Wine!

[Midget]

I see there are a few threads about vodka, so they gave me the idea to pick everyone's brains about WINE! What are some of your favorites?

I've fallen in love with Pepperwood Grove's wine, and it's very well priced at $10 for a 750 ml bottle. When onsale, it's more like $7. w00t Thus far I've tried their Merlot and Cabernet. In fact, this was the first cab I've had that made me go Mmmm...I was quite turned off by me previous experience with cab.

[Mitzy]

night train :|

[kuranes]

I prefer ( in whites ) German wine, especially "Ausleser and up" grades, which would include Eiswein. In reds I prefer Pinot Noir.

Robert Stemmler made a good Pinot, I remember. My favorite Pinot bottle was probably a Coron Pere et Fils Mercurey, described as "unpretentious" in a book I found ( stop laughing :) ) . From the same company I enjoyed their Vosne Romanee.

[Mitzy]

w/e is from france -__-


i wanna live in a chateau!

[sanveane]

I only like red wine, of which I prefer Pinot Noir. The nicest ones I've had have been from New Zealand, Tasmania and the Willamette Valley, Oregon.

[JivinJeffJones]

We need a moderator to lock this thread every time Pure Mercury logs on. It'll drive him nuts.

[Midget]

I like both red and white, but the majority of what I've been drinking lately has been RED! Especially since we are moving into the colder months here, which call for bolder wines and darker beers! :p

[spirilis]

I've found I prefer sweet wines, although red wine's been giving me trouble (possible allergic reaction) but I haven't done extensive experimentation to figure out what it is (could be the sulfites, but I've had less trouble with whites too...)


Mead absolutely rocks.
This one variety of Blueberry wine I tried at the Maryland Wine Festival rocks, it has overtones of cinnamon (IMO). Made by Loew Vineyards (Mt. Airy, MD)

[whatever]

:holy: a subject on which I know things!!! (I work at a winery!)

anything red and dry usually leaves the cockles of my heart happy- though I must say that spanish reds, argentine malbecs and chilean carmeneres make me especially delighted :wubbie:

[Midget]

Hey, whatver--can you (or anyone else) explain the difference between sweet and dry! As I drink more wine, I think I'm starting to get a feel for the concept...but I'm not quite sure yet! So please feel free, anyone, to offer exaamples and explanations! :p

My friend has mentioned Malbecs a few times...he must <3 them. :p Next time he is in town, maybe I will get him to go pick a few new wines to expose me too. :p

[whatever]

sweet means that you can taste a definite sweetness when drinking it, with a dry wine you can't :) (and with the right dry wine it makes it feel like you kinna ate alum or something- quite tannic :wubbie:)

sorry- vaguely drunk at the moment- hope that made sense :)

definitley go for a malbec- if it were human I'd run off with it and have its babies :D

[Trinity]

I work at a winery!

Sweet :happy2:

I'll happily sample any grape variety, I don't discriminate but nothing makes me happier than a firm, full-bodied, slap-you-in-the-face than slid-down-like-butter Aussie red. But I may be biased :blush:

[Midget]

Okay, that makes since...that definition is what I had in mind...but I doubted it being that simple for some reason. :p LOL Oh, vaguely drunk? And what are you drinking this evening? :D

[pure_mercury]

We need a moderator to lock this thread every time Pure Mercury logs on. It'll drive him nuts.

I love a wine thread!

Does anyone besides Trinity and me like the big, kick-you-in-the-mouth reds these days? I've had single glasses of tremendous Petit Sirahs and Amarones at Tria in Philly recently.

[Midget]

I would be up for trying some of these big, kick-you-in-the-mouth reds that you speak of. :p They sound interesting. :D Have you any sugestions? :)

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I'm not sure if they count as kick-you-in-the-mouth reds, but lately I'm really digging tempranillos and malbecs. As a fan of cheap wine too, I find Chilean reds have a great bang for the buck.

