Any wine fans?

[o0o]

These are my favorites in general:

Petite Sirah
Cabernet Sauvignon
Syrah
Chardonnay (only the balanced to oaky/buttery style--don't enjoy the acid bombs)

I also enjoy these varieties / blends.
Zinfandel
Pinot Noir
Merlot
Red blends

As a general rule, I prefer reds or a big white (like a buttery Chard).

I generally hate Malbac and most Sangioveses with a pashion... the ones I've sampled have been acid bombs with not much else going on.

Because I'm in a couple wine clubs, I've found many value wines (priced in the $20-$30) range that are fantastic without breaking the bank. I'll only pay $50+ if it is a masterpiece, and MOST wines I've had in the $50+ price range don't taste noticably better than a $30-40 bottle to me.

 

[RA40]

Wide variety for us...if it is fermented, it is of interest. No particular wines or specific regions, if it is good, we'll have a go. That ranges from sub $10 up to $100+ and price is not always an indicator. It is nice to drink wines from old generation producers along with their second tier offerings. I don't think I've had many CA wines as of late from Napa or Sonoma. We do subscribe to a producer in central CA that sends us their red offerings, mostly Pinot Noir.

 

[binky]

Great thread!

I'm definitely a wine fan, but I grew up on wines that I absolutely cannot afford so I pretty much don't even drink at all any more. If I drink mediocre stuff I wake up the next day groggy and with a headache. If I drink something I can't afford (e.g. 1st-growth Bordeaux) I wake up the next morning super early and feeling better than ever. Maybe that's also because I know somebody else paid for it (because I can't).

I had a fantastic '90 Comtesse de Lalande last week at a friend's house. Absolutely amazing! But again, somebody else paid for it.

Things have gotten so crazy expensive for the French wines, especially since the Japanese started buying entire vintages and Mr. Robert Parker has has left no stone unturned. (I also think the Parker influence has led to producers making quicker-maturing wines and that has been at the detriment of overall flavor.)

Soo... YES! I'm a fan! But oh, I'm a Francophile snob. It's gotta have "terroir" and all that.

I've got a bunch of '82 Bordeaux left over from when the exchange rate was good but the cases I have were baked in my parent's cellar when the heat got cranked to 90 degrees after they got older. Some survived. Most didn't. Major bummer. C'est la vie.

Bordeaux, Sauternes & Barsac, Burgundy (esp. old-growth "vielles vignes" yum) and nearby regions, real Champagne actually from Champagne. I'm a complete traditionalist for sure.

For me, the californians tend to be "well, there's absolutely nothing wrong with what's there" but it's what's missing that bothers me. They're just too, I dunno, sterile. I like my wines with lots of different flavors in there, (unless it's something like a nouveau Beaujolais). I have no taste for the rest of the West coast and all the pine pitch. New Zealand whites, okay maybe. South African, maybe one or two whites.

So for me: Mostly red Bordeaux or Burgundy. I'm not much for white, but when I want a white I go for a Burgundy. I have yet to taste a Bordeaux white that's anything I like.

 

[saabgoblin]

The only thing that I like more than wine, is having friends that work and live in the California wine country. Now I just need some friends that live in Bordeaux!

Tasted and sold for three years in San Francisco, probably the most fun job that I ever had and it really opened up my pallet. There aren't too many varietals that I don't like and as of late I have been on a white kick but I love my Bordeaux blends, Zins and Pinot. Merlot is my least favorite, there are only a few producers that make a Merlot that I enjoy and I love Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blends and I am always very happy when I find a nice Petit Syrah!

 

[brucec]

It's Pinot Noir and Bordeaux for me. I don't like white too much, but it's OK as long as it is dry. I also generally favor wine from France. I have no idea how to pick blends, but I had this awesome red blend on the airplane a few months ago. I liked it so much they gave me a bottle as I left. :thumbsup:

 

[blasterman]

Yeah, but If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. :nana:

I can generally appreciate wine, but for me it depends on what I'm having it with. I just can't drink full bodied wines solo.

Although regarded as 'whimpy' by hardcore wine drinkers, I prefer a good Riesling for it subtle tones.

