I'm not a connoisseur of wines but I do like them a lot. I found this page (http://www.cs.utexas.edu/~walter/wine/wines.html) with a simple guide to wines, but we can have our own recommendations in this thread too.
Personally, I'm partial to French wines because I have found that you can get a decent cheap wine with relative ease (and in France... just for that I would move there :D).
Tonight I had a 2006 Augey red Bordeaux that I bought for ~US$8 a bottle. I'm not good describing wines but I would say that it isn't too dry, too fruity, too full bodied, nor too alcoholic. I find the balance quite pleasant but with personality.
woops I thought this was a place to have a goood moan
well I do so anyway
wine: I can't drink the stuff anymore :endwine
I have a bottle of Pink Merlot in my fridge-- want to try it-can't wait. I think it was around $8 to $10 US--- it don't have to be 'sepnsive to be good in my opinion.
I will post the results-- maybe tomorrow.
I'm not a huge wine drinker-- but I do enjoy it.
Wine is so cheap down there.... there's little goodness under $10 here. Some not bad deals at $12 - $15, though, and it's not really necessary to go over $20, but that's still not a 'table price' for me.
There are of cause some gorgeous expensive wines, however I prefer the more moderately priced ones which don't give me agony while sipping it because one bottle = a weeks food expenses or more. :panic: ;) But I also stay away from the cheapest ones, you don't drink those for the taste, you drink them because you want to get drunk and can't afford anything tastier... :(
One learns a lot about wine and spirits working in a wine and booze store, one also learns a lot about peoples drinking habits. :-\
BTW shouldn't this thread be in the food section?
Anyone opposed to moving it?
Quote from: Darlica on April 10, 2008, 05:59:53 PMBut I also stay away from the cheapest ones, you don't drink those for the taste, you drink them because you want to get drunk and can't afford anything tastier... :(
'Swhy my favorite beverage with a cork is still Unibroue - the high-test varieties are very tasty, but per unit of alcohol they are almost as economical as the cheapest pisswater on the market. That's beer, though.
We used to buy Superstore's el cheapo red wine (was <$5/bottle on sale), which is actually not too bad provided one finishes it immediately after opening. It goes to vinaigre very quickly. I still grab a bottle if I need a bit of cooking wine, although it's not good enough for doing red wine reductions. The white variety is terrible.
I've found that Spanish red table wine is drinkable and extremely cheap (<=$4) even of the white variety.
Obviously quite different from a decent Rioja (~$12-$20).
Quote from: Darlica on April 10, 2008, 05:59:53 PM
BTW shouldn't this thread be in the food section?
Anyone opposed to moving it?
I guess Griffin is the one to ask. I placed it here because the 'What are you drinking' thread is here and could apply as to what wine are you drinking now (hopefully with a critique).
But I don't mind. :partyglass:
You can move it or leave it-- up to you all.
I have been and still can be very naughty-- I like wine coolers, I will also drink the really cheap Boones Farm stuff ( many of these are in actuality flavored malt liquor aka beer) --- shhhhh big secret. I have also bought and drunk the wine in a box (the box contains a big bag of wine and a spigot) actually not too bad a white zinfandel for table and daily drinking. I also buy stuff with a screw top. :toadfishwink:
My mother brought some wine back from France, she bought it on the airbase, she paid ALOT for it-- I went to the local package store (liquor store) and bought the very same stuff for $10 a bottle-- she was so pissed, at me for busting her bubble or something. She put hers in the cabinet, in her kitchen, standing upright-- I'm sure now that the entire mess is corked or worse as that was like 2 and 1/2 years ago-- tried to tell her but like I said she was not happy with me at the time.
gonna crack the pink merlot tonight-- had tornado warnings all day-- i will let y'all know. and yes it has a cork.
Quote from: anthrobabe on April 10, 2008, 07:58:47 PM
I also buy stuff with a screw top. :toadfishwink:
My favorite merlot has gone to screw-tops, and it ain't cheap wine either (about $17 for the 750 ml bottles, although I usually pick up some of the cute little 375's, and very hard to find - I get it direct from the winery when I'm passing through BC's Lake Country).
http://www.arrowleafcellars.com/merlot.htm
http://www.arrowleafcellars.com/screwcaps.htm
Quote from: arrowleafcellars.comIt's a shame to seal the product of all that work with a cork that will not preserve it with any certainty.
