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

Started by SonicMan46, April 07, 2007, 06:14:18 PM

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Lilas Pastia

Dave, would you think this is the same product ?? Or some similar quality variant? I'm surprised to see it seem cheaper here.

In any case, I saw this one tonight, and I'm tempted to try it. Carmenère is a lovely grape.

SonicMan46

Quote from: Lilas Pastia on January 30, 2009, 07:19:20 PM
Dave, would you think this is the same product ?? Or some similar quality variant? I'm surprised to see it seem cheaper here.

In any case, I saw this one tonight, and I'm tempted to try it. Carmenère is a lovely grape.

André - good evening!  Well Concha y Toro is the largest Chilean wine producer and sources grapes from many areas - I've enjoyed tasting the Carmenere (a lesser Bordeaux grape that has done well in Chile; like Malbec in Argentina) - I've not tasted either of these offerings but from the labels linked seem to be from different vineyard(s) - the prices are virtually identical - I'd probably taste each one and then make a decision on which one to purchase; being of the '07 vintage (and if a little tannic), might be worth a year or two of storage - of course, all speculation w/o me giving them a sampling - tell us what you think, though - these likely may appear in North Carolina if made in large amounts!  Dave  :D

Lilas Pastia

Good evening, Dave! ;)

I suspect they my be different products - even if quite alike. Large maisons like Concha y Toro probably have distinct products for their export markets. In Quebec, Cabernet sauvignon has steadfastly lost ground to more exotic, less 'virile' grapes. Various blends of syrah (shiraz) are popular, as are the lesser-known, more typical southern France local varieties. I don't know about other places, but here women overwhelmingly prefer red to white wines. Many couples go out to dine in 'bring your own wine' restaurants, and red wines of all kinds are what you'll see on all tables. But I digress  :D

SonicMan46

Pinot Gris or Grigio - an excellent white grape to try!  :)

Years ago, I became tired of the oaky Chardonnays and have avoided many in recent years; thus, I've started to search for other 'white wine' varietals, including Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris/Grigio, Riesling, Viognier, et al, but Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Gris seem to be my usual choices.

But, for this post, I must encourage those of you that enjoy white wines & are tiring of oaky Chards, to give Pinot Gris/Grigio a try - there are so many offerings, many w/ different tastes and often at good prices - tonight, I sampled an Alsatian Pinot Gris (label shown below) - just getting back in these white Alsatian varietals (others include Pinot Blanc, Riesling, et al) - this is a dry, floral, and mineral tasting wine, just wonderful!

For other examples, the world is your oyster!  Pinot Grigios from Italy have improved dramatically and are being offered at great prices; both California & Oregon (e.g. King Estate I buy yearly) are other areas to explore; and many other areas in the world and the USA are making excellent wines from this varietal, even including pretty good attempts in my state, North Carolina.

If you give this varietal a try, please reply back to this thread - a delicious grape usually @ a good price!  ;D



Sergeant Rock

#304
Quote from: SonicMan on January 30, 2009, 07:57:18 PM
For other examples, the world is your oyster!  Pinot Grigios from Italy have improved dramatically and are being offered at great prices...

Pinot grigio became quite trendy in Germany a few years ago...and it drove our vintners crazy because the same grape, known here as Grauburgunder (gray burgundy) or Rulander (when sweet), is a major varietal (as it is in Alsace) and makes far superior wine in this northern clime (at least to my taste).

We had a bottle from the southern Pfalz the other night with roast Spanferkel (suckling pig). The combination was outstanding (even though I wept like the Walrus while eating that little piggy  :D )




Quote

Yes, Pinot gris is my favorite Alsatian wine...I like it even more than their great Rieslings and Gewurztraminers.

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Bogey

Seeing that Oscar season just finished up and thanks to a friend had this with our dinner tonight:

There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz

toledobass

love that stuff bogey.  Kinda of the 'house wine' of sorts here.


