The Wine Appreciation Thread

[JagFarlane]

Hmmm well Roxanne kind of inspired this thread. As I sit here with a glass of wine, I realize there are many people here whom enjoy wine. So figured a thread where you could rate wines, describe the flavors, and perhaps even recommend a dish to go with it.

First Up:

Wine: 2007 Chateau St Michelle Riesling

Coloring: White

Pricing: $8-10

Made in: Washington State, USA

Description: a light flavor, particularly if you let it breathe for about a half hour, a touch of citrus with a hint of apple, but generally its the citrus flavor that shines through.

Paired with: Usually I'd pair it with more of a Caribbean dish, particularly fish [thinking mahi-mahi or striper/rockfish], or a lightly seasoned chicken dish. Perhaps something with a mango sauce overtop. Finish with steamed veggies and fresh fruit.

 

[MagicaPractica]

Foxy Lady from Italy Hill Wine

Honestly, I didn't buy it and I wouldn't bother.

It's a semi-dry red table wine. I'm not enjoying it. I'd rather have Red Cat any day.

 

[SlickTony]

We like our wine, but don't have a lot of money. The lovely thing about wine is that it's so democratic. There's something nice at every price.

When a Total Wine opened up in my town, our interest increased. For the last several months we've kept a sort of wine log, where we put down stuff we've bought.

I tried uploading it, but it's not a .gif or a jpg file, so they said it was invalid. Can't you upload a text file here?

 

[JagFarlane]

We like our wine, but don't have a lot of money. The lovely thing about wine is that it's so democratic. There's something nice at every price.

Yup same here. Typically I stay under $10 with my wine, though on a very rare occasion spring for something more.

 

[MagicaPractica]

We like our wine, but don't have a lot of money. The lovely thing about wine is that it's so democratic. There's something nice at every price.

When a Total Wine opened up in my town, our interest increased. For the last several months we've kept a sort of wine log, where we put down stuff we've bought.

I tried uploading it, but it's not a .gif or a jpg file, so they said it was invalid. Can't you upload a text file here?

I don't think so. Perhaps just cut and paste into the text box?

 

[SlickTony]

I dunno, it's kinda big, it's a table...

