The NEVERENDING Wine Thread

[Zoning Goddess]

I'm drinking really cheap white wine so I can save up for my hurricane deductible. sigh...

[el Guapo]

I wouldn't use it to flush the toilet during a power outage.

RJ Is this from your winesnob website?

Well goody for you.

BTW - When the electric power goes down out here in the sticks my toilet seems to continue operating. But, I must not have an electric one like you.

[nerudite]

I like reds, but they don't like me. Although I love the taste of red wine, I can't have more than a glass or two without headaches, etc. Montepulciano is my favourite.

This weekend BME and I rented a cabin and got out of the house for a whole weekend (the first time since July that we haven't worked on the house for a weekend). We both drank a lot... but I downed a bottle of Banrock Station Shiraz and got drunk (and sick). No more red wine for me for awhile.

BTW... The Banrock Station was given to me by my boss for xmas last year... part of the sales proceeds go to saving wetlands in Australia or something. You can get toasted and help save the environment at the same time.

[SkeLeton]

Yeah, I knew Gato was low on quality, but didnt think it was thought of as that low. I mainly buy it becasue it is cheap. real cheap. and honestly, I like it.

it was even a chilean lady who introduced me to it. It was was she drank. :-P

I will try the others you mention. what is your opinion of the Concho y Toro?

Well, Gato is cheap and poor quality, now sure it's not piss poor quality but close...

Concha y Toro is quite decent and i'd guess fair priced.
I also remembered two more vinyards that are decent and somewhat cheap... Errazuriz and Tarapaca.
On the red wines around here we also have great Carmeneres that were hidden here after they disappeared in Europe and we sold it as Merlot

[Dan]

I wouldn't use it to flush the toilet during a power outage.

IMHO, If you're just looking to drink a glass a day for health benefits, there's nothing wrong with box wine. You can now get higher quality wines in a box, and it keeps better than a recorked bottle of the good stuff.

Now, the thought of a romantic date at home, where you're sitting in front of the fireplace, and tearing open a box of Franzia pink Zin, isn't too appealing. Each wine has its time and place.

[The One]

Sauternes wine is terrible Nasty nasty nasty.....kind of what I imagine a hardcore diabetic's urine would taste like, shortly after eating an extra large blizzard, whole pecan pie, and drinking 2 litres of coke.....
And to think that Château d'Yquem is widely considered to be one of the oldest and greatest few acres on earth for production of this wine.....$500 for a half litre bottle in a restaurant ($300 in the store).

However, port is great (20 year Martinez)

[tsc]

You can find Bully Hill at the Liquor Supermarket in Boulder, though.

A little known story: the label changes every year. If you save ten years of labels, and flip them like a paper movie book, you'll find that the goat's tongue flaps backa nd forth.

I have a signed bottle from Walter Taylor.... of love my goat...(before his car accident)

My parents are big supporters (drinkers) of finger lakes wines. I am not so found of them...so I usually tote my own wine to Ithaca. Ironically....once I open the bottle...my mom usually prefers it...and drinks mine instead.

[SkeLeton]

Vineyards and sprawl.... A problem I bet is in lots of places. (H asked about this in a PM but I thought it would be selfish not to share)

Well, around here, Santiago's suburbs are pushing the local vineyards out; small rural/rurban towns like Pirque are about to get conurbated with the rest of the "blob". Pirque is the birthplace of some vineyards like Concha y Toro and a few small ones. Right now, while it's still not that urban, mainly because of the natural barrier formed by the Maipo River, there is frequent and sustained sprawl of suburban settlements that collides with the rural people that are practically seeing their doom with the arrival of yuppies that want to live in a semi-rural enviroment "out" of Santiago.

Now, this is happening mainly in the Santiago area, vineyards located outside of Santiago are still likely to prosper, and many won't encounter with sprawl in decades, others, like the vineyards in the Elqui, and Limari valleys are still extremely rural, so no sprawl can come and eat away the vineyards (th, sadly, in those lower latitudes, rainfall and water availability is the biggest problems of all, so in casse of a severe and permanent drought, say good bye to those vineyards, and to most of our Pisco production .
More to the south, around the Maule valley the cities are still small and their rate of growth isn't too big due to the main activity of the region is agriculture.
So when looking for good Chilean wines that have plenty of future look for vineyards that are south of Santiago, such as the Santa Cruz valley or Maule valley.

[Cardinal]

This has the potential to be a great thread.

I love wines. My favorites are the reds. Lately I have been drinking many of the Shiraz's from Australia. It is similar to a Zinfandel; a spicy wine with peppery aftertastes that goes very well with red meats.

California wines are really much better than the over-rated French wines. The big-name wine-makers (Mondavi, Copolla, etc.) are good, but I tend to like the smaller producers much better. Duck Horn makes some outstanding reds (Merlot, Cabernet, and blends) and Frank makes outstanding whites. I don't generally like Chardonney, but theirs is incredible. Desert wines are another interesting area. St. Supery makes a very nice Muscato, and Grgich's Violetta is perhaps the best in the USA.

I have to mention Germany. German Reislings are far superior to any others. I look for ones from the Mosel-Saar-Ruhr region. They tend to be drier, crisp and very well balanced, with hints of apple or pear, as opposed to the bigger fruitiness common in US or other Reislings.

[The One]

I have to mention Germany. German Reislings are far superior to any others. I look for ones from the Mosel-Saar-Ruhr region. They tend to be drier, crisp and very well balanced, with hints of apple or pear, as opposed to the bigger fruitiness common in US or other Reislings.