[pure_mercury]

I'm not sure if they count as kick-you-in-the-mouth reds, but lately I'm really digging tempranillos and malbecs. As a fan of cheap wine too, I find Chilean reds have a great bang for the buck.

I agree. Chile and Argentina are good places to look for affordable, drinkable wines. At the Mexican bar/restaurant across my old place in South Philly, the vast majority of reds were from down there. Spain also has some great wines.

[Midget]

I <3 Cheap Wine. :p

[Midget]

I've really wanted to go tasting lately...too bad we don't live closer to eachother, or we could! :p Well, I guess we still could, but it would be slightly more difficult. :p lol I should find some people to go with...

[YourLocalJesus]

I generally like medium to expensive cabernet sauvignon and shiraz wines.

I usually drink Allesverloren Shiraz from Swartland, South Africa. It makes me happy, it tastes very good with most kinds of meat and it's just awesome.

[bluemonday]

I see there are a few threads about vodka, so they gave me the idea to pick everyone's brains about WINE! What are some of your favorites?

I'm a wine ignoramus - in matters of this sort I err on the side of quantity.
I approve of your title - wine! should always be exclaimed.

[Midget]

And the big bottles are cheaper...or do you buy the BIG jugs? :p Those never look appealing to me. :p

[bluemonday]

And the big bottles are cheaper...or do you buy the BIG jugs? :p Those never look appealing to me. :p

Big Jugs...meh
they don't do it for me either. I think I've made my feelings clear on this point.

[heart]

I thought the best wine came in those paper cartons.

[Midget]

The big boxes, like Franzia? :D *yawn*

Actually I think there *is* some some decent wine that comes in juice boxes, for people to take on picnics and stuff. :p

Just like there is a canned microbrew...which is perfect for camping, rafting, etc. :D

[whatever]

I'd suggest a nice Chilean Carmenere or Argentine Malbec- either of which has plenty of tannins and flavor to knock your socks off ;)

A good shiraz, if you can find one, is a nice sexy wine as well, but bad shirazes abound unfortunatly. If you want to go french I'd suggest a bordeaux, and Italian I'd say nero d'avola. A good zinfandel (and NOT white) can be a lovely thing as well :)

[pure_mercury]

I had an excellent Dolcetto d'Alba a few months ago that was under $20.

[YourLocalJesus]

What year was it ? 2005? Kind of good, i'd give it 8/10.

[pure_mercury]

What year was it ? 2005? Kind of good, i'd give it 8/10.

IIRC, it was the 2006 Prunotto Dolcetto d'Alba.

[Didums]

Pinot grigio

[kuranes]

I've found I prefer sweet wines
.................................................. .

Mead absolutely rocks.
This one variety of Blueberry wine I tried at the Maryland Wine Festival rocks, it has overtones of cinnamon (IMO). Made by Loew Vineyards (Mt. Airy, MD)
I like a good sweet wine, but I also enjoy dry reds. But for a sweet wine to grab me it has to also be a "classy" kind of sweet. Hard to define that. People will say "sugar is sugar", but there is a balance with the acid ( admittedly not perfectly "balanced" if the wine is considered "sweet" ) that includes some tartness, or other factor.

Beereauslesers and tawny ports are both sweet, but completely different kinds of sweetness, besides the more obvious differences there. I enjoy good examples of both. Or Pedro Ximenez sherry...

I have only had a few examples of late harvest Semillon ( no Yquem yet, unfortunately ) but have tried many such Rieslings and a magnificent late harvest Sauvignon Blanc.

I've never tried Mead. I assumed that this was equivalent to "May wine" or other similar stuff in the jargon of more modern days. Sounds interesting if this is not the case.

Spain also has some great wines.
Marques de Riscal, is it called ? Something like that...

Big Jugs...meh
they don't do it for me either. I think I've made my feelings clear on this point.
:)

Just like there is a canned microbrew...which is perfect for camping, rafting, etc. :D
Hmmm

[Hmm]

I live in the California Wine Country and I still don't know much about wine.

