Wine Not...

[TeeBone]

So lately it seems I have been enjoying wine more and more. Its come to the point where I've crossed over into the enjoyment of wine more than I would have ever hoped. That being said, I still no very little about good sources of wine purchases, what makes a good wine, and so on and so forth. I give wine away as gifts but I want to keep more and more for the enjoyment. A friend of mine suggested joining a wine club. I'd like to know more about the wines I drink and more about finding that great bottle of wine without breaking the bank. I have two questions:

Does anyone know of a great source to begin collecting wine without getting too carried away?

What is your favorite wine?

[Crispy123]

There is a regular gathering of several sophisticated wine afficianados outside of my local 7/11 and they seem to prefer this...

http://partlytruthpartlyfiction.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/180px-maddog2020.jpg

[damainer]

There is a regular gathering of several sophisticated wine afficianados outside of my local 7/11 and they seem to prefer this...

http://partlytruthpartlyfiction.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/180px-maddog2020.jpg

Maddog is one of the finest you will find.
http://www.google.com/images?q=tbn:kh01uGx0O1oJ:ineedattention.com/images/randimg/mike_threat_puking.jpg

[Piuki]

My fella and I are Winos, literally. We live in the Hudson Valley in NY and there are a bunch of wineries here. We picked one we liked and joined their wine club...we get two bottles a couple of times a year. Our dream would be to join one of the wineries in Napa, where we visited 2 years ago. It can be expensive, though. The one I really want to join, Peju Provence, is actually a few hundred dollars a year to join. It's fabulous wine, though!

As for getting started, the only way to really do it is just to taste, drink, and taste some more. It's a tough, dirty job, but we make the sacrifices that are necessary. When we first got involved in wine, we actually threw a wine tasting party at our house. Everyone brought one or two bottles of their favorites and everyone tasted them. It was a great success. Once you have a label you find you like or a varietal you love, then you can build from there.

Also, a lot of times wine shops will have free tastings on weekends. It's a good way to start to learn more about the differences between varietals. Good luck and cheers!

[ADF]

One of my favorite wines is the Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages, although I wouldn't limit yourself to brand name. The nice thing about Beaujolais is that they're relatively inexpensive (around $10-14 a bottle) and have lots of flavor. They're fruity and light in body with a high acidity, making them a great summer wine. Plus, they're meant to be drunk young (within two years of production), so you don't have to feel guilty about drinking them before their time. In the winter, my favorite pairing is with a hearty lentil soup chock full of polska kielbasa.

[BeerBandit]

My fella and I are Winos, literally. We live in the Hudson Valley in NY and there are a bunch of wineries here. We picked one we liked and joined their wine club...we get two bottles a couple of times a year. Our dream would be to join one of the wineries in Napa, where we visited 2 years ago. It can be expensive, though. The one I really want to join, Peju Provence, is actually a few hundred dollars a year to join. It's fabulous wine, though!

As for getting started, the only way to really do it is just to taste, drink, and taste some more. It's a tough, dirty job, but we make the sacrifices that are necessary. When we first got involved in wine, we actually threw a wine tasting party at our house. Everyone brought one or two bottles of their favorites and everyone tasted them. It was a great success. Once you have a label you find you like or a varietal you love, then you can build from there.

Also, a lot of times wine shops will have free tastings on weekends. It's a good way to start to learn more about the differences between varietals. Good luck and cheers!

Pooks, You forgot to mention our 3rd Annual Wine-Tasting Event tentatively scheduled for April. Our last focused on Pinot Grigio and Chianti, as well as our constantly postponed trip to Long Island Wine Country.

[Piuki]

One of my favorite wines is the Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages, although I wouldn't limit yourself to brand name. The nice thing about Beaujolais is that they're relatively inexpensive (around $10-14 a bottle) and have lots of flavor. They're fruity and light in body with a high acidity, making them a great summer wine. Plus, they're meant to be drunk young (within two years of production), so you don't have to feel guilty about drinking them before their time. In the winter, my favorite pairing is with a hearty lentil soup chock full of polska kielbasa.

Good call on the beaujolais. I particularly enjoy it at Thanksgiving because we always have both ham and turkey. It goes equally well with either of those.

Pooks, You forgot to mention our 3rd Annual Wine-Tasting Event tentatively scheduled for April. Our last focused on Pinot Grigio and Chianti, as well as our constantly postponed trip to Long Island Wine Country.