Allan

Bogey

Any of you here have a set of wine glasses that you prefer?
There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz

SonicMan46

Well, a couple of posts back in this thread, I mentioned exploring 'white' grapes other than the oaky chardonnays and concentrated on wines made from Pinot Grigio or Gris - please explore these wines & report back!  ;D

Tonight, I'm sampling a new offering from Bridlewood in California - i.e. the 2007 Viognier Reserve - yet another white grape being cultivated outside its area of origin (i.e. northern Rhone Vly - specifically Condrieu w/ Ch. Grillet being the most famous property - fascinating history, BTW!); this current vintage is good, but this grape can produce some wonderfully complex fruity/tropical flavors - can easily be a 'hit or miss' wine - you just have to try some and see what you think! My home state, North Carolina, now has dozens of wineries, and the 'white' grapes that so far have interested me the most here in this climate have been the two mentioned - the Viognier wines have been decent to pretty good, but there is likely a future for this grape here; so if you're into white wines and want to get away from the usual recommendations, there are plenty of options!  :)


SonicMan46

Quote from: Bogey on March 01, 2009, 01:56:40 PM
Any of you here have a set of wine glasses that you prefer?

Hello Bill - this is a complex question, as you can imagine - how many different types of wines do you drink, do you want separate types of glasses for different wines, how much do you want to pay, and does all of this nonsense make a difference?  :D

My preference is SIMPLICITY!  My main wine glasses are like the one shown below holding the 'white' wine - the contour is fluted (which helps to concentrate the aromas of the wine to sniff) & the glass is CLEAR (forget colors & decorations); volume of the ones that I use are 12 oz (that's a half bottle of wine), which permits filling the glass less than half fill or less, so that swirling & smelling of the wine can be best appreciated.

Now, the other IMPORTANT issues are the number of shapes of glasses you want & their prices; personally, I just have one main choice for whites & reds - some will argue that certain wines are better appreciated in glasses of different sizes & shapes (mainly those who make expensive glassware, I guess?) - e.g. visit the Riedel Website - they offer innumerable options of hand-blown glassware at exorbitant prices (and there are less expensive offerings from others) - yes, blind tastings have been done implying that these 'different' shapes & sizes makes a difference - I don't know, but am unwilling to pay the prices being asked.

So bottom line for me, obtain a large glass (12 oz or more) & make sure that it is clear & fluted!  :)

Now, for sparkling wine (Champagne et al) - a tall fluted glass as shown below (on the right) is the best, so those are the two main 'shapes' in my collection; now, going beyond standard wines & sparklers into other options (e.g. ports), might require a different type of glassware; but bottom line is that you can keep it simple & cheap!  Dave  :D

 

Bogey

Thanks Dave.  Down the road, I will try to post a shot of the glasses we have.
There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz

toledobass

If you want something decent for everyday use that you don't have to worry too much about, Target carries a low end line of Reidel that I've been happy with.

Allan

Bogey

Quote from: toledobass on March 01, 2009, 06:03:28 PM
If you want something decent for everyday use that you don't have to worry too much about, Target carries a low end line of Reidel that I've been happy with.

Allan

I will check them out tomorrow, Allan, as I need to hit the big red for some grocery shopping.
There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz

Bogey

There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: Bogey on March 01, 2009, 01:56:40 PM
Any of you here have a set of wine glasses that you prefer?

Yes, I like Riedel, an Austrian crystal manufacturer. Here's our collection (the single small glass on the right is a Riedel Single Malt, a birthday present from Mrs. Rock):




My favorite is the Chianti glass in the Vinum line (the middle of their price range).