[Beat]

You know what this means, right???? Right???

http://www.hemmy.net/images/interesting/fail28.jpg

[Hmm]

haha I want all your Fail pics!

[spirilis]

hahahaha!

[Midget]

My friend keeps trying to talk me into trying some port--he raves about it actually! :p My first experience with it, I didn't like it much...but I'd be up for trying it again! I've never even heard of Beereauslesers, but I'm sure there are plenty of wines I've not heard of yet or sampled. So...

[Noel]

Dry Rielslings
Cabernet Sauvignon
Pinot Noir
Malbecs
Port

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I know a little but not a lot. I like dry reds for eating with meals and for general drinking, and I like British Columbia ice wine as a dessert wine or apertif. Not a fan of whites except in cooking.

[kuranes]

My friend keeps trying to talk me into trying some port--he raves about it actually! :p My first experience with it, I didn't like it much...but I'd be up for trying it again! I've never even heard of Beereauslesers, but I'm sure there are plenty of wines I've not heard of yet or sampled. So...
Beerenausleser is a style of German wine, versus being a brand name. Many different German companies offer Beerenauslesers. Trockenbeerenauslesers are wines made from raisins, and are very sweet. Even sweeter than Beerenauslesers. At the Ausleser level is when the sweetness usually becomes more apparent. The next level down is Spatlese, which means "late harvest", and so it should be likely to have some sweetness also, but sometimes is only slightly sweet. Below that is Kabinett, and so on.

Understanding German Wine Labels (http://www.germanwineestates.com/understanding_german_wine_labels.htm)

As far as ports go, there are some real cheap ones which are the only ones many people have tried. ( See my Frank Zappa or the Doo-Wop thread for a song about that. :) )

[Midget]

What would y'all sugest to pair with chocolate? :p

Kuranes - thanks for the article...when I finish my homework, I'll read it! :p

[BridgeCable]

well... ive always had a large forehead...sometimes it tends to bulge and make the rest of my face look gaunt, i never have enough time, i want my civil liberties back, i miss having the option to call them up, the roads are full of potholes, i have relatively fragile fingernails, i dislike the cold, things just don't go right for me it seems, its like the whole world is against me... nobody understands me etc, etc...

[pure_mercury]

Would you like some cheese, too?

[whatever]

*looking as imperious as possible for a short chick*

I'd suggest pairing the smoked gouda with your w(h)ine, sir...



and on a side note- I really felt like replacing my empty bottle of Madiera today, but thanks to state laws, no liquor store is open :dry: I'll probably have to drive to the north side of town to find one anyways since they don't carry Madiera in the ghetto :doh:

[Midget]

I <3 Gouda!

[Noel]

*looking as imperious as possible for a short chick*

I'd suggest pairing the smoked gouda with your w(h)ine, sir...



and on a side note- I really felt like replacing my empty bottle of Madiera today, but thanks to state laws, no liquor store is open :dry: I'll probably have to drive to the north side of town to find one anyways since they don't carry Madiera in the ghetto :doh:

I <3 Gouda!

Double Damn you! You're making me want to go to the store to pick up some Gouda to pair with a Riesling in my fridge.


Whatever,
Can you only get liquor in a liquor store like Utah where you live?

[Midget]

Mmm riesling <3

I would love to live in some place where you could get liqour from a regular store. :) Speaking of liqour, I just realized I've not drank hard alchol since like September. :p

[Hmm]

I've been drinking Francis Ford Coppola's wine (The Merlot). Mostly because he's a cool movie director and I live near and have been to his winery. Lame, I know but I think it's good.

[whatever]

Coppola does a good job at making wine as well :) I've had most of his dry reds and found them to be quite satisfactory (and I'm usually an import drinker!)

I'm a bigger fan of his Petite Sirah, but to each his/her own... especially with wine and politics :D

And you can get liquor at most grociery stores here- just not on Sunday. And we certainly can't receive or send wine by the mail between here and other states! (I hear all about THAT law at work :dry:)

[Santtu]

My favorite so far is Lodge Hill from Australia, though it costs about 24euros, more than 30 bucks in here. (15 bucks in the states.) Shiraz, one of my favorite grapes. I've only bought one bottle of it and loved it, I'll have to buy more for some special occasions :)

Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Shiraz 2004 (http://www.wine.com/V6/Jim-Barry-The-Lodge-Hill-Shiraz-2004/wine/87600/detail.aspx)

Huh, already drank & gave away all the home made wine from last batch (http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/bonfire/6029-who-makes-home-wine.html) :huh:

[pure_mercury]

I've been drinking Francis Ford Coppola's wine (The Merlot). Mostly because he's a cool movie director and I live near and have been to his winery. Lame, I know but I think it's good.

That is one of the few American merlots I find drinkable. He does a good job.

[pure_mercury]

Coppola does a good job at making wine as well :) I've had most of his dry reds and found them to be quite satisfactory (and I'm usually an import drinker!)

I'm a bigger fan of his Petite Sirah, but to each his/her own... especially with wine and politics :D

And you can get liquor at most grociery stores here- just not on Sunday. And we certainly can't receive or send wine by the mail between here and other states! (I hear all about THAT law at work :dry:)


Is the Coppola a Syrah or a Petite Sirah?

[whatever]

I could swear up and down it was a Petite Sirah, but it was last year I drank it. I've been on a Carmenere/Zin kick lately :doh:

I usually prefer a Petite Sirah to a Syrah :)

[pure_mercury]

I could swear up and down it was a Petite Sirah, but it was last year I drank it. I've been on a Carmenere/Zin kick lately :doh:

I usually prefer a Petite Sirah to a Syrah :)


You like the big, tannic reds then? I am fond of both of them myself. Petite Sirah has that smack-you-in-the-mouth, take-all-the-spit-out flavor that I usually find exhilarating.

[Midget]

What is petitie syrah like? It's yet another one of the viarietals I've not explored...:p

[pure_mercury]

Durif - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durif)


It has big tannins, but decently forward fruit. Nice dark purple color.

[Midget]

Does petit syrah have a pepery taste similia to syrah? :)

[whatever]

A good petite syrah has a slight peppery bite and enough tannins to make you feel like you've turned into a cat. It's the wine equivalent of a fight with Chuck Norris :wubbie:

I like a good big, tannic red wine. I do love a good grenache blend any day, especially either a spanish or rhone meritage blend- both tannic and complex. Nero d'Avola is a good Sicilian red with some backbone, and another (that I've mentioned before) is carmenere- most commonly chilean.

though, against the "wisdom" of Sideways, I'd choose a merlot over a pinot noir on most occasions (unless I was eating salmon)... so take my opinion with a bit of salt, or tannins ;)

[Midget]

Mmm. Sounds tasty. :)

[Nillerz]

Wine is great! It's awesome because I can run windows apps without much problem! I can run Flash on Linux using wine, and uTorrent too! I don't think there is a windows equivilant to Wine...

[Midget]

I've only been drinking beer lately...and not very much of it. :p But I'm craving some red wine now. :p But I'm not sure what...sometimes I've very indecisive about what to drink. :)

[Travo7]

I'd suggest a nice Chilean Carmenere or Argentine Malbec- either of which has plenty of tannins and flavor to knock your socks off ;)

A good shiraz, if you can find one, is a nice sexy wine as well, but bad shirazes abound unfortunatly. If you want to go french I'd suggest a bordeaux, and Italian I'd say nero d'avola. A good zinfandel (and NOT white) can be a lovely thing as well :)

Speaking of zinfandel (not white ;)), have you tried Cigarzin?
I'm not a wine expert at all, but I think it's one of the tastiest I've ever had.

