I'm going to smack the next B*&#% to recommend a Pinot [Archive]

Brady

11-26-2006, 09:48 PM

>>> Warning! Wine snob rant ahead <<<

Ok, so I enjoyed the movie Sideways ... but I hate that damn movie and the Pinot craze it started. Guess what ... I don't give a $#!% about your damn Cheap, thin, young, sweet Pinot. I'm a snob and I like my Pinot Noir to be a bloody Pinot. I don't want a Pinot that tastes like a Cab or a Merlot, I just want a damn Cab or Merlot!!!!

There's a new wine shop less than a block from my apartment that opened a month ago. I finally decided to check it out on Wednesday night and I just looked around and checked what they had for a beer selection. While checking out, they suggested I taste some of the wines they were demo-ing in back. Sounds fine. So I described what kind of Pinot I like ... a full, aged, soft Pinot Noir, and not one of the newer young, thin, sweet Pinots so common now with the damn Sideways craze. She assures me I'm going to like it ...

That wench served me some Australian 2005 Pinot that had been sweetened and watered down and tasted nothing like Pinot. She says "don't you think someone who likes a Cab would like this?" I wanted to spit the wine back in her face, but I pressed on after expressing my lack of enthusiasm for this wine. On to the next ... a 2003 all organic something Pinot ... this was better ... but still just ok. Then she shows me a Rancho Zabaco from the Russian River Valley ... which was good, but for 3 times the price, I couldn't taste how it was any better than the standard "California" variety of Rancho Zabaco.

She suggests some more wines and I take it with a grain of salt ... I go back Last night ... same chick offers to help me (but she remembered my name, so the personal touch of service is appreciated). She asks what I'm looking for and again starts into "well, this pinot is really nice if you like a really mellow merlot, and this pinot is nice if you like something a little spicier with more 'zing' like a Zinfandel."

So to the woman at the wine store and to the creators of Sideways ... $#*& You and your damn Pinot hard-on.

speeddr7

11-26-2006, 10:24 PM

nice

whitetiger

11-26-2006, 10:51 PM

Its f'ing grape juice. just drink some Welches with a few drops of Everclear and get shitfaced for crying out loud.

heightsgtltd

11-26-2006, 10:55 PM

Its f'ing grape juice. just drink some Welches with a few drops of Everclear and get shitfaced for crying out loud.

I wouldnt go that far, but def. dont buy into the hype.

Drink what you like, not what people tell you that you have to drink.

Its like cigars, people say that you can taste all the flavors like chocolate, leather, cinnamon etc. etc.

Cigars can taste really good, but they dont taste like that.

Brady,

one thing you have to remember is that the wine industry like any will cater to what people want.

When sideways came out and people began to discover pinot, the industry knew that many people would rather have a pinot like a merlot, than a real pinot.

So some crappy stuff gets made to satisfy popular tastes..

NHLEG

11-26-2006, 10:57 PM

One of the best Pinot Noir's I've ever had was a Bartholomew Park Winery Pinot Noir 2001 Sonoma Valley Estate Vineyards. They only made several hundred cases and Bartholomew Park was the very last vineyard my wife and I visited on our 2003 Sonoma vacation (we were "wined out"...same thing happened 2 years earlier on our Napa vacation :icon_bigg ). We thought the Pinot was "good" so we bought a bottle (one of 61 bottles we "carried on" in our luggage or shipped home) and didn't think of it again until Sideways came out. So, when we rented the movie we, of course, had to have a Pinot Noir and opened the Bartholomew Park Pinot Noir we brought home...WOW, WOW, WOW, YUM, YUM, YUM!!! We liked it so much that I ordered another 6 bottles the next day! Well, I have one left in the basement, but unfortunately the last one we opened just about a month ago was not as good as we remembered. I'm hoping it was a "bad" bottle, but it's probably starting to go "down hill". I'll open the last one soon and see what it's like...I'm hoping for the best! :icon_bigg

Do I love wine? Oh yeah! I'm just about to order a case from Milat and Loxton...Our favorite micro Napa and Sonoma vineyards respectively. :icon_bigg I always order in the Spring and Fall to avoid extreme heat and cold while shipping.

Next Spring I'm going to plant 50 Cayuga White vines in a field next to my house and make my own wine. Do I love wine? Oh yeah!

Brady

11-26-2006, 11:34 PM

I understand the damn hype, and to that, I say whatever ... I usually have a good idea what I like. What pisses me off more is when the chick who works at a wine shop starts making suggestions of every style flippin wine and makes it a Pinot. "This tastes like a Cab ..." Ummm .... why the hell don't I just buy a cab then? "This is more like a Zinfandel." Great ... I love Zinfandel ... I'll buy a Zinfandel. "But this Pinot is really good, and if you like Zinfandel, you'll like this Pinot."

I want to backhand that bitch. I think next time I go in there I'm going to warn her that if she suggests a single Pinot I'm walking out of her shop. She wouldn't know a good Pinot if she sat on the bottle. The other thing that pissed me off is that she suggested this Gnarly Head Zinfandel telling me that if I like Rancho Zabaco I'd love this Gnarly Head ... Well the first clue that I was getting into trouble was that it was a 2005 ... I figured it would either be too sweet, or too sharp ... It was both. And again, she didn't listen to what I liked or disliked.

