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

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

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Sergeant Rock

Quote from: SonicMan on November 15, 2009, 07:08:30 AM
Well, this thread has been moribund the last few months - some of our usual 'wine enthusiasts' seem to have stop posting -  :-\

Guilty. I stopped posting for a couple of reasons. The wines I've purchased recently, or drank at home or restaurants, are only available in Germany and France, and many of the purchases only available direct from the vintners. That means I'd be talking to myself, basically, about wine no one else is ever going to sample. The other problem is that my card reader is broken so I can't upload pictures easily. A wine post without showing the bottle and label is a boring post  ;D

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

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on November 21, 2009, 04:50:39 AM
Guilty. I stopped posting for a couple of reasons. The wines I've purchased recently, or drank at home or restaurants, are only available in Germany and France, and many of the purchases only available direct from the vintners. That means I'd be talking to myself, basically, about wine no one else is ever going to sample. The other problem is that my card reader is broken so I can't upload pictures easily. A wine post without showing the bottle and label is a boring post  ;D

Sarge

Not true about the inability to get the wines you are getting....it is always fun for us to dream on this side of the Atlantic. :D  True about the photos....gotta have pics! :D :D
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

The $20 bottles of Syncline that I am posting come with a screw on cap.  Is this becoming more common?  How about in your parts, Sarge?
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

Quote from: Bogey on November 21, 2009, 03:39:52 AM
Took your advice and dropped by the little shop in Arvada and grabbed two more bottles of this, Dave.  They have probably 7 or 8 left (?). 

Bill - glad that you found some more of the wine mentioned!  I'm sure that it is just delicious; again, I love those 'Southern Rhone' style wines using a variety of grapes.  The shipping across the continent to me is a 'killer', esp. if air-mail is used (a necessity this time of the year w/ cold weather), so I've basically just been ordering from my Oregon Wine Club - not sure if you've taken a look at that place, but I've mentioned it before.

Quote from: Bogey on November 21, 2009, 03:39:52 AM
Any other combo reds that you would rec. at this time?

Well, more wineries are starting to blend these various grapes - but hard for me to make specific recommendations from this side of the continent, just not sure 'what' might be available to you?  I would just check w/ a bunch of local wine shops and tell them that you like blended 'southern Rhone' style wines; these are being made in many places, including CA, Washington State, South America, etc.  Of course, you can always go to the original source, i.e. Southern Rhone (Chateuneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Rhone River Villages, etc.), but the pricing is an issue w/ the strength of the Euro, but plenty of bargains exist - don't know if you receive the Wine Spectator, but there was a large tasting of these southern French wines recently!

Quote from: Bogey on November 21, 2009, 03:39:52 AM
PS Watched the Jefferson wine video again last night.  He only had 300 bottles left when he died. :D

I think that is the 'rub' - i.e. pass away after you've taken the last sip from your last bottle of wine - why leave any to others!   ;D 8)   Dave

Bogey

Thanks, Dave.  What is your take on the screw on tops?
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

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

SonicMan46

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on November 21, 2009, 04:50:39 AM
Guilty. I stopped posting for a couple of reasons. The wines I've purchased recently, or drank at home or restaurants, are only available in Germany and France, and many of the purchases only available direct from the vintners. That means I'd be talking to myself, basically, about wine no one else is ever going to sample. The other problem is that my card reader is broken so I can't upload pictures easily. A wine post without showing the bottle and label is a boring post  ;D

Sarge - well, I think it is always interesting to know what others may be drinking, even though specific wines may not be available in other parts of the planet; e.g. the 2007/8 Ch. Ste. Michelle Rieslings from Washington State received some excellent recommendations recently - just picked up a few at my local super market; also love Pinot Gris, esp. from Oregon; so if I lucked out and found one you might have recommended, like a Trimbach from Alsace, then I'd certainly give the wine a try.

Also, still quite interested in changing wine purchasing practices regardless of location - if I lived in Europe, I could see myself looking for a lot more bargains, esp. from Southern France, Italy, and the Iberian Peninsula.

Quote from: Bogey on November 21, 2009, 05:02:11 AM
The $20 bottles of Syncline that I am posting come with a screw on cap.  Is this becoming more common?  How about in your parts, Sarge?

