Wine Thread

[Dirk17 0]

Cool, I work up in Northbrook off of Willow so that's pretty close. I'll definetly be stopping by after the holidays.DK

[jmkiser 0]

I figured this awesome thread needs contributing to.Before 10 minutes ago, I've never drank wine in my life (other then sparkling wine... Cook's Brut... I think it was under $5.. delicious to me, though)Back a few days ago, stumbling across this thread has really got my curiosities going. I read some of the linked pages and saw how people ranked wines, delicious tastes, etc etc etc. Anyway, it looked like tons of fun. Sad thing is I'm broke, but I didn't want to start off my first wine too cheap because I'm sure it would completely ruin wine for me forever!I should have taken some pictures but I'll share my experiences...So I'm about to pick up some Subway for dinner and right next to it is the typical "Fine Wine/Cigar" shop (pretty much a neighborhood liquor store in disguise by name with a few shelves of wine bottles). I look at my money and think "Hmm, 3 foot longs for the price of two or my first bottle of wine?". The line inside the sub shop was getting way too long so I decided to do that lovely embarrassing move where you shove your way out the back and ditch the store in front of everyone. On the way out, there just happened to be a man heading towards Subway from the parking lot. As I went from one location to the other, I just had to wonder what he could possibly be thinking watching a man bolt out of a Subway with nothing in hand and head directly to the liquor store next door... Ah, who cares... onto the wine, I know.I walk in the liquor store and I immediately get the stare from the clerk (yeah, I'm 21 don't worry, stop looking at me) as I head directly to the bottles. I looked up and down the different bottles recognizing the different types (cabarnet, pinot, merlot, etc). Other then that, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. I remember reading about one of the guys going on and on about cabarnets, plus I enjoy purple grape flavor (again no clue)... so I grab the third cheapest bottle they had and bought it. $8 for Fat Cat Cabarnet Sauvignon 2003 Napa California yada yada yadaAnyway, I get home and ask my roommate if we have any corkscrew / wine opener or wine glasses. No to both. FRICK! Off to the dollar store, where I achieved to find only plastic wine glasses (6 for a buck) and a cheap ass corkscrew. Finally! Back home, bottle in front of me, corkscrew in hand and I'm ready to attack this thing. I twist the screw in and proceed to fight the cork out of the bottle. It ends up popping in my face with a little bit of wine splashing, but I'll deal... it's not like I could afford any better I smelled the cork and DAMN! Strongest smell I swear I've ever smelled in my life. I fought the notion to think it was bad and kept giving it a few wiffs to try and get used to the smell. After awhile, it started to be quite pleasant in its own unique way. The dogs weren't so keen as the bolted from the kitchen when I let them get a sniff Proceeded to assemble one of my plastic wine glasses (yes, assembly was sadly involved) and poured myself half a glass. I swirled the wine around a little bit like I saw the fancy pants do on TV I gave it another smell and discovered that it was even more enjoyable after getting used to it. I almost don't want to dare try to describe it because I feel I won't do it justice or get it way wrong... risking more embarrassment, though, I'll go ahead and describe what I got from it.Dark (yes I smelled dark)Sour (I smelled a taste, I know)GrapeWoodyay or nay?ehMoving on...The idiot that I was, I attacked my first swig like downing a bud light. I took a big old mouthful and almost coughed it all up on the dogs. Wow! It was ****ing strong! Every taste bud on my tongue lit like it had been torched alive. Taking my wine like a man , I swished it around gently (as told to do by the interwebs) and choked it down. I stood there and tried to think about how it all tasted and this wonderful aftertaste just crept into my watering mouth (when its attacked so violently, it couldn't stop salivating). Anyway, taking that first drink of wine felt like a full... experience... a real good one after I manned up to the attack on my senses. The smell took getting used to, but was very enjoyable and unique. It tasted great after a few swigs and all it made me want to do was try more wines just to have more experiences. I did a little reading after what I just drank and heard that it goes well with red meat. I then dreamed about a medium rare steak that I won't be having for a long time that would have really accented this first bottle so well.Either way, I'm off to finish the bottle with some crackers and water (I found out that swishing some water and drinking it after having a sip makes the next drink feel so much more fresh... like it was the first one... is that insane?). I've got 2348923479832 Law and Order episodes recorded and I need to finish them to wipe my DVR clean.Too much? Maybe... eh... who cares...If you read all the way through, I hope you enjoyed and have some wine advice for broke people or comments

[El Guapo 8]

jmskier, if I end up movin down by you, I will have to treat you to a good bottle with some real glasses

[jmkiser 0]

jmskier, if I end up movin down by you, I will have to treat you to a good bottle with some real glasses

haha, count me in

[KDawgCometh 2]

I figured this awesome thread needs contributing to.

now this is how to make an impact on your first post in a thread. awesome stuff

[Suited_Up 2]

now this is how to make an impact on your first post in a thread. awesome stuff

QFTThat post was just epic. I love that you embraced the ignorance with both hands and a full mouth. BTW, Subway is terrible, find a Quizno's please.And I don't care what anyone says, I always smell Grape and Wood too. Call me crazy.

