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NEVERENDING ♾️ The Richmond Jake's NEVERENDING Wine Thread

With our brunch today, we drank a 2007, Iron Horse, estate, brut, sparkling wine. Don't make an effort to find this. Very dry but absolutely no fruit flavors. Way over priced.
 
Drinking a 2010 Standing Stone Gewurztraminer.

Anyone have some suggestions for good value (≤ US$12) PNs, Malbecs, Shirazes, or Cabs? :wine:

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Dan said:
Drinking a 2010 Standing Stone Gewurztraminer.

Anyone have some suggestions for good value (≤ US$12) PNs, Malbecs, Shirazes, or Cabs? :wine:
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Malbec (I love Argentina Malbecs) - Notro (Arg) - $12 / Bodegas Chakana (Arg) - Prob $15
Shiraz (I love Australian Shiraz) - Mount Langi Ghiran Billi Billi (Aussie) - $12 / Old Plains Power of One (Aussie) - $17

I am not a fan of Pinots (and therefore do not collect or drink a lot of them), and they are much harder to get a decent one for cheap, but I have enjoyed Yering Station out of South Australia. I looked up the Little Yering Pinot and it looks like $10-12.

Cabs are so wide open it is really difficult to give a suggestion without having a clue what you like. You like oak? You like dry?
 
Don Sebastiani Sons Cabernet Sauvignon B Side 2009. $20

Great wine. Good fruit, light on the tannins, smooth. Drink now.

Probably the best Cab or Cab blend I have had in a year or two. Amazing. Really good. Same concept as what Cameron Hughes does... great wine for a third of the price.
 
Hink said:
Malbec (I love Argentina Malbecs) - Notro (Arg) - $12 / Bodegas Chakana (Arg) - Prob $15
Shiraz (I love Australian Shiraz) - Mount Langi Ghiran Billi Billi (Aussie) - $12 / Old Plains Power of One (Aussie) - $17

I am not a fan of Pinots (and therefore do not collect or drink a lot of them), and they are much harder to get a decent one for cheap, but I have enjoyed Yering Station out of South Australia. I looked up the Little Yering Pinot and it looks like $10-12.
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I'll add them to my wish list and see if I can find them ... thanks! The GF also likes Shiraz, so I'll score points by bringing over a decent bottle.

Richmond Jake said:
Our hotel here in Chicago is about a block from Trader Joe's. Lots of Two Buck Chuck being quaffed. :)
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Just got back from Cleveland with a case of Three Dollar Charles, and a few other sub-$5 exclusives. Oh, and because I heard rumors about it, I had to see if it was true.

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Indeed. Walmart has its own brand of wine. I bought a couple of bottles, FOR SCIENCE! Unlike Two Buck Chuck, the Walmart wines are NV.

In NYS, you can only buy wine in liquor stores, and those liquor stores can't sell beer. Liquor stores in NYS are more wine-oriented than those in states where you can buy wine just about anywhere. The TJ's in Rochester doesn't sell wine, nor will the new one in Buffalo. Thus, Two Buck Chuck is "forbidden fruit" here.
 
I love giving Oak Leaf to friends. No one has given me any feedback, but it's fun to give. Too bad they didn't have the guts to name it Sam's Chioce.
 
kms said:
I love giving Oak Leaf to friends. No one has given me any feedback, but it's fun to give. Too bad they didn't have the guts to name it Sam's Chioce.
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It tastes like it was made from oak leaves though.... :-c
 
Hink said:
Malbec (I love Argentina Malbecs) - Notro (Arg) - $12 / Bodegas Chakana (Arg) - Prob $15
Shiraz (I love Australian Shiraz) - Mount Langi Ghiran Billi Billi (Aussie) - $12 / Old Plains Power of One (Aussie) - $17

I am not a fan of Pinots (and therefore do not collect or drink a lot of them), and they are much harder to get a decent one for cheap, but I have enjoyed Yering Station out of South Australia. I looked up the Little Yering Pinot and it looks like $10-12.

Cabs are so wide open it is really difficult to give a suggestion without having a clue what you like. You like oak? You like dry?
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I love Malbec as well. Alamos Malbec is a consistently good wine. Usually around $11-$12 a bottle. I grab a few when they go on sale.
 
Pacific Redwood, Organic Red, North Coast Red Table Wine. Do not buy this. I can't believe this on a store's shelve. Horrible. This is the worst wine I've ever drank. I feel so dirty. Instead, send it to Syria or North Korea.
 
Two sparkling wines over the weekend: a 2007, Iron Horse, Classic Vintage Brut and a 2001(!), Gloria Ferrer, Royal Cuvee Brut. Picked them up a week ago from sale bin at Publix. Both were dry and fruity and excellent.
 
This past weekend's wines...

1987, Kenwood, Artist Series, Sonoma Valley, cabernet sauvignon.

NV, Mumm Napa, brut rose, Napa Valley.

2004, Dry Creek Vineyard, The Mariner, red table wine (blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, cabernet franc, and petit verdot), Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County.
 
Richmond Jake said:
1987, Kenwood, Artist Series, Sonoma Valley, cabernet sauvignon.
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Did you like it? I love Kenwood's label. I assume you bought that bottle years ago? I haven't had anything from the artist series from 80's, but I did have a Jack London Cab Sauvignon 1997 maybe 7 years ago? My memory was that it was quite good. We don't get much Kenwood around these parts...
 
I'm not a oenophile so I was little surprised last night to see a self storage place advertising wine storage. Not surprised to see it in one of the most affluent communities in the Dallas area however. Is this common elsewhere? Are there that many people investing in such large quantities of quality wine that they can't provide their own storage facilities?
 
ofos said:
I'm not a oenophile so I was little surprised last night to see a self storage place advertising wine storage. Not surprised to see it in one of the most affluent communities in the Dallas area however. Is this common elsewhere? Are there that many people investing in such large quantities of quality wine that they can't provide their own storage facilities?
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In most big cities there is at least one location. I can tell you that Ohio is lacking in general. California seems to have one on every corner.

I would imagine it is supply and demand. There just aren't that many collectors outside of the states that produce lots of wine.
 
ofos said:
I'm not a oenophile so I was little surprised last night to see a self storage place advertising wine storage. Not surprised to see it in one of the most affluent communities in the Dallas area however. Is this common elsewhere? Are there that many people investing in such large quantities of quality wine that they can't provide their own storage facilities?
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I would imagine it is more prevalent in environments that experience extreme shifts in heat and humidity over any given year. And you're right; it has everything to do with the quality of wines being stored. I should have considered this when I moved to :fl: because some of the corks in my older wines have failed. :'( :not:

Hink said:
...... California seems to have one on every corner.......
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Stop that generalization.


EDIT: A constant temperature (ideally in the mid '50s) holds the chemical balances in the wine. Mid-humidity preserves and keeps the cork tight--oxidation is the enemy of wine. The other variable is light; keep the wine in dark or low light to help preserve the wine.
 
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Last night with baby back ribs (bbq with dry rub) we had a 2010, Temptation (by Alexander Valley Vineyards) zinfandel. Affordable but a darn good wine. :wine: :thumbsup:
 
An ex swears by Wolftrap as offering great bang for the buck, but her favorite from Boekenhoutskloof is The Chocolate Block. In any case, Wolftrap is now on the "always have a couple of bottles on hand" lineup.

:wine: :thumbsup: - Boekenhoutskloof The Wolftrap (2010, 2011, red Syrah/Mourvèdre/Viognier blend, South Africa)
:wine: :thumbsup: - Red Heads Yard Dog (2012, red blend, Australia)
:wine: +o( - Badger Mountain Organic Riesling (2011, Washington)
:wine: :j: +o( :victory: - Manischewitz Concord Grape Wine (NV, New York)

Would RJ drink this?

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Meanwhile, my novice palate has discovered a good Austrian white varietal: Grüner Veltliner. It's a manly alternative to Gewürztraminer. and Reisling For some reason, Grüner Veltliner from Austria is often sold in one liter bottles, rather than the standard 750 ml. A couple of wineries in the Finger Lakes region are starting to add it to their lineup.
 
"Patriotic" Wines for (U.S.) Thanksgiving

WSJ article:
What Wine to Drink on Thanksgiving
Wine professionals tend to debate about whether to pair with the potatoes or the poultry. Wine columnist Lettie Teague suggests worrying about one thing only—that the wine comes from the U.S.
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____________

If, however, you are Jewish and live in the U.S., then you probably know that U.S. Thanksgiving is also the first day of Hanukkah this year. The Wall Street Journal seems to have forgotten about that;
The Miami Herald remembered:
Wine for Thanksgiving … and Hanukkah


*Ergo, this Thursday a Jewish U.S. "patriot" can only drink a bunch of California wines... and one from New England.*


;)



 
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Over the weekend I was doing some light shopping and walked past the new wine cooler that was installed... only to see this:

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So I have to ask, how much better is a $250 bottle of wine vs. a $20 bottle of wine.




*sorry for the blurred image, my camera on my phone is acting up.
 
michaelskis said:
So I have to ask, how much better is a $250 bottle of wine vs. a $20 bottle of wine.
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Admission: I don't think I've ever drunk any wine that cost more than $60/bottle in my life.

I have heard the law of diminishing returns comes into play with wine, and that while there is a great deal of difference between a $10 bottle of wine and a $100 bottle, the difference between a $100 bottle and $1000 bottle is marginal.