Date Purchased Name of Wine Type Year Country of Origin Price Range Impressions
4-13-2007 Great With Steak Syrah 2003 France $3.99 Not terrible, not great. Slightly earthy taste Would drink if provided.
Nobilis Vinho Verde White 2006 Portugal $6-$7 range Very nice. Sparkling but full-bodied enough to have with a meal. Would buy again.
5-1-2007 Lindeman’s Riesling Australia $5.99 Very tasty. Went well with the salmon. Would buy again.
? Wine Bandits Merlot N/A $3.99 Ok for Merlot. Would drink if provided.
5-8-2007 Barefoot Pinot Grigio N/A California $5.99 Very nice. Went well with the chicken Alfredo stuff. Would buy again.
5-27-2007 Buffalo Grove Zinfandel 2005 California $6-7 range Very nice. Went well with the red beans and rice. Would buy again.
5-27-2007 Blue Flame Shiraz 2005 France $6-7 Range Very nice. Went better with the steak than the Great With Steak. Would buy again.
5-27-2007 Maple Ridge Gewurtztraminer 2005 California $6-7 range Very nice. Tingle on the tongue, slight floral note. Went great with the shrimp and pasta. Would buy again.
5-27-2007 Red Cat Finger Lakes Red N/A New York $3-$5 range Very sweet, light, and fruity, goes down very easy, like a juice drink for grownups. One could probably swill down quantities of this stuff and get roaring drunk before he knew what was going on. Still, I’d buy it again. I had to get it anyway, on account of the name.
7-15-2007 Schmitt Söhne Riesling 2006 Germany $8something Better than expected. Rather sweet, but not overly so, We had it with Low Country boil. We’d probably get it again, if we found ourselves where it was being sold.
7-16-2007 Barefoot White Zinfandel N/A California $5.99 We don’t usually get white Zin, but this wasn’t bad. Light, sweet but not too, with a little bit of a tingle on the end of the tongue. Will probably buy again.
8-18-2007 Fậmeha Vinho verde White N/A Portugal Under $8 As nice as the Nobilis we got in May, but we had hell and all getting the cork out of the bottle. We had it with a rosemary chicken, linguine and cherry tomato dish. We’d probably get something else, though, on account of all the hassle we had with the cork.
? Barefoot Merlot 2005? California $5.99 A good-tasting, reliable, reasonably priced wine like all the Barefoot wines are. We’re always getting it again because we can depend on it being sold at reasonable prices at Publix. Although recently, it’s gone up. I blame the current economy.
8-18-2007 Land of Fire Malbec 2006 Argentina Under $8 Very nice tasting, and a lovely dark-red, nearly purple color. Would buy again. And it has a screwtop.
8-18-2007 Big Tattoo Merlot? 2003 California Under $8 This wine had a pretty color and a nice fruity bouquet, but a kind of odd funky taste. It wasn’t absolutely terrible, and if you offered me a glass of it, I’d accept it, but as for buying it again, well, sometimes buying a wine for its name works and sometimes it doesn’t.
9-21-2007 Alonzo Alicante 2001 Spain About $8 Surprisingly mellow, not too sweet, not too dry. Would probably buy again. We’re eating it with country style ribs.
10-1-2007 Arniston Bay Pinotage 2004 South Africa $5.99 Not bad. Kind of tannic, but could be worse. I might not buy it again, but I wouldn’t turn it down if offered.
11-2-2007 Frontera Concha y Toros Merlot 2006 Chile $4.99 Quite good for $4.99 wine. We had it with my approximation of Tortellini Bob. I’d buy it again, especially for that price.
12-19-2007 Three Blind Moose Merlot 2006 California $8something Nice mellow merlot, a nice finish on the tongue, not so much that tongue-scrubbing tannic effect you get with some dry reds. Would buy again, especially if it were on sale. This is another wine I bought on the basis of its name.
12-22-2007 Cristallino Sparkling wine n/a Spain $9something No year; maybe sparkling wine doesn’t have a year on it in Spain. As good as last year’s Cristallino, which isn’t mentioned here because it predates the beginning of this log
12-22-2007 Akena Late Harvest Muscat (Dessert wine) 2006 Chile $9something Delicious. Every bit as fruitful and golden as its name suggests. We should look for it next time we want a dessert wine.
12-29-2007 Beringer Stone Cellar Merlot 2005 California $10something (it was a big bottle) Very pleasant. Mild but full-bodied, and not tannic. Would buy again.
2-1-2008 La Delizia Pinot Grigio 2006 Italy $4.99 Pleasant, unremarkable, inoffensive. I’d buy again if it were going for the same price. It has a screwtop.
3-15-2008 Malee Point Shiraz 2006 Australia $9.99 (it was a big bottle) Very nice, especially considering what we paid for it. It is kind of light, sweet, and fruity, not tannic at all. I’d buy it again.
3-19-2008 Alice White Lexia 2007 Australia $5.00 (it was on sale) Intensely fruity, sweet, grapey. It’s made from Muscat grapes. Surprisingly nice. I’d buy it again.
5-3-2008 Morrisutto Pinot Grigio 2006 Italy $8.65 Nice tasting for no more than it costs—light, goes down easily. Probably will buy again.
5-22-2008 Winery Cats Shiraz 2005 France $2.99 I think it was marked down from $7something. It’s a bit on the dry side, but it’s not bad. It doesn’t have that tongue-scrubbing tannic quality, which is good. I might buy it again. This was one of these times when buying wine on the basis of its name worked out Ok.
5-25-2008 San Sebastian Winery White ? St. Augustine, FL $8.99 If you like muscadines, you’ll like this stuff. Some have found it too sweet.
5-26-2008 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Voignier 2007 California $11.99 A tad dryer than a lot of Chenin Blancs we’ve had, but still very nice. It has a fruity, tropical nose and no aftertaste. Also, it goes astonishingly well with green olives stuffed with bleu cheese. Definitely will buy again.
5-26-2008 Apex Late Harvest Semillon 2006 Washington State $9.99 This is a dessert wine. I found it to be pleasant and sweet. Jim said it might complement something chocolaty better than the strawberry cheesecake we had it with.
5-31-2008 Four Sisters Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Australia 2/$11.50 Very pleasant, not too dry, tingly on the tongue. Jim thought it could have been a little fuller-bodied. Still, it was nice. Pretty greenish tinge. Comes with a screw cap. I’d get it again, especially at that price.
5-26-2008 Menage a Trois Blended Red Table Wine 2006 California W/in our price range Pleasant red, not too tannic or dry, went well with steak. Would buy again.
6-15-2008 Estate Cellars Merlot Doesn’t say—must be a blend California $4.99!!!!! And we’re talking about 1.5 liters here. Surprisingly pleasant. Not extraordinary, but not rotgut either. If I found it again at this price for sure I’d buy it. The cork came out nice and easy, which is more than can be said for the Piesporter we had the night before.
6-28-2008 Foxhorn Merlot Doesn’t say California -$10 About the same as the Estate Cellars. The cork was like you’d find in a bottle of Port or Marsala; a corkscrew was not needed. We had it with Pork Marsala.

