• Cyburbia is a friendly big tent, where we share our experiences and thoughts about urban planning practice, the built environment, planning adjacent topics, and anything else that comes to mind. No ads, no spam, and it's free. It's easy to join!

NEVERENDING ♾️ The Richmond Jake's NEVERENDING Wine Thread

I'm not a big wine drinker- my stomach doesn't appreciate it so much however the two I enjoy the most are Davis Bynum- Merlot and La Crema (Kendall Jackson) Pinot. I'm really a Guiness girl ;)
 
Nor Cal Planner Girl said:
... Davis Bynum...;)
Click to expand...
Did you ever get a chance to taste when 'Manny' was there before they expanded the tasting room? The guy was great. And just down the road was Hop Kiln, another of my favorites.
 
I must not have had a very good time last night.....there was some of the St. Clement 1996 Oroppas left in the bottle this morning. I declare that it compliments the Pop Tarts for breakfast.
 
Mr AP and I drink wine every night during dinner. I really don't know much about it, I just drink what tastes good to me. I find that I really like Chardonnay and Cabernet (but if it is Cabernet, it has to be a really good one). I also like the Cabernet-Shiraz mix (Yellow Tail). We have been buying Black Box wine a lot lately, too. We belong to the wine of the month club, which has been helpful to me in learning what flavors I can taste in the wine.
 
So you like wine.... Want to import some fine Chilean wine? :D (Why must I sell out my country in such a blatant way....)

Now, really, they're quite good, enough to compete against French and Californian wines... :)
 
Our local gorcery chain has a first rate wine department. Bought a couple of bottles of a hobby producer's Cabernet Sauvignon-"Hart's Desire." Yum!
 
eG's Wine related facts:

Ms. G. and I watched Sideways the other night and throughly enjoyed it. Especially the "walet" scenes.

I just put up 6 gallons of a kit Raspberry Merlot. Yes, I said kit wine. In year it should be drinkable.

We bought another kit. It is a shiraz.

I'm still not a wine snob. Although I can appriciate those with the pallet and nose a little more these days.
 
Katie has been drinking Sutter Home White Merlot (California 2004). As indicated in a previous poste in this thread, this Bear is not a "wine snob", so I would not know a good vine from a bad vine. My question for RJ (who will certainly give an honest answer) or anybody else browsing this thread.....is Katie's choice a good one (1)? My rule? If she is drinking it she must like it. :-D

Bear
 
Bear Up North said:
Katie has been drinking Sutter Home White Merlot (California 2004). As indicated in a previous poste in this thread, this Bear is not a "wine snob", so I would not know a good vine from a bad vine. My question for RJ (who will certainly give an honest answer) or anybody else browsing this thread.....is Katie's choice a good one (1)? My rule? If she is drinking it she must like it. :-D

Bear
Click to expand...
I've not had this wine. But as I mentioned early in this thread, drink what you like and don't fall into trends and snob appeal.

I've never understood why a winery would make a white wine from red grapes. My guess is that it has something to do with adding the varietal term to the label for marketing purposes and getting rid of grapes that do not achieve the standards the winemaker is searching for in that particular varietal.

BTW, on tonights menu at the home of ZG: glazed ham with 2003 Schug, pinot noir (Carneros region).
 
Shiraz seems to have picked up quite a following the past few years. I've got to admit, I haven't had a bad one yet but I'm not exactly the most fussy or knowledgable wine drinker either.

I've been pretty happy with the Australian wines I've tried, though I've got to admit I'm a bit nervous about the bottle I got playing Dirty Santa since it is from the vineyards of Olvia-Newton John. Will it be Xanadu in a bottle?

We have a vineyard here in Georgia that makes me laugh because it's located in the exurbs right next to a major interstate. I'm sure the daily dose of automobile exhust does wonders for the flavor of the grapes. There is also a restaurant/wine bar intown that grows its own grapes on the premises for their house wine. They just started this year so I haven't had a chance to try the local wine. I'm not expecting much so it is lucky that the place has a full selection of wines from around the world (and great food too).
 
The biscuit family has lately been enjoying the Mark West Pinot Noir. It's a fairly rich, but not too dry, California red and ordinarily is not very expensive too boot.The only problem is that our state owned liqueur stores won't carry it without me ordering an entire case.

Oh well, the sacrifices we have to make. :-D
 
Last edited:
I love red wines, and in particular I am a big fan of European wines....chianti, medoc, saint emilion, beaujolais.

Just about every wine I've had from Baron Phillipe Rothchild is excellent. One of my favorites is Escudo Rojo, a Chilean wine.

Some California wines make it to our dinners as well. I like Francis Coppola wines. I've had a few other excellent wines, but I am not familar with the names.