That's the reason a number of wineries are now using plastic corks, mostly Californian and Australian. Apparently a bad cork can ruin from 1 to 10 in a 100 bottles of wine.
Oki. Today's wine is a 2007 Georges Dubeuf Beaujolais Noveau I got at a high discount on Target (I think they charged $5 for the bottle but there was a coupon of $3 less so, this was a $2 bottle :mrgreen: :mrgreen: ). I've seen it sold @ ~$10.
Somewhat fruity without being too much, close to your typical Beaujolais but with an interesting aftertaste; very easy to drink. I read the Beaujolais Noveau should be drink soon because it doesn't age well in the bottle. Not a moment too soon if you ask me. ;) :partyglass:
still have not made it into the pink merlot yet.....
and I suppose I can see the issue with a cork--they slip, dry out, crumble, etc so they are not 100% reliable-- I guess it is tradition that makes one look down on a screw top or plastic cork.
Quote from: anthrobabe on April 12, 2008, 02:12:17 PM
and I suppose I can see the issue with a cork--they slip, dry out, crumble, etc so they are not 100% reliable-- I guess it is tradition that makes one look down on a screw top or plastic cork.
I think it's cork taint (a fungus?) that is responsible for spoiling the wine. Apparently there's no way to easily avoid it. I guess we should be glad they are not spraying horrible chemicals to avoid it!
Tonight we are drinking a 2003 Côtes-du-Rhône (Barton & Guestier). I bought it a while ago (for U$14 I think).
Sweeter than your average dry red and a bit more alcoholic but not in a bad way. It has some sweet fruit but I can't figure out which. In general a good wine. :D
I like reds, usually dry and oaky ones the best.
Around here most decent wines cost at least around $10. We also have, around a dozen wineries in our immediate area, but they are small production and therefore costly- around $26 or so, on average. We do splurge every now and then because we've met the vintners and like to go hang out with them. They are usually very generous with us, and we wind up getting a couple of extra glasses free, and sometimes some nice snacks, as well. Plus, there's something wonderful about sitting on a patio in a vineyard, drinking the fruits of the land. We are paying for the experience. Last year was very dry here, so we are looking forward to a really great local vintage coming up in the fall.
For more general use, like hosting casual parties, we reply on inexpensive but well hunted-out wines. There's a Trader Joe's some 20 miles away, where they have wine tastings on weekends and where we have found some really nice wines. They also have some House Wines, including Charles Shaw (AKA "Two Buck Chuck" but actually more like 3.50 a bottle these days and will probably go up). We used to like their Cabernet quite a lot, but last year's was poor, so we only do their Merlot this year. Next year this might change.
Recently while in Wal-Mart picking up detergent, my husband picked up a bottle of Cabernet that was around $3. I was horrified! But it turned out to be quite decent. I'll let on, but only to you: it's called Oak Leaf. We went back and tried their Merlot too, and it was not bad but perhaps too rich and sweet for general table use. I prefer the Cabernet- dry and drinkable right from the pop of it's foam cork.
I can really be a snob about wines, but I also try to stay open minded. There's a lot out there and it changes all the time. I love a good Chateauneuf de Pape, but if it's corked, I will send it back.
I'm drinking a slightly less cheap Bordeaux (~U$10) a 2005 Mouton Cadet (Baron Philippe de Rothschild) I found on sale the other day. Better than the Augey, nice, dry and (what I like most) very little alcohol kick.
You can tell I am partial to Bordeaux now ;)
*jealous of cheap wine prices down there*
You can buy cases and/or bottles on line, but I don't know if there are restrictions crossing the border. :-\
Yep, they'd hit all the taxes and duties on crossing. Prices up here are tax-based, not cost-based.
And based on swapping booze with Lambi, I suspect the shipping would make it prohibitively expensive anyways.
2006 Banrock Station Cabernet-Shiraz (Australia). This is a cheap wine ($5 I got it once for $3, bum the weak dollar :-\) and quite drinkable, nice taste although a bit alcoholic, nothing to complain at that price.
I've had that and I agree, it's not bad. The Ozzies make some great Shiraz. I don't know how we manage to get it for such a price. Better snap it up before they realize they haven't added on for transportation.
The Chilean wines are good too, but they have gone up in price around here.
Chileans tend to be a bit too alcoholic for my taste although I pretty much learned to drink wine with them because that was the most affordable (dry) wine available in Colombia a few years ago.
----
Today I'm drinking a 2005 Red Bicyclette Sirah (french) that I got as a bargain for less than $6 (it usually sells for ~$8). Nice, pretty dry, not too alcoholic and wonderful for the price. :D
Yesterday I got a Barton Guestier Beaujolais for $5.50. Given that Georges Dubeuf is now ~$8-$10 it's a cheaper alternative (or I just got lucky) and as good as the other. Worked wonderfully with the paté and crackers we had. :D
Today I'm trying a cheap French: Vin de pays de la cité de Carcassonne, about ~$7-$8 a bottle. For a table wine is actually quite good, not too alcoholic with a slight bitter aftertaste. Works well with the Robusto cheese I'm eating.
--
Given that I'm avoiding splenda for the next month (or forever) I am sacrificing by drinking more wine. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Today I'm drinking a Spaniard: Monastrell Crianza 2003 from Alicante (Casa Alonso) that I got for less than $10 (was it $8?). It has a darker taste (as opposed to the fruity), not bitter but well bodied, it reminds me the wood taste in a good whisky. Recommended.
:partyglass:
Has it been aged in oak, perhaps? I like an oaky flavor in my wine.
Who knows, according to reviews in logabottle.com (http://www.logabottle.com/home/vineyardpage.php?s1=topic_id&o1=desc&s2=0&o2=0&s3=0&o3=0&s4=0&o4=0&s5=0&o5=0&f1=0&fo1=0&fv1=NULL&f2=0&fo2=0&fv2=NULL&f3=0&fo3=0&fv3=NULL&f4=0&fo4=0&fv4=NULL&f5=0&fo5=0&fv5=NULL&grape=&country=&listid=®ion=&subregion=&vineyard=Casa%20Alonso%20Vinsa%20Monastrell&pu=&start=0#) the aftertaste is spicy. I can only say that I liked it very much.
BTW, Aggie, someone claims he found it in Canada for less than C$10.
Quote from: Sibling Zono (anon1mat0) on July 31, 2008, 12:58:47 AM
BTW, Aggie, someone claims he found it in Canada for less than C$10.
:winebottle: :woohoo:
Gotta check it out, then!
(wonder what province - prices vary)
As the proverbial cheap b@$tard I am I'm trying a $5-6 Argentinian wine, this is a 2007 Marcus James Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendoza. The other day my brother in law brought a bottle of Merlot from the same vineyards which actually caught my attention, a bit alcoholic but with a very nice body. The Cabernet is softer although less remarkable. Still quite drinkable specially for the price.
:winebottle: :partyglass:
Yum, my favorite thing in the world: wine!
I am a huge fan of Columbia Crest Gewurztraminer (WA wine), in Washington state can be found at around 7-10 bucks a bottle: it has that special flowery,berry and spicy aftertaste that makes it perfect to accompany dishes based on mushrooms and cream pastas.
I have recently discovered and shared with The Morph and his lovely wife over dinner a wonderful red produced practically in my backyard: it's called Scarlet and I have never tasted anything like it before... I believe its flavor comes from the barrels where it's aged, because the whole range of wines I have tasted at that winery has the same scent (which I am unable to place ;D)
I am also a big fan of Porto and Vin Santo (Sicilian wine, quite pricy even in Sicily!!!!)
I have a couple of reds from the Rhone I enjoy quite often even thought they are not exactly the cheapest...
On top of the list of course is His Royal Highness, BAROLO!!!!! YUM!
oh...I almost forgot, there is this "novello" wine they serve on the hills (Castelli Romani) behind Rome in Italy... if you get the sweet kind and start eating porchetta... you'll probably wake up next to your worst nightmare in the morning and not knowing how you got there....
(which reminds me, note to self: buy some more when I go to see daddy next time!)
I grieve as all the ordinary shops I've stopped in here look at me blankly when I ask if they carry mead.
:aargh!:
Seems like a lot of people here are fans of relatively big and muscular red wines. Have you all been brainwashed by Robert Parker? :devil: ;)
On a more serious note, while I certainly like some hefty red wines -I absolutely adore some of the portugese Dao ones, not to mention some South African ones, for example, I am also quite fond of white wines. Even though oaky chardonnay wines are turning into a muchness of an overabundance today, with just about everyone+dog jumping on the bandwagon, there are actually a few of them that I find quite good. Lindeman's Bin 65 from Australia is one I like, but there are others.
