Wine

[maddy]

Tell me what you know! I've always sworn to liking the stuff as much as I like beer - not at all. I've been told both are acquired tastes. I based my wine opinion on White Zin, which I can't stand btw. I've since dabbled in reds and find I like them much better. But all in all I'm clueless. I like to buy them based on the name of the winery or the label, the funkier the better.

So tell me what I should be looking for... how to pick wines I might like... or to pick ones to help define what I do like...Heck tell me what you like... what you don't like... I'm just a sponge at this point for all things wine.

Also, keep in mind I'm a single gal with no one beating down my door, so how long can I keep an opened bottle?

I picked up a bottle of red truck tonight because I think it sounds fun. I'm trying to save it for the weekend.

Thanks in advance.

[Lilith]

I like red too. I like blush too. I buy stuff cause I like the name. I have a bottle of Menage a trois to drink but it seems wrong to drink it alone. I also have something called 7 deadly zins I'm going to marinade in this weekend.

[maddy]

I didn't know until recently that there was such a thing as red Zin, I thought it was only the white stuff. I'm assuming they taste nothing alike?

[musicman]

A lot of local wine stores and of course wineries have tastings and classes you could go to where you can try a lot of different wines and see what your pallet likes...which types of reds, whites or blushes...etc....

It helped my wife and I a lot...

A lot of states have wineries...you should check some out...

[osuche]

OK....what osuche can cull together in 2 minutes about wine. Much of it fact, some probably my own opinion....

If you can find 1997 or 2003 red wines from Napa, those were good years. :) 2000 was a good year in most French appelations.

Reds are generally classified by (1) the type of grape, and (2) the amount of tannins present in a particular blend. Something is tannic if you get that bitter taste on the rear of your tongue when you drink it. :) Some people like this taste, others don't (I'm in the like category, but Mr Osuche isn't). Generally, the lighter/less tannic reds are better with light meals and the heavier reds are better with heavily spiced foods (think steak, Indian food, spicy Italian)

Common American varietals (in order of heaviness, less tannic -> more)
Syrah/Shiraz (although most American Syrah is a blend of grapes and not 100% Syrah)
Pinot Noir
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon
Zinfandel (Red)


Other than that, there are a lot of good blends....sometimes called "Table Wine" and sometimes called by a house name (something the vineyard made up)

I recommend you look for "wine tastings" in your area...local restaurants, some liquor stores, and (of course) wineries have them....Typically you can get a 1 oz pour of a wine to determine whether or not you like it. In the case of wine, it's no good if you don't *like* it...and everyone has a different palate.

[osuche]

Common American whites (light/fruity --> oaky/tannic)

Muscat Canelli (more of a dessert wine; very sweet)
White Reisling (sweet)
Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio (gris is slightly lighter than grigio, but depends on the blend)
Gwertztraminer (can be slightly sweet)
Sauvignon Blanc
White Bordeaux (rare American varietal; wonderful French)
Chardonnay

[Lilith]

I just splurged a bought a nice bottle of Eiswein ( Ice wine) I feel too guilty to drink it all by myself but I just may pick up some strawberries and go for it.

[osuche]

If you ever find a bottle of cherry port, or cherry wine.....get it and buy some Hershey's Kisses to go with :slurp:

[wyndhy]

you can keep an unopened bottle of wine bottle for a pretty long time and an opened bottle of wine for a while, meaning it doesn't become toxic to drink. but speaking for the palate, it tastes pretty crappy in a day or two for white, three for red...tops. corking it and putting the fridge will help, but not much. you can still cook with it though.

i recommend...as the other peeps did...just trying some out at a tasting, and deciding what you like.

i'd also recommend trying some different beers, too. i used to hate the taste of beer as well until i realized they don't all taste like miller and bud. there are some very interesting flavors out there. there's even barley wine, it's like a cross between port and ale.

hell, i didn't even used to drink, but my kids have driven me to it. :p:D i might as well enjoy what i'm sippin'.


my mom has a magnet on her fridge that i love. it says: i love to cook with wine. sometimes i even put it in the food. :D

[osuche]

Buy a wine saver....it's a small (hand crank) vacuum pump and some rubber corks. It draws a vacuum and will extend a bottle of open wine's shelf life to 2-3 weeks. You can also leave the wine at room temp then.

I think I got my wine saver set at Bed Bath and Beyond for $12

[wyndhy]

i forgot about those! then again...we don't have an opened bottle 'round here long enough to use it. :D:p

[scotzoidman]

I only ever had a taste for the "Under the Table Wines," like Boone's Farm or MadDog...mostly for their ability to sweeten the bong water a little...

[Oldfart]

I have a friend who freezes left over wine into iceblocks.

She only drinks unwoodod chardonnay and she uses then to bring fridge-cold wine down to freezing without diluting.

A bit like frozen coke cubes.