Then again, maybe it was a case of my comparing the Gnarly Head to the 2002 Clos du Bois Reserve Cab (which was fantastic).

Long story short though ... I got Isht-faced yesterday, and paid dearly for it today.

ZinFreak

11-27-2006, 12:14 AM

DRINK ZINFANDEL!

Pinot Noir is over-hyped over-priced wine for people who want to show off their grasp of enology. Yes, I've had some good Pinot's (Dehlinger, Scherrer, Jos . Swan to name a few), but at the end of the day, I can usually find two awesome Zinfandels for the same price as that Pinot. After the second glass of anything, you can be drinking some $12 grocery store shite from Kendall-Jackson and it won't matter.

In the Sideways vain...

One of my good friends was a Merlot grower for a prestigious winery that shall remain nameless, but has the initials GFV. GFV winery was purchased by some big muckity-muck international company. My friend got a bit nervous after Sideways came out. "GF" (still on as a consultant) tells my friend "don't worry, it's cool, they'll do what I tell them." Then the Bean Counters on high come down from the MBA Oracle after the movie with the dictate -- No More Merlot, No One Will Buy Merlot. So there my buddy sits with no contract and a vineyard full of Merlot grapes that GF can't buy.

NHLEG

11-27-2006, 07:16 AM

^^^ I agree 110%. Zin is my favorite wine hands down! That is good Zin. Some of these 15-16%+ alcohol Zin's that are being made today just overpower the berry and spice of a good Zin.

Speaking of good Zin, would "GFV" be Gary Farrell Vineyards and "GF" be Gary Farrell?

Oh yeah, my last trip to Sonoma was 2 years ago and I stayed at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn. Nice place, but 2 years before that I went to Napa and stayed at Meadowood...WOW what a place!

johnAWD

11-27-2006, 07:31 AM

I'm on a syrah kick myself. I found an '03 from a small vineyard in Washington state - Syncline. One of the best domestic reds I've tasted.

Pinot? *spit*

Brady

11-27-2006, 08:51 AM

The whole thing with Sideways is it made a wine snob out of a lot of people who know nothing about wine. People won't try a merlot because they don't want their friends to think less of them. Please. The only reason that character didn't like Merlot is because it's a hearty grape, easy to grow ... not because it's a bad grape. He liked Pinot because it's a difficult grape to grow. But being a difficult grape to grow, finding a good Pinot can sometimes be difficult. Which is why this Pinot craze is so unfortunate.

You have a lot of people who might otherwise be learning to enjoy wine trying Pinots that taste like fermented swamp water thinking "this is what good wine tastes like?!"

I'm going to give more props to Zinfandel too. I love it. Zins and Cabs are my favorites to keep in my wine stock. I like Pinots as well, but I just don't have the patience to deal with all the other Friday-night-connoisseurs fighting to impress their friends.

heightsgtltd

11-27-2006, 08:57 AM

I gotta tell you, I have been drinking wine since I drank it at dinner growing up.

I am not usually a fan of merlot. It has its place like all wines, and there are good merlots, just not my first choice. Nothing to do with sideways, I have felt that way for some years.

Have you guys ever had pinotage from South Africa?

Talk about a polarizing grape. Either you love it or hate it. Its quite unique. I happen to like it.

LIZARD

11-27-2006, 10:39 AM

Yes, I hate it when someone recommends a wine to you based on the taste of another varietal:confused: . If I wanted a XYZ I'd be looking for it!! Personally, I don't much go for Pinots. I used to like the Zins, in fact the Ravenswood Lodi and knotty vine were pretty good. Merlots don't hold much in the way of body and flavor for me either. I'd rather have a cabernet or shiraz. Maybe a favorite red wine thread will come of this. 1996 Rodney Strong reserve cabernet and 1998 Bookpurnong Hill shiraz come to mind. There are many, and don't get me wrong, I am definitely not bashing Pinot Noirs or Merlots, I just happen to favor the other two right now.:)

Brady

11-27-2006, 10:39 AM

Merlot isn't my favorite, but it's a safe choice for dinner with folks who don't drink a lot of wine. A good merlot will just kind of work for anybody wanting to have a little wine. I usually keep a bottle or two on hand in case I have someone over who wants wine with dinner, but doesn't know what kind of wines they like. It's a safe "we'll try this then" wine and I know I won't waste a better bottle of Cab on someone who won't like it. Wine is best when shared with loved ones, but I do hate pouring a great bottle for someone who can't appreciate it. ;)

jagcars26

11-27-2006, 10:50 AM

Thunderbird 13% FTW!

rao

11-27-2006, 11:08 AM

It is hard to sound like a hardass when complaining about wine :lol:

whitetiger

11-27-2006, 11:14 AM

^:lol:

Brady, you should eat the wench's liver with som farva beans and a nice chianti...sssssssssssssssssssss...

JessterCPA

11-27-2006, 12:08 PM

I am not the wine expert by any means, but I have done a slew of wine courses & tastings. I like, no I mean love the darn Shiraz. Rosemont Shiraz for $9.79 at Costco please. I will drink this all day long, and why not for this price. I met the distributor, and he agreed, saying unless you go the the $30 Penfolds, the Rosemont is just about the best for the price.