Now, what can really set me off drooling and ranting incoherently, are some of the white wines from Alsace and parts of Germany. A nice, crisp, Riesling, with lots of pear, citrus and bergamot in the nose, followed by a splash of fruity acids and with a deep, deep base of shale and perhaps some petrol deep down... Yum! Of course, if there is a confit of duck and some nice bread nearby, things get even better. Or even a choucrute garni...
Another type of white wine I like is actually green -the Vinho verdes of Portugal. None of them are especially complex or well-developed, but a lot of them have a very nice crispy freshness that I find very attractive -and go very well together with summer, nice company and a plate of grilled shrimp with lemon and chile pepper. 8)
:partyglass:
Don't you know that white wines are for girls? ;)
--
I would drink more white wine if the one I like wasn't $30+ a bottle... (true Champagne* :P)
--
Seriously, I used to buy some Blanc de Blanc although I haven't seen it much lately, good recommendations on white wines are very appreciated. :)
*who said "cheap" Champagne isn't good? Try Nicolas Feuillatte (http://www.feuillatte.com/home_en.php#champagnes/indispensables/25). :mrgreen:
The U.S. white wines tend to be too sweet or acidic in general for my tastes, but I agree with both of you guys about the others.
There are a few local whites that I like, but am not ga-ga over, and they are way too pricey for anything but the occasional holiday purchase.
I haven't had a truly lovely champagne in a long time. We get one every New Year's, but the past few years they have been pretty "Meh", in my book. It is probably because we cannot afford the decent ones. The best moderately priced champagne I've had in recent years was a Chandon Argentina, which I can no longer find. It was like effervescent pears. I can find Chandon California, but it is not so hot.
I can find Spaniard bubbly and French from the outskirts here, usually in big bottles (1.5 lt), those are fine but the real stuff is, well, better? What I can honestly say is that while I can tell the cheap stuff from the good one I can't tell the difference between the lower high end and the very high end, that is, I can't tell the difference between a Nicolas Feuillate and a Dom Perignon (which costs 4-5 times more). It may have something to do with the frequency I drink them? ;)
Me too, but then again, I have so rarely had any expensive champagnes. Most of the low-end stuff has no flavor to me, it may as well be club soda!
Mmm.... I like club soda. :)
Prefer it with potassium compounds though - club kali?
A champagne that I find eminently good, but still priced in such a range that you can afford to quaff decadent amounts of the stuff once in a while is Piper-Heidsieck. Their standard champagne with the red label is quite nice -dry, some pronounced grape and mineral tones, with a bit of a tang to it. While it is not the stuff that brings tears to your eyes and makes you talk to god, it is the kind of stuff that makes you smile and do silly things with your friends at a party. Costs about SEK 250 / €25 per bottle at the Systembolaget stores in Sweden, which is including a lot of alchohol tax, to give you an idea of the price range.
While a lot of the cava sparkling wines form Spain are terrible, cheap and nasty, there are also some absolute gems among them, without the prestige component of the champagne price tag. Of the more widely available varieties, both the basic Codorniu and Freixnet Carta Nevada are perfectly drinkable and /or quaffable, at a price tag about 1/3 of the Piper-Heidsiecko one. These are, of course, mass-produced bulk bubblies, so don't expect anything sensational, but a good and bubbly drink. They are also good for using in cooking, where some of the more subtle flavours and aromas of, say, a vintage champagne would be lost in the cooking process and other flavourings. Grilled fish served with a sauce of airy beurre blanc, into which you have delicately folded a generous splash of cava just before serving... Or mussels in a cava and cream sauce...
There are also lots of small artisanal labels of spanish cava, with some of them definitely coming into the seeings-stars-and-talking-to-angels variety, but they can be both quite hard to find, and quite pricey. But if you do have a good wine store in the area, talk to them and see what they can reccommend and supply!
:partyglass:
Oh yum, those seafood'n'champagne dishes sound fantastic!
I'm hungry, now.
Here in the U.S. we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving this Thursday. What goes well with turkey? (or spinch souffle for us vegetarians?)
