my wine rack never gets filled up - I buy em and drink em
my new favorite red is "Gnarly Head" - no really, it's great stuff!
my wine rack never gets filled up - I buy em and drink em
my new favorite red is "Gnarly Head" - no really, it's great stuff!
Katie is on a Merlot kick. Any suggestions?
Bear
Occupy Cyburbia!
Suggestion for a wine to pick up from the napa valley during my upcoming visit would be appreciated.
I can bring back only one of the following amounts of items:
1.5 litres (53 imperial ounces) of wine;
1.14 litres (40 ounces) of liquor;
a total of 1.14 litres (40 ounces) of wine and liquor; or
24 x 355 millilitre (12 ounces) cans or bottles (maximum of 8.5 litres) of beer or ale.
I am hoping a bottle of scotch and a bottle of relatively good wine is in my future.
Too lazy to beat myself up for being to lazy to beat myself up for being too lazy to... well you get the point....
Why the restriction? Can you ship them back to your home?Originally posted by donk
These amounts are duty free, after that the duty and surcharges adds up quickly.
Too lazy to beat myself up for being to lazy to beat myself up for being too lazy to... well you get the point....
Fat Bastard
no, not you, that's the name of the wine!
I'm partial to the St. Helena and Calistoga (northern valley) areas, and I love their cabs. For a real chocolate treat, try Bennett Lane's Red Wine & Chocolate tastings on Saturdays. Having started my planning career in St. Helena, I always try to send people there to walk around the many tasting rooms along Main Street. Beringer was a real class act to deal with when I worked for the City, but I was underage when I worked there so I never went to the winery! I should go back and see how St. Helena is coming along... I bet it's really different now. If you could take some photos when you are there, I'd really appreciate it!
Unrelated:
I bought some nice bottles of proseco to have with brunch in the next few weeks. With the weather turning warmer, a light bubbly wine with brunch on Sunday is sounding good! I also have been getting into Aussie grenaches lately... I had an excellent Turkey Flat grenache a week or so ago paired with some bleu cheese. I was in heaven! I put a few bottles down in the cellar, and I've started looking around for some less expensive brands from the same area. I've also been digging the central california coast syrahs lately. Yum!
If you have deep pockets, look for Duckhorn. Other favorite wineries of mine for merlot include Benziger, Conn Creek, Ferrari Carano, and Silverado. Estancia is a good value merlot, IMHO.
http://www.madwine.com/calmer.html
Which varieties are you interested in?
A nuisance may be merely a right thing in the wrong place — like a pig in the parlor instead of the barnyard.
donk - Hess and Sterling are nice wineries and give out good wines too
I am thinking a good red that is moderately sweet wine with a full taste, without oaking so the "terroir" comes through.
After seeing Mondovino last year I am some what interested in wine, but don't know much about what to look for.
Any suggestions on wineries to visit would be appreciated too.
Too lazy to beat myself up for being to lazy to beat myself up for being too lazy to... well you get the point....
I'll second RJ's suggestion of Duckhorn. Their red wines are exceptional. They can be pricey, but I have a bottle I have been saving for a special occassion. At the other end of the spectrum - a sweet white wine - try Grgich. They have a late harvest reisling which is amazing. At $75 for a half liter bottle, it is the most expensive bottle in my collection. Even if you don't buy, go for the tasting. Another nice sweet wine is St. Supery's Muscato. If Trentadou is offering tastings, be sure to go in and sample thier ports.
When you go, be sure to seek out some of the smaller winemakers off the main highway. They will be less crowded and I think their wines are often much better.
Anyone want to adopt a dog?
I can't help you with a "..red that is moderately sweet..."
As for wineries, Cardinal is correct. Stay off Highway 29 unless you enjoy heavy traffic and crowds of people. Hit the Silverado Trail on the east side of the valley. Start with (south to north) Pine Ridge, Stag's Leap, Silverado and Rutherford Hill for great views of the valley. Then head farther north to the Calistoga area and hit Chateau Montelina and ride the tramp up to Sterling.
A nuisance may be merely a right thing in the wrong place — like a pig in the parlor instead of the barnyard.
This Bear is enjoying a Napa area trip, armchair method via Google Maps. Couple questions.....
Resolution on Google Maps is tight enough to see the vinyards and ASSUME that because of the closeness of the rows they are INDEED, vinyards. Are other crops grown in this area or, because of the unique climate and soil, the precious land is devoted to winemaking?
What about irrigation? Some of the tight Google Map resolution shows extensive areas of what appears to be brown soil. Satellite shots taken off-season or the area does have some aridness? Is irrigation practiced?