It's the perfect size and shape for almost any wine, red or white (except late harvest). In fact Riedel suggests using it for German dry Riesling too. I like the glasses so much I've used them every day for the last dozen years even though that's taken a toll. We've gone through a dozen! (We're using Ikea glasses for everyday use at the moment...until I can afford more Riedel.) I also like their Vinum Bordeaux and late harvest Riesling glasses. The Sommelier line of Champagne flutes (large, hand blown) are magnificent and, I think, worth the price for anyone who really loves Champagne and is a Kennedy...or crazy  ;D

In the next picture the Riesling glass is on the left, then Champagne and Bordeaux (along with the bottles we drank last night with our surf and turf dinner (Chateau Camensac is a fifth growth Bordeaux):



Schott (German) makes a great line too, much like Riedel but half the price.

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

bwv 1080

Somebody recommend some $10 wines.  I am too cheap to spend more and getting sick of Montes Cab & Malbec, the only wines I can remember in that price range I have liked.

bhodges

Quote from: bwv 1080 on March 02, 2009, 12:15:53 PM
Somebody recommend some $10 wines.  I am too cheap to spend more and getting sick of Montes Cab & Malbec, the only wines I can remember in that price range I have liked.

I'm a huge fan of Australian shirazes, and many good ones are around that price.  Some good labels: Penfolds, d'Arenberg, Oxford Landing, Wyndham Estate, Jacob's Creek, Lindeman's, Black Opal.  And if you want really inexpensive ones, even some of the really bargain labels aren't bad, e.g., Yellow Tail, Little Penguin.  They taste perfectly good, just without the character that comes with more expensive bottles.

Probably my favorite "everyday" red wine is Wyndham Estate's Bin 555, a very deep-flavored shiraz.

--Bruce

SonicMan46

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on March 02, 2009, 10:42:05 AM
My favorite is the Chianti glass in the Vinum line (the middle of their price range).



It's the perfect size and shape for almost any wine, red or white ........

Hi Sarge - I like that glass above, pretty much the shape of my 'all-purpose' glass, but I could use some replacements and have looked at the 'less expensive' Riedel line - kind of like a 'thicker' stem & 'dish washer' safety; champagne flutes a necessity (have a couple types of those); no longer drink 'single malts' & cognacs, both of which I liked in those big brandy sniffers; also own some port glasses - but again I try to keep the choices simple these days - Dave  :D

SonicMan46

Quote from: bwv 1080 on March 02, 2009, 12:15:53 PM
Somebody recommend some $10 wines.  I am too cheap to spend more and getting sick of Montes Cab & Malbec, the only wines I can remember in that price range I have liked.

Well, difficult getting much of quality anymore in that $10 or less cost - might have to up your range to $15, which will provide a lot more options -  :-\

But, I agree; also drink a lot of those reds from Chile & Argentina; plenty of other wineries from those two countries seem to be coming into my area; also, there are a few more 'red' options, such as Carmenere to try (if not already done?); also, support Bruce's recommendation on the Australian reds, Shiraz, Cabs, & blends, but even the prices in that market are escalating - the 'Yellow Tail' brand has gotten some good reviews lately in the Wine Spectator:)

Washington State (Ch. Ste. Michelle, Columbia Crest, Hogue, etc.) has some great bargains for there more 'generic' reds, usually w/ Columbia Vly appellations; of course, their still are a lot of California reds that are inexpensive, might want to look at the Central Coast wineries, such as those in Paso Robles and adjacent areas, often less expensive; Zinfandel would be another recommendation, but even my favs from the past, such as Ridge, are now going into the $30 range!  :(

Wine Spectator each issue has plenty of 'value' recommendations, if you want to subscribe - they also have an online service to review their ratings, but subscription costs enter; occasionally, I've looked at this site called Cheap Wine Ratings - their upper limit is $20 - have not used them that often, but would be interested in how useful the site is for their stated purpose?

Don't know if this will be of much help because these cheaper wines just don't get reviewed much, so 'word of mouth' or personal tastings may be needed - good luck in your search (please report back if you find some great wines in that price range!) - Dave  :)

Bogey

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on March 02, 2009, 10:42:05 AM



My favorite is the Chianti glass in the Vinum line (the middle of their price range).



Looks as though they go for about $20 a pop, Sarge.  Is that what you experienced?
There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz