Wine Thread

[Dirtydutch 8]

I can't get Wine to run more than one table at once, on Poker Stars. It's this something I can fix or does Wine just blow? Oh, right, lowercase W.

[rivergirl 2]

i didn't read the whole thread cause well, i didn'tPelee Island (which is local here so i don't know how available it is) makes a really good red. I love red wine, and this by far has been my fav. Unfortunately, when i drink too much the bitchometer comes out, so i try not to do it often.

[Flushgarden 0]

I don't know anything about wine, but my wife and I were in Little Italy in San Diego this last weekend and we went into this little mom and pop store that sold meat and other italian foods, and they had a ton of wine. We ended up buying a couple bottles of Fattoria L'Ottavo Chianti Classico Riserva 2002. They said it was really good. Anybody know if that's true? I was thinking about buying more for some Christmas gifts if it is. We paid $12 and I saw it online for $24.Type: Vqprd RedRegion: TuscanyArea: Greve In ChiantiGrapevine: Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Merlot And Other Local OnesColor: Intense Bright Ruby RedPerfume: Spicy, With Vanilla's Sensation And Small Red Fruit JamTaste: Warm And Of Good Intensity, Grapping, AmoniousCombination: Beef, Mixt Grill, Noble GameServing Temperature: 18° - 20°

[KDawgCometh 2]

Could you put a link to your wine notes in your sig?

done. be sure to check tonight or tommorrow as I'll have a bunch of bordeaux notes up cause I'm going to a tasting

I don't know anything about wine, but my wife and I were in Little Italy in San Diego this last weekend and we went into this little mom and pop store that sold meat and other italian foods, and they had a ton of wine. We ended up buying a couple bottles of Fattoria L'Ottavo Chianti Classico Riserva 2002. They said it was really good. Anybody know if that's true? I was thinking about buying more for some Christmas gifts if it is. We paid $12 and I saw it online for $24.

sadly, you bought into their sale, and shame on them for not giving you any pertinant info. 02 was an utterly terrible vintage across Italy and in the rhone region of france. so much so that many of the top brunello houses didn't produce a brunello, and almost no house produced a riserva. Much of the chianti was terrible from that year and I have to question how on earth any house made a riserva, because if they were able to produce a riserva in 02, their grapes must be pretty bad to begin with. If you are going with ideas for christmas gifts, look for an 04 Frescobaldi Nippozano that is under $20 and the 03 monsanto riserva which should be at 18. both are excellent chiantis and would be much better then anything produced in 02. You should also buy a bottle of one of those for yourself and compare vs the 02. have you tried the chianti that you were sold yet?

[Flushgarden 0]

sadly, you bought into their sale, and shame on them for not giving you any pertinant info. 02 was an utterly terrible vintage across Italy and in the rhone region of france. so much so that many of the top brunello houses didn't produce a brunello, and almost no house produced a riserva. Much of the chianti was terrible from that year and I have to question how on earth any house made a riserva, because if they were able to produce a riserva in 02, their grapes must be pretty bad to begin with. If you are going with ideas for christmas gifts, look for an 04 Frescobaldi Nippozano that is under $20 and the 03 monsanto riserva which should be at 18. both are excellent chiantis and would be much better then anything produced in 02. You should also buy a bottle of one of those for yourself and compare vs the 02. have you tried the chianti that you were sold yet?

No, haven't tried the chianti I bought this last weekend yet. I'll probably try it this weekend. Thanks for the heads up, I'll be sure to not buy any more.

[KDawgCometh 2]

for those of you who haven't tried any rhone wines, be sure to try some before the new year. the 05 Chateaunuf-Du-pape's are just stellar. lots of good stuff can be had from CdP in the 30-50 range. if that's out of your range, check out stuff from gigondas or cotes du rhone. it's fun to try something new, and if you haven't had much french wine, then checking out the southern rhone is a great way to get introduced to the old world. here is a review of a wine I had last night2005 clos st jean vieilles vignes (France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape)decanted for ~1 1/2 hoursnose: real nice creamy, rich nose. Blueberry pie, cherry, brambles, raspberry, and a slight bit of licorice. taste: real nice mouth. very firm on the tannins, but they aren't overwhelming. raspberry, cherry, red fruit, thistles, and some vegetal aspects(but in the good way)overall: this is very nice. this has a finish that refuses to quit, and it is on your entire tounge and back pallate. extremely enjoyable wine and really shows how great 05 was for the southern rhone. there is a lot of depth in this wine and it will definitely develop further with some age on it92+that wine was $40, so if that is your general price range, definitely look for it, and if it's slightly past your price range, still look for it and give it a go. I just want to see someone post in this thread sometime in the next 15 days, hey keith, I tried some CdP and loved it. they do need to be decanted though for about an hour or so, so don't just pop n pour them

[El Guapo 8]

Had some friends over for dinner tonight and realized that my wine collection in the mid-range is almost caput, except for whites.I have some cheap red, like yellowtale, for friends who cannot appreciate good wine, well because for 6 bucks its pretty good.But the rest of my collection is library wines, and young cabs that need to mature for another couple years, and for a basic dinner I'm not cracking anything over $50.So, we had 2003 rutherford Pine Ridge Cab, which as I've mentioned before is my default favorite. I got caught up and forgot to decant it, and it was still tremendous, it has just matured, I wish I would have let it breath for at least an hour or two to fully enjoy it.So, I really need some wines from 15-40 that I won't mind opening for any occasion.

