WINE - Red, White, or Other - Discussed Here!

[Sergeant Rock]

Can't beat that. (They do quarter bottles of some vodka-gin stuff 55% in China when I was there for a pittance.)

Yeah, the New York Times tested gins recently and some of the brands were in that alcohol range. Gives a martini a nice kick 

Sarge

[SonicMan46]

The only important thing about wine is how much alcohol there is in it and how fast it intoxicates. Not that I'm drinking right now.

Sean, my boy - you have a lot of learning & drinking to do!     But, I was once given a bottle of 'something' from a Chinese colleague (brought back from Shanghai) - that stuff must have been 180+ Proof!  I'd send you what was left but had to dump it into the sink - 

[SonicMan46]

Couple of slightly 'aged' red wines from the cellar - both are from 2002 (despite the label year shown) - sitting in the basement for 2+ years; both now quite mellow & delicious:

Seghesio Zinfandel 2002 - inexpensive & a unique California offering; better ones will improve w/ a few years of bottle aging (the best might take 5+ years - e.g. Paul Draper's Ridge offerings).

Clancy's - Peter Lehmann blend from Australia - I've bought this wine also yearly - a blend of Shiraz w/ 'Bordeaux' grapes (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, & Cabernet Franc) - just wonderful after 5 yrs. of age; again, good value - 

 

[SonicMan46]

Well, tonight I had a little Shingleback 2002 Shiraz which had been 'aging' in my cellar for a couple of years - there was a large and unexpected sediment, but the wine is delicious; I've been buying this particular wine for several vintages (and it does require a few or more years of aging); so, if you're interested (and can obtain) this Australian Shiraz, then this winery is certainly worth a search!

Also, I have an 'aging' collection of Ports (i.e. the REAL thing from Portugal), and about every 3-4 months I decant one - tonight decided to try a Dow's 1990 Quinta do Bomfim - this is a vintage port from the year listed - outstanding @ the moment w/ a great amount of sediment, i.e. need to 'decant' carefully; this is not Dow's usualy 'Vintage Port' - these Quinta (means a vineyard/winery in Portugal) offerings are often made in the 'off' years but from an otherwise 'excellent' vintage crop - a number of these port houses offer 'quinta' selections - these are often less expensive than the usual vintage selections, i.e. if you don't wan't to spend the  $$ on standard 'Vintage Port' then try either the LBV (Late Bottled Vintages) or the Quinta offerings - you'll be pleased - 

 

[SonicMan46]

Well, I'm sure many are sipping on some vino, esp. w/ summer coming (at least in the Northern hemisphere -  ) - just returned from a short trip to Virginia, and visited some wineries there & in North Carolina on the way home.  If anyone is 'headed' to the mid-Atlantic states, esp. the two mentioned & would like to visit some wineries, there are plenty of options!  Virginia now has over 120 & North Carolina over 60 wineries in operation, so plenty of choices - 

Check out the NC Wine & Virginia web sites - plenty of information, including winery descriptions, maps, directions, etc.

Also, the second edition of a NC wine guide (below) was just published - mine arrived today in the mail, hence the reason for posting to this thread; also below a pic of Shelton Vineyards in Dobson, NC - about 45 mins from my home. 

And if you do visit, please provide comments - 

 

[SimonGodders]

Should post here more often, as certainly get through a couple of bottles a week!

Just had half of this with dinner, nice and chewy, excellent with my linguine Bolognese:

[Solitary Wanderer]

I will be having a glass [or two] of this tonight

[MishaK]

I just had a lovely Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc with dinner. Mulderbosch quickly became one of my favorite producers during my visit to South Africa two years ago. Thankfully, Whole Foods carries some of their wines now and then. Their most interesting wine, the Steen op Hout (a wooded Chenin Blanc) unfortunately is hard to come by stateside. That is a really unique wine, crisp but full of Kiwi and other subtle tropical fuits, yet with a slight smoky undertone thanks to the wood barrel aging, atypical for regular Chenin Blanc.

[SonicMan46]

I will be having a glass [or two] of this tonight

SW - I'm a big NZ wine fan (probably obvious from my previous posts) - love the Sauvignon Blanc, and fortunately many ship into my area in North Carolina, including the Kim Crawford label; also I've tried the 'unoaked' Chardonnay that you picture above, plus their Pinot Noir - that is my favorite red wine (at the moment), so anxious to see more of the NZ Pinot Noirs come into my area (just a 'handful' at the moment).  Enjoy - Dave 

[SonicMan46]

I just had a lovely Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc with dinner.........

