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Stringent posted:My go to Italian restaurant near work serves Nero d'Avola as their house red, and I've been grabbing bottles of it whenever I see it. I really enjoy the juicy, spicy, affordable, easy drinkability of it. Check out the Benanti wines. Tasty stuff. Nerello based reds are similar in style to Sangiovese, and are tasty as hell.
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Apr 14, 2015 10:22
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It really seems like Sicily is surging these days with their fascinating stable of totally unique varietals and equally unique range of terroirs. They've certainly cleaned up their old reputation for less-than-clean wines.
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Apr 14, 2015 15:49
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I haven't read the entire thread yet, so I'm sorry if this has already been addressed. I recently had a bottle of Delgado Zuleta Amantillado sherry, and it was the first wine that I've had that I just enjoyed instead of thinking, "This is good, for wine." I think it's because the dry nuttiness appealed to my general affection for whiskey. However, there doesn't seem to be much variety in the sherry selection in Iowa. Does anybody know of any good places to shop for sherry in central Iowa? Or would anyone have any suggestions for a more readily available alternative that hits similar notes? Any help is appreciated!
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Apr 21, 2015 15:10
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Meowenstein posted:I haven't read the entire thread yet, so I'm sorry if this has already been addressed. I recently had a bottle of Delgado Zuleta Amantillado sherry, and it was the first wine that I've had that I just enjoyed instead of thinking, "This is good, for wine." I think it's because the dry nuttiness appealed to my general affection for whiskey. However, there doesn't seem to be much variety in the sherry selection in Iowa. Does anybody know of any good places to shop for sherry in central Iowa? Or would anyone have any suggestions for a more readily available alternative that hits similar notes? Out of curiosity do you remember which Delgado Zuleta Amontillado you had (regular, viejo, quo vadis, etc.)?
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Apr 21, 2015 15:45
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I would guess the regular. The only extra term on the label is Dry. Edit: For clarity here is the URL to the wine in question http://www.frontierwineimports.com/sellsheets/Dry_Amontillado.pdf Meowenstein fucked around with this message at 02:38 on Apr 25, 2015 |
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Apr 21, 2015 15:50
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The wine store near the office had a bunch of bottles from Bulgaria, Romania and Moldavia. I grabbed these two since they were both varieties I'd never had before: The rubin was big and fruity, almost jammy, but still a nice wine especially for the price. The gamza was interesting, had a gamey undertone kinda like a malbec, but again was quite well made for the price. They had a couple of bottles of mouvedre as well, but I didn't much care for the sample they had open. All in all good stuff, both of these were Bulgarian so I'm gonna try some of the Romanian and Moldavian stuff next. All of those were Bordeaux varietals, so probably won't be as interesting.
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Apr 26, 2015 09:45
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himajinga posted:Does the thread have any suggestions for some South American reds sub $25 that are more restrained in style? I feel like everything I try from South America are gigantic fruit bombs that either taste really sweet or the alcohol is way out of whack and obvious. I drink (and love!) a ton of Washington reds so I don't really need something so supple and elegant per se, but I feel like my forays south of the equator on this side of the world have been too bombastic for my palate. I keep going back hoping to find that one bottle that changes my mind but haven't really had much luck. Check out Bodega Chacra from Argentina. Awesome selection of wines, his 'Barda' pinot noir is a great starting point. The wine maker is the Grandson of Sassiciai's creator.
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Apr 27, 2015 01:32
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Crimson posted:Check out the Benanti wines. Tasty stuff. Nerello based reds are similar in style to Sangiovese, and are tasty as hell. Finally tracked one down, was quite good. Also the Lamborghini was fantastic for the price. 
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May 24, 2015 12:18
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What are everyone's thoughts on closures? Do you feel hesitant to buy wines sealed one way or another, particularly at certain prices? I feel very strongly that screwcap > synthetic > cork, but I'm curious how the goon winemind feels.
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Jun 20, 2015 01:15
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Kasumeat posted:What are everyone's thoughts on closures? Do you feel hesitant to buy wines sealed one way or another, particularly at certain prices? I feel very strongly that screwcap > synthetic > cork, but I'm curious how the goon winemind feels. I don't really think it's a matter of which is better - they each have their advantages and uses.
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Jun 20, 2015 08:34
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Skooms posted:I don't really think it's a matter of which is better - they each have their advantages and uses.
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Jun 20, 2015 12:33
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Skooms posted:I don't really think it's a matter of which is better - they each have their advantages and uses. Exactly. Thankfully this is not even mildly controversial any more among the wine people that I know. I do hear the occasional gripe from a layperson, but less and less as time goes on. I think they are usually a bit older and the root of the problem for them is that they remember a time when the only bottles that had similar closures were really cheap lovely booze. There are only 2 finishes I loathe. The first is the composite synthetics with the weird vinyl-like skin around a spongy core. These feel incredibly cheap and liable to disintegrate at any second. They are also semi-permeable, but in an odd way I can't put my finger on. The second is those hard plastic corks that feel like you're pulling a twenty year old stool out of an understandably irate gorilla. I'm sure Stelvins are a bit more expensive than these, but infinitely better. I don't even mind organic composites which are the ones that look like compressed cork bits because that's likely exactly what they are. I did see an odd hybrid organic composite that was the usual organic composite with to cylinders of real intact cork glued (I assume) to each end. Seemed sort of neat, but the glue worried me and it seemed like a lot of work to make them.
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Jun 20, 2015 14:51
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Skooms posted:I don't really think it's a matter of which is better - they each have their advantages and uses. What are the advantages of cork? There are only two I ever hear. First, that the wines evolve faster. Second, that it feels good man. But the first is easily refuted - screwcaps have an oxygen permeability which can be adjusted to be as high or as low as the manufacturer desires. And the second is obviously just somebody's dumb opinion. What am I missing?
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Jun 20, 2015 19:54
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Cork just has a "warmer" sound...
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Jun 20, 2015 20:23
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Yes, opinions are totally irrelevant in the sphere of wine enjoyment, a field dominated by hardcore chemical analysis educating effective use at the dinner table.
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Jun 21, 2015 06:55
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Overwined posted:Yes, opinions are totally irrelevant in the sphere of wine enjoyment, a field dominated by hardcore chemical analysis educating effective use at the dinner table. But can you explain a little more? Is is the ritual? The feel? Edit: And what I'm more curious about is how they influence everyone's buying and appraisal habits of wine. Kasumeat fucked around with this message at 08:10 on Jun 21, 2015 |
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Jun 21, 2015 07:46
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Just returned from the semi-annual run to Alsace for wine. Gonna be a good summer. Managed to get in some good north alsacian wines this time around, but still prefer the richness of the southern ones.
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Jun 21, 2015 16:47
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Hi guys! Sorry if this is.. Asked a little often, but my girlfriend's birthday/our anniversary (great timing me, asking her to be with me on her bday haha) is coming up next month. She's always expressed a lot of interest in Rosè wine. Now I like wine, good wine a lot because some places around where I live (PA) are dedicated wine places. Can't name you who made these wines worth a drat, but I did love to try them. But, as to what to get her in this category, i'm clueless. Would anyone like to recommend to me a good bottle of Rosé that's 15-20 dollars that is also carried in PA's state-wide stores? You're only allowed to sell legitimate wine and liquor at these stores all throughout. It's no fun - I know. Luckily you can search their website for stuff: http://www.finewineandgoodspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10051&catalogId=10051&langId=-1 Sorry about the ugly link, i'm phone posting. Thanks guys! Also, in PA or Jersey, are there any places to buy canned wine? She's absolutely enamored with the prospect of drinking a can of wine on her porch - I figure I'd ask, haha.
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Jun 22, 2015 06:36
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Kasumeat posted:What are the advantages of cork? There are only two I ever hear. First, that the wines evolve faster. Second, that it feels good man. But the first is easily refuted - screwcaps have an oxygen permeability which can be adjusted to be as high or as low as the manufacturer desires. And the second is obviously just somebody's dumb opinion. What am I missing? I think the notion is that we don't (or more strongly either shouldn't or couldn't) know the "optimal" permeability for a closure, and that perhaps the variability, the uncertainty, of cork is part of what makes wine something that is not just enjoyable, but instantiates (there must be a better word for this thought) the possibility of the sublime. The "natural wine movement" and the turn to biodynamics seem to align with this romantic notion, and so while your opinions might not be controversial to an industrial producer trying to make a commodity (and perhaps an excellent commodity) to someone who wants to produce something artisanal it's a little less clear-cut. For what it's worth, I wanted to put scare quotes around half of that. I realize that there are issues of language here - as if wine made with new oak, SO2 and sterile filtration is "unnatural." To rose guy, that website makes it really hard to shop for rose. The go-to recommendation for a lot of folks is to look for Provencal roses, which is a good place to start. I also often recommend Loire roses - Domaine Saint Roch is amazing, about $15, and really ticks all my checkboxes for rose. Cibonne is a decent Provencal rose. That said, it does depend on if your girlfriend likes it on the sweeter side, or drier roses.