Quote from: Opsanus tau on November 23, 2009, 05:40:59 PM
Oh yum, those seafood'n'champagne dishes sound fantastic!
They certainly can be... go ahead and experiment! Mussels steamed with a bit of bacon or chourico and a healthy splash of smoky malt whisky is also a yummy variant, although wine-free.
Quote from: Opsanus tau on November 23, 2009, 05:40:59 PM
Here in the U.S. we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving this Thursday. What goes well with turkey?
Here in Old Europe, we don't particularily estimate such Colonial exotic fripperies as turkey-fowl, nor their common and uncouth festivals for the vulgar masses. :flyingpig:
Seriously, though, I have never eaten turkey in the classical US:ian manner -turkey in Sweden is mostly sold as cold cuts and charcuterie, and most of it rather bland and boring. I suppose you could start off thinking about "tastes like chicken, but gamier". A more full-bodied white perhaps? Perhaps one of those Californian oaked Chardonnays? Or a somewhat lighter red wine, with a bit of spice and fruit to it -say, a pinot noir or tempranillo? From what I have read of traditional US thanksgiving dinners, they seem to be rather heavy on the food, so I suppose you would want a wine wiht a bit of character to be able to digest everything.
Quote from: Opsanus tau on November 23, 2009, 05:40:59 PM
(or spinch souffle for us vegetarians?)
Ah! Spinach souffle is much approved by Old World food snobs. Spinach is a bit like asparagus or artichoke -the acids in them can interact in strange ways with wine, making everything taste a bit metallic or off. Spinach is, however, by no means as difficult to pare with a wine as asparagus, which is more or less impossible. I'd try a rich white wine -say a dry white Bourgogne with lots of fruit and acid, or their german equivalent -a weisser Burgunder, preferrably a Spätlese or Auslese (late harvested) -they tend more towards fruit and petroleum than the minerals of the Rieselings I lauded in my earlier post.
And a slightly unconventional suggestion: Perhaps a nice rosé wine could fit the bill, for both the turkey and the spinach? One with a bit more muscle and spice, not one of those "raspberry juice for adults". There is a Chilean rosé called Casas Patronales available here in Sweden, which could very well be available in USA, too, which could fit the bill. I have no idea of how it would work out -I suppose it would depend a lot on the flavouring of the bird and the souffle, as well as the accompaning dishes, but it would certainly be an intriguing experiment, and one I think could pay off handsomely. Is it possible for you to make a small trial before the big occassion?
Good luck!
:winebottle:
Before I forget (and unrelated to the latest discussion) I tried a Spaniard Garnacha the other day and I have to say the I liked it very much. This is a wine with a very rich aroma, I dare say medium/full bodied but very easy to drink.
I wish I could make a more detailed description (Lindorm has more experience on this than me) but I -sadly- don't have an open bottle in front of me now. :P
In my family we always have turkey for Christmas dinner and we serve it with a sparkling red wine (we're not allowed to call it Champaigne over here because of the Frensch getting all thingy about their names, but it's made the same way). Grape varieties like shiraz and durif make good choices. The wines tend to be crisp without excessive dryness yet still quite fruity. Goes very well with turkey. Anderson's (from Rutherglen in northern Victoria) make a truly spectacular sparkling shiraz, which I believe most of which they export to the USA, so it may be possible to get some. However, I have no idea what the price would be over there. At the cellar door last time I bought some, it was about AUD $28 (I guess that't about USD $25 on the current exchange rate) so Iimagine it may well be a bit on the expensive side. :(
I've seen sparkling rosé but not red. I would love to try that.
:partyglass:
I've had an Aussie sparkling red before - probably a Wyndham Estates sparkling Shiraz.
I think I found it a bit of a strange combination, but it wasn't bad and was probably reasonably priced.
Nice idea! I tried a very good sparkling red wine at a wine shop a few years back. Can't remember where it was from, now- but I liked it.
I just happen to have a white Zinfandel (technically a rose) in the fridge. Do you think that would do?
Well, it wouldn't be the same, but it would probably go well. I think the trick is to have a wine that is not too astringent, that carries a bit of fruit, to go with turkey. So if the sparkling rose sounds like that I would give it a go! Let us know what it is like, if you decide to try it!