As far as whites go I can hang with a good gerwurztraminer, but that's about it.


Franzia. You got me through high school. :thumbup:

[Jasz]

:holy: a subject on which I know things!!! (I work at a winery!)

anything red and dry usually leaves the cockles of my heart happy- though I must say that spanish reds, argentine malbecs and chilean carmeneres make me especially delighted :wubbie:


norton's riserva malbec 2005 is soo nice

[Jasz]

i can't stand sweet whites or zinfandels. pinot noir is too light bodied.

the light reds i like are almost always italians.

[pure_mercury]

I have a nice bottle of 2006 Prunotto Dolcetto D'Alba ready to go for my Farewell to Philly dinner tomorrow. :D

[Rajah]

I tend to prefer fuller-bodied wines, but I'm game for anything. Pinots, cabs, malbecs... whatever. I like some Greek white wines, though. It so depends on the winery and year. *shrug*

My favorite is sparkling wine. For the money, I'm a fan of Veuve Clicquot yellow label.

Sweeter wines make me sad inside. The only one that's kind of fun is Banfi.

For anyone in Houston, Austin, Dallas or Denver, I'd highly recommend Cru (http://www.cruawinebar.com/index.htm). It's this excellent wine bar with interesting flights. I order a flight or two and try a bunch of stuff when I go. And their cheese flights (mmm Humboldt Fog and Robiola Bosina) and three-cheese fondue with white truffle oil are amazing.

[Midget]

I have a nice bottle of 2006 Prunotto Dolcetto D'Alba ready to go for my Farewell to Philly dinner tomorrow. :D

You are leaving Philly?

[YourLocalJesus]

Just had a terrible merlot wine called "Red Rover"... It's probably the worst I've ever tasted. Seriously. Ewww!

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I tend to prefer fuller-bodied wines, but I'm game for anything. Pinots, cabs, malbecs... whatever. I like some Greek white wines, though. It so depends on the winery and year. *shrug*

I actually had a visceral reaction to reading this! :sick: My ex-roommate is Greek and brought me back a Greek white that was probably the worst wine I've ever tasted. It tasted EXACTLY like a pine tree air freshener. I was subsequently told that I had not gotten a skunked bottle, but that it was actually supposed to taste like that.

My favorite is sparkling wine. For the money, I'm a fan of Veuve Clicquot yellow label.

Veuve Clicquot yellow label is my favorite reasonably priced "champagne". Sparkling reds get a roll of the eyes from a lot of people, but I love Lambrusco.

Sweeter wines make me sad inside. The only one that's kind of fun is Banfi.

I like Canadian red ice wines, but only if I don't really think of them as wines. They're more like a liqueur or a dessert.

[Midget]

I'm excited about Thanksgiving coming up...it the perfect excuse to drink copious ammounts of wine. :p So hopefully my family picks something good! :)

[whatever]

May I suggest a pinot noir or a dry gewurztraminer for your thanksgiving meal? :nerd:

[FFF]

On the rare occasions when I drink wine, I'll take a red, red wine like merlot.

[Noel]

Leeuwin Estate 2005 Riesling Product of Australia

Dry, clean and crisp. Solid. Paring with bleu cheese and it's delectable.

[Midget]

Mmm you're pairing makes Bleu Chese sound very appealing. :)

[prplchknz]

so last night i hung out at a friend's place and she had this awful wine that came in a jug. It was terrible, now I understand college and cheap wine, but please people that stuff's undrinkable. Plus it was pink, and I've never liked the taste of pink wine.

[Evi]

White Wines, Riesling and Grüner Veltliner are my favorites. Haven't figured out a certain one yet.

[pure_mercury]

You are leaving Philly?

I will in be in Los Angeles by Thanksgiving. :headphne:

[pure_mercury]

I actually had a visceral reaction to reading this! :sick: My ex-roommate is Greek and brought me back a Greek white that was probably the worst wine I've ever tasted. It tasted EXACTLY like a pine tree air freshener. I was subsequently told that I had not gotten a skunked bottle, but that it was actually supposed to taste like that.