That's true. I did fail to mention it. Silly me! Maybe we should use this forum to take suggestions for a theme!

[joethebartender]

http://www.ronfez.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1542864&postcount=30

http://www.ronfez.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1542733&postcount=22

[Furtherman]

I've been a fan of wine since visiting Napa Valley about 10 years ago. The best thing I can recommend is to goto wine tastings. Check your local liquor store, they'll usually have advertisements for one. If it's run well, the host will tell you where you can purchase the wine and how much it costs. That's how I usually learn about wine and get really drunk.
So write it down.

[SyndicateParish]

So lately it seems I have been enjoying wine more and more. Its come to the point where I've crossed over into the enjoyment of wine more than I would have ever hoped. That being said, I still no very little about good sources of wine purchases, what makes a good wine, and so on and so forth. I give wine away as gifts but I want to keep more and more for the enjoyment. A friend of mine suggested joining a wine club. I'd like to know more about the wines I drink and more about finding that great bottle of wine without breaking the bank. I have two questions:

Does anyone know of a great source to begin collecting wine without getting too carried away?

What is your favorite wine?

I have a lot of favorites. We're in the Ca. wine country, and I know there are a lot of hit's and misses all over the price range.

The consumer is driving sweeter wines out here in Ca.. If you want a juicy sweet wine go with a Ca. choice. Recently I have enjoyed the softer more mineral flavors of French wines. It took a while to develop a taste for French styles after drinking Ca. style wine.

Here are a couple of great wines.

An okay cheap wine.
http://www.wine.com/V6/Smoking-Loon-Syrah-2005/wine/91215/detail.aspx

A good daily drinker.
http://volunteer.blogs.com/winewaves/2007/01/tobin_james_not.html

A good occasion wine.
http://www.wine.com/V6/Chateau-St.-Jean-Cinq-Cepages-2004/wine/90397/detail.aspx?cid=CA_GoogleBase_90397

A hack decent wine.
http://www.wine.com/V6/Silver-Oak-Napa-Valley-Cabernet-Sauvignon-2003/wine/93966/detail.aspx

A great occasion wine.
http://www.wine.com/V6/Ch.-de-Beaucastel-Chateauneuf-du-Pape-2004/wine/89759/detail.aspx

For those special moments.
http://www.wine.com/V6/Chateau-Latour-Pauillac-1998/wine/42356/detail.aspx

Everyone has different tastes, my suggestion is to explore all sorts of different wines and take rough notes as you do. I know it comes off a tad snobbish, but after tasting a few hundred bottles over the years you start to forget which was which. We did a lot of wine tasting to find just a few great bottles.

Another good way to start is to throw an event that you ask everyone to bring a daily drinker to. Generally other tasters are the best way to fast track to good wines.

A couple of tips for starting.
-Never ship wine in warm months. A wine that accidentally goes up 8 degrees in an hour could easily be ruined.
-Your taste buds burn out after 4 or 5 tastes. So drink your best wine first.
-Keep wine in a cool dry spot on it's side. Never by a heater vent or near sunlight.
-Pass on crappy wine. If you don't like it skip it. Time is too short.
-If you REALLY like a wine, grab a case, you will thank yourself later.
-Don't rely on any gadget that says it will make the wine last longer.. They rarely work.
-Wine tastes much different when exposed to the air for a couple hours. If you have a bottle that should taste excellent, let it sit in a decanter for at least an hour before drinking.
-If wine has any hint of tasting like a paper bag.. it's bad.. Skip it.
-Always taste a wine before serving to a friend.. bad wine is embarrasing.


Hope that helps.

SP.

[EddieMoscone]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TZFW1ldyL._SS500_.jpg

This was one of the books we used in a Wine and Beverage Management class I took. It gives you some solid, useful info without getting you in over your head. To me, it's a good first book for someone interested in learning a little more about wine.

[ravn816]

I love the wine myself...but since me and my husband just don't have the budget to buy bottles over $20-$25, I resort to trying to find those hidden cheap treasures. I also tend to drink New World Wines (US, South America, Austrailan), they're my favorites, but I'm trying to venture out to Old World Wines (pretty much Europe) too.

I just go to the local good Wine Store and pick out bottles to try. If it's a good place, you should be able to ask the owners/staff for any suggestions as well.