I rarely spend more than $20 on a bottle. For table wine at home, we spend under $10.

The most interesting wine I ever had was "ice wine" in Germany. It was amazing! I've tried ice wine made up near Traverse City, but it wasnt the same.

I once had wine from Indiana. It tasted like :victory:
 
Christmas Eve I had a Pinot Noir from a Medocino County vineyard.

Christmas Day I was served a 1981 Bordeaux that was magnificent, as well as an Oregon Pinot Noir, and a bottle of Tokaj Hungarian dessert wine. :p
 
zman, I have a 1989 Tokaj sitting in my cellar. It is one of the best in my collection. I have really developed a taste for desert wines in recent years, and have a handful of late harvest reislinegs, semillions and muscatos. The best is a bottle of Grgtch Violetta, waiting for a very special occassion.

Aubie - If you like zinfandel (red) then you will enjoy shiraz. It has many similar characteristics, with lush fruit and spicy notes.
 
This fall I finally went to what NY Times has ranked before as the best liquor store in NY metro region... Suburban Wines in Yorktown Heights. The store highlights a listing of best wines under 10 bucks, perfect for a planning salary. I have been so impressed...all have been really good.

Some of my recent favorites:

Candido Salice Salentino, Italian Red... love this one!!
Bodegas Nieto Senetiner, a Malbec from Argentina
2004 Pileta 39 Malbec Mendoza, Argentina

The prices are good too...I highly recommend this store if you live near upper Westchester.:-D
 
Anybody ever been to one of those places where you can make your own wine. We just had a place open up in "My fair city" called Vitner's Cellars. It is kinda neat, Mrs. PBD, myself and 3 other couples did it back in early november.

For between $110 and $200 +you can make 30 bottles of wine.

You start by tasting wine. We did it for about 2 hours before we decided what we wanted. We selected a Pear Reisling, Black Current Merlot, Cabernet Shiraz and a Chardonay (sp):r: for a total of 120 bottles of wine. We chose these different wine because we were going to split the different varieties among the 4 couples and everyone had different taste.

After you taste the wine you go in the back room and mix the grape juices, add wood chips for the "oaky" flavor, fruit, yeast and what ever else they tell you to.

About 6 weeks later you go back to bottle it.

We tried the Pear Reisling and Black Current Merlot over the Christmas holiday and it was pretty good, sweet, but drinkable. They tell you the other two wines need to age in the bottle for between 3 and 6 months before you can drink them.
 
Henry's Estate Pinot Noir made in Umpqua, Oregon is my favorite. I'm biased 'cuz I was married there, but if you have a chance to drink this one, go for it, you won't be disappointed.

Sideways -- :-D :-D I'm still laughing......
 
Sung to the "Green Acres" Theme song of the 70s

Blue Nun is the wine for me.
Cheap, cheap as it can be.
Sweet, sweet as a wine can be.
Blue Nun is the wine for me.
 
I am glad RJ and I both like really dry wines. I have absolutely no knowledge about wines and can't remember the names of any of them, but he brings down some really good wines when he visits.

Blue Nun?
 
I rarely drink wine now... small bottles are rare and the regular 750 cc (1.6 pints) bottle is way to much for just 1 and it'll end as vinegar... :(

Down here my parents just drink middle ranged priced wine. It's good although most of the Chilean vineyards of that price range are not exported, they produce enough to fulfill local demand. Only big vineyards that produce great volume or have remarkable quality get exported. Besides for a market like the US you can't export in little volumes, unless it's for a specific local provider.

Oh and before I was bashing Gato, but I guess that what get's exported is the best of the best of what that huge vineyard (Viña San Pedro) produces, and us locals get the worst...but still they're focused on volume rather than quality. (No, I haven't heard that they add anti-freeze so you can drink it without any problems :D)
 
SkeLeton said:
Oh and before I was bashing Gato, but I guess that what get's exported is the best of the best of what that huge vineyard (Viña San Pedro) produces, and us locals get the worst...but still they're focused on volume rather than quality. (No, I haven't heard that they add anti-freeze so you can drink it without any problems :D)
Click to expand...

I hear that most wineries keep their best stuff local. If you want the best California wines...you gotta go to California...same in Italy, etc.

I have had some really good Chilean wines.
 
PlannerByDay said:
Anybody ever been to one of those places where you can make your own wine.
Click to expand...

In Sault Ste. Marie, MI (in the beautiful Upper Peninsula) they just opened a similar venture. At the place in The Soo they have both wine AND beer. :)

Bear
 
Thread Resurrection time!

I've been trying a lot of Italian reds lately. I still like the juicy, jammy, California reds (Zinfandels, Petite Syrahs), but I've been really enjoying the more acidic, less unctuous Italian reds. Had a really good Barbaresco from 1997 the other night. Very different than say, a California Cabernet.