[Huskers20 0]

Alright I will jump in here.First thanks to Keith as he sent me some great recommendations for bordeauxs. For those of you in the Chicago area, Binny's (where he works) is having a pretty good sale.I am definitely a California guy, so I have liked seeing the diversity being discussed here.Last week was at a friends on a Tuesday, we were going to go out to dinner. But the neighbor stopped over, he works at the Merc in Chicago and gets a lot of perks. We ended up getting pizza and having...1997 Silver Oak, Alexander Valley1999 AxiosThe Axios blew away the Silver Oak, more complex and bold. Not saying Silver Oak was bad, it was smooth just not as complex. I had not really heard of Axios until this guy started bringing it to all parties over the last year and a half. It is top notch. I was able to pick up a bottle in the fall at Binny's for $70 instead of $100. I LOVE their sales:)Nice to have good friends:)Huskers20

[KDawgCometh 2]

So, I really need some wines from 15-40 that I won't mind opening for any occasion.

I'm about to start sounding like a broken record, but man, go with southern rhone for a bunch of that. You can get a ton of really good stuff from gigondas on the lower end and some really good stuff from CdP for the 30-40 range. as far as cali goes, go with the worthy sophia's cuveeyou can also get a ton of really good spanish wine in that price range too, so I say just experiment with the spanish stuff and have fun

[digitalmonkey 929]

Can someone please translate this thread into english, please.Serious question: how does one go about acquiring a taste for wine?

[El Guapo 8]

I'm about to start sounding like a broken record, but man, go with southern rhone for a bunch of that. You can get a ton of really good stuff from gigondas on the lower end and some really good stuff from CdP for the 30-40 range. as far as cali goes, go with the worthy sophia's cuveeyou can also get a ton of really good spanish wine in that price range too, so I say just experiment with the spanish stuff and have fun

No its not a broken record. I would assume come spring/summer after baby #2 is here my wife will be in the mood to enjoy some wines again and I will spend half a day going through your notes and picking out some good mid range bottles.Also what do you think of wine clubs? I joined one of a winery that I love, but what about the ones that give you an assortment? For the most part I have seen thses as having subpar wines that won't sell otherwise. But is there any good ones that get you some diverse wines at a good price?

[CBass1724 1]

I haven't read most of the thread but I love a simple bottle of Berringer White Zin. It's yummy. I don't enjoy red wine for some reason.Oh, almost forgot. Who didn't ever enjoy chugging this?

[KDawgCometh 2]

Can someone please translate this thread into english, please.Serious question: how does one go about acquiring a taste for wine?

start drinking wine and see what you like and don't like

Also what do you think of wine clubs? I joined one of a winery that I love, but what about the ones that give you an assortment? For the most part I have seen thses as having subpar wines that won't sell otherwise. But is there any good ones that get you some diverse wines at a good price?

i've never belonged to one for this reason. I think they're good if you are getting into wine as it can get you to try a bunch of stuff, but most of the stuff that you get sent is pretty over priced

[NoSup4U 0]

OK so I need a diversion, and since DN talked about Caymus in his most recent blog and it is one of my favorite wineries

You had me at hello! :)Had a bottle of Franciscan Magnificant last night. Pretty standard in my rotation, and they sell it cheap at costco. Mmmm.I was just in Chicago over the weekend visiting my best friend. He just bought a place in the city, and for Christmas I gave him a wine fridge. He gave me a bottle of Silver Oak. I left the bottle there in his wine fridge. @#^#@$@#!!!!!!!!!!!!!Mark

[CBass1724 1]

You had me at hello! :)Had a bottle of Franciscan Magnificant last night. Pretty standard in my rotation, and they sell it cheap at costco. Mmmm.I was just in Chicago over the weekend visiting my best friend. He just bought a place in the city, and for Christmas I gave him a wife fridge. He gave me a bottle of Silver Oak. I left the bottle there in his wine fridge. @#^#@$@#!!!!!!!!!!!!!Mark

Gotta keep them bitches cold!I just got my mom a wine fridge for Christmas. She is going to absolutely love it.