I tend to enjoy Sterling Vineyards. My newest favorite bottle I've found recently is Rutherford Hill 2003 Merlot. You need to let is breate for an hour or two, but when it opens up, it's very awesome. There's a lot of higher end bottles, but even the lower end BV wines are good too.

Now my most favorite wine is one of the somewhat expensive ones, it's Opus One. http://www.opusonewinery.com/

[BeerBandit]

I love the wine myself...but since me and my husband just don't have the budget to buy bottles over $20-$25, I resort to trying to find those hidden cheap treasures. I also tend to drink New World Wines (US, South America, Austrailan), they're my favorites, but I'm trying to venture out to Old World Wines (pretty much Europe) too.

I just go to the local good Wine Store and pick out bottles to try. If it's a good place, you should be able to ask the owners/staff for any suggestions as well.

I tend to enjoy Sterling Vineyards. My newest favorite bottle I've found recently is Rutherford Hill 2003 Merlot. You need to let is breate for an hour or two, but when it opens up, it's very awesome. There's a lot of higher end bottles, but even the lower end BV wines are good too.

Now my most favorite wine is one of the somewhat expensive ones, it's Opus One. http://www.opusonewinery.com/

Sterling Vineyards may be the most beautiful winery to visit. You ride a funicular up the mountain to the winery and they hold their tastings out on the balcony. What a view.

I might also recommend Ravenswood Zinfandel. An absolute must-have with barbecued Chicken at around $13.

[Piuki]

I tend to enjoy Sterling Vineyards. My newest favorite bottle I've found recently is Rutherford Hill 2003 Merlot. You need to let is breate for an hour or two, but when it opens up, it's very awesome. There's a lot of higher end bottles, but even the lower end BV wines are good too.

Now my most favorite wine is one of the somewhat expensive ones, it's Opus One. http://www.opusonewinery.com/

Sterling has some decent wines, but their real attribute is the vineyard itself. Stunning!

And, oh how I love me some BV. Their Carneros Chard is one of my all-time favorites. :clap:

[TeeBone]

I found a great wine the other night. So much so, I bought 2 cases. At $14/bottle, it's the best Pinot I have ever had.
Terra Andina
here's the link, if anyone is interested.
http://terraandina.com/r-pinot.html

[Ritalin]

Tee, I know a little bit about wine from working in restaurants for years, and I think that the best way to get to know wine is to learn about the grapes and wines themselves: where they come from, the broad characteristics of each grape, then work your way to the particular vineyard and year you enjoy.

Keep a book of the bottles you enjoyed, and try to remember why you liked them. Definitely go to tastings. Most good wine stores will have tastings every so often, and restaurants will sometimes have tastings that combine the wines to the cuisine.

I love wine, been to Napa and Sonoma and Tuscany, and I'll tell you, that's a nice way to travel.

You're going to have to turn in your redneck card, though.

[paintbucket]

hope u guys dont mind a little plug here..

my families wine store
vvvv
http://www.chelseawinevault.com

if youre ever in the neighborhood (actually were right by comix club and inside the market where ronnies scarf went missing last winter) we have free tastings almost daily which is a great way to try new wines without the commitment of buying. Mention your love for the show too n' you'll get 15% off anything you buy!

oh and if your just wondering, i've been on the look out for rons missing scarf ever since he mentioned it on air months ago. no luck so far on its recovery tho. FAIL!

[WhistlePig]

Try this link: http://www.budometer.com/taste/taste.htm
You take a simple quiz that matches wines based on your tastes. It's pretty cool--a lot of the ones it recommended for me were ones I already liked.

[deliciousV]

Almaden's Mountain Rhine at about 15 bucks a box, gets the job done. bold but not offensive.....

[TeeBone]

You're going to have to turn in your redneck card, though.Noted and thank you, Ritalin.
Thanks for the laugh and the tips. I haven't started a book yet but the other suggestions i have started doing.

[A.J.]

So lately it seems I have been enjoying wine more and more.

"It's good for you Pop."

http://www.kustu.com/wiki/lib/exe/fetch.php?w=&h=&cache=cache&media=images:films:le_parrain_2.jpg

[EliSnow]

I pretty much stick to cabernets and pinot noirs when I drink wine.

My favorite brand is Coppola. Tastes really good, and not too expensive ($18-20).

http://www.cellartracker.com/labels/5737.jpg