Wine

[petr]

Where to begin?

Wine is one of those things that I wanted to enjoy without over-analyzing or over-studying, but the time has come to take it seriously. I've been cooking a lot better lately and the wine needs to follow suit. In true B&B fashion, I plan on running this subject into the ground.

Any absolute drop dead incredible favorites?

Which books are worth a look?

I've been slowly going through regional wineries for fun, and discovered a fantastic shiraz for spicy food. Who would have thought a Louisiana winery was capable? Pontchartrain Vineyards.

I love a hearty red, but Mrs. Petr likes the sweet whites.

 

[kwk285]

I am a red wine fan. Both my wife and I worked in the Napa Valley 20 years ago. There are so many great wines to choose from. I seem to gravitate to certain wines.

Zins
Pinots
Syrahs

are mmy favorites.

 

[SpyvSpy]

My dad is a big wine drinker. He orders by the boxes Of bounty hunter (I think the name was) and has a huge cellar/fridge of 400-500 bottles ranging from cheap to I've couldve bought years worth of shaving stuff. For myself I can't stand wine.

 

[Jwolf24601]

I usually get boxes of French Rabbit wine.

Very tasty and stays fresh in the box longer than bottle.

 

[danek]

Be careful, you could spend a lot of money on the education that you're seeking...

 

[Carnivore]

One of my absolute favorites is Zinfandel from the Edmeades winery in California. They produce a blended Zin and several single-vineyard bottlings such as the Piffero, which is superb.
Alexander Valley Vineyards makes a triplet of wines called Temptation, Sin, and Redemption Zins. Sin was our go-to for a long time, and Redemption is a delicious treat.

Pinot Noir from Oregon is really, really good.

There is a winery in South Africa called Goats Do Roam, a play on the Côtes du Rhône in France. They use the same grapes in the same ratios, but the cost is much less. They're great "keep around the house" wines.

The Mollydooker vineyard in Australia makes a great, affordable wine called "The Boxer". Their not-nearly-as-affordable Carnival of Love is great for keeping around for special occasions. Both are Shiraz.

The best advice I can give you is to find a wine store that has good staff. If you can build a relationship with the people who know their stock, they will learn what you like and steer you toward wine that will make you happy. We once asked our guys to pick a wine that would stand up to smoked pork with bbq sauce, and they came through!

A final plug for our favorite wine here, grown 20 or so kilometers from our house, is the Falernia vineyard. They make a very good Carménère. It's now the unofficial grape of Chile because it was wiped out by Phylloxera in its native France. Falernia is starting to export more wine to the US, so keep an eye out for it.

Don't let anyone push you into buying wine out of your price range. You can find tons of great wines for $10-15 and many more in the $20 range.

Have fun!

Danek:
I have already started on that path. I have picked this as my fantasy fridge, to keep some bottles in the kitchen:

(click for product page)

 

[danek]

Where to begin?

I strongly caution people who want to learn wine to be very careful not to get caught up in labels and individual wineries. You'll go crazy trying to remember names because there are just too many.

Instead, start with broad basics, and then narrow it down as you learn more. At the very basic level, there is the difference between the Old World method of identifying style, versus the New World method. Old World identifies by region, and each region has their own grape varieties, and produce their own style of wine. Examples are Bordeux, Brunello di Montalcino, Burgundy, etc. New World identifies the grape variety; Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, etc...

Once you realize what you like within these categories then you can explore and identify specifics within that style of choice, and you will be able to confidently order from just about any wine list. Have fun, it's a great journey to undertake, and you'll never reach the end of that journey; at least I haven't.

 

[ouch]

Danek's advice appears deceptively simple, but it's quite sound, and I'd listen to it.

 

[Parataxis]

Danek's advice appears deceptively simple, but it's quite sound, and I'd listen to it.

That's the prettiest thing I've seen all day. Wow.

 

[letterk]

Jay, you've now exceded the use limits for that photo. Time to get a new one. And don't go with the cheap stuff ths time.

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

Where to begin?

Wine is one of those things that I wanted to enjoy without over-analyzing or over-studying, but the time has come to take it seriously. I've been cooking a lot better lately and the wine needs to follow suit. In true B&B fashion, I plan on running this subject into the ground.