I was on a bit of a Pinot kick a long while back, then moved to the Red Zin. That led to the SHiraz. Never a big fan of the Merlot or Cab, maybe because I never tries the right one.

Jesse

Brady

11-27-2006, 01:12 PM

It is hard to sound like a hardass when complaining about wine :lol:

Listen, bitch, I'll cut you with the blade on my wine key!

^:lol:

Brady, you should eat the wench's liver with som farva beans and a nice chianti...sssssssssssssssssssss...

I'll eat something ... Actually, the only reason I've put up with her this far is that she's kind of hot. But no more ... I'm already sick of her isht.

Now that I think of it, her name is "Pooh".

Can you really ever take advice about wine (or anything you eat or drink for that matter) from someone named "Pooh"?

It's been a while since I've had a good Shiraz ... I may have to pick some of those up again. Had a killer Bordeaux on Thursday. Don't know anything about it, just what dad had picked out. It was quite tasty.

ZinFreak

11-27-2006, 01:26 PM

^^^ I agree 110%. Zin is my favorite wine hands down! That is good Zin. Some of these 15-16%+ alcohol Zin's that are being made today just overpower the berry and spice of a good Zin.

Speaking of good Zin, would "GFV" be Gary Farrell Vineyards and "GF" be Gary Farrell?

<snippage>

:icon_wink - On the GF

If you are really into Zins, the next time you are out in this neck of the woods, make sure you schedule a stop at

http://www.healdsburg-california.com/wineries/ridge.html

Ridge makes some incredible Zinfandels. Like liquid sex :wub:

-ZinFreak

Max Rebo

11-27-2006, 01:31 PM

This makes me want to start a beer thread. :)

I'm not a wine drinker, but I do treat beer like many people treat their wine.

I'll just add this comment: For anyone who claims they don't like beer, but have only drunk American macro-crap light and/or adjunct lagers, then they are missing out on dozens of other styles that are far better.

It's kind of like drinking MD 20/20 and saying you don't like wine. :p

Brady

11-27-2006, 01:43 PM

^^^

I think we had a beer thread a while back ... I'm a beer snob as well. Actually, I'm just pretty much an alcohol snob. Whisky snob as well (love my Scotch ... Single malt ... none of that blended crap), and starting to become a Martini snob. :)

whitetiger

11-27-2006, 01:46 PM

^^^

........Whisky snob as well (love my Scotch ... Single malt ... none of that blended crap)......, :)

Now thats a mans drink. I need to get m hands on some Glendronarch. its the only single malt distillery that still directly fires their stills. everyone else heat them indirectly with steam. the direct fire stills is really old school.

SeattleLegacy

11-27-2006, 01:49 PM

I like, no I mean love the darn Shiraz. Rosemont Shiraz for $9.79 at Costco please.
i like that too. call me cheap or or having an im-mature pallet, but i don't spend more than $20 on a bottle on wine. many times less than $10. i just browse through the "economy" section and grab a bottle and try it out. some good wines out there for cheep. however, i do notice that some wines that I used to drink, no longer tast good.

Brady

11-27-2006, 02:03 PM

I try not to spend more than $20 a bottle too. Too many good bottles for more reasonable prices. Like I said, Rancho Zabaco "California" is normally a $10 bottle. Then they were pushing the Rancho Zabaco "Russian River" which is $30. I can guarantee the Russian River bottle doesn't taste 3 times better than the "California" bottle. I can taste a difference, but not enough to justify that price differential.

JessterCPA

11-27-2006, 03:11 PM

i like that too. call me cheap or or having an im-mature pallet, but i don't spend more than $20 on a bottle on wine. many times less than $10. i just browse through the "economy" section and grab a bottle and try it out. some good wines out there for cheep. however, i do notice that some wines that I used to drink, no longer tast good.

The distrib told me he sells Costco the Rosemont for 9.49, so Costco only clears .30/bottle & he also added to buy as much as I can at that price.

Very few wines I will spend over say $18 or so for. Sometimes my wife asks for a Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, and I will go get it. I guess I just do not have the acquired taste for it. Or I am just cheap. I had a VERY nice Brunello over Thanksgiving dinner (someone else brought it). Probably a $45/bottle & was nice. I have two Bordeaux's in my storage right now that were given to me by an importer. Probably high $20's for those. I have a Stonestreet Cab that I am told is pretty pricey. I also just won a bottle at a tasting. Double Magnum of Aspen Cabernet 2003. Saving this for Chrstmas.

Jesse

rc0032

11-27-2006, 03:11 PM

California has NOTHING good to offer :hide:

Brady

11-27-2006, 03:36 PM

^ :lol:

:trolls:

rc0032

11-27-2006, 03:43 PM

Well you said you were a snob

PS: I wasnt joking ;)

gfxdave99

11-27-2006, 03:46 PM

http://www2.gol.com/users/durf/Images/franzia.jpg
FTW

ZinFreak

11-27-2006, 03:51 PM

California has NOTHING good to offer :hide:

:argue:

Subaru Technical Center -- Santa Ana, CALIFORNIA

Nothing is a pretty all encompassing word. Semantics you know...

rc0032

11-27-2006, 03:54 PM

Subaru Technical Center -- Santa Ana, CALIFORNIA

Nothing is a pretty all encompassing word. Semantics you know...