Here in Old Europe, we don't particularily estimate such Colonial exotic fripperies as turkey-fowl, nor their common and uncouth festivals for the vulgar masses. :flyingpig:
I knew I was going to like him.... ::)
Quote from: Pachyderm on November 28, 2009, 05:11:18 PM
Here in Old Europe, we don't particularily estimate such Colonial exotic fripperies as turkey-fowl, nor their common and uncouth festivals for the vulgar masses. :flyingpig:
I knew I was going to like him.... ::)
You did, didn't you? :mrgreen:
So, Opsanus, how did things go? What wine did you choose, and how did it turn out? Inquiring snobs want to know! ;)
Greetings, inquiring snobs!
We brought the white zin, which disappeared and I have no idea where it went, and a fancy red (http://stores.floridakeys.com/boxwood/detail.aspx?ID=4) from a very snobby local winery called Boxwood, which was fantastic!
Speaking of local wineries, we've had another new one open that specializes in Indian food pairings! I cannot wait to try this one. http://www.narmadawinery.com/index.htm
Yesterday we opened a bottle of Vieux Papes table red wine, which as it's name implies is perfect to accompany meals. Not too alcoholic, not too complicated with an almost sweet aftertaste, and happily quite cheap (about $6 in Whole Foods which isn't precisely known for its low prices). I'll get a few more bottles next time I drive by. :D
Sounds good.
I've made a new pal who owns a cafe and does catering. She gave me a couple of surplus bottles of a malbec rose called Parados. It's from Argentina, has a very pretty color, and is not too sweet with an unusual strawberry note. It would probably go well with fresh fruits, cheeses and cakes.
CAKE!!!
:cake:
Malbec is a fairly decent wine, the ones I've tried have left me pleasantly surprised (and cheap too :D).
I agree!
Tonight I'm opening a Black Swan Shiraz. It was moderately inexpensive and the description sounded good: black cherry boldness accented with a dash of peppery spice...
Oops- it's dindin time- better open this baby!
Have a lovely weekend!
Cheers!
A 1921 Station d'Épuration Premier Crude. A scrotty little wine, but I think you'll be amused by its presumption. A very strong nose and elements of sump oil and vomit with an undercurrent of varnish, grodberries and rodent droppings, giving way to a strong emetic finish.
Its overwhelming aroma balances the acidity (pH 1.3) rather inadequately.
That bad? :-X
I had one last bottle of this stashed in the cupboard, but I think it got too warm at some point. It was more penitential than sinful, if you follow.
(http://www.cheapowino.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/seven-deadly-zins.gif)
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1074/685520683_c9f52cb119.jpg?v=0)
David and Pieces:
:ROFL: :winebottle: :ROFL: :winebottle: :ROFL: :winebottle: :ROFL: :winebottle: :ROFL: :winebottle: :ROFL: :winebottle:
By the way, the Black Swan was a big hit.
More cheap French wine. La Vieille Ferme, côtes du ventoux, red. You can tell is cheap because it doesn't have a cork but a screw cap. No too alcoholic, easy going with food (or cheese ;D), actually quite good for the price, without being exceptional but worth buying.
:partyglass: :partyglass:
Someone left a bottle of 2004 Barossa Valley Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre blend called "Envoy" by The Colonial Estate here last weekend. (The weather was warm and people wanted to BBQ). We opened it last night for a visiting friend and I thought it was bloody awful! My first impression was that it had corked- the color looked off to me (that telltale cola brown), the smell was too strong and the taste was like port (which I haven't gotten around to appreciating). Mr. Ops liked it (but he likes port). I said he could have it.
Anyone have any experience with this?
Hi Ops, I think you're probably right - the wine was corked. The notes I have seen on this wine indicate a deep ruby/purple tinged colour and an elegant complex perfume of peppery black currant and cherry fruit. Described as elegant yet substantial. This does not sound like your description at all and I suspect that too much oxygen may have got to the wine. It's a bit of a bugga when that happens...
Thanks, dear Blue! It certainly seemed off to me. I told Mr. Ops that if we'd been served it at a restaurant I'd have been a pill and sent it back! The cork did not seem saturated, but it looked like it may have been too dry, as it someone hadn't stored it correctly. It seemed a little cracked- or maybe that was just me!
Mr. Ops drank the rest the next night. He is a simple soul. Eats my cooking, too. Bless 'is 'eart.