Chardonnay (only the balanced to oaky/buttery style--don't enjoy the acid bombs)

You mean.... the Chardonnay variants that have a finish akin to my late grandfather's after shave are also referred to as 'acid bombs'? Good description

 

[o0o]

Yeah, but If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving. :nana:

I can generally appreciate wine, but for me it depends on what I'm having it with. I just can't drink full bodied wines solo.

Although regarded as 'whimpy' by hardcore wine drinkers, I prefer a good Riesling for it subtle tones.



You mean.... the Chardonnay variants that have a finish akin to my late grandfather's after shave are also referred to as 'acid bombs'? Good description

Good description... after shave... yep, that sounds right!

I've had many Malbacs and Sangioveses that also have this sharp, after shave like finish.

I want wine to have enough acid to go with food, but not be so acidic that it tastes like one is trying to get sulfufic acid down the hatch.

 

[Bullzeyebill]

Raised in the Napa Valley, I did a lot of tasting when I was young. Now I sort of need to be frugel, shall I say, and enjoy some lesser wines. Right now for an at home dinner wine, I have been sort of partial to Newman's Own Cab 2006, Rebel Wines, Napa.

Bill

 

[RA40]

Some of the Frenchy stuff I've not understood the character towards earthy-mineral types. One aspect I find with CA produced wines is the blend consistency from vintage to vintage. Not always but relatively stable. The French or Italian wines...one year fantastic, the next year it took a walk on the other side...?

There was a Japanese drama called Kami no Shizuku:

The story revolves around Kanzuki Shizuku, a young man who was estranged from his father, a world-famous wine critic. When his father passed away, he left behind a wine collection worth a fortune, but in order to inherit it, Shizuku must solve a series of puzzles left by his father to identify 6 wines. His competitor was Tomine Issei, a prominent wine critic, whom his father adopted before his death.

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Kami_no_Shizuku

We looked up some from our local shop and I was amazed to see one used in an opening scene, Richebourg was priced at $1,800.

This Google video...it's in Japanese but the first handful is a nice watch even with the language barrier.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?d...vAw&q=Kami+no+Shizuku&hl=en&client=firefox-a#

 

[o0o]

Raised in the Napa Valley, I did a lot of tasting when I was young. Now I sort of need to be frugel, shall I say, and enjoy some lesser wines. Right now for an at home dinner wine, I have been sort of partial to Newman's Own Cab 2006, Rebel Wines, Napa.

Bill

Not sure what you prefer... but for super value wines (under $20) with excellent (IMO) taste profile:

Love Rosenblum Petite Sirah Heritage Clones... discounted to $17 at some stores. This one is a fruit bomb with lots of complexity... plum, bramble fruits, chocolate, and a full creamy body.

Love La Crema's Chardonnay... often discounted to $14 at some stores. La Crema gets the acid to butter balance just right, and produces very nice wines at a good price.

 

[ducat]

Chateu neuf du pape.

Every time the wife and I celebrate something this is the wine for us!

 

[Rexlion]

My oh-so-sophisticated (NOT!) palate prefers sweet wines. My favorite is the Concord from Stone Hill Winery (in Hermann MO). A Zinfandel is as dry as I'll go. Merlot? Tried it once, and yecchh! :sick2:

 

[o0o]

^There is no right or wrong answer. If sweet is what you like, that is great.

Its really about what works best for you. I think too much emphasis is placed on what wine reviewers say.

 

[o0o]

*Big smile on face*

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090922/LIFESTYLE/909219903?Title=Cr-me-de-La-Crema

La Crema got a very nice review in that article.

I belong to their wine club, and consider them one of the best in the value wine class (most of their wines are only $18-30), and yet ALL of their wines are consistently good to very good.

 

[saabgoblin]

*Big smile on face*

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090922/LIFESTYLE/909219903?Title=Cr-me-de-La-Crema

La Crema got a very nice review in that article.

I belong to their wine club, and consider them one of the best in the value wine class (most of their wines are only $18-30), and yet ALL of their wines are consistently good to very good.

PSSST, quit telling so many people because that's how your "Affordable Wine" becomes priced out of the market, well since it's in the news, I guess that it's too late. They are a really good and consistent producer from the vintages that I have encountered, enjoy!