What have they given us?

Thanks for proving my point :lol::lol:

suba_rus

11-27-2006, 03:56 PM

I recommend German Riesling (http://wine.about.com/od/whitewines/g/Rieslings.htm)

rc0032

11-27-2006, 04:04 PM

I recommend German Riesling (http://wine.about.com/od/whitewines/g/Rieslings.htm)
We arent talking dessert here :lol:

Brady

11-27-2006, 04:21 PM

ZinFreak

11-27-2006, 04:25 PM

I'm starting to think that we need to have an off-topic sub-forum for food and drink. Maybe a Beer Review compendium, Wine Review compendium, and a Recipe Review compendium ...

Well, it was a thought.

No it is much better to have a discussion going, then have a moderator come in and toss verbal grenades over the wall and hide behind a couch. Silly moderator :lol:

rc0032

11-27-2006, 05:28 PM

We are a silly bunch :lol: But seriously I never pick California wines, for the cost I just think there are better. Im usaly happy with wines out of Australia.

Brady - this isnt the Betty Crocker foum :lol:

I do think its a good idea to have a thread where we post up wines we like and some of the characteristics (cost, type, pros, cons, etc.)

Brady

11-27-2006, 06:43 PM

Ok, mabye not Betty Crocker, but let's say we dropped the Recipes idea and stuck with drinks ... then could we at least have a Betty Ford forum?

suba_rus

11-27-2006, 09:18 PM

We are a silly bunch :lol: But seriously I never pick California wines, for the cost I just think there are better. I am usaly happy with wines out of Australia.

We like to buy Georgian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgian_wine) wine and lately had some luck with Chilean wines as well.
I would recommend Khvanchkara

http://www.rileyswinesoftheworld.com/wine/khvanchkara_600.jpg

By the way Stalin liked it too.

heightsgtltd

11-27-2006, 09:25 PM

We arent talking dessert here :lol:

Riesling isnt a dessert wine by default. there are many rieslings you would drink with dinner.

heightsgtltd

11-27-2006, 09:27 PM

We are a silly bunch :lol: But seriously I never pick California wines, for the cost I just think there are better. Im usaly happy with wines out of Australia.

I like australian wines too.

Also sauvignon blancs from New Zealand are really great...

JessterCPA

11-28-2006, 09:51 AM

Riesling isnt a dessert wine by default. there are many rieslings you would drink with dinner.

+1

My family loves the Dr Loosen Riesling, and we have a few bottles with almost every meal. Of course it's on the sweet side of things, but by no means is it a dessert wine.

Jesse

rc0032

11-28-2006, 09:55 AM

heightsgtltd

11-28-2006, 09:57 AM

JessterCPA

11-28-2006, 10:32 AM

The only meal where a Riesling would come to mind is Sushi and that’s because we go to this great BYOB around the corner and split a bottle and that’s what she likes. What type of food are you eating?

I’m much more of a full body guy, but willing to learn.

I have it primarily with appetizers, such as prosciutto, fresh mozzerella, stuffed mushroom, roasted red peppers, olives, cream cheese filo cups, roasted oysters.

Usually once the meal hits I go for the red, but most of my family stays with the Loosen.

Jesse

BoxerGT2.5

11-28-2006, 11:01 AM

Mad dog 20/20 goes good with burritos. Works for me.

froggert

11-28-2006, 12:42 PM

my new wine fridge is being delivered saturday. maybe i'll stock it with pinots. :)

Brady

11-28-2006, 01:08 PM

Go for it ... just don't label it as "Pinot that tastes like Zin, Pinot that tastes like Cab, Pinot that tastes like Shiraz" etc. ;)

Pics of said wine fridge?

froggert

11-28-2006, 01:55 PM

Pics of said wine fridge?

it's a eurocave performance 283. looks something like this, but all black and with less shelving (more storage).

http://www.vintagecellars.com/images/vintage/products/popup/eurocavep283t1.jpg

heightsgtltd

11-28-2006, 02:42 PM

^^^^ that's a good wine fridge!

Brady

11-28-2006, 03:30 PM

it's a eurocave performance 283. looks something like this, but all black and with less shelving (more storage).

http://www.vintagecellars.com/images/vintage/products/popup/eurocavep283t1.jpg

:drool:

Color me jealous!

SeattleLegacy

11-28-2006, 04:36 PM

man, nevermind the fridge. i'd like to have enough wine on hand just to fill it.

heightsgtltd

11-28-2006, 04:38 PM

:drool:

Color me jealous!

The move with wine chicks, (in case you didnt know ;) ) is to chat one up at the store, and then say, I have some really interesting bottles in the cave (pronounced cahhv)..

Maybe you should come by and let me know what you think? :lol:

ah..the single days..:icon_bigg

ZinFreak

11-28-2006, 06:18 PM

it's a eurocave performance 283. looks something like this, but all black and with less shelving (more storage).

