Wine!

[Salomé]

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? Those never look appealing to me.

 

[Salomé]

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

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? *yawn*

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

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

 

[miss fortune]

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.

 

[Valiant]

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.

Hmmm

 

[Giggly]

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

 

[swordpath]

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

 

[Giggly]

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! 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! 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

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?

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