "Impact" cabernet. Wow! It lived up to its name for sure. My wife made brownies and served them warm with ice cream, but all I wanted for dessert was another rib and more wine, it was such a great combo.

          Two wines that were absolutely incredible with wood smoked ribs!

          Comment


          #53
          My simple wine philosophy is if you like it drink it. Who cares what anyone else thinks? Isn't that how BBQ should be. If you like it eat it.

          Comment


            #54
            I tried red wine once and I thought I was going to die. Bad stomach cramps and pain like getting jibbed in the stomach with a shank.

            Comment


            • Huskee
              Huskee commented
              Editing a comment
              I wonder if you're allergic or if it was a bad bottle? Usually I hear about folks getting flushed, sweaty & dizzy but I haven't heard about severe stomach cramps.. yikes!

            #55
            I've heard of people being allergic to the tannins in red wine and figured that was something to do with it. In any case, I haven't tried it since.

            Comment


              #56
              Good call, SlushDeezey . There are plenty of other good things to drink in this world besides red wine. No point in eating/drinking anything that makes you feel sick.

              Kathryn

              Comment


                #57
                If you happen to have a Costco nearby and are a member, they have a fantastic, well curated, wine selection. With price ranges for everyone. I've found that if you are shopping in their $15/bottle (roughly) price range, it's all quite drinkable and I really don't hesitate too much over picking up a couple bottles whenever I'm at Costco, since I always need wine at the BBQ shindigs.

                Of everything they carry, for easy drinking red, I really like the Coppola Claret. Nothing better on a Saturday afternoon while I'm tending to the BBQ and chatting with my neighbors or family who are over.

                Comment


                  #58
                  Originally posted by ecowper View Post
                  If you happen to have a Costco nearby and are a member, they have a fantastic, well curated, wine selection.
                  By coincidence, a friend just recommended a good zinfandel that Costco carries: OZV Old Vine Zinfandel. I'm headed there shortly to pick up a bottle or two and will report back. FWIW you don't have to be a Costco member to shop their liquor store ... at least here in Colorado.

                  Comment


                  • ecowper
                    ecowper commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Love to hear how that Zin is ... I think that must be a Colorado thing .... Liquor laws are so different from state to state.

                  • MBMorgan
                    MBMorgan commented
                    Editing a comment
                    ecowper - yeah liquor laws are anything but standardized. Here in CO, apparently if you are issued a license you can only sell to the public ... no private club stores allowed. At Costco, their liquor store is just outside the main store.

                  #59
                  Originally posted by Mbmorgan View Post
                  By coincidence, a friend just recommended a good zinfandel that Costco carries: OZV Old Vine Zinfandel. I'm headed there shortly to pick up a bottle or two and will report back. FWIW you don't have to be a Costco member to shop their liquor store ... at least here in Colorado.

                  If your Costco has it grab several bottles of Precessi. It's less than $20 each, bottled in 2007, and if you like Zin you will love it.

                  Comment


                  • MBMorgan
                    MBMorgan commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Just got back and saw your recommendation. It's on my to-do list now. As luck would have it, the OZV Zin that I bought is also from the Oak Ridge Winery.

                  #60
                  I'm partial to a few things. But I find my palette changes or regions have better seasons, or both.
                  So, zinfandel grown in the Dry Creek AVA or the neighboring Rockpile AVA (especially) always does it for me. I like a zin that trends towards jammy rather than spicy, but if you can't grow good zin on Dry Creek road, you're likely in the wrong business. Mauritson is a nice winery that I've visited, good pricing and they have vineyards in both. Nalle is my favorite though. Doug makes a nice pinot as well, and fantastic chard.

                  Pinot noir is my other thing that I might know something about. Wife and I go to Pinot Days in Chicago every year for the past three, so have learned a bit about it. Three years ago, I was really loving the Russian River Valley AVA and Sonoma Coast AVA. Bright red fruit, really pleasant drinking. Was not enjoying Carneros AVA pinots at all, blue fruits weren't doing it for me. And the Oregon pinots were hit and miss. Last year, I was not liking the RRV/SC that I thought I loved, but was grooving the Carneros, loving the blue fruits... not liking a lot of the Oregon that year either, though I liked a couple from Aberrant Cellars, including a white Pinot. This year, I went four days after having my wisdom teeth yanked, so my palatte was a mess, but I was grooving on these more mild fruited pinots and not liking the big flavors.

                  So, Belle Glos makes a solid product, regardless of the year, but some years, I like Dairyman better and others I like Telegraph better. Always like Meiomi for a value priced pinot.

                  Comment


                  • ecowper
                    ecowper commented
                    Editing a comment
                    Domaine Carneros (obviously in the Carneros AVA) is very consistent on their Pinot Noir. A bit lush for my taste, but you may enjoy it if you like RRV

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