A while ago, Darlica and I enjoyed a very nice red Bourgogne:
Bourgogne Haute Cotes de Nuits -Les Dames de Vergy
From winemakers Domaine Dominique Guyon.
This was a very nice wine in a classical Bourgogne style. It wasn't actually all that deep-red, being of a lighter colour, but with a powerful nose that was full of fruity aromas and a bit of shale and fudge. The taste was quite complex and multi-layered, with a first wave of fruit and wild berries, followed by a more austere taste of black pepper and fudge (perhaps some anise?), and a looong aftertaste of wood and shale. The wine comes from the higher regions of Bourgogne, and it shows -the taste feels quite strict in a way, but also quite rich and packed with flavour. I suppose an analogue would be those wild raspberries you can find in a rocky clearing out in the woods, covered in thorns and old branches. They are quite small and a bit difficult ot get to, but your persistence is rewarded by a berry that is a concentrate of fruit and sunshine. This wine is by no means a flattering socialite, but if you take your time to get acquainted with it, I don't think you'll get disappointed.
We had it with a quite simple dish -entrecõte marchand du vin, a nice slab of entrecote* roasted in a hot pan, and then set aside to rest while I threw a lump of butter, chopped shallots and some garlic in the pan, and let them melt for a while, before I deglazed the pan with more butter, some stock and red wine, giving a splash of buttery, creamy sauce for each entrecôte. This went very well with the wine which, while not as dense as a hefty Alentejo or a Gnarly Head Zinfandel, still has quite a bit of an oomph and can stand a bit of spice in the food. While we haven't tried it yet, I suspect it would be very good as an accompaniment to some cheeses, too -say, a nice gruyere, or a peppery goat cheese.
*The entrecôte is cut from the rib area of the animal, as the name literally says. I believe that the closest approximation of the traditional entrecôte in US parlance would be a rib-eye steak, perhaps cut from the end towards the short loin.
How much did you pay for it?
Not that spendy, SEK 129:- per bottle, which translates to roughly €13 or USD18.
Back in the days of the state alchohol monopoly, Systembolaget was one of the biggest single purchasers of wine and spirits in the world, so you could find some absolutely amazing bargains here in Sweden. Those days are unfortunately gone, but you can still find som very nice wines at not-too-outrageous prices.
In the UK that would be reasonable for a good wine. Sounds good: I'll have a look in one of our two decent wine outlets.
We've been enjoying a very nice cabernet sauvignon called La Finca from Mendoza, Argentina. We get it at Trader Joe's for $3.99 per bottle.
For our New Year's Dinner, Darlica and I had a very nice wine: Yet another Bourgogne, but a white one this time.
Bourgogne Blanc Les Setilles 2009 by Olivier Leflaive
This is a 100% Chardonnay wine, with the grapes coming from various growers in the area. Most of the wine is aged in oak barrels, about 10% of which are new. Thus, it is a far cry from the sterotypical California Chardonnay, oaked so heavily that it feels like you are chewing on your dog's toy chewing stick. ;)
The wine is pale yellow in colour. It has a very big nose, with lots of aromas of apples, minerals and something buttery. The taste is dry, crisp, somewhat tart with hints of apple, plum, minerals and butter again. There is also a nice nuttines with a vanilla trace, probably from the oak barrels.
We had the wine with a very nice grilled norwegian Salma-salmon (a very good and lean salmon) accompanied by a "mayonnaise maltaise", a citrus mayonnaise with blood orange juice and a toasted crisp "risotto" of wholegrain rice. They went very well together, with the wine being powerful enough to stand up to the spicy mayonnaise, but at the same time being light enough to not drown the subtle flavours of the salmon. The wine also worked well with the nutty, buttery, roasted flavours of the risotto, providing a light, tart counterpoint.
The wine was quite sensitive to temperature, being a bit closed up at first since we accidentaly chilled it a bit too much. If in doubt, I would err on the side fo serving this wine a bit too warm rather than a bit too cold.
SEK 139:- at Systembolaget, roughly €16 or USD 20. Well worth the price, and definitely a wine we will buy again. The 2006 vintage of the same wine is supposed to be really good -we haven't tried it, but it has recieved some outstanding reviews.
Who's got a big nose?!
Wow, that sounds lovely. The wine and the fish!
Here's one to stay away from: Chateau Ksara Blanc des Blancs 2009.