O Mensch - just had an excellent South African Sauvignon Blanc, but can't remember the name - South Africa is about the only major 'Southern Hemisphere' wine country that I've not explored well - fortunately, I'm seeing more of their wines 'hit' the shelves here, so I'll try to correct that in the near future - the wines often receive excellent reviews - 

For those who might be interested in reading about wines, the two newest books to arrive in my home are:

The Art and Science of Wine (2007) by James Halliday & Hugh Johnson - just starting to read this one; two great wine writers - plenty of beautiful pics; short & to the point - this is a nice introduction concentrating more on the production of wine rather than a review of specific wine regions, and certainly not a listing of wines tasted (need to look elsewhere).

Wine Atlas of Australia (2006) by James Halliday, the pre-eminent wine writer in Australia; new hardback (not cheap but good price from Amazon) - I've been an enthusiast of Australian wines for decades (my 'small' collection is heavy on the Shiraz, but do collect other reds & a few whites) - this is an outstanding & beautifully put together atlas - CLICK on the image for further comments - just have quickly perused the pages so far - 

 

[SonicMan46]

***** GREAT WINE LABEL *****
Just returned from an overnight trip to the Blueridge Parkway in southern Virginia - on the way up stopped in downtown Mt. Airy (NC - home of Andy Griffith of Mayberry TV fame) - a cooperative winery is located on Main Street, Old North State Winery (CLICK on name for details) - did a 'wine tasting', which included a red wine called Restless Soul (mixture of Merlot, Cabernet, & Chambourcin; the latter 'mellowing' the wine) - the label is fascinating; apparently, the re-modelled building was originally a hardware store dating to the 1890s; in the early 20th century an explosion of dynamite occurred destroying much of the building - the story is that a human arm was found some years later in restoring the building -TRUE?  Asked about a t-shirt, but none existed - maybe next time! 

[MishaK]

We just had friends over for dinner and opened a bottle that I had bought a few years ago: 2000 Gitton Père et Fils - Sancerre - Les Herses d'Or. Gitton is a wonderful family run operation in Ménétréol sous Sancerre, just at the foot of the hill on top of which is Sancerre. They make a number of different Sancerres from different plots as well as one of the finest Poully Fumés. But what is really interesting is that they have a few Sancerres that are really unique - a quite spicy-floral bouquet and lots of body. The Les Herses do'Or is their top of the line from among these "weird" Sancerres. Really a unique and very enjoyable wine. It's astounding how one single vineyard can produce so much variety from one single grape varietal. My wife and I visited this vineyard twice on trips to France. They were always amazingly friendly and engaging. Highly recommended if you're ever in the upper Loire area.

For dessert we had a St. Supéry Moscato which we picked up on our recent trip to Napa. A wonderfully balanced dessert wine that isn't overwhelmingly sweet or strong. And priced reasonably as well.

[SonicMan46]

Well, tasted several wines tonight:

Norton Malbec 2005 Reserva from the Mendoza Vly, Argentina - I sample this wine yearly & have a couple of bottles of the '04 in my cellar; this one is excellent & at a good value - probably will buy some extra bottles - Malbec is a 'minor' grape of the Bordeaux area, but for some reason in this Argentinian Vly seems to produce a superb red wine - give those Malbecs a try!

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut Non-Vintage - bought for this evening, our 37th wedding anniversary; I usually just buy domestic (i.e. USA) sparkling wine, such as Dom. Chandon (about 1/3 to 1/2 the price); but I must say that this wine was superb, certainly worth the extra cost  (if drank infrequently) - think these French options will be more a consideration for me in the future - 

 

[Greta]

Hey kids. My wife and I will be travelling to San Francisco (my first time there!) the weekend after next for a friend's wedding in Marin county. We arrive Thursday midnight and leave in the evening of Monday. Friday evening and all of Saturday will be jam-packed with wedding-related activities, but we'd like to go visit some vineyards Sunday and/or Monday. We will have a rental car. Any places you guys can recommend that can be easily visited from there would be greatly appreciated. Also, scenic and tasty spots for getting lunch that matches the local wine would be great. Many thanks in advance.