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Jun 22, 2015 22:46
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Speaking of rose, we just had a blind rose tasting on Saturday and it went really well! We ate melon, prosciutto, garlic spears, cheese, I grilled some pizzas (margherita, fig/honey/chevre, prosciutto/chiles/arugula) and soaked up some rare Seattle sunshine, it was wonderful. (forgive the filter) The lineup was as follows: 2014 M. Plouzeau Chinon Rive Gauche Rose 2014 Lachini Willamette Valley Rose of Pinot Noir 2014 Ostatu Rioja Rosado 2012 Silverado Napa Valley Sangiovese Rosato 2014 La Bastide Blanche Bandol Rose 2013 Dom. de la Mordoree Tavel Rose  Surprisingly the overwhelming favorite was the Chinon, which was the cheapest bottle on the table (~$15). Great fruit/floral character with a nice dry acidity and was perfectly in balance. The Lachini was a disappointment as it was a bit maderized so I assume it was probably faulty, but the Bandol, Rioja, and Tavel all performed admirably.
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Jun 22, 2015 23:15
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Bandol Rose can be pretty good in my experience.
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Jun 23, 2015 01:21
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I got a bottle of Six Grapes port for my birthday. I have never had port. Do I chill it for a half hour like a normal red? I know to drink it slowly, it's twice ad alcoholic as our normal wine.
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Jul 2, 2015 19:03
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22 Eargesplitten posted:I got a bottle of Six Grapes port for my birthday. I have never had port. Do I chill it for a half hour like a normal red? I know to drink it slowly, it's twice ad alcoholic as our normal wine. maybe slightly cooler than modern room temperature. serve with cheese for best results
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Jul 2, 2015 19:10
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Disinterested posted:maybe slightly cooler than modern room temperature. With Grahams 6 grape? huh. I would have paired it with something like a dark chocolate truffle or something else like that.
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Jul 2, 2015 19:25
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Okay, short time in the fridge it is. Maybe we will make some super-dark ganache. Or do they make 75-80+ percent truffles?
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Jul 2, 2015 19:56
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Secret Spoon posted:With Grahams 6 grape? huh. I would have paired it with something like a dark chocolate truffle or something else like that. That'll work. You can do one then the other as well, that's pretty normal.
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Jul 2, 2015 19:58
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Happy Hat posted:Just returned from the semi-annual run to Alsace for wine. Do you drink all the wines you get per year or are some saved for cellaring; if so, what are some good producers to do this with? I know next to nothing about Alsace but after having had some interesting variations from them in a dinner a month ago, I'm curious about their potential longevity.
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Jul 2, 2015 20:59
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Disinterested posted:That'll work. You can do one then the other as well, that's pretty normal. What kind of cheeses would you suggest? I haven't ever done a port and cheese pairing, so like, maybe Roquefort, Stilton, and Brie? Or would harder cheeses pair better?
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Jul 2, 2015 21:04
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Secret Spoon posted:What kind of cheeses would you suggest? I haven't ever done a port and cheese pairing, so like, maybe Roquefort, Stilton, and Brie? Or would harder cheeses pair better? I'd aim for harder more full flavoured cheeses - as some general rules: Harder more full flavoured cheeses pair well with full bodied reds and port. Soft delicate cheeses like many goats cheeses work best with light bodied aromatic whites with good acidity. Smelly blue cheeses work well with sweet wines like Tokaji, Sauternes and some sweet Rieslings. Port kinda works okay with everything because it's intensely flavoured and sweet but it does tend to obliterate more delicate flavours.
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Jul 2, 2015 21:17
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Furious Lobster posted:Do you drink all the wines you get per year or are some saved for cellaring; if so, what are some good producers to do this with? I know next to nothing about Alsace but after having had some interesting variations from them in a dinner a month ago, I'm curious about their potential longevity. As a general rule, Grand Cru Alsace wines will age for several years. Price is a pretty good indicator here. If you spent more than $20 on a bottle of Alsace, chances are it'll improve with time. Late harvest and noble rotted wines will also age for a long time. The label will read Vendanges Tardives (late harvest) or Selections de Grains Nobles (noble rot).