There are quite a few wineyards in Lebanon, making some quite good wines, with the very idiosyncratic ones from Chateau Musar probably the most well-known. While the Ch. Musar ones are very distinctive and very much a love/hate thing, the red wines from ch. Ksara are much more accessible and generally of a good to very good quality. We were curious, and decided to try out one of their white wines in order to taste what they were like. We have already tried a few of their red wines, and found them very nice.
The Chateau Ksara Blanc des Blancs is mainly composed of Sauvignon Blanc grapes, with some Chardonnay and Semillion thrown in, too. The grapes are grown in the Bekaa valley and recieve very little rainfall during the growing season, so they usually get a very concentrated flavour. The grapes are pressed whole, and the resulting juice is fermented in vats before being finished off in barrells. So far, so good, and sounding quite promising.
Unfortunately, the wine was a disappointment. Despite trying it out a t varying temperatures and grades of aeration, the wine stayed much the same: A closed, tart, slightly sour wine, somewhat reminiscent of unripe green apples, with a bit of lemon juice and allspice on the palate, and a aftertaste of mint. The nose was also very tart and mostly lacking in body. The wine felt unripe, unfinished and had only one dominant tastenote in the various phases of tasting, all trying to compete with an unrelenting tartness.
Perhaps another vintage might be better? I don't think we are going to buy this one again, though.
I've had a couple of good Lebanese wines at a popular place in D.C. called The Lebanese Taverna. (http://www.lebanesetaverna.com/restaurant_washingtondc.html) Since it's kinda expensive we only go for special occasions. We have such a great time there that I never remember what wines they were, later. Foo... But it's really fun if you have a big table of fun people.
Do you have a "wine bong" (http://www.beveragefactory.com/wine/decanters/aerators/index.shtml)?
I just had an Argentinian Cabernet with my lunch:
(http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/03/dd/03ddfb38bec4885ebf703d6f9cf55659.jpg?itok=2kDfmkgb)
Quite smooth and not very costly if you are into cabs, got it from costco.
I still don't drink...wine
Why does white pino gregio give me a migraine but rose pinot gregio doen't?
I suspect it's sulphur but why would rose be any better on that score?
A few women in my family get migraine from red but not white wine, why rose would work for you escapes me, but then again I know a woman to whom coffee sends her to sleep, so different people, different reactions.
I began with red wine migraines and white wines no problem. (except specially selected red wines and ports that had been laid down for years and were VERY expensive which I had the good fortune to have quite often on High Table at college). Then maybe 20 years later, all the new country white wines, like Chile etc) had to be stopped - viscious migraines, also German white wines and defintely NO sweet desert wines - lethal). I could still drink most spirits. Again maybe ten years later, spirits had to be ditched. Finally even French/Italian extra dry wines started to give me migaines but stupidly I do have them occasionally as I LIKE wine, and put up with the suffering. I had never thought of trying rose, I always considered it a bit of a non-wine (my parents drank it!) until I tried it last week. Seems like my last hope.
Mrs goat has spent 9 months alcohol free. During that time we visited Outlaws in rock for my 40th. She missed out on the wine flight so for Christmas I went out and found all the wines. Some really unusual ones including Japanese grape wine (soryu koshu).
The star of th show is an American riesling called Kung Fu Girl... Worth hunting down.
I think I'll open that one bottle of dry cider left upstairs to-morrow, i.e. in slightly less that 26 hours.
Quote from: goat starer on December 30, 2014, 08:38:05 PM
The star of th show is an American riesling called Kung Fu Girl... Worth hunting down.
Haven't tried it but I did give a bottle to a kung fu girl as a gift, once...
Over Christmas I finally opened a bottle of Springfield Estate Methode Ancienne Chardonnay that I've been saving (only bottle I brought back from South Africa). I'm not usually a white drinker, but this was good, good, good.
Is our good goat back from the dead? Where's the party? :D :D
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I'm not a white wine guy either but I have found that a good white Bordeaux will be as good as Champagne without the bubbles, and even a cheap one can be very drinkable (I had this one today with fondue):
(http://abc-wines.omnimystery.com/graphics/augey-ww-2008.jpg)
Quote from: Sibling Zono (anon1mat0) on December 31, 2014, 04:52:16 AM
Is our good goat back from the dead? Where's the party? :D :D
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I was only resting my eyes