Plus, I like the heraldic labels. :p

Any thoughts on Malbecs? Sound prettyn interesting, too.
 
RichmondJake said:
Because they suck? +o(
Click to expand...

Yes, I grew up in Syracuse so I can tell you for sure, that, though the wine country of NYS is gorgeous, their wine sucks - they make good cooking sherry and a reasonable sweet dessert wine, but Bully Hill, no way - or any of the rest

my favorites:
  1. Fat Bastard Shiraz (it's a great wine to bring to a friend's house, LOL)
  2. Ravenswood Lodi
  3. a good French Beaujolais (sp) or white bordeaux
  4. Clos Du Bois vinyards, except their chardonnay
  5. Red truck is a pretty good red

those are my standard wines, my cousin's husband goes to Chile alot for work and he brings us amazing wines you cna't get up here, which I love - we also have Brazilian friends who bring back great wine when they visit relatives
 
Bumped

If ya'll are looking for a decent inexpensive sparkling wine for the holiday season, try the Barefoot Bubbly. I'm sipping on it now. It's made in the charmat (bulk), style, but don't let that turn you off. IMHO, it's not bad. Worthy of attention for the price. I'm gonna grab a couple of more bottles before I make the run to central Florida Wednesday.

http://www.epicurious.com/drinking/wine_dictionary/entry?id=5851


EDIT: Here I am, trying to give out holiday advice, and some people in c. Florida don't believe me.

EDIT 2: BTW, sparking wine should not be consumed by a glass shaped from the boob of Marie Antoinette. It should be drunk from a fluted glass.
 
Last edited:
RichmondJake said:
EDIT 2: BTW, sparking wine should not be consumed by a glass shaped from the boob of Marie Antoinette. It should be drunk from a fluted glass.
Click to expand...

If we have bubbly at Mom's, be prepared for a "boob" glass (geez, where did THAT comparison come from??). Of course, my dad got those for her in Venice Italy. You can live with that, right?
 
Zoning Goddess said:
If we have bubbly at Mom's, be prepared for a "boob" glass (geez, where did THAT comparison come from??). Of course, my dad got those for her in Venice Italy. You can live with that, right?
Click to expand...
OK, but only because your dad got them. Other than that, NO...BOOB...GLASSES.





Welcome to Nightmare
Alice Cooper
 
I have been drinking more wine than usual lately. It snowed here a few weeks ago and my friend came over for the day because her electricity was out. so on our way back to my house we stopped off for a few bottles of wine. We drank about 4 of them :-$ . I like both red and white, I typically like a sweeter wine but have been trying lots of different kids lately....
RJ will laugh or have somethin to say but there is a winery here in MO called St. James, my favorite wines (so far) come from there. We have a ton of wineries here, since I am not a connesouir (sp???) (yet ;-) ) I like trying the local stuff...
 
Good Wine

I have found some of our best wine comes from Washington State..........Yakima Valley...........Columbia Crest, Hogue, many other makers. CHile also has some good stuff. You can get a good bottle of wine for under 10 bucks tasting a lot better than some for 30+...........Oregon also has some excellent tasting wine.........I used to make beer but not for 10 yrs now...........was good stuff too!:)
 
Jaxspra said:
....RJ will laugh or have somethin to say but there is a winery here in MO called St. James, my favorite wines (so far) come from there. We have a ton of wineries here, since I am not a connesouir (sp???) (yet ;-) ) I like trying the local stuff...
Click to expand...
I didn't know they could produce wine from soybeans. :r: :s: ;-)
 
Jaxspra said:
RJ will laugh or have somethin to say but there is a winery here in MO called St. James, my favorite wines (so far) come from there. We have a ton of wineries here, since I am not a connesouir (sp???) (yet ;-) ) I like trying the local stuff...
Click to expand...

Actually, my parents like St. James. When they used to drive up to IL for family stuff, they would plan a stop, usually on the way home, at the winery. But since they don't go that way any more, they've had to try other labels.

The local Texas wines are not quite it for me. But I couldn't tell you why. . .
 
I admit to not knowing that much about wine. I just sample until I find something I like. Last year, I discovered the Hogue brand. I drank an entire bottle of the Riesling on New Years Eve and lived to tell about it. :D
 
Salmissra said:
Actually, my parents like St. James. When they used to drive up to IL for family stuff, they would plan a stop, usually on the way home, at the winery. But since they don't go that way any more, they've had to try other labels.

The local Texas wines are not quite it for me. But I couldn't tell you why. . .
Click to expand...

Well, if you ever want me to pick a bottle up for the 'rents, let me know, I'll be happy to send it to ya!! They sell it in most of the grocery stores here....
 