That's what I've heard/read at any rate.
 
michaelskis said:
Over the weekend I was doing some light shopping and walked past the new wine cooler that was installed... only to see this:

65bh.jpg


So I have to ask, how much better is a $250 bottle of wine vs. a $20 bottle of wine.




*sorry for the blurred image, my camera on my phone is acting up.
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Opus One is a rock star wine (Mondavi and Rothschild combo). It is probably much better than a $20 bottle of wine and can be aged much longer, but it really depends on what you want to get out of it. I have never had it. Much like Screaming Eagle it has cult status, which makes me wary of how good it actually is.

You notice that Opus One doesn't make the list of best wines in the world every year? Lots of $40 - $80 bottles do though. I would buy what you like. Like Cristal it is a status symbol.
 
Seana said:
WSJ article:
What Wine to Drink on Thanksgiving
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It's a good point, and something I'm going to have to remember. I'm going to Thanksgiving dinner with the GF's family, and I'm planning on bringing a couple of bottles of wine. Probably a Finger Lakes white (Gewürztraminer) and red (Pinot Noir; we're not good with the bigger reds.).

I tend to skip over California wines when I'm shopping. They're phenomenal, but I found it's not where I can find good bargains. My palate still needs a lot of tuning, and I've found myself picking up wines from all over the US and the world; not just NY, the Pacific Northwest and California, but South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, and Israel. I think I've got a bottle of wine from Romania somewhere in the mix. French wines sometimes confuse me, because outside of Alsace whites, bottles are labeled by region rather than varietal.

How's Greek wine? I have this impression that the country produces mainly sweet dessert wines.

There's several great wine stores around here, but it's hard to find wine outside of the traditional, more established growing regions. One store stocks a few bottles from Pennsylvania and Canada, but that's about it. I'd love to show up at a party with a bottle from Mexico or Luxembourg.
 
michaelskis said:
So I have to ask, how much better is a $250 bottle of wine vs. a $20 bottle of wine.
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I have a few bottles that are int he $100 range. I bought them when they were maybe $25-35 and have held them. When I do open one I can tell. Is it enough of a difference that I would spend $100 or more on a bottle. Probably not.
 
Just picked up a bottle of Ravines Dry Riesling (2011).

Dumb question: why do so many women get headaches from drinking red wine, but they're fine with white?

One more thing:

How's Greek wine? I have this impression that the country produces mainly sweet dessert wines.
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I'll answer my own question, at least for the white I tried out. It's like drinking Pine-Sol.
 
One... The two with that fancy wire twisty on the cork is too snobby....


About to crack open a Bottle of Tabor Hill Demi-Sec... It was only a few bucks but I like it.
 
Bought a bottle of Blue Fin Pinot Noir from Trader Joe's the other day. Simple to the point of offering no complexity whatsoever. An utterly characterless wine worthy of being skipped in favor of Welches Grape Juice Cocktail.

I did pick up a Hungarian wine out of curiousity. Hopefully that experience goes better.
 
Duck Commander Chardonnay?

We don't see many celebrity or mommy wines around here. Coppola and Mommy's Time Out is about it.

Richmond Jake said:
The wine bottle stopper that ZG gave me for Christmas.

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No wonder the little guy is so happy.

Any of you guys do any projects with old wine bottles? I took a few Riesling-shaped bottles, removed the labels, filied the bottom with aquarium marbles, and turned them into oil lamps.
 
Dan said:
Duck Commander Chardonnay?

We don't see many celebrity or mommy wines around here. Coppola and Mommy's Time Out is about it.



No wonder the little guy is so happy.

Any of you guys do any projects with old wine bottles? I took a few Riesling-shaped bottles, removed the labels, filied the bottom with aquarium marbles, and turned them into oil lamps.
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My wife had me cut a bunch in half, and has done various projects with them. My favorite is candle holders. Wine bottles are quite useful.
 
Do any of you have unconventional "rules" when it comes to trying and buying wine? A few of mine are:

1) Don't buy wine that is marketed towards a certain demographic group (e.g mommy wines, girly/BFF wines, etc).

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2) Be cautious of from countries that make a big deal about their tractor production. You know, places that produce wine with qualities like "Wine that make no kill of you make you stronger" and "You drink you like, you drink you like, yes my friend?"

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3) Approach celebrity wine with caution.

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If I buy a Reisling it is from the Mosel-Saar-Ruhr region of Germany, or perhaps I may try an Austrian. For a Shiraz I will generally look to Australia. Those regions do that varietal better than all others.

I will generally stay away from the wines that try to get cutesy with their names and labels. It seems like too much of a marketing ploy, and I wonder if they take their grapes as seriously.
 
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