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Jul 2, 2015 21:45
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mikeh269 posted:I'd aim for harder more full flavoured cheeses - as some general rules: I have only ever drank port at tastings where we paired them with various deserts because that's when we sell port out in my area. I guess for my wine luck this Sunday Ill break out the bottle of 92 Taylor that was gifted to me a little over a year ago.
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Jul 2, 2015 21:57
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Funny Port story... In high school, I was big into cooking and my parents were cool with me cooking with wine. I'd usually take a sip to gauge sweetness/acidity/etc. and how it would impact the dish. I also watched a lot of cooking shows including the Frugal Gourmet, who wrote an entire cookbook about using wine as an ingredient. He raved about a simple dessert: get the kind of powdered vanilla pudding mix that you are supposed to cook. The trick was to use Port instead of milk, and he claimed it was one of his favorite and easiest recipes. I got the little box of Jell-O Vanilla Cook & Serve, which is thickened with hot milk, powdered eggs, and careful stirring so you don't burn it--the instant variety just uses gelatin and cold milk. The latter is easier and always has the same result, while the former tastes better as long as you don't burn it. I actually had good experience with the cook & serve version as well as making custards from scratch, making sauces, etc., so I was confident. Doing it with Port resulted in what was, by far, one of the worst things I've ever had the disgrace to place in front of human beings to eat. It gelled properly and I served it chilled, but the result was a monster composed of equal parts cough syrup and vanilla-scented sunscreen. It also had the visual appearance of raw calf's liver.
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Jul 2, 2015 22:20
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My wine collection is coming along nicely. I have a case of mollydooker blue eyed boy, a case of mollydooker the boxer, a few bottles of Norton bodega privada Malbec, a couple of bottles of Steven kent Chardonnay, and some random bottles of malbecs, Shiraz and cheap Louis jadot boujelais villages. What else should I add? I got some great suggestions from secret spoon and am trying to track them down but my main distributor doesn't carry half of what he said.
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Jul 4, 2015 09:43
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Furious Lobster posted:Do you drink all the wines you get per year or are some saved for cellaring; if so, what are some good producers to do this with? I know next to nothing about Alsace but after having had some interesting variations from them in a dinner a month ago, I'm curious about their potential longevity. Well.. the longevity depends on two things I think - the terroir and the type. I wouldn't save Riesling from northern alsace too long, mainly because the crispness of them suffers, they're very mineral in nature. A regular gewürz from the south is cellarable for medium long time, there's a lot of sweetness to the wine, and it will progress fine for 10+ years, where a regular riesling I wouldn't - all SGNs and VTs are cellarable for longish time - the oldest one I bought this time around was a Gewürz SGN from '93 - from a clos terroir, where the vinery is known for their powerfull wines - I have several bottles of their '82 also - which will be good for at least 10 more years. In general the quality of the wine also determines how cellarable it is - if you're new to the region it is a pretty safe bet that the Grand Crus are cellarable for pretty long time - the major houses, like Schlumberger, switched vintage last year on their Kitterle Gewürz (a Grand Cru field, in the deep south of alsace), I think they went from 2005 to 2006, and when we spoke to them they said that it was easily storable for 15 years Basically - it depends on grape and variety of the wine... Riesling - medium term, drink within 5-10 years Pinot Gris - Depending on sugar content, 8-15 years Auxerrois - Depending on sugar content, 10-15 years Gewürztraminer - Depending on sugar content, 15-50 years (50 is really pushing it, but some of the ones from the 60s are still findable, but very hard to come by Muscat - I don't really do muscat much, too uncomplex, but I would guess 10-20 years Pinot Noir - Very dependent on the house and the terroir, in general for Alsace they should be drunk young, but a few houses are making more bordeaux type pinot noirs, and those can be stored about the same period of time as a bordeaux. Then there's the type/appellation etc... Vielle Vigne - They tend to develop slower than the younger ones Grand Cru - you're more sure of the quality of the process on these, so they're a safer bet to store VT - Verdanges Tardives - Late harvest - high sugar content, more complex, can be stored longer - add 5-10 years in storing SGN - Selection Grain Noble - Noble Rot - Highest sugar content, high complexity, add 10-20 years in storing possibilities And then there's the houses and terroirs, which are the most meaningful when discussing how long to store it - some specific clos terroirs are most definitely storable for very long, where others are not, and the same goes for the houses and their processes - but here it is a safe bet to go for the GCs for the beginner. Sorry for this being so poorly compiled - but.. well.. It was mainly lose thoughts jotted down 
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Jul 4, 2015 10:47
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Happy Hat posted:Well.. the longevity depends on two things I think - the terroir and the type. Thank you for the introduction, it's quite helpful! In regards to the producers and terroir, it appears a bit to be like Burgundy where the GC appellation is not necessarily a guarantee in quality; just for another reference and if you don't mind, I would be really appreciative if you could list some of the houses/producers/terroir for the four noble variety GCs in your own cellar. Lastly, if there any books that have helped you and are have an English version out there, please tell me; I apologize for the additional requests.