These suckers hold ALOT of wine. Make sure your homeowners insurance covers wine. I very good friend of mine had a unit similar to this, probably not the same make. Anyway, the compressor went Tango Uniform and turned into a wine heater.

He cooked $36,000 worth of red wine! Covered with a nice big check from his insurance company after months of wrangling over the assessed value of the wine.

He decided not to invest the money in wine again and bought an Infiniti instead.

LegGTLT

11-28-2006, 06:24 PM

Hey guys! :p Why's no one talking about Trader Joe wine? The new $5 variety is exxxxccelllent. :D

I'm a Syrah and Cab fan myself although someone just bought a couple bottles of Brunello (sp?) out at dinner the other night and DAMN they were good. Not $75 good, but definitely better then what I'm used to.

I like the Washington and Australian wines. Why? Good price for a good taste. Lots of times up here the WA wines are $6-8 off in stores so a good bottle only runs $10-12. :) Once Costco wins the liquor battle up here we can get rid of the silly minimum markups and wine will be even cheaper and Makers will be $33 per 1.75L like Cali!!!! :D:D:D

!S4

11-28-2006, 06:51 PM

ZinFreak

11-28-2006, 06:56 PM

Once Costco wins the liquor battle up here we can get rid of the silly minimum markups and wine will be even cheaper and Makers will be $33 per 1.75L like Cali!!!! :D:D:D

Care to illuminate the "minimum markups?" Is this some market protectionist thing that the liquor distributors in WA got a law written for?

I used to live in Michigan and could never understand the "no alcohol sales before noon on Sundays". What if I want a bloody mary with my Sunday brunch?

NHLEG

11-28-2006, 07:52 PM

Anybody here ever have Bull's Blood? Not a great wine, but a great story behind it.

As the story goes, back in 1552 the Eger fortress was under attack, and the defenders were badly outnumbered. To fortify themselves and give themselves courage, they drank the local red wine in large amounts, and the wine spilled on them while they did so. When the attackers saw the men running towards them with red liquid all down their chests, they thought the locals had been drinking bull's blood, and they fled in terror.

http://www.winelabels.org/image/bullblod.jpg

Pugsly

11-28-2006, 09:08 PM

for good wine deals, check out http://wine.woot.com/

ZinFreak

11-28-2006, 09:40 PM

froggert

11-28-2006, 09:44 PM

These suckers hold ALOT of wine. Make sure your homeowners insurance covers wine. I very good friend of mine had a unit similar to this, probably not the same make. Anyway, the compressor went Tango Uniform and turned into a wine heater.

hmm.. good idea. i'm pretty sure my insurance covers it, but will double check just in case.

LegGTLT

11-28-2006, 10:07 PM

Care to illuminate the "minimum markups?" Is this some market protectionist thing that the liquor distributors in WA got a law written for?

I used to live in Michigan and could never understand the "no alcohol sales before noon on Sundays". What if I want a bloody mary with my Sunday brunch?

Costco won round one (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002946240_costco22.html)but the state can still appeal. I don't know all the legal mumbo but it amounts to this: You must mark up your wine by at least 10% over cost at each of the three tiered distribution levels. Well, Costco would like to do 3-5% or whatever they feel. :) The reason for this law? State makes money on it. As for liquor, I think that's up next for Costco once this is solved. They can sell it in stores in Cali so they argue that WA is keeping them from a free market. One State can't hamper another's goods or something... I'm really not up on this :redface: but you know what I mean I'm sure. Some amendment somewhere explains it...

P.S. I :wub: http://i22.ebayimg.com/03/i/06/4a/f0/f9_2.JPG and I also :wub: http://images.43things.com/entry/00/01/95/103907s.jpg

heightsgtltd

11-28-2006, 10:14 PM

Costco won round one (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002946240_costco22.html)but the state can still appeal. I don't know all the legal mumbo but it amounts to this: You must mark up your wine by at least 10% over cost at each of the three tiered distribution levels. Well, Costco would like to do 3-5% or whatever they feel. :) The reason for this law? State makes money on it. As for liquor, I think that's up next for Costco once this is solved. They can sell it in stores in Cali so they argue that WA is keeping them from a free market. One State can't hamper another's goods or something... I'm really not up on this :redface: but you know what I mean I'm sure. Some amendment somewhere explains it...

P.S. I :wub: http://www.skeeyinteractive.com/weeblo/people/ck/images/liza_minelli.jpg and I also :wub: http://www.lost45s.com/images/Cher.jpg

SeattleLegacy

11-28-2006, 10:37 PM

^^^^bwahahahahahah!

LegGTLT

11-28-2006, 10:50 PM

:lol::lol::lol: Ohhhhhh... I see how it is! :lol: Game on. ;)

Brady

12-02-2006, 12:00 PM

Ok, the wine shop totally redeemed themselves, particularly the woman who was giving me bad recommendations.

First off, they didn't recommend a single Pinot this time, which is cool, because it's just not what I was looking for.

Second, she asked what I tried last time and if I liked it. I told her I very much disliked one of the bottles in particular which she recommended off of my liking for Rancho Zabaco. I told her I DID end up liking the Merlot she suggested (which I didn't think I would). So what did she do? She gave me a free bottle of the same Merlot!!!!