A Great Wine:

Dr. Thanisch- Bernkasteler Kabinett Riesling

http://www.vinnicombe.de/html/body_dr_thanisch01.html

[Rem]

This one's for you RJ .....Now, I’m no wine expert by any means. I just drink what I think taste good. That’s why the cab-shiraz in question is made by Yellowtail. I realize that they are probably the Budweiser of Australian wines but they have been consistently adequate to good and for usually less than $10 a bottle, they can’t be beat. I wonder what kind of rep they have n their native land? REM or any other Aussie care to comment?

Sorry I missed your question [/b]biscuit[/b] - I wasn't ignoring you, just being busy at work. I do know a lot of Australian wines (purely out of academic interest) but have never heard of Yellowtail. I suspect it is a wine that is sold under a different name in Australia. It is common for varietal wines especially to be given a more market friendly name when exported. If you can tell me the maker and/or the region it comes from and/or the variety I might be able to offer an opinion.

I am fortunate to live in the Hunter Valley - a premium Australian wine district, though I am about 45 minutes drive to the vineyards. If any Cyburbian ever manages to visit, I assure you a few days can be lost in the vineyards in my backyard.

My favorite Australian wines are reds from the terra rossa soil of the Barossa Valley South Australia, resilings from Clare Valley SA, Hunter and Western Australia Semillons. If you see any Annies Lane Reisling, Jamiesons Run or Wynns Reds, anything from Brokenwood but especially Semillon. Anything from Sandalford. Actually there are hundreds of great wines in Australia. Lots of cheap good varietals from the Riverina, and Victoria. Just come and try some.

[zman]

Wine for dinner tonight.

So the girlfriend and I decided to have a nice dinner tonight. She only likes white wine (Chards, mostly) and I don;t care what I drink, but I have been exposed to some good wines and I can kind of tell the difference.

What would be a good white wine to go with Italian food. (Non red sauce/red meat of course)? Something priced reasonable please.

[Greenescapist]

I bought a few wines from British Columbia when I was home on the east coast this Christmas. My family's favorite was the Mission Hill Pinot Blanc. It's terrific with fish, it has a nice dry, citrus taste. Unfortunately, I can't find it in Wisconsin.

I lived in Spain for a semester in college and still like to get Marques de Caceres Rioja. It's a nice basic red.

I also like Shiraz, Syrah, Cabernets and Pinot Noirs. I'm kind of tired of Chardonnay and Merlot, but am not too picky if someone brings them over.

[Dan]

"No, if anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. I AM NOT DRINKING ANY FCSKING MERLOT!"

[biscuit]

Wine for dinner tonight.

So the girlfriend and I decided to have a nice dinner tonight. She only likes white wine (Chards, mostly) and I don;t care what I drink, but I have been exposed to some good wines and I can kind of tell the difference.

What would be a good white wine to go with Italian food. (Non red sauce/red meat of course)? Something priced reasonable please.

I don't know about labels but I've always like Pinot Grigios more than chardonnay.

[Bear Up North]

This Bear is not a wine drinker. Give me a .

I have probably had ten (10) glasses at most in the last twenty-five (25) years. Just being polite. Am I missing something?

I did go through a wine-drinking phase, just out of high school. We used to pile in the car and cruise over to east Toledo.....because ".....all the girls xxxxed....". We would buy a bunch of cheapo wine, like Meier's Lake Erie Pink Catawba, and head over the bridge to the east side. No wine glasses in our car.....paper cups or straight out of the bottle.

We were sooooooooooooooo cool.

Bear On Woodville Road

[zman]

I don't know about labels but I've always like Pinot Grigios more than chardonnay.

Thanks, our dinner plans had changed, but I will try that tonight. Once again thanks for answering my question

[Richmond Jake]

I just opened a Kenwood 2001 Sauvignon Blanc. Picked it up at Publix on the way home for about $12. I would recommend this with Italian.

[Cardinal]

By Italian, what do you mean? If you are serving a tomato sauce, a red would be more appropriate, but you could get by with a chardonney. A white sauce or olive oil based dish gives you more options. Your best bet would be to go to the Italian section of your wine shop and select a simple white table wine.

[zman]

By Italian, what do you mean? If you are serving a tomato sauce, a red would be more appropriate, but you could get by with a chardonney. A white sauce or olive oil based dish gives you more options. Your best bet would be to go to the Italian section of your wine shop and select a simple white table wine.

Thanks for the help guys, we decided to bag the Italian tonight and just get a roasted chicken and salad from the store.

I think a nice box of wine shall do, or a jug of blush....

Just kidding...

[BKM]

The local "upscale" grocery has an excellent (read yuppie $$$) wine section with a knowledgeable department manager. Since Nugget Market opened in Vacaville, I've spent far more than I ever did before on wine.

They have in-store tastings for $3.00 Not a bad deal, since they usually have awsome cheese and bread to go along with it. I actually liked a cab thursday night enough that I bought two bottles-and the winemaker signed them for me!

[zman]

Cooked some angel hair pasta with pesto, and beggies last night.

Capped off with a Cavit Pinto Gris. Very good, and my girlfriend liked it with dinner too.

Beginning to see the way certain wines go with certain foods...

[JNL]

I'll put in a plug for New Zealand whites, which sell quite well internationally. Particularly sauvignon blanc. We're starting to produce some great reds too, but currently our whites are better known. Why not impress your dinner partner with something a little exotic from down under (that sounds a little dodgy but it wasn't intended to!).

If anyone ever makes it down here, I'd be more than happy to accompany you on a wine trail (or two) - there are 3 major wine producing areas within a few hours drive. The closest is only an hour and a half away and you can do a package tour including return train fare and guided tour of 6 or so vineyards

[zman]

Why not impress your dinner partner with something a little exotic from down under (that sounds a little dodgy but it wasn't intended to!).

I'm going to be laughing about that one for a while...

[donk]

Another forum I read had this link for all of you wine experts out there, and especially Rumpy

I am pretty sure it is work safe.