[NoSup4U 0]

Gotta keep them bitches cold!

LOL whoops. He did just get engaged sooo :)Mark

[Suited_Up 2]

I just had Red Guitar (Tempranillo, Garnacha) http://www.boxwines.org/articles/red-guitar-navarra-2005.htmProbably one of my favorite Spanish wines that I've had so far. Definitely improved after it was opened for a bit. First few sips were decent, but when we went back for a 2nd glass it was much more mellow and smooth. Tannins calmed down a lot and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was probably first time that I really noticed the wine change after being opened a while. Either that or the buzz made it taste better.Cheap too.

[Loismustdie 0]

This is actually one of my passions as well, although I tend to try and find the best deals,best bang for the buck, because we drink alot of it at our place. Any Phoenix guys want to do a wine tasting party/poker tournament? The women could come, they could bring a guest or 2 that may not like poker but might like wine, that could be fun. There are possibilities there.

[KDawgCometh 2]

You had me at hello! Had a bottle of Franciscan Magnificant last night. Pretty standard in my rotation, and they sell it cheap at costco. Mmmm.I was just in Chicago over the weekend visiting my best friend. He just bought a place in the city, and for Christmas I gave him a wine fridge. He gave me a bottle of Silver Oak. I left the bottle there in his wine fridge. @#^#@$@#!!!!!!!!!!!!!Mark

ouch, mark, stop wasting your money on those two. That fransiciscan is just overtly standard cali fare, venture out further in the cali spectrum my good man. And silver oak, eh. If you like those, you really need to check out Anderson Conn Valley's Right bank blend for a meritage, Worthy Sophia's cuvee also for a blend, and for straight cabs, go with any heitz or Anderson Conn Valley. A lot of wines that I drink are in your price range, so check out my notes that are linked below. I'm tough on california as there is just sooo much stuff that just stays standard and doesn't excite, but when they do, they are awesome

[NoSup4U 0]

This is actually one of my passions as well, although I tend to try and find the best deals,best bang for the buck, because we drink alot of it at our place. Any Phoenix guys want to do a wine tasting party/poker tournament? The women could come, they could bring a guest or 2 that may not like poker but might like wine, that could be fun. There are possibilities there.

I am 100% sure Nutz and myself are in.Mark

[NoSup4U 0]

ouch, mark, stop wasting your money on those two. That fransiciscan is just overtly standard cali fare, venture out further in the cali spectrum my good man. And silver oak, eh. If you like those, you really need to check out Anderson Conn Valley's Right bank blend for a meritage, Worthy Sophia's cuvee also for a blend, and for straight cabs, go with any heitz or Anderson Conn Valley. A lot of wines that I drink are in your price range, so check out my notes that are linked below. I'm tough on california as there is just sooo much stuff that just stays standard and doesn't excite, but when they do, they are awesome

Neither are my favs, but I do like the franciscan as an everyday wine in my standard rotation. So if you have some suggestions in the same price range that you like better, I for sure will check them out. I am a big fan of meritages, so I will swing by Sportsman's today and see if they have the Anderson or Worthy Sophia.I drink mostly CA fare. One of the guys that plays in my rich boy poker game is a wine distributor so that is where a lot of my variety comes from. I'm glad FCP has its own wine thread, I will peruse it for sure.Mark

[El Guapo 8]

This thread makes me happy

[KDawgCometh 2]

This thread makes me happy

so does the 95 Haut-Brion I got last night that I'm holding in my hands right now

[Dirk17 0]

I've been reading this thread quietly for a while since I didn't want to show my wine ignorance. But many thanks to KDawg and others on some of their recomendations, especially the decanting. KDawg, what Binny's do you work at in Chicago? I'd love to stop by some time and get some help since I'm admittedly pretty clueless. I know what I like and and what I don't, but I just usually randomly pick bottles and could really use some direction on why to choose certain ones that might suit my tastes.DK

[KDawgCometh 2]

I've been reading this thread quietly for a while since I didn't want to show my wine ignorance. But many thanks to KDawg and others on some of their recomendations, especially the decanting. KDawg, what Binny's do you work at in Chicago? I'd love to stop by some time and get some help since I'm admittedly pretty clueless. I know what I like and and what I don't, but I just usually randomly pick bottles and could really use some direction on why to choose certain ones that might suit my tastes.DK

1) don't worry about that, kurt posts in this thread 2) I'm at the highland park store off of skokie valley rd. it's easy to get to from the edens. I'm there on monday's during the day, wednesday's during the day, friday's from afternoon til close, and saturdays all day3) sounds good. Obviously I'll need to talk to you to see where your tastes lie, but also know that I'll try to get you to try new stuff too. too many people just get into their happy ruts with wine and don't allow themselves to try tons of great stuff out there. I come across customers like this way too often, and they make me laugh