[Steph]

I like certain countries more than others, too -- Australia, South Africa & Chile are long-time faves.

My favourite red is Cabernet Sauvignon.

Treat yourself to a nice meal in a fancy restaurant & flirt with the sommelier or date a chef (they're often paid to visit wineries).

[Aqua]

I just splurged a bought a nice bottle of Eiswein ( Ice wine) I feel too guilty to drink it all by myself but I just may pick up some strawberries and go for it.
Speaking of Eiswein... I had Piluso Winery's 2004 Bianco Dolce (technically it can't be called an Eiswein) and it is wonderful. The make a really good Pinot Noir as well.

Maddy ~ I agree with what others have said. Go to a tasting, find what YOU like. There's a wine my wife and I love that's about $8 a bottle. It doesn't have to be expensive to be good.

[Oldfart]

Do they sell "cleanskin" wines in the US of A and Canada?

A cleanskin is where a particular wine is scheduled for a release of perhaps 100,000 bottles, but the vinyard find that they have prepared wine for 110,000.

In order not to flood the market with their branded wine, the rest is bottled in plain bottles with a simple label showing wine variety, region of production and year.

Cleanskins run between $US4 and $US8 a bottle here.

It adds an element of chance to the selection, but I have yet to have one which isn't delicious.

[dicksbro]

I heard or learned somewhere that if your wine is "corked," you should store it with the top somewhat lower than the bottom of the bottle to help "keep the cork wet and swollen." This keeps the bottle sealed.

[Oldfart]

They are rotten if the cork has let air in.

[Lilith]

I just bought this http://www.worldmarket.com/Jackson-Triggs-Vidal-Icewine/lev/4/productId/545/wineSearch/1/Ne/4/pCategoryId/1100185/sectionId/2865/N/29+4294967127/categoryId/29/index.pro
and
an orange muscat by this winery http://www.worldmarket.com/Quady-Electra/lev/4/productId/99/wineSearch/1/Ne/5/pCategoryId/1100185/sectionId/2865/N/29+4294967127+4294966060/categoryId/29/index.pro

[Oldfart]

I just bought this http://www.worldmarket.com/Jackson-Triggs-Vidal-Icewine/lev/4/productId/545/wineSearch/1/Ne/4/pCategoryId/1100185/sectionId/2865/N/29+4294967127/categoryId/29/index.pro
and
an orange muscat by this winery http://www.worldmarket.com/Quady-Electra/lev/4/productId/99/wineSearch/1/Ne/5/pCategoryId/1100185/sectionId/2865/N/29+4294967127+4294966060/categoryId/29/index.pro

Curiously, Mrs OF and I bought this at Niagara.

[Lilith]

:wine:

[Oldfart]

:wine:
:wine: :wine:

[Oldfart]

Lil,

You haven't told of your orange muscat.

[Lilith]

I should drink it huh?

I drank this really good cheap shiraz last weekend.

[Oldfart]

They're fine so long as you run it through a pillow case to get out the seeds.

[Lilith]

your pillowcase?

[osuche]

A friend bought me white merlot this week...I plan to open it up tomorrow and give it a whirl.

[Oldfart]

osuche,

Report please.

Lil, only if you're sharing it.

[osuche]

I'll report back tomorrow...I decided to save the wine and open it tomorrow during a small wine and cheese bash that I'm throwing for my work group....work has been WAY tense and I thought it was time to celebrate a bit.

[Wicked Wanda]

I am sorry I missed this when it was first posted.
Wines are a special passion of mine as it was such a huge part of my entrance into adulthood.
I began drinking a glass with dinner from age 12 years (my Mama was born in France, grew up in Quebec where she met my Papa, so they had a VERY different attitude towards wine than most Americans)
I learned that I loved wine, and I began learning all I could.
I was so into the romance and passion of wine that when I was 14 I wanted to be a sommelier. I was crushed when I was told that as a female I would never be allowed to become a sommelier in NOLA. Things have changed of course, but by now I have forgotten a lot of the intricacies of wine lore.
All the best advice has already been given, especialy the part about going to tastings. There is no better way to learn. It is important that you go to a tasting oriented towards newcomers to wine, otherwise you end up spending a lot of time feeling awkward and left out. Wine folk people can be VERY mean and snobbish. Local restaurants often sponsor tastings for beginers.