Bill - I love screw caps!  New Zealand will (or has maybe by now) gone completely to screw caps; Australia may follow?  And the closure is appearing on many wines from other countries, esp. the less expensive products.  There are plenty of even more costly bottles meant for aging seeing a screw cap closure, and studies are being done in which some reds that will acquire 5+ yrs of aging are being 'closed' w/ several options and will be compared.  I've pulled thousands of corks over the years, but will not miss the experience - others may want to comment, though?  Dave  :)

Sergeant Rock

#468
Quote from: Bogey on November 21, 2009, 05:02:11 AM
The $20 bottles of Syncline that I am posting come with a screw on cap.  Is this becoming more common?  How about in your parts, Sarge?

Yes, cork is losing ground in Germany too. Even some of the best wine estates are changing to screw caps or the vino lok, an enclosure made primarily of thick, heavy glass. The firm Mrs. Rock works for manufactures and sells them.





Like the screw cap, a bottle with the vino lok can be resealed.

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

Great info for a newbie like myself, gents.  Thanks much!
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

#470
Quote from: SonicMan on November 21, 2009, 06:42:44 AM
Also, still quite interested in changing wine purchasing practices regardless of location - if I lived in Europe, I could see myself looking for a lot more bargains, esp. from Southern France, Italy, and the Iberian Peninsula.

That's where the majority of our red wne purchases are from these days. We have amazing bargains here, with many tasty offereings from the areas you mention, most costing five euro or less. Not necessarily great wines but great for daily drinking. Our current fave is a Côtes du Rhône that's stocked by one of our local supermarkets (a Wasgau for any Germans who may be reading this). It only costs €2.50 but has all the characteristics of a good Rhône wine. I've been grabbing every bottle I see, going back every other day, after they've restocked the shelf, and wiping them out again  ;D  Aldi Sud currently offers a decent 2004 Brunello di Montalcino for €13. Of course it doesn't match the great Brunellos but then it doesn't cost a hundred euros either.

We've bought lots of Spätburgunder (pinot noir) recently. A favorite winery in the Pfalz (Weingut Pfeffigen offers pinot in several variations: as a red wine, of course, but also a blanc de noir and a cuvée called Auriga which is pinot blended with cabernet and aged in barriques:



All three are delicious. Last Sunday a winery in the village next to ours had their annual tasting. We bought several cases of their Pinot Sekt (German champagne).

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"

SonicMan46

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on November 21, 2009, 07:32:52 AM
Yes, cork is losing ground in Germany too. Even some of the best wine estates are changing to screw caps or the vino lok, an enclosure made primarily of thick, heavy glass. The firm Mrs. Rock works for manufactures and sells them.

 

Like the screw cap, a bottle with the vino lok can be resealed.

Like the glass stopper also - not only useful to reseal an unfinished bottle, but I use them in my empty 'half bottles' if I have 'leftovers' (a rarity!) - they seem to fit nicely; I've already collected a handful adding one the other day drinking my final bottle of Sineann Pinot Noir - 2006 vintage - which used the vino lok; also, I like the low profile for storing in the frig, as needed.

I used to be a southern Rhone collector, mainly the Ch-du-Papes & Gigondas, but the better ones just became outrageously priced - at one point, I had a 6 year or so vertical collection of Château de Beaucastel, so could let them age up to 10 yrs or so - no more; probably should start searching out some bargains from the area, esp. the Cotes du Rhone, but most just do not ship here, unfortunately!  :-\  Dave

Bogey

For today's dinner we are going with a red that Jefferson supposedly had (or a form of):


Fattoria Buccicatino Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2006
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 November 26, 2009, 07:15:02 AM
For today's dinner we are going with a red that Jefferson supposedly had (or a form of):


Fattoria Buccicatino Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2006

We drank Italian too with a very non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner of salmon carpaccio and mussels in a tomato/garlic sauce: a Nero d'Avalo from Sicily. I thought it was overripe, too syrupy, but Mrs. Rock loved it.

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"

Lilas Pastia

#474
These days I find portuguese wines to be what I like most - both for the immediate taste (fruity like few other wines) and for the solid yet refined qualities I look for past the first glass :). For the price they're hard to beat.