Any absolute drop dead incredible favorites?

Which books are worth a look?

I've been slowly going through regional wineries for fun, and discovered a fantastic shiraz for spicy food. Who would have thought a Louisiana winery was capable? Pontchartrain Vineyards.

I love a hearty red, but Mrs. Petr likes the sweet whites.

Above all else, any wine you like is a great wine.

California favorites:
Frank Family Vineyards Reserve Cab Sav
Vision Cellars Pinot Noir

Texas favorites (yes, Texas):
Dry Comal Unoaked Cab Sav
Grape Creek Mosaic

Almost anything from Piedmont made with Nebbiolo grapes. Also Nero D'avola.

 

[ouch]

Jay, you've now exceded the use limits for that photo. Time to get a new one. And don't go with the cheap stuff ths time.

John, you know damn well I'm too lazy to rearrange my wine cellar/cardboard box collection.

 

[moonshine44]

We usually buy Columbia Crest Two Vines from Washington. I like the Cabernet, my wife likes the Gewurtztraminer. Both are less than $10 a bottle (I know, cheap wine) but both are quite tasty...

 

[ozzy_scl]

just a Quick reply, you guys need to expand your horizons, I did a quick search on "chile" and I found only the post of the chilean member mention any wine from that area.

If you can, look for fine Chileans, not Concha y Toro, but maybe Montes Alpha, Casa Marín, Maximiano Errazuriz.

They are hard to get abroad, which is a shame, because the wines available in your local market, are actually the borderline of Chilean Wines.

I don't have time to type a more extense post, but with those names I've provided you'll be set for a little bit.

PS: Que bueno encontrarse con un compatriota, saludos Carnivore!

 

[Gruder]

If you have wineries nearby, I definitely suggest visiting them to do some tasting. That's one of the easiest ways to try multiple wines in one sitting, thus discovering your preferences. You can also learn a lot by asking questions, particularly if, as is often the case here in Virginia, the winemaker is one of the folks doing the pouring.

And +1 on offerings from Chile and Argentina. We tasted some amazing wines, particularly for the price point, during a trip to those countries last year. Fortunately, more and more of these wines are making their way to US shelves. Zolo is our favorite imported label from those countries.

 

[Luc]

My advice would be visit the local vineyard. For some reason, there's often a winemaker around that you can visit. It might not be the best stuff but if you like it, that's all right. I always try to buy local.

Second, if you can't get anything local that you like, that's all right too.

My favorites grapes are: Pinot Noir, Grenache, Mourvedre, Durif, Shiraz, Merlot and Tempranillo.

I'm not a big fan of Cabernet. I had good bottles with Cab but general rule, it's ok, no more. That's only a preference.

Spanish wines are usually good value. I had excellent to good wines from Spain, never bad. There must be bad ones but I didn't get any so far. I usually buy from Rioja, Spain.

When I was in Italy, I couldn't believe how great the wine was for what you pay. 4 Euros for a bottle of Pinot and it's quite decent. The Lamborghini vineyard was awesome, if you see it, red label, not yellow!

I'm usually a red wine drinker. I try to get wines that are from small winemakers, preservative free, unfiltered, etc. I find that you get a better bang for the buck that way. Taste better!

White wines? Yes, Pinot Grigio is a favorite. Cabernet Sauvignon white (surprising I know) love that one.

 

[Ken]

For books, there are too many to begin discussing. I'd suggest looking at books by Jancis Robinson. Some are introductory and some are quite advanced, but all those I have read have been excellent. Another writer, who really provides an understanding of what gives wines the characteristics they have and what gives good and fine wines their individuality, is Matt Kramer.

Ken

 

[Mazeman]

A great reference:

Parker's Wine Buyers Guide

Read and keep sampling. You'll eventually become confident in your tastes/choices.

Also, start with just a couple countries, say France (and its regions) and the US, and get comfortable with them. Then branch out.

 

[liege]

I'm turning into an "Old Vine" Zinfandel drinker. Gnarly.

 

[petr]

ouch , how much is your collection going to cost me?