I can honestly say the Bay Area, and especially Napa Valley, is one of the most special places I've been to. We were going from SF up to Clearlake (huge beautiful lake about 45 min north of Napa area, Kelseyville) to the Konocti Harbor Resort, and drove up through Napa Valley, we visited Beringer Vineyards which was beautiful and a lot of fun. We stopped off in Calistoga, perfectly lovely and quaint, the best restaurants are small classy affairs there, you guys will love it. They seem to always have great summer festivals going on in that area this time of year, with great music (especially soul/funk/jazz), we went to the Napa Valley Festival and the weather was gorgeous, almost cool at times and food stands with dishes made with fresh produce and wine galore. Man, great memories, I have a lot of friends out there (I need to make it back!)

As far as SF, it's a smorgasbord, visiting the Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory was like heaven on earth, Golden Gate and Oakland Bay bridges at night are a must, wow. Alas,  I really wanted to see SFS when I was there but both times was there for a week in August and there wasn't much going on. Downtown SF is amazing though! Sacramento also is fun, downtown Old Sacramento has that turn-of-the-century feel and is a nice place to spend a half day. The museums in SF are in particular really fine, MOMA, the Exploratorium, etc. and this is gorgeous in person:

The Palace of the Fine Arts:


My favorite memory from out there is when I accompanied my friend to a gig of his soul band, for an event at the ranch of sculptor Phillip Glashoff in the gorgeous Suisun Valley. I remember at twilight, as the hills turned purple and stars poked through the sky, and surrounded by these whimsical figures almost sprung from a children's story, I felt as if I were in the world of my imagination and not reality. It was truly magical. A fantastically creative artist and nice guy. The band members got free wine and a sculpture a piece as thanks!

Glashoff farm:


Suisun Valley:


Suisun Valley is just to the south of Napa Valley and quickly growing a reputation for excellent wines produced by small family run vineyards. It's rustic, quaint and quiet and really isolated from the everyday hubbub. Very special place and highly recommended for a pass-through.

You could easily spend several weeks out there and never run out of awesome things to see and do!

[SonicMan46]

I can honestly say the Bay Area, and especially Napa Valley, is one of the most special places I've been to. We were going from SF up to Clearlake (huge beautiful lake about 45 min north of Napa area, Kelseyville) to the Konocti Harbor Resort, and drove up through Napa Valley, we visited Beringer Vineyards which was beautiful and a lot of fun...........................

Greta - thanks for the great travelogue of the Bay Area - brings back many memories for me - just a great place to visit, eat, & sample wines (and nature's beauty!) - 

Recently, my nephew, a post-grad student, is planning to attend a meeting in San Francisco and is just getting interested in wine; a couple of weeks ago, he wrote me for some day-trip winery advice; quoted below is my response to him - not as elegant as Greta's descriptions, but may give those making their first or second trips to the area some ideas? 

Sounds like a great trip - I've often chosen to go to California when medical meetings were held there (probably been there a dozen or more times over the last 25+ years) - invariably take a day or two to visit wineries; on my last trip (probably 3-4 yrs. ago) put together a Napa trip for Susan - we drove up and made our first stop @ Domaine Carnernos (looks like a French chateaux; in Carneros which also has plenty of wineries) - took a tour & tasted  champagne; then headed into the Mayacamas Mtns. and visited the Hess Collection (some excellent red wines) + an eclectic art gallery; then down into Napa Vly to St. Helena for a nice lunch; afterwards up to Calistoga & Clos Pegase (great architecture; and good reds); then the Silverado Trail (much more beautiful that Hwy 29 & less traveled - a must road to drive) - stopped at Mumm (another champagne producer but also w/ a photography gallery); then down the Trail into the town of Napa for some coffee. Of course there are dozens of other wineries along the routes that I've described, both large & small - you might want a mix of wineries of varying sizes?

You might want to picked up a recent guide book of the Napa-Sonoma wine regions - I've used a number over the years - Frommer's has a recent one - but check on Amazon for reviews (I'd suggest getting a very recent book - these places & their products change constantly & just look at the comments). I could certainly list a bunch of wineries that I've visited over the years & will be glad to make some more suggestions, if needed.