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Jul 4, 2015 14:49
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I've had some experience with older Alsatian Gewurz from top producers and I have to say I'm almost always disappointed. Even some of the more sugary ones get washed out pretty quickly. Much quicker, in fact, than Rieslings from the same house. Some friends of mine and I discussed this and we feel it's an overall lack of acid in Gewurz. Sure, the wine isn't oxidized, but there's nothing to preserve the floral qualities and they become flat and less exciting. Anyway, that's just my experience, though YMMV. EDIT: I should state in the interest of full disclosure that I am not exactly a Gewurz fan. I don't hate it, but I rarely seek it out these days.
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Jul 4, 2015 17:43
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Furious Lobster posted:Thank you for the introduction, it's quite helpful! Grand Cru is not a guarantee, no, but then again there is no such thing as a guarantee. Grand Cru (mostly talking about Burgundy Grand Cru here though Alsace shares a similar quality) is as close as we get, though. Keep in mind that it's not simply the appellation that attains Grand Cru status. There are several incredibly stringent guidelines that each producer must adhere to to qualify for the status. You can only crop up to a certain (usually very low) yield and then on top of that only a certain percentage of that harvest can go into Grand Cru Classe wines. There are more stipulations, but you get the picture.
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Jul 4, 2015 17:49
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Perfectly Cromulent posted:Nearly every wine merchant I've spoken to believes in "travel shock" to some degree. I tend to think of that as being far different than just exposure to vibration. There are lots of different stresses involved in shipping: vibration, agitation, swings in temperature, etc. That's different than saying a wine will be ruined by vibrations if it sits inside your refrigerator for a week. Bottle shock and travel shock both totally happen, but it also depends on the wines. My own wines are pretty low-sulfur, and if I toss a bottle in my bike bag to bring to a dinner or something they generally don't show nearly as well. That's a pretty decent amount of agitation, though. If you're worried about washing maching vibrations I'd just get some foam gym mats and put the fridges on those. Also re: closures, a lot just comes down to preference these days. I really like the look and feel of natural cork and I'm willing to put up with having to make good on corked bottles, so I use the natty stuff. If I was blasting out 85k cases of Sonoma whatever straight to Safeway I'd probably use something composite with a lower unit cost and lower chance of TCA. It all depends. idiotsavant fucked around with this message at 07:02 on Jul 6, 2015 |
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Jul 6, 2015 06:57
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Kasumeat posted:What are the advantages of cork? There are only two I ever hear. First, that the wines evolve faster. Second, that it feels good man. But the first is easily refuted - screwcaps have an oxygen permeability which can be adjusted to be as high or as low as the manufacturer desires. And the second is obviously just somebody's dumb opinion. What am I missing?
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Jul 6, 2015 07:10
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Furious Lobster posted:Thank you for the introduction, it's quite helpful! I will need to do the list later, because I am not home right now... I don't have too much in my cellar though, only around 200 bottles. I've had a really hard time to actually find any books on Alsace which weren't written in the 80's (which apparently is the latest that a serious guide for the area was written, since then it is more touristy stuff) - the one from the 80s is in english, but I deemed it too outdated for actual use. The best thing you can do is surf webpages and recommendations on those - there's quite comprehensive pages out there which will tell you a lot of what you're looking for, but most of them aren't really objective in their nature (sponsored by local trade boards etc).
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Jul 6, 2015 07:45
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