Basic wine- taste runs from sweet to dry (i.e non sweet) There is a HUGE range here. Dry wines (my favorite) might be more an aquired taste for you, but can taste wonderful with certain foods.
The really sweet wines are called dessert wines, and can be served with sweet desserts. (Not all dessert wines go well with desserts. The low alcohol wines don't taste that good with dessrts. It is complicated, just give it time)
Sweeter wines are easier to drink alone, without meals. Eiswein or Icewine is a good example. Eisweins are made from frozen grapes and are very refreshing, wonderful just to sit and drink on a hot day.
Dry wines go better with foods and sometimes called table wines for that reason.
Sour or tart is NOT the opposite of dry, but means how acid the wine tastes. Bitter means how much tannin is in the wine.
Right after opening, a lot of wines taste better if a little of the alcohols (there are more than one kind in wine) evaporates as the wine oxidizes. This is called "letting it breath". Also some people will take a sip of wine and then suck air into their mouths to help the taste. It looks and sounds very funny, but the difference in taste is noticable.
There are lots and lots of other terms, non of which are important right now, like body, legs, big, earth, complex, fat, dumb, and so on and so on.
Just go to a tasting and try lots of wine.
By the way, the crackers are to be eaten between sips of different wines so your tongue taste the new wine without "left over" taste from the previous.

Go have fun.

(Wanda talks too much and is being boring)

WW

[Oldfart]

Wanda has been many things, but boring is NOT one of them.

[Wicked Wanda]

(n her best little girl voice)

"but I killed the thread...."

Again!!



WW

[Lilith]

I've been wine shopping today and came home with a couple of things to try. I picked up a merlot from Chile that the wine dude says is great and was cheap :D

[Aqua]

I've been working today... :(

May I have a glass Lil?

[Lilith]

sure thing!

[Aqua]

Excellent! :wine:

Thank you... ;)

[dicksbro]

Have you tried it yet, Lil? I'm always interested in something new in wines that others have found to be appealing. May be worth a try. What's the name?

[Lilith]

http://www.worldmarket.com/Concha-Y-Toro-Casillero-del-Diablo-Merlot/lev/4/productId/261/wineSearch/1/Ne/5/pCategoryId/1100185/sectionId/2865/N/29+4294967095/categoryId/29/index.pro

[Oldfart]

How do they fit that on the bottle?

We had Chilean merlot on the UA flights acreoss the Pacific and it was fine.

[dicksbro]

Didn't see a store in Peoria, but Normal is pretty close and there's a store that carries it there. Maybe I'll have to make a drive over one of these days. :)

[Oldfart]

dicksbro is going Normal?

[IowaMan]

Not a real big wine drinker but occasionally I get a craving and pick up a bottle. I've found that most reds are simply too dry for me so I tend to favor white. My favorite is a gwertztraminer (sp?) from an Oregon winery, it's going to drive me nuts if I don't come up with the name of it.

I also enjoy a good port every now and then. Tried one by Fetzer that was really pretty good.

[IowaMan]

Reds are generally classified by (1) the type of grape, and (2) the amount of tannins present in a particular blend. Something is tannic if you get that bitter taste on the rear of your tongue when you drink it. :) Some people like this taste, others don't (I'm in the like category, but Mr Osuche isn't). Generally, the lighter/less tannic reds are better with light meals and the heavier reds are better with heavily spiced foods (think steak, Indian food, spicy Italian)

Common American varietals (in order of heaviness, less tannic -> more)
Syrah/Shiraz (although most American Syrah is a blend of grapes and not 100% Syrah)
Pinot Noir
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon
Zinfandel (Red)

I've been to many wine tastings, but not in a few years, but have never tried a Shiraz. Been really wanting to open a bottle I got for Christmas but keep hedging on it because most of the reds I try I just really don't care for all that much. Usually a Cab or Merlot.

The one I've got is a 2004 Monterra from out in your area. Shall I give it a go or just bring it to a friend who lives in California that I know likes wines? ;)

And how was the white merlot?

[Pinot Noir]

you guys need to track down a good Pinot!
Walter Schug makes some of the best on the planet.
www.schugwinery.com
A young lady asked him once, "what is the difference between a good Cab and a good Pinot?"
his reply, "a good Cab will knock your socks off,,, a good pinot will slip them off!"

[wanderingsoul]

Sorry for reviving this thread but I kinda need some info and I didn't want to start a new thread.

Anyway, I haven't been to a tasting (YET!!!) because my new job keeps me busy enough that any time I'm not working, I'm resting. Basically, the extent of my wine knowledge is what I can find at the local grocery store. So far I've tried about a half dozen different types of reds and I find that I like the Pinot Noir the best. I agree with the previous poster, it will definitely slip your socks off.

Basically, I'm a wimp when it comes to alcohol. I just can't drink hard liquor and I can barely stand the stronger red wines. But a Cavit Pinot Noir is about the best that I've tried.

Basically, what are some other wines or name brands of Pinot Noir that are worth the money? Thanks

[Oldfart]

wanderingsoul,

If you want something less robust without going to the whites, see if you can lay your hands on a white shiraz. This is the same as a red shiraz, but without the skins left in the brew, making the wine softer, lighter and smoother. It's becoming a favourite of mine.

[Lilith]

Excellent taste. I just opened my first bottle of white shiraz this past weekend. Delish.

[wanderingsoul]

seeing as how it's friday, I think I'll go out and see if I can find a bottle. Thanks for the tip!