Mainly I'm a beer guy, but for "everyday" wines, I tend to like dry red blends and pinot noirs--and I hate to spend more than $7-$8 a bottle. Some of my go-tos are Menage a Trois (blend and Midnight), Apothic Red, Bogle (blend and old vine Zin), Yellow Tail (various). My wife likes Chardonnays: Toasted Head, Gnarly Head, Yellow Tail, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Colombia Crest Estates And, for the occasional bubbly Freixenet Brut.
Your favorite vintners?
Last edited by Willy; December 17, 2016, 01:49 PM.
Hi, my name is Darrell. I'm an OTR truck driver for over 25 years. During my off time I love doing backyard cooks. I have a 48" Lang Deluxe smoker, Rec-Tec pellet smoker,1 Weber Genesis 330, 1 Weber Performer (blue), 2 Weber kettles (1 black and 1 Copper), 1 26" Weber kettle, a WSM, 8 Maverick Redi Chek thermometers, a PartyQ, 2 SnS, Grill Grates, Cast Iron grates, 1 ThermoPop (orange) and 2 ThermoPens (pink and orange) and planning on adding more cooking accessories. Now I have an Anova sous vide, the Dragon blower and 2 Chef alarms from Thermoworks.
....And Eagle Rare to finish the set. Best sipping whiskey for the price for me. I really like Blantons, EC and Four Roses, but the smokey rich complexity of the ER is hard to beat. Oh and James E Pepper 1776 is right up there with ER. They do a Rye version I am keen to try too.
Northside Brian Can you put that in the Favorite Bourbon/Scotch thread? My brother in law got some Four Roses and said it's his favorite. I need to try it.
Today I'm whining about a really bad sinus headache.
Yesterday I was whining about a spasm in my left trapezius.
Other than that......never drank the stuff. I was at a Publix in Atlanta and they have a wine aisle long enough to run the 4th leg of the quadruple crown.
I like Malbec a lot. Dry red with good body and generally inexpensive (Australian Shiraz is like that too, but heavier). Check out Splash Wines on the internet. If your state allows wine to be shipped in, they have great prices and mixed cases, or choose your own.
I think many of those Malbecs are coming from Argentina and they are terrific! Here I live 30 minutes from Napa but the good prices and great values are at my nearby Bev Mo!
I like blended reds or Zins. Some blended reds in the $10 range that we always buy are Frontier Red and Shebang. Zins are my favorite, but the decent "everyday" versions are $15 to $20. We like 7 Deadly Zins, Plungerhead, Cline Old Vines, and Gnarly Head Ancient Vines. Seghesio and Cline Planchon Vineyards are great zins too but they are more costly than what I'd call an everyday wine.
We have two weber kettle grills (one LARGE and one small/average), the SnS and the Weber Smokey Mountain 18" smoker. We use both natural lump charcoal and KNB for smoking and measure our temps with a Maverick 733, thermopen and MK4. Favorite beer depends on what is cooking (alt answer is yes).
Cookers:
SnS 22” Kettle and rotisserie.
Weber Genesis SA-E-330 LP INDIGO with SS Grates, Weber Crafted frame kit, baking stone, griddle (2/3), all from Ace Hardware.
Everything Else:
SnS #3 with certificate. I was their first customer.
Sous Vide equipment.
SnS and Thermoworks iInstant read and leave-in thermometers.
Grill Grates.
Kingsford Blue Bag, Weber lighter cubes, Weber charcoal chimneys.
Rubs with salt: Meat Church Holy Cow, Meathead's Red Meat.
Rubs without salt: Home-mixed versions of previously sold SnS Grills Rocky's Rub and Not Just for Beef using their recipe.
Spices: Lots of 'em.
Some people like expensive cars, some people like expensive cookers, some people like expensive clothes. Unfortunately, I got pretty well hooked on some fairly expensive wines. I am definitely not a snob, and I often times head down to Bevmo and buy some of their "buy one get another for a nickel" wines. But damn, when I am flush, there is nothing like an Amuse Bouche, an Opus One, a Hall "Exzellenz", or maybe even a fancy French Bordeaux. Too bad I usually have a beer budget.
Huge thumbs up on the Opus! I have been told that Benedictine Monks sort out the best grapes and crush them one at a time. Then they have them blessed by a priest, a Rabbi, and the Dali Llama.
I am a wine club member of three small wineries whose wines are pretty much are only available at the winery and at local markets. Their wines constitute a fair percentage of my purchases. I also like to go to wine bars where I can get good advice and sample the wines before I buy. But usually id consider wine recommendations the same a restaurant recommendations. Everyone has a particular set of expectations and perceptions, and I like to make my own choices. I have had wonderful meals at restaurants that other people hate, and I have had execrable wines that others love. My best advice is to go out and taste a lot!
Same the wife and I and some friends like to hit the "local" wineries. I typically only purchase from them the ones that we can't get at store. But we don't go hog wild either.
LSG Adjustable Grill/Smoker, MAK Pellet Grill, Large BGE with Several Attachments from the Ceramic Grill Store, Weber Gasser, Cast Iron Pans & Griddle, Grill Grates, Mostly Thermoworks Thermometers, Anova SV Stick, BBQ Guru Controller and Fan
We prefer a Cabernet. Dreaming Tree (bottle) is a favorite or even Black Box (boxed). It is fun to try different wines and beers once in awhile though.
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