Retsina is DISGUSTING!



Veuve Clicquot yellow label is my favorite reasonably priced "champagne". Sparkling reds get a roll of the eyes from a lot of people, but I love Lambrusco.

I've been getting into Proseccos more recently, but check out this champagne. IMHO, it blows Veuve and Dom Perignon out of the water, and it costs $45.

Moore Brothers Wine Company Delaware : NV Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blancs (http://www.wineaccess.com/store/moorebrosde/ecommerce/product.html?product_id=119395)



I like Canadian red ice wines, but only if I don't really think of them as wines. They're more like a liqueur or a dessert.

Canada and Germany are producing more of these wines. Interesting stuff, worth exploring.

[Midget]

My friends from Calgary brought some White Zinfindel when they came to visit...they put ice in it. I was apalled. :p

[Darjur]

I enjoy German whites, but apart that, I can't give anymore specifics.

[prplchknz]

had rioja last night for the first time, I liked it.

[bronte]

I love that first glug of a glass of wine after a crappy day at work! Currently drinking either pino grigios, zinfandels or chiantis - thanks folks - your posts have made my mouth water and given me some ideas for new treats! Sod the old liver!

[Jae Rae]

Taltarni Brut Tache

Just had some of this lovely sparkling wine: lovely salmon color, hint of berries and a honey scent, but not sweet. Delicious with turkey. Wonderful for a holiday dinner with toasting.

Review here:

Tara Q. Thomas: Taltarni Brut Taché, about $20 (http://www.taraqthomas.com/archives/2007/12/taltarni_brut_t.html)


Imported by Clos du Val, sometimes available at Costco and BevMo.

[Oberon]

My friends from Calgary brought some White Zinfindel when they came to visit...they put ice in it. I was apalled. :p

That's an appropriate presentation of white zinfandel. Treat it like Kool-Aid, and keep your expectations low.

[whatever]

My reason always given for not drinking a white zin is that I went through my jungle juice phase in college, I no longer have a need for kool-aide with alcohol in it! ;)

I DO love a good red zin though- it's a lot of flavor in a glass :drool:

[Oberon]

I DO love a good red zin though- it's a lot of flavor in a glass :drool:

Amen, sister... preach it!

[Oberon]

About red wine... I took my wife to Chili's on Friday for a meal, and as part of my new food discipline I ordered the margarita grilled chicken (marinated grilled chicken breast on a bed of rice and black beans, with fresh pico de gallo and a house salad on the side) and a glass of house cabernet. The house cab was Beringer, almost as ordinaire as vin gets... but they charged me six bucks a glass for the stuff. My two glasses with dinner would have bought me the whole bottle at the grocery store, with change.

Of course, theirs probably came from a box... :D

[spirilis]

About red wine... I took my wife to Chili's on Friday for a meal, and as part of my new food discipline I ordered the margarita grilled chicken (marinated grilled chicken breast on a bed of rice and black beans, with fresh pico de gallo and a house salad on the side) and a glass of house cabernet. The house cab was Beringer, almost as ordinaire as vin gets... but they charged me six bucks a glass for the stuff. My two glasses with dinner would have bought me the whole bottle at the grocery store, with change.

Of course, theirs probably came from a box... :D

On the other side of the spectrum, there's the local Hanover area where it's no small feat to get a liquor license, so this one recently-opened italian restaurant stresses their BYOB policy. I found it slightly amusing seeing an older guy sitting at his table alone examining the bottle of wine he just drank before putting the bottle back in its paper bag.

[whatever]

I actually LIKE BYOB policies if I can see the menu first- then I can get a much better deal on the wine and insure that I'll have something that I WANT to drink instead of having to settle for something on the wine list! :yes:

and on the note of wines and derivatives, I loathe most brandies- I just had a few pours of a couple this evening- it made me wish to vomit from it's pure cardboard + everclear flavor :sick: (though a good armagnac is a lovely thing!)