Or at least it was.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

Loverly thread, grazie.

Cristalino sparkling wine from Spain, brut, fermented in the bottle, "Wine and Spirits" magazine "value brand of the year" for three years, available at fine supermarkets everywhere, around $7 bottle. It's my summer wine of preference, partly because I'm cheap, but it's really not bad, notwithstanding the low price, and it's really fun to drink bubbly out on the deck while barbecuing burgers or steaks, etc.

A relative splurged and brought a bottle of Dom Perignon to a family gathering last winter, so I popped a Cristalino and we did a blind taste test. I could tell which was the Dom! - the bubbles were much finer, there was no slight acidy aftertaste like the Cristalino, the flavor did interesting things between when it first hit the tongue and was swallowed, etc. It was pure ambrosia, not surprising for around $100/bottle. But - and here's the payoff - the Cristalino was not completely horrible in comparison. Not in the same league, not even close, but not horrible.

 

[JagFarlane]

Price doesn't always matter with wines, I've found. I've had bottles of wine that cost $6 outshine a $50 bottle of wine. Its rare, but it does happen. Of course, a lot of things go into that matter, age, storage conditions, rainfall, age of the grapes when picked, the wood used for the barrels, etc etc.

Really, that was the big thing about the thread being started. Because there are some really good wines for lower prices, and adding in advice for those whom decide to splurge and want a good wine.

 

[SlickTony]

To make my post slightly easier to read, since the table aspects did not come over when I copy/pasted this:

The headings were as follows: Date Purchased, Name of Wine, Type, Year, Country of Origin, Price Range, Remarks.

 

[JagFarlane]

Wine: 2001 Vampire Wine Merlot

Coloring: Red

Pricing: $8-10

Made in: Formerly known as Transylvania, now Romania

Description: A very dry red, hints of oak in it

Paired with: I'd go with a juicy steak, medium rare to maybe medium to counteract how dry it really is. Not a huge fan of this myself, though its kinda fun to say you've had Vampire Wine

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I absolutely concur on the St. Michelle Riesling. I find their Gewurtztraminer equally appealing and just as suitable for the same dishes. Lovely stuff.

In reds I tend, chauvinistic Californian that I am, to prefer Zinfandels. I like a red that pushes the cork our, rises up the neck and growls "Wanna arm rassel, buddy?" The best of these come from really old vines, the ones that were first grown by the Italian immigrants back in the early years of the 20th Century. A prime example is Ravenswood Old Vine Sonoma. Heady stuff. It will make you mispell your writings.

 

[JagFarlane]

Wine: 2003 Williamsburg Winery St Gabriel Archer

Coloring: Red

Pricing: $20-30

Made in: Virginia, USA

Description: This is one of Williamsburg Wineries reserves. Its a mixture of multiple types of red and when you get a good bottlem just...wow. It hits the tongue with one flavor, swishes around for others, and leaves with a slight kick but finishes clean. No alcoholic aftertaste on this one.

Paired with: Dad and I enjoyed this with a pair of flat iron steaks done medium, with sauteed veggies. Its strong enough to hold up to a heavy steak, yet finishes clean enough to compliment just about any red meat and pork.

 

[sr71plt]

Drinking (Australian) Yellowtail Shiraz at the moment. Buy it by the case for about $10/bottle. Several of the Yellowtail wines were rated as best buys by Consumers Report recently.

Other than that, we stick pretty much to Virginia wines, as we live in the midst of about 30 wineries.