One of my favorite wines which seems great for it's price is Marques de Caceres Rioja. It's a medium bodied Spanish wine and seems to go well with anything. I'm no wine expert, but I also like South American reds- Malbec, Shiraz, and most Cabernets.
 
Wall Street and Bonuses

And I'm only bringing some cheap bulk-produced stuff down south.... :(

NEW YORK - When Michael Aaron learned that Wall Street investment banks were going to be shelling out record bonuses this holiday season, the savvy wine merchant uncorked his own plan to make serious dough.

He paid for a double-page advertisement in The New York Times, boasting a rare Methuselah-sized bottle of 1995 Dom Perignon. The price tag — $14,950.
Click to expand...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16287715/
 
I am a snob when it comes to Chardonnay, but one of my favorites is rumored to be gone by January, so order up!

Rombauer Vineyards
2005 Carneros Chardonnay
Retail Price: 29.75

Rombauer Vineyards' 2005 Carneros Chardonnay is a rich wine with layers of tropical fruit, peaches and pears. The fruit opens up into creamy textures of apples and pears that glide across the palate. Hints of citrus and light oak tones highlight the wine's lingering finish.

Release Date: August 2006
Composition:
- 100% Barrel Fermented and Aged
- 100% Carneros Appellation
- 100% Chardonnay
Brix at Harvest: 25.3
Alcohol: 14.4%

3522 Silverado Trail Saint Helena, California 94574 ~ Telephone (800) 622.2206 ~ www.rombauervineyards.com
 
I had an interesting experience the other night.

I was at a very nice resturant in the Bay Area. You would think they would know what the heck they were doing when it comes to wine, given the dinner prices, but that was not the case.

My friends and I brought in a bottle of the Rombauer Chardonnay referenced above. We paid the corkage fee and the waiter poured the white wine into a Bordeaux glass (a glass typically used for full bodied red wines).

we didn't fuss....

After the bottle of Chardonnary was finished, we opened a second bottle of wine (a Pinot Noir) that we had also brought with us (paying a second corkage fee). This time the waiter poured our red wine into a white wine glass with a short bowl.

I took a sip of the red wine in the white wine glass; ick! :-c

I then poured the red wine into the Bordeaux glass, and voila! So much better!!!!

Has anyone else experienced this?

This "phenomenon" is a known fact, but until you experience it, I don't think you can appreciate it.

From Wikipedia:

Wine glasses made of fused or cut glass will often interfere with the flavor of the wine, as well as creating a rough, thick lip, from which it is not as pleasurable to drink. Blown glass results in a better vessel, with a thinner lip, and is usually acceptable for casual wine drinkers. High quality wine glasses are made of crystal, which is porous and helps to aerate the wine. Crystal glasses also produce a better ringing sound when toasting. Wine glasses are generally not coloured or frosted as this would impede the appreciation of its colour.

Shapes

The shape of the glass is also very important, as it concentrates the aroma (or bouquet) to emphasise the varietal's characteristic. The shape of the glass also directs the wine itself into the best area of the mouth from the varietal. In general the opening of the glass is not wider than the widest part of the bowl.

The stem of a glass is an important feature as it provides a way to hold the glass without warming the wine from body heat. It also prevents fingerprints from smearing the glass, and makes the glass easier to swirl. Except for the wine connoisseur, wine glasses can be divided into three types: red wine glasses, white wine glasses and champagne flutes.

Red wine glasses

Glasses for red wine are characterized by their rounder, wider bowl, which gives the wine a chance to breathe. Since most reds are meant to be consumed at room temperature, the wider bowl also allows the wine to cool more quickly after hand contact has warmed it. Red wine glasses can have particular styles of their own, such as:

* Bordeaux glass: Tall with a wide bowl, and is designed for full bodied red wines like Cabernet and Merlot as it directs wine to the back of the mouth.
* Burgundy glass: Larger than the Bordeaux glass, it has a larger bowl to accumulate aromas of more delicate red wines such as Pinot Noir. This style of glass directs wine to the tip of the tongue.

White wine glasses

White wine glasses are generally narrower, although not as narrow as champagne flutes, with somewhat straight or tulip-shaped sides. The narrowness of the white wine glass allows the chilled wine to retain its temperature for two reasons;

1. The reduced surface area of the glass (in comparison to red wine glasses) means less air circulating around the glass and warming the wine.
2. The smaller bowl of the glass means less contact between the hand and the glass, and so body heat does not transfer as easily to the wine.
 
Woo Hoo!!!

My new wine rack was delivered. It holds almost everything I own. And I appreciate that it came pre-assembled. :)

(I know, the walls in the utility need painting.) :-c
 

Attachments

  • Wine rack.jpg
    Wine rack.jpg
    24.4 KB · Views: 178
Back
Top