[Blackmail!]

It's interesting to notice that most of you, when you talk about wines, are rather refering to the cépage (grape variety), when I would rather think to the terroir first.

In the US, in Australia or in Chile, wines are usually produced in industrial quantities, on very wide surfaces, so there's only a minimal thought about the exact location where the wine has been produced. Yet the nature of climate and soils are of extreme importance.

In France, we would not say "it's a red cabernet", or "it's a zinfandel"... but rather "it's a Bourgogne", "it's a Medoc", "it's a Côtes du Rhône"... and so on.

The terroir says a lot more: its taste, how it has been "vinifié", it's far more precise. The same grape variety, when grown on different soils can produce tremendously different wines, especially in quality.
There are awful, undrinkable Bordeaux. And there are incredible Bordeaux too. Sometimes, the difference between the two is only a hill, a micro-climate, or a nearby stream.

When you taste a french wine, you taste the land where it has been invented, or carefully selected.

So far my favorites are red Bourgogne [red burgundy] from the Côtes de Beaune area, up to the Côtes de Nuit. Gevrey-Chambertin, le "Bonnes Mares" in the Chambolle-Musigny AOC, Vosne-Romanée, Pommard, Aloxe-Corton... et caetera...
Those fabulous names are poetry for my palate, my nose and my ears!

There are deep, complex wines that are bathed with the morning light (little limestone hills exposed to the east), and a little dessicating effect because of the southern winds directly coming from Mediterranée through the Rhône and Saône valleys..
They should reach maturity after 5 or 10 years.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Vineyards_Vosne-roman%C3%A9e.jpg

[Oberon]

Yes, buying wine according to the soil and local climate is better.

I am not at present capable of doing this is any kind of informed manner, which can of course change, but there it is. I suspect that any sort of serious study into this subject will end my days of buying wine at the local grocery store...

[whatever]

The US especially tends to produce varietals as opposed to meritage blends, though we're finally starting to blend our grapes as well. You still can buy a straight varietal based on where its grown though- for instance, there are about 12 different major Zinfandel regions of California and all of them have different characteristics in the flavors of the grape- I personally have a preference for Paso Robles over the others, but that's just me. The soil still matters- that's why people travel to Napa to go on a vineyard crawl. :)

The best way to learn the difference is to drink and to read (and talking to someone who knows the differences!). Over time you'll realize that the land, the year and who made it matter just as much as the grapes themselves that went into it.

And yes, we're blending some here now- for instance, Opus One is a blend- and a very tasty one at that. It's a bordeaux style blend, but tastes different since it's all Oakville grapes instead of French- no less delicious though ;)

[Blackmail!]

I can just tell you that to buy only 1 single hectare of the land seen on this picture, you have to be a multimillionaire (it's the Romanée-Conti vineyard, I think). When you have the right soil, the right climate all together in the right spot, then it's like a gold mine.

Depending on the vineyards on the bottom, the middle (best) or the top of the hill, the prices of the bottles may vary from 1 to 16.

[Oberon]

I can just tell you that to buy only 1 single hectare of the land seen on this picture, you have to be a multimillionaire (it's the Romanée-Conti vineyard, I think). When you have the right soil, the right climate all together in the right spot, then it's like a gold mine.

Depending on the vineyards on the bottom, the middle (best) or the top of the hill, the prices of the bottles may vary from 1 to 16.

1 to 16 what?

[Blackmail!]

1 to 16 what?

Well, I'll let you check the price of Romanée-Conti bottles here, since it is the one shown in the picture:

----> 1855: Domaine de la Roman (http://www.1855.com/bourgogne/dom/804/fr/blanc/romanee-conti/)

When I say it's a gold mine, you have no idea how true it is... :D

(The price for ONE bottle (75cl) ranges between 709€ to 17940€)

Yes, ONE bottle of this wine may cost you the price of a new car. This vineyard produces only 6000 bottles a year.