[CBass1724 1]

BTW, Subway is terrible, find a Quizno's please.

[AAsnake88 0]

I just took the time to read through this thread, and it's really been an awesome read.I haven't had much wine in a couple of years since selling the store (my brother and I owned a wine and liquor shop from 2001-2006) but reading through this has reminded me of why I got into the business in the first place. Unfortunately the demographic in the area that the store was located led it to be more of a liquor store than the boutique wine shop we intended, but the knowledge we gained and the juice we drank somewhat made up for the lack of more true wine clientele. Inspired by this thread, and the dusty bottles that I'm sure have aged nicely during my hiatus, I'm going to start popping some corks for Christmas dinner and report my findings back to the class. My favorite wines have been Italian, and most bottles that I have left are Italian, so tomorrow I'm going with 1995 and 1997 Tommasi Amarone. Be back in about 36 hours.

[jmkiser 0]

QFTThat post was just epic. I love that you embraced the ignorance with both hands and a full mouth. BTW, Subway is terrible, find a Quizno's please.And I don't care what anyone says, I always smell Grape and Wood too. Call me crazy.

appreciated :)key point of the Subway visit "Hmm, 3 foot longs for the price of two" that's 3 meals for $8 bucks!Quizno's needs a poor man's sandwich

[KDawgCometh 2]

My favorite wines have been Italian, and most bottles that I have left are Italian, so tomorrow I'm going with 1995 and 1997 Tommasi Amarone. Be back in about 36 hours.

oooooooo, I want to see some notes on these

[El Guapo 8]

Made some fondu tonight and used Ferari Cerraro Fume Blanc, drank what I didn't use. Its meh, not great not terrible.andYesterday we dropped some gifts off at a friends house and I notice he had a bottle of Caymus sitting on his table, I mention somthing about it, and then he tells me that he just found it and it was, a 1995 which is selling at $300 plus a bottle now. Nice find, hopefully its still good.

[digitalmonkey 929]

I had a glass of red wine last night and it was painful. It was dryer than horse shit. Is there a red wine that's not dryer than horse shit?

[RhinestoneCowboy 2]

I received a wine fridge thing for xmas. What temp do I set it at.

[KDawgCometh 2]

I received a wine fridge thing for xmas. What temp do I set it at.

55-60 degrees

[KDawgCometh 2]

mmmmm, burgundy. A not cheap region for sure, but man, they make some beautiful wines when they do them right. Here are my notes from CT that I just put in as I enjoy this bottle right now:

• 2002 Louis Jadot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru (12/25/2007)real nice light red/purple hue to thisnose: real nice succulent nose. loads of dark cherry with undercurrents of spice, tellicherry pepper, and some earthtaste: really pretty mouth feel. supple and smooth, dark cherry really comes through with spice and hints of pepper corn and a bit of aspheraghus and rhubarb on the back end overall: this is a wonderful bottle of wine. like satin in my mouth and a nice lasting finish. really full on the flavors and great structure. Makes me wish I had a few more bottles of this (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

[El Guapo 8]

I received a wine fridge thing for xmas. What temp do I set it at.

Ship it to me and I will set it up for you then fill it with my wine because I need one

[leftygolfer 7]

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

is that just the bottle you are holding?

My favorite wines have been Italian, and most bottles that I have left are Italian, so tomorrow I'm going with 1995 and 1997 Tommasi Amarone. Be back in about 36 hours.

Amarone's can be fun. Defintiely an acqured taste. I find them to be a little on the sweet side, kinda like a port. The only food that pairs good with it was rabbit.

[NoSup4U 0]

Among the wine I received for Christmas was a bottle of 2006 Owen Roe Red Table Wine (Abbots Table). Thoughts?Mark

[CBass1724 1]

The wine fridge I got my mom for xmas goes down to 50 degrees. In the manual it says the non red wines should be at a temperature between 46 and 55 degrees. You can set this one to 50 degrees but it stays at 51. We drank a couple bottles of Berringer White Zin at dinner last night with the family and it was a lot colder than I thought it would be. I am used to the regular fridge which is like 38 degrees or something like that...but it wasn't much different.

[El Guapo 8]

Yes whites are supposed to be kept colder than reds, but in regards to wine fridges they are more for keeping bottles good and aging them. Obv something like white zin, this does not apply to, if you are not aging wines for a long time I would keep the fridge closer 60 degrees, its going to less time to come back to drinkable temp and still be cool enough for whites.Just my 2 cents, some others may disagree

[KDawgCometh 2]

is that just the bottle you are holding?

looking at the haut-brion makes me come w/o even having to manually pleasure myself. it's pretty awesome like that

Among the wine I received for Christmas was a bottle of 2006 Owen Roe Red Table Wine (Abbots Table). Thoughts?Mark

lay it down for a few years if you can wait. I've found that these can probably use 3-5 years. If not, be sure to decant it for 1-2 hours. If you haven't had any owen roe wines, I think you'll enjoy

[NoSup4U 0]

lay it down for a few years if you can wait. I've found that these can probably use 3-5 years. If not, be sure to decant it for 1-2 hours. If you haven't had any owen roe wines, I think you'll enjoy