Third, when realizing that she simply didn't share the same taste in wine that I did, she recognized what I did like and grabbed another employee of the store who she recognized shared a similar taste for wine. He had me try a couple wines to zero in on it. He picked 3 and ran through a spectrum of flavors from what he thought I might like from Juicy, to well balanced, to spicy (according to my taste). The dude nailed it then made a couple recommendations based on that! I'm also 90% certain he recommended a bottle I had on Thanksgiving that I really enjoyed.

KartRacerBoy

12-02-2006, 12:51 PM

Brady

12-02-2006, 12:55 PM

WTH?!? Where do you put the boxes of white Zin? Pink wine FTW!

Dude, think of it as an opportunity to Mod your wine fridge! :D

:lol:

KartRacerBoy

12-02-2006, 12:58 PM

Mr. Insurance Adjuster, my wine fridge cooked my collection of boxed pink wine. It was full of the stuff. You owe me, hmmm, let's see, carry the 1...$2.30!

KartRacerBoy

12-06-2006, 02:16 PM

MannyLegacy

12-06-2006, 02:35 PM

I just visited a Winery In Australia. It was Awesome. I tasted Everything. One of my FAVORITES was the Red-Belly Port. :p

Here's a link .........

http://www.albertriverwines.com.au/

SeattleLegacy

12-06-2006, 02:35 PM

i have some Reidel stemware. nice stuff. (except mine is the cheaper version from Target)

I've heard the same thing, that wine tastes different depending on the glass that its in. never gone through the effort to try it though.

(nice comments on the boxed wine)

JessterCPA

12-06-2006, 02:36 PM

I love Reidels, but my favs are the Spiegelau's. See to be a tad less fragile, and still beautiful.

Jesse

froggert

12-06-2006, 02:39 PM

WTH?!? Where do you put the boxes of white Zin? Pink wine FTW!

i have fewer shelves, so there's a lot of bulk storage space at the bottom. plus you can take the bag of wine out of the box and cram more in that way. :lol:

heightsgtltd

12-06-2006, 02:40 PM

Hey guys. Pehaps you can help since you know wine. A buddy told me about Reidel stemware and let me try it to taste the difference using Reidel vs normal wine glasses. I loved it.

Here's the rub. I looked at their catalogues and I can't find any glass for White Zinfandel! What's the story??? I'm heart broken!

Oh wait, never mind. Reidel has pink plastic picnic cups designed for White Zin. 12 ounce cups. Pink, pink wine!

You had me going for a second :lol:

I like both Spieglau and Riedel.

That being said, while you should use a different glass for big reds vs. whites, the whole Red varietal specific glass is some BS IMHO.

However, their glass for scotch, cognac etc. that are sprirt specific are cool.

Ther new O line is a copy of Ittala's wine glasses. Big difference being that Riedel's can warm the wine a bit too much. Ittala's is insulated a little better when held in the hand.

heightsgtltd

12-06-2006, 02:42 PM

SeattleLegacy

12-06-2006, 03:11 PM

Ther new O line is a copy of Ittala's wine glasses. Big difference being that Riedel's can warm the wine a bit too much. Ittala's is insulated a little better when held in the hand.
are you talking about the glasses without the stems? i've used those at my fiance's aunt's house and i really like them. much more relaxed kinda feel when you're drinking some wine with a simple dinner. the stem glasses give that overly "formal" feel to me.

KartRacerBoy

12-06-2006, 03:11 PM

i have fewer shelves, so there's a lot of bulk storage space at the bottom. plus you can take the bag of wine out of the box and cram more in that way. :lol:

The great ones always improvise! :lol:

SeattleLegacy

12-06-2006, 03:14 PM

KartRacerBoy

12-06-2006, 03:18 PM

You had me going for a second :lol:

I like both Spieglau and Riedel.

That being said, while you should use a different glass for big reds vs. whites, the whole Red varietal specific glass is some BS IMHO.

However, their glass for scotch, cognac etc. that are sprirt specific are cool.

Ther new O line is a copy of Ittala's wine glasses. Big difference being that Riedel's can warm the wine a bit too much. Ittala's is insulated a little better when held in the hand.

Actually, I've tried various red wines in two of Riedel's red stemware and I notice a big difference. Sorry Brady, but a Pinot I tried in the Cab glass was almost sweet, and in the other glass we have (can never remember what it is for -- that's why I tried both) made it taste distinctly bitter.

And fragile stemware is a plus. My sister-in-law knows giving us Riedel is always a good bet, since I used to break them regularly washing them without a glass sponge.

And don't knock a Cab glass full of red wine off the counter. Explodes glass and wine EVERYWHERE. I was finding tiny glass shards everywhere in the kitchen for 2 weeks. And wine spots on the floor, cabinets, walls and ceiling (kitchen and dining room ceilings since the glass fell 3 feet from the door). Modern art!