When I want a deep colour, mouthfilling taste and strong tannins, my preference goes for the big, elegant reds  of the Bekaa Valley (Lebanon). Half as expensive as californian and australian offerings, and twice as good.

SonicMan46

FYI - just a repeat below from the reading thread - thought a duplication here appropriate -  :)

From Demon to Darling: A Legal History of Wine in America (2009) by Richard Mendelson, who is a lawyer, has worked in the wine trade for years (on different continents), and is also a winemaker.  This book was well recommended in one of my wine newsletters - really a history of 'alcohol' in the USA -  about half way through and Prohibition has just been repealed; now becoming more interesting regarding the legalities of interstate shipment of wine!  Book is listed at over 300 pgs, but really about 190 of text (plenty of notes & references).  Recommended for 'wine lovers' who can't find what they may want in wine locally and wonder why the 'hell' it can't be shipped!  ;D


PerfectWagnerite

Quote from: Lilas Pastia on December 07, 2009, 01:53:39 PM
These days I find portuguese wines to be what I like most - both for the immediate taste (fruity like few other wines) and for the solid yet refined qualities I look for past the first glass :). For the price they're hard to beat.

When I want a deep colour, mouthfilling taste and strong tannins, my preference goes for the big, elegant reds  of the Bekaa Valley (Lebanon). Half as expensive as californian and australian offerings, and twice as good.
When I went to Portugal about 6 years ago I love Portuguese green wine (the generic kind they serve at restaurants where you get a whole jug for a couple of Euro). I can't seem to find something similar here in NY and NJ. Do you have any recommendations as to what a good Portuguese green wine would be?

Lilas Pastia

#477
Definitely. Portuguese vinho verde is easily found here. Typically, it it rather low on alcohol content (9-11 degrees), and has a slightly frizzante (bubbly) quality to it. Vinho verde is easily available and quite cheap to boot. Compared to similarly 'light' french white wines, they have more taste (acidity and fruit)., as well as character - and they're quite affordable. Check various sites http://chicagoist.com/attachments/chicagoist_chuck/2008_04_vinho_verde.jpg]like this one ot tjhis one - scroll way down for the vinho verdes



Warning to others: these are summer wines, best enjoyed when all you can think of is a tart/fruity ice-cold beer. They are inexpensive, immensely refreshing and therefore potentially deceptive!

Bogey

Need your advice, folks.  This bottle was given to me as a gift last night from a close friend.  Way out of my league, but very pleased to own it.  How long can I let this "puppy" set?



http://www.jjbuckley.com/p~2007~358~750

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

Quote from: Bogey on December 24, 2009, 05:46:50 AM
Need your advice, folks.  This bottle was given to me as a gift last night from a close friend.  Way out of my league, but very pleased to own it.  How long can I let this "puppy" set?



Hello Bill - that's an excellent cabernet - check some tasting notes HERE - I've visited Caymus several times and use to buy their standard cabernet sauvignon often when the prices were reasonable, but that was yesteryear when I was willing to purchase the better Napa producers - the prices have just escalated too much for me.

Now, when I did have a lot of California cab in my basement cellar (and keep in mind that these were typically well recommended wines meant for some aging), 5-10 yrs of age was my 'general' standard; however, I usually tasted a bottle (bought 4-6 bottles per wine back in those days) at about 4-5 yrs of age just to determine if I wanted to drink the wine(s) earlier (you just never know & depends on 'where & how' the wine is stored?).

These days wineries are making their reds w/ softer tannins that might not warrant prolonged cellar aging and that may taste fine when young, esp. if decanted and allowed to sit for an hour or so; in reviewing those tasting notes, several suggest early drinking but others recommended waiting; thus, not an easy decision particularly w/ just one bottle.

If I had a number of bottles of this wine in my cellar, I'd probably wait at least 2-3 yrs, and then give one a try - but you'll have to decide since this is a one-time choice in your situation.  Also, keep in mind that this is a ripe & rich wine suggested by its alcohol content of 15% (more like a Zinfandel!).  Bottom line - great gift!   :D  Dave