 

[christabelll]

Trinity Oaks - Merlot Blanc 7 to 10 bucks per
best if served chilled with something like Mango Salsa and Grilled Shrimp
this is a sweeter wine than most - great for the dessert course too
Camelot - Cabernet Sauvignon 5- 10 bucks
Warm earthy red, great with steak or salmon

my fave
Caymus Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon this is really pricey for a wine but OMG what a WINE 60 to 130 per This is usually reserved for christmas eve dinner

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Not terribly happy with Yellowtail, myself. Must be just different enough from the Californians to set me off a bit. Certainly not an opinion shared by a whole lot of people, the stuff sells very well.

 

[JagFarlane]

Not terribly happy with Yellowtail, myself. Must be just different enough from the Californians to set me off a bit. Certainly not an opinion shared by a whole lot of people, the stuff sells very well.

I think it varies. Boone sells well too, but that may be more from pricing. Personally I try to keep a varied amount of places I drink wine from. So far that includes: NJ, NY, VA, WA, CA, New Zealand, Romania, Italy, and Germany. Variety tis the spice of life

 

[SlickTony]

Not terribly happy with Yellowtail, myself. Must be just different enough from the Californians to set me off a bit. Certainly not an opinion shared by a whole lot of people, the stuff sells very well.

Oh, I know. I seldom ever buy the stuff myself. It's not that it's horrible, it's just that I know that sooner or late, my Sunday school class will have a potluck social at someone's house, and there will be Yellowtail there. It's a reliable sort of mid-price wine, fulfilling the role that Barefoot plays at my house.

They had Yellowtail at my company's Christmas party too.

 

[MagicaPractica]

Ah, I once had a single glass of a 1995 award winning sparkling wine from Castel Grisch here on Lake Seneca. I'm not a champagne person but they described it as buttery and a few other things. It lived up to every claim!

I had a shiraz from Australia once, I think it was Jacob's Landing? Very spicy. Nice but a little dry for me.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Oh, I know. I seldom ever buy the stuff myself. It's not that it's horrible, it's just that I know that sooner or late, my Sunday school class will have a potluck social at someone's house, and there will be Yellowtail there. It's a reliable sort of mid-price wine, fulfilling the role that Barefoot plays at my house.

They had Yellowtail at my company's Christmas party too.

No flies on Barefoot! Just the ticket with a big plate of lasagna.

 

[MagicaPractica]

Ahhh... Castel Grisch, Swedish Hill, Keuka Overlook. There's so much good here.

http://www.fingerlakeswinecountry.com/

 

[JagFarlane]

Ahhh... Castel Grisch, Swedish Hill, Keuka Overlook. There's so much good here.

http://www.fingerlakeswinecountry.com/

Ahhh Finger Lakes...been there. Lovely country! A must go for any wine aficionado!

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Ahhh Finger Lakes...been there. Lovely country! A must go for any wine aficionado!

Though, of course, a Californian would have to wear dark glasses and a fake moustache. But not too luxiuriant a moustache, it would strain the wine!

 

[JagFarlane]

Though, of course, a Californian would have to wear dark glasses and a fake moustache. But not too luxiuriant a moustache, it would strain the wine!

LOL and then ya go to NJ. Blueberry wine, cranberry wine...tons of different wines. Splendid way to train the tongue to try different things

 

[voluptuary_manque]

LOL and then ya go to NJ. Blueberry wine, cranberry wine...tons of different wines. Splendid way to train the tongue to try different things

And do it in a contented state of pixilation the entire trip!

 

[desertslave]

There a pomegranate wine from NJ that I love...want more! I think it's from Balic or something like that.

Master and I have a quirk about choosing wines with funny names and/or quirky labels. We're frugal so MOST of them are in the under $10 range. Most reds, too

7 Deadly Zins (closer to $15 but worth it)
Red Truck
Menage a Trois red
Fat Bastard chardonnay
Bonnie Doon Reisling
Jest Red
Jest White (the red is better)
The Stump Jump
Gnarly Head (delicious zin)
Three Blind Moose (white or red, both are tasty)
Trader Joe's "Two Buck Chuck" aka Charles Shaw. Master loves the cab, I like the sauvignon blanc
TJ's also carries a line of "moon" wines...Velvet Moon, Harvest Moon, Tuscan Moon. All quite lovely.

Oh, one more....Big Red Monster. The label is a hoot, looks like a 50's movie poster.