KartRacerBoy

12-06-2006, 03:20 PM

^^^ you could even make your own dispenser for the different kinds of wines. kinda like a soap dispenser at a cheap hotel: shampoo, conditioner, body soap and put in white zin... um... and whatever other wine they have.

edit: now that i think about that, the bags those wines come in, i'd think they do a pretty good job of keeping the air out (the bags colapse as the wine is dispensed). so, if a better wine maker used those, maybe you could keep it fresher longer when compared to just re-corking the bottle. you could use some kind of decanter for when you have guests so you don't have to bring out the bag..... hmmmm..... might not be a bad idea

I had a buddy in a near clone of the Animal House frat at Keene State in New Hampshire in the early 1980s. Improvise FTW! ALL of the refridgerators in their dump of a frat house were modified to hold kegs and keg taps built into the front of the door. Needless to say, it was a party house and no one actually slept in the house. Just passed out.

As to the boxes of wine, some of the boxes of wine are ok and about on par with the various "Two Buck Chuck" wines and his competitors (which if drank from Riedel, are damn decent). For some crazy reason, even the red wines have labels recommending you keep them refridgerated in your normal fridge. Blasphemy! Damn lawyers. So just put 'em in your wine fridge.

froggert

12-06-2006, 06:38 PM

edit: now that i think about that, the bags those wines come in, i'd think they do a pretty good job of keeping the air out (the bags colapse as the wine is dispensed). so, if a better wine maker used those, maybe you could keep it fresher longer when compared to just re-corking the bottle. you could use some kind of decanter for when you have guests so you don't have to bring out the bag..... hmmmm..... might not be a bad idea

except that the wine would pick up the taste of plastic or foil or whatever it is they use..

KartRacerBoy

12-06-2006, 07:14 PM

All right boys. Breakin' out the big guns tomorrow. Friends over. Beef Rissoto as main dish. A Napa Cab Sauvigion, 1998 Cafaro (we've 4 bottles and breaking open two). That is the extent of my wine collection. Otherwise, as somehow else has said, I age wine in the back seat of the car.

Can't wait!

JessterCPA

12-07-2006, 08:08 AM

Its funny how many asshats dont know that many of the best wines now use twist off caps.

I mercilessly embarassed this asshat friend of a friend in front of his girl over exactly that. She batted her eyes at me afterwards to boot! :lol:

My wife just said that. "This Riesling you bought has a SCREW CAP??? What kind of crap is this?"

Screw Cap FTW. F the snobs who think cork is superior.

Jesse

heightsgtltd

12-07-2006, 08:11 AM

I dont think its snobs, the snobs know that screw caps are good..

Its the ignorant people like that guy I mentioned who really dont know anything about wine and therefore arent aware of advancements in the area.

I am all for something that isn't reactive with wine like cork is. Think about how much longer you can keep wine in years when you arent worried about a wine getting corked, or disintegrating, etc.

ih8vtec13

12-07-2006, 08:51 AM

I do like some Pinots and it is tough to find a god one, they should be light, fruity, and mild as opposed tobeing like a Cab or Zin. I work at a resturant and we are trying to redo our wine list and our pouring wines are changing a lot cause we keep trying new ones. Our Pinot Noir is Cartlage and Browne which I do really like, our last was Rex Goliath the bottle had old artwork of Rex Goliath the 47lb Rooster (yes it was called the 47lb cock a lot). Not a bad wine put not a true Pinot.

I am not a fan of whites too much but I do like a Resling or Sorvigon Blanc and thats about it. Firestone Resling is very tasty and resionably priced and not too on the sweet side. One wine that pisses me off is Santa Margirita, it really is not that good that it warents the price, it's all yuppie hype. I have had house pinots that are better then it personaly.

My dad is into Zin and he is susaly drinking a bottle os St. Francis old vine, whiech is good but not my taste, a little too dry for me. I do like Rodney Strong Merlot and the Markham Merlot a lot so we can agree on that. I also am a fan of plastic corks and twist off caps, the wine is just more consistant with them, cork sometimes can be the cause of a bad bottle.

twisted

12-07-2006, 09:04 AM

wine is for:
women
sissies
gurly men

drink beer or scotch instead....or go get a sex change:icon_mrgr

juss kiddin...there was this rhubarb wine from some smalltown hicksville MN i had that i thought was nice......i'm a cab person anyways...and i must add that the consistency of the chile-ans with good wine is remarkable.

ih8vtec13

12-07-2006, 09:17 AM

I was in the JDM Mall in Edgewater NJ (Matsuwa Marketplace) and they had 2 wines that I was interested in and wanted to try. A Korean red rasberry wine and a Pomagranite wine. I think my mom is getting the rasberry one for Christmas :lol:

ih8vtec13

12-07-2006, 05:30 PM

Ok I was enjoying this thread and now that I have a bottle of Pinot Noir that is like a Pinot Noir I was hoping to read more of it so post you wineos.

ZinFreak

12-07-2006, 06:01 PM

My wife just said that. "This Riesling you bought has a SCREW CAP??? What kind of crap is this?"

Screw Cap FTW. F the snobs who think cork is superior.

Jesse

Actually the Screw Cap is pretty awesome for white wines that don't age well, like Rieslings, Gewurztraminzer, etc. and is the best closure device for those wines. However, age worthy red wines suffer when put in the sterile environment of screw caps.