---

I have never bought myself one bottle of Romanée-Conti, of course, but the more "ordinary" Côtes-de-Nuits bottle usually costs something like 10 to 50€. Thus, unless I suddenly win at the french lottery, odds are I'll never become a true alcoholic. ;)

[Oberon]

Well, I'll let you check the price of Romanée-Conti bottles here, since it is the one shown in the picture:

----> 1855: Domaine de la Roman (http://www.1855.com/bourgogne/dom/804/fr/blanc/romanee-conti/)

When I say it's a gold mine, you have no idea how true it is... :D

(The price for ONE bottle (75cl) ranges between 709€ to 17940€)

Yes, ONE bottle of this wine may cost you the price of a new car. This vineyard produce only 6000 bottles a year.

Foolishness.

[Blackmail!]

Foolishness.

Indeed!

But it seems there are fools that buy those bottles (20% of them go to the United States). You know, that's the laws of supply and demand. :smoke:

[Jae Rae]

It's interesting to notice that most of you, when you talk about wines, are rather refering to the cépage (grape variety), when I would rather think to the terroir first.

In the US, in Australia or in Chile, wines are usually produced in industrial quantities, on very wide surfaces, so there's only a minimal thought about the exact location where the wine has been produced. Yet the nature of climate and soils are of extreme importance.

In France, we would not say "it's a red cabernet", or "it's a zinfandel"... but rather "it's a Bourgogne", "it's a Medoc", "it's a Côtes du Rhône"... and so on.

The terroir says a lot more: its taste, how it has been "vinifié", it's far more precise. The same grape variety, when grown on different soils can produce tremendously different wines, especially in quality.
Those fabulous names are poetry for my palate, my nose and my ears!

There are deep, complex wines that are bathed with the morning light (little limestone hills exposed to the east), and a little dessicating effect because of the southern winds directly coming from Mediterranée through the Rhône and Saône valleys..
They should reach maturity after 5 or 10 years.

Thanks for the lesson, Blackmail. California has a system of labelling many wines according to valley or microclimate as well as varietal.

The wine I mentioned earlier has a Tasmanian terroir. :D It's a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (new one for me).

[Oberon]

Indeed!

But it seems there are fools that buy those bottles (20% of them go to the United States). You know, that's the laws of supply and demand. :smoke:

Well, yes. And without doubt this vineyard produces excellent vintages.

However, when the prices reach this level, it says as much about marketing, prestige, and fashion as it does the excellence of the product itself.

In other words, it's no longer completely about the wine.

[kuranes]

I can just tell you that to buy only 1 single hectare of the land seen on this picture, you have to be a multimillionaire (it's the Romanée-Conti vineyard, I think). When you have the right soil, the right climate all together in the right spot, then it's like a gold mine.

Depending on the vineyards on the bottom, the middle (best) or the top of the hill, the prices of the bottles may vary from 1 to 16.
I have had a few bottles of Pinot Noir from those areas. ( La Tache and Echezeaux ) and they had too much "backbone" for me. My favorite French Cote de Nuit Pinot Noirs ( so far ) have been a Coron Pere et Fils Vosne Romanee and ( from the Cote de Challonais ) a Mercurey. I shared Blackmail's Beaune preference too. I don't recall having the choice of buying or even knowing the placement of the grapes in the field. ( Top of the hill or middle etc. ) Perhaps I need to further decode the labels ?

I looked and found an inexpensive Mercurey on the net. Might be worth trying.
Vielle Vigne Mercurey Premier Cru Menand 1999 :: Wine Review :: Winegeeks (http://winegeeks.com/wines/2331)

[Midget]

So, what did y'all drink with Thaknsgiving? :)

[Oberon]

So, what did y'all drink with Thaknsgiving? :)

Tap water. :cry:

[Blackmail!]

We don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Europe. :D