Also, there are non-Napa options out of San Fran - Sonoma Valley & County are across the Mayacamas - a nice trip would be to drive into Sonoma (wonderful little town w/ a great bakery & historic tours - was the northern most Spanish mission town along the Camino Real); several wineries around the town include Buena Vista & Ravenswood (great Zinfandels); then head into Sonoma Valley (i.e. Valley of the Moon of Jack London fame) - wineries are numerous and include Kenwood, Arrowood, Ch. St. Jean, Dry Creek, and others - that would be a nice day trip w/ a lunch along the way.

Sonoma County is huge and probably would take several days - dozens of wineries making all sorts of wines - need a map & a guide book to plot out a route; of course, you could go further north into Dry Creek & Alexander Valleys (just across the highway from each other); plenty of wineres - did those two valleys as a day trip once.

Finally, if you want to head south from San Fran, then Monterey County is just wonderful - you will also pass by the Santa Cruz Mtns (plenty of good wineres there) - Monterey is a beautiful coastal town (w/ great food & a superb aquarium); the 17-mile drive on Monterey Peninsula is not to be missed - Pebble Beach golf course, Carmel, sea otters, seals, etc. Plus, the guidebooks will show you the wineries in the area - more 'spread out' but some excellent ones.

[SonicMan46]

Another month has gone by w/o a response to the wine thread - 

Currently reading the book below on the wines of Bordeaux by Oz Clarke - outstanding reviews (which I support) - book is short, concise, and contains plenty of fine maps, aerial-type views, & photos; written in Clarke's usual superb manner w/ lots of humor; just released, so the information is quite up to date - if you buy (and drink) Bordeaux wine, then a strong recommendation.

If you're 'passing' through North Carolina driving on Hwy 52 (links I-40 & I-85) near Lexington (NC capital of barbecue), then make a stop @ Childress Vineyards & Winery - I was there a few weeks ago - excellent tour, bistro restaurant, & great gift shop; this is one of the most impressive wineries in the Yadkin River area - their current Syrah release is quite good, as is their more higher priced bottlings.   

 

[Papageno]

Aaah, nothing can make you as drunk as Mozart can.

[sound67]

As recommended by my next-block seller (and importer!) of French and Italian grapes:



Daniel Crochet 2006 Sancerre (picture shows 2002 vintage), € 11.50

A medium-bodied Sauvingon Blanc with strong grapefruit and melon flavors. A little light on the nose, mainly citric, but more complex and stronger on the palate - better than the other way around, ain't it? Surprisingly little acid for an upper Loire, which in book is not necessarily a good thing (tried the Neil Ellis Sauvignon Blanc 2006 recently, whose lively but well-integrated acid I much appreciated).

Thomas

[SonicMan46]

As recommended by my next-block seller (and importer!) of French and Italian grapes:



Daniel Crochet 2006 Sancerre (picture shows 2002 vintage), € 11.50

A medium-bodied Sauvingon Blanc with strong grapefruit and melon flavors. A little light on the nose, mainly citric, but more complex and stronger on the palate - better than the other way around, ain't it? Surprisingly little acid for an upper Loire, which in book is not necessarily a good thing (tried the Neil Ellis Sauvignon Blanc 2006 recently, whose lively but well-integrated acid I much appreciated).=

Thomas - love Sancerre & many other Sauvignon Blancs - such as those from New Zealand, California, & Washington State (plus selective others!) - 

Tonight, sipping on some Columbia Crest '04 Merlot, Grand Estates - CHEAP ($10 here) - 90 rating in Wine Spectator (I'd give it a B/B+) - this would be a great party red wine, i.e. not expensive so you can buy a bunch of bottles - have a few extra for the cellar - drink w/i a year - 

PLEASE NOTE - VINTAGE UNDER DISCUSSION is 2004

[sound67]

A variety once neglected, now popular again:



Trentham Estate Premium Range 2005(!) Viognier
Perth Royal Show Gold Medal (Jg.2005)
Australian Inland Wine Show Silver Medal (Jg.2005)
N.Z. International Wine Show Silver Medal (Jg.2005)
Melbourne Wine Show Bronze Medal (Jg.2005)
Melbourne Wine Show Gold Medal (Jg.2005)

An excellent, fruity-yet-not-perfumed Viognier, and at € 8 a great bang for the buck! Wonderful floral and apricot aromas in the nose, notes of acacia and lemon on the palate. A surprisingly, and deliciously, long finish for such an inexpensive wine. Definitely recommended!

Thomas