One of the wine makers (really an artisan) we have purchased Zinfandel from for the last 10 years has experimented with cork, synthetic cork, and screw tops. Using the same barrel lots he has bottled the Zinfandel using all three, then compared them over the years.

His analysis over the last five or so years is that the screw tops are sterile, the wine is basically in suspended animation. I'll come back to this in a minute.

The synthetic corks tend to do the best job for just a short time maximum of about two years, but then weird shit happens. He thinks the synthetics breakdown after a couple of years and then funky stuff happens.

Traditional corks work best over the long haul. It allows the wine to naturally respirate causing oxidation of the wine which mellows the tannins and allows the flavanoids to fully develop.

However, corks are fairly notorious for gathering fungi causing that occasional basement smell in wine. This winemaker checks all his corks he purchases by randomly sampling the lot and soaking them for a month in wine before he uses the batch to bottle with. Why ruin a $25 bottle of wine with a $0.75 cork?

So getting back to screw tops, his feeling is that the screw tops don't allow the wine to start the slow oxidation process which softens the wine. This can be circumvented a bit by opening the wine many hours before dinner and decanting it.

I've got some monstrous Cabernet Franc that just opened has unbelievable tannins. I usually open one the morning before dinner and let it sit all day long with the cork out. By dinner it is like butta'

Screw caps will become more prevalent as consumers adopt Jesster's attitude toward them. It is a matter of getting over the fact that you won't go through the ritual of pulling a cork, but doing a MD 20/20 move and cracking the seal on that aluminum screw cap.

I wish more wineries would start using them for whites.

pwdrdayz

12-07-2006, 06:06 PM

FWIW... my favorite Pinothttp://wine.appellationamerica.com/images/wineries/Domaine_Drouhin_Laurene_Pinot_Noir_Oregon.jpg

Please don't slap me

ZinFreak

12-07-2006, 06:09 PM

Ok I was enjoying this thread and now that I have a bottle of Pinot Noir that is like a Pinot Noir I was hoping to read more of it so post you wineos.

Try getting your hands on a bottle of Lynmar "Quail Hill Vineyard" Pinot Noir.
The last several years have been incredible. This is the wine my wife refers to as "Liquid Sex".

http://www.lynmarwinery.com/

You may find it here, they purport to carry it

Winebow, Inc.
236 West 26th Street, Suite 401
New York, NY 10001
212-255-9414

My second best would be Dehlinger "Goldridge" Pinot Noir.

Either one of those are going to set you back a bit of coin. However, you will remember them.

ih8vtec13

12-07-2006, 06:29 PM

This is what I am drinking at the moment. http://www.cartlidgeandbrowne.com/index.cfm?method=pages.showPage&pageid=aa196c58-9456-d0c0-42e5-519db13af6cd

Its a low priced Pinot yet it is really a nice Pinot. A nice smooth, fruty, light wine with a slight hint of spice. It's been a while since I was drinking wine and this Is the first glass so it still needs to decant a little. I think that it will be a little sweeter as it does.

I will probably try the first one you sugested, and maybe suggest it to the resturant I work at as an addition to the wine list at my job, partially so I can get it at cost :lol:

JessterCPA

12-07-2006, 08:29 PM

Actually the Screw Cap is pretty awesome for white wines that don't age well, like Rieslings, Gewurztraminzer, etc. and is the best closure device for those wines. However, age worthy red wines suffer when put in the sterile environment of screw caps.

One of the wine makers (really an artisan) we have purchased Zinfandel from for the last 10 years has experimented with cork, synthetic cork, and screw tops. Using the same barrel lots he has bottled the Zinfandel using all three, then compared them over the years.

His analysis over the last five or so years is that the screw tops are sterile, the wine is basically in suspended animation. I'll come back to this in a minute.

The synthetic corks tend to do the best job for just a short time maximum of about two years, but then weird shit happens. He thinks the synthetics breakdown after a couple of years and then funky stuff happens.

Traditional corks work best over the long haul. It allows the wine to naturally respirate causing oxidation of the wine which mellows the tannins and allows the flavanoids to fully develop.

However, corks are fairly notorious for gathering fungi causing that occasional basement smell in wine. This winemaker checks all his corks he purchases by randomly sampling the lot and soaking them for a month in wine before he uses the batch to bottle with. Why ruin a $25 bottle of wine with a $0.75 cork?

So getting back to screw tops, his feeling is that the screw tops don't allow the wine to start the slow oxidation process which softens the wine. This can be circumvented a bit by opening the wine many hours before dinner and decanting it.

I've got some monstrous Cabernet Franc that just opened has unbelievable tannins. I usually open one the morning before dinner and let it sit all day long with the cork out. By dinner it is like butta'

Screw caps will become more prevalent as consumers adopt Jesster's attitude toward them. It is a matter of getting over the fact that you won't go through the ritual of pulling a cork, but doing a MD 20/20 move and cracking the seal on that aluminum screw cap.

I wish more wineries would start using them for whites.

This is the best response to a post I have read in a long time. I genuinely learned something here. It never occured to me that an inherant "fault" with cork may actually allow a good red to oxidize they way it needs to to age well. At first, I was like, "sterile?? WTF is he talking about??", but now I get your argument. Excellent perspective. Thanks.

Jesse