BTW.....Even before reading the comments saying to stay off Highway 29, if one is a regular browser of Google Maps, those "stay the hexx away from" commercial areas are very apparent.
BTW.....thank you RJ, Cardinal, and all others who help to educate us about an interesting topic and provide good details (including geographic details, no matter Napa, Finger Lakes, etc.). Your details do provide a pleasant after taste, with a slight tinge of black pepper.....full-bodied posts, of course.
Bear
Occupy Cyburbia!
Napa County supports a few olive groves; Sonoma County grows apples and plums; Mendocino County also grows apples, pears, and an illegal green leafy product; but that's about it beyond viticulture.
Drip irrigation systems are typically used to establish young vineyards. Otherwise, overhead sprinker systems are in place to protect budding vines from frost in early spring. The barren soils: grape growers have a habit of tilling the areas between the rows of vines. This is usually practiced in the summer and winter to allow workers to harvest the grapes in fall and prune the vines in late winter. The rainy season in northern California generally runs from early-January to mid-April.
A nuisance may be merely a right thing in the wrong place — like a pig in the parlor instead of the barnyard.
While I don't like too dry of wine, any suggestion is really appreciated.
half litres work really well for maximizing duty free purchases..
I will probably be going on a week day, so hopefully that lessens traffic, if not I'll just make sure I have a big box of CD's...
Too lazy to beat myself up for being to lazy to beat myself up for being too lazy to... well you get the point....
My suggestion is to stop at the wineries, taste, and purchase what you like.
BTW, the majority of California wines come in 0.75 liter bottles.
If you're going on a weekday and want a nice tour, stop at Beringer in St. Helena. The caves are interesting and Beringer pours and sells a wide variety of very nice wines. I like their cabernet sauvignon Knight's Valley.
Have fun. I'm green with envy.
A nuisance may be merely a right thing in the wrong place — like a pig in the parlor instead of the barnyard.
I can always mail you a bottle or 2 if you'd like.
I am so looking forward to this trip.
Too lazy to beat myself up for being to lazy to beat myself up for being too lazy to... well you get the point....
Just back from Napa, thanks for the advice. here is the list of what I liked and subsequently bought, I ended up deciding I like merlot.
Duckhorn Vineyards Estate Grown 2004 Napa Valley Merlot - Rector Creek Vineyard "Block 8" 2004
Peju Province - Estate Bottled Merlot 2003 - Napa Valley
Cakebread Cellars 2004 Merlot - Napa Valley
V. Sattui Winery - Madeira
I did a drive by/through of mondavi, just to see it.
I visited Sterling, but was not up for any more tasting, the views were incredible.
No to find someone to have a few good meals with to drink this all.
RJ looks like no jeans on this trip.
Thanks again for the advice. pictures to follow next week.
Too lazy to beat myself up for being to lazy to beat myself up for being too lazy to... well you get the point....
Yesterday I took RJ to the new mega-wine store in Orlando. 8,000 different wines. sheesh. The man was in 7th heaven. I have a box of wine I have to drive out to the panhandle in 2 weeks.
Anyway, he could not resist the '50's type bathing beauties on one label, Courtney's Angels, "Wish You Were Here". A 2003 cabernet, it was darn good.
Tasted a wonderful 2005 Riesling this week:
Dr. Loosen (Ernst Loosen) and at $12 a bottle, the best Riesling from a screw top I've had yet
Can't go wrong with a wine from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer valley of Germany
On the ground, protecting the Cyburbia Shove since 2004.
I have trouble believing RJ could not find a box of wine in the Panhandle...I am sure Wal-Mart has every type of Franzi known to man...along with ice cubes for the perfect wine drinking experience.
"If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less" General Eric Shinseki
The place should be consecrated as a shrine.
You failed to mention that the Courtney's comes in a screw top. A very good wine for the price and highly recommended from this humble drinker of grape juice.
I haven't consumed wine from a box since my college days. BTW, ice in wine is a crime against humanity.
A nuisance may be merely a right thing in the wrong place — like a pig in the parlor instead of the barnyard.
Here's the website: www.totalwine.com
It's so big, you get a map when you walk in the door. RJ and I went down two aisles and I had to remove him from the premises before he went into wine-lust overload....
'Tis my favorite place to buy beer....oops wrong threadHere's the website: www.totalwine.com
It's so big, you get a map when you walk in the door. RJ and I went down two aisles and I had to remove him from the premises before he went into wine-lust overload....
"He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" Jeremiah 22:16
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