I haven't, but I've heard great things so I was very happy to receive it. I don't have the room to store wine, so it will get consumed in the next 2 months for sure. But of course it will be well decanted. Woot, I can't wait, glad it gets your endorsement.Mark

[AAsnake88 0]

OK, heres the report on the 1995 Tommasi Amarone (I only opened 2 bottles of the 95, gonna uncork the 97s sometime soon):Amarone, for those who are unfamiliar, can be overwhelming and maybe too sweet for the unfamiliar, perhaps even both. These were neither of the two.The last time I opened bottles from this vintage was 5 years ago and they seemed just a little immature for 7 years old, but the result yesterday was just incredible.I opened the the bottles about 2-3 hours before I expected to serve them...dinner ran a little late so they ended up breathing for 5+ hours before serving. We had only 2 (myself and my brother in law) expecting to drink it, as it turned out after I poured our glasses both brother in law's mom, and Tracy (Mrs. snake) decided they would like to sample some as well. As a result, some of the feeback was unexpected, but interesting nevertheless.Mrs. snake's opinion was pretty standard, as she typically either 'really likes' or really dislikes' most wines that she tastes, but was helpful in the determining the nose of the wine, as I'm reallly lacking in that department, and between her and my brother in law, after I asked 'what are you guys getting?' they both responded with an answer of 'cassis, strong blackberry' and I felt there were vanilla overtones as well.The mouthfeel of the wine was just heavenly. Velvety and smooth, even creamy (is creme brulee taking it too far?) . So delicious that swallowing it took effort because it was a flavor party in the mouth.Overall, it was just a fantastic bottle, so far superior to the same bottle just a few years ago because the sweetness and tannins the last time we served it was didn't work together that well that I think that these have found their prime and I'm probably going to enjoy most of the bottles I have left in the very near future (I have 7 more).The comment that I found most intriguing was from my brother in law's mom, as the first comment from her upon getting a whiff of this awesome juice was: "Is this like a Chateauneuf de Pape? It smells just like the one we used to order every week at 'x' restaurant in the Hamptons 30 years ago when we used to go there for the weekends in summer. It was a pretty expensive wine then at about $12 a bottle." As we enjoyed the Amarone, every sip she took she referred to 'how a smell can bring back memories'. I had no genuine answer for her as I've only had 1 CDP and thought it tasted like shit. Like I said earlier I'm an Italian wine guy and to be honest I was turned off by many French wines. We were approached with many by the sales people and they may have served them to us right after popping the cork or were perhaps too young, and having never been French wine guys before we blew most of them off due to our dislike of the wine we tasted and the fact that our clientele was not really interested in French juice either, save for some Mouton Cadet or Jadot Pouilly Fuisse.Since she liked it so much, I also gave her a bottle, so now I only have 6 left.:(Is amarone anything like a CDP?And...off subject, for those of you who have mentioned about how good Opus One is, go get a bottle of Gaja Barbaresco for about the same price, perhaps less, or a bottle of Antinori Tignanello for maybe just bit more, and then let us know where Opus actually stands in the value department.

[KDawgCometh 2]

Is amarone anything like a CDP?

I haven't had enough amarone to really compare, but I certainly have had a lot of bordeaux and burgundy and am fast coming up on rhone wines. They are well worth checking out, and like you said, the guys must've popped and poured them, or didn't decant long enough and were too young. as you can see by the note that I posted, I'm a big burg guy. All of the big french wines need time sideways before coming into their own. many of the 02 burgs that I've been drinking are just awesome and have really started coming into their drinking window(so, I'm gonna have to practice some serious patience with my 05s). It may be worth your time to buy a couple of 05 CdPs in the 30-40 level, decant for about an hour or so and see if you like them. great notes and it was fun to read. really seemed like I was drinking it with youyou should note though with telling people to buy the tig or gaja's that they need time or serious decant time. Those are not some pop n pour affairs in the slightest

[AAsnake88 0]

I haven't had enough amarone to really compare, but I certainly have had a lot of bordeaux and burgundy and am fast coming up on rhone wines. They are well worth checking out, and like you said, the guys must've popped and poured them, or didn't decant long enough and were too young. as you can see by the note that I posted, I'm a big burg guy. All of the big french wines need time sideways before coming into their own. many of the 02 burgs that I've been drinking are just awesome and have really started coming into their drinking window(so, I'm gonna have to practice some serious patience with my 05s). It may be worth your time to buy a couple of 05 CdPs in the 30-40 level, decant for about an hour or so and see if you like them. great notes and it was fun to read. really seemed like I was drinking it with youyou should note though with telling people to buy the tig or gaja's that they need time or serious decant time. Those are not some pop n pour affairs in the slightest

The only time I've decanted wines was for tastings at the store as I don't own a decanter myself. I will invest in one now that I'm gonna drinking more wine again, but also because it definitely does more than just popping the cork and letting it sit for a couple of hours. As for the higher end wines, just letting it breath for at least an hour should go without saying. Even inexpensive young cali reds, chiantis, etc...fare much better with an hour of breathing time.Glad you enjoyed the read...because we sure enjoyed the wine!