I don't like it and don't belive those who say they do.
J/K
(But seriously, I'm not a fan. Never had a wine I liked more than beer)
I don't like it and don't belive those who say they do.
J/K
(But seriously, I'm not a fan. Never had a wine I liked more than beer)
Compact Disk brought high fidelity to the masses and audiophiles will never forgive it for that
Have you ever had Pinot Noir made from grapes grown in the cool Carneros area of CA where Sonoma and Napa valleys meet the SF bay?Originally Posted by Sputnik
I will.
Totally. It's reasonably priced, because nobody knows what it is. If they put "Zinfandel" on the label, people might buy it (though likely not as much as the Australian or US Zins). So we get a bargain on great Apulian wine because of high production and low demand. This is the same with the Portuguese wines, though in that situation nobody knows their grapes (they have well over 500), so you have to know regions and their relative styles, and to some extent just take a chance. Douros and Daos tend to be heavier, Alantejo wines tend to be fruitier; but there's a lot of variation, and there are other regions like Lisbon and Tejo that I'm only passingly familiar with. But the Lisboa wines I've had have been somewhat full-bodied and lovely.
I'd agree with that. The Cahors wines are less fruity, but still unmistakably Malbec. We actually had one that was better than the Georges Viguroux, but isn't available anymore. But it was still in the $11-$13 range. Again, nobody knows what a "Cahors" is, so they don't buy it. This is where a little knowledge can pay off, because if you know that Cahors is the Malbec producing French region, you can get a killer Malbec for $10-$13 that has a distinctive character from the Argentinian mainstream.
Great!
Spain and Portugal are treasure troves of wine. The wine in those countries is often cheaper than water, so you can sample a lot of stuff and get familiar with their various styles. Unlike France, Spain and particularly Portugal, have preserved a full variety of grapes. So instead of grapes, you focus more on regions, and then get down to the styles of particular vineyards, who all use some main grapes and then a host of secondary grapes in different proportions. Much of the really good stuff is hard to find in the US, but there are places that have it, particularly the Spanish - and if you're lucky Portuguese. And price is not always the proper measure of quality; often cheaper wines are far nicer because they feature less well-known grapes or are from less known regions. It's a bit of a crap shoot, but even with a bottle as cheap as $5, you can get a serviceable Portuguese wine in the US. So even if it's just "so-so" you're not risking much. If you can find Borba from the Alantejo at any price range (they have a $5 wine, and $10 wine, and a $15 riserva), get it. One of my favorites that is somewhat widely available, and the cheaper ones drink better than the riserva, imo.
Bill
Last night we had the Lapaccio Primitivo Salento, a nice little estate bottled wine from Apulia. I don't think we paired it perfectly, because it actually overpowered our grilled kielbasa, and I think we went too light with the vegetables as well. This wine is killer with stronger pizza (we make our own with a cauliflower crust), or a well-seasoned calamari dish (not spicy, but it's in a big red sauce). I think I underestimated how powerful this wine is. It would be a good pairing for BBQ or heartier grilled meats as well. $13.99 a bottle where we get it, worth looking up if you can find it near you.
Bill
Not sure if you guys have a "house"wine, so to speak. An everyday bottle for everyday enjoyment. This is mine (at the moment)http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/luc...6#.V0x53JErIhc Very inexpensive and great value!
Dave Sr.
I prefer Nature to Human Nature
Interesting, Bill. I'll add it to the list! Oh, and the mention of grilled kielbasa made my mouth water.
Haven't tried that particular one, but I do enjoy Primitivo, and that's an unbeatable price! I've just checked the LCBO site and there are a dozen bottles at my local store, so next visit I'll grab one.
Here's one I picked up while out doing errands today, a Spanish Grenache that had a very high rating and sounded delightful:
http://www.winealign.com/wines/85439...De-Luculo-2012
... not sure when I'll get around to it, but I'll report back when I eventually do.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
That looks really interesting, I've added it to my list to look for, thanks!
Interesting, Bill. I'll add it to the list! Oh, and the mention of grilled kielbasa made my mouth water.Yeah, we don't do that too often, but since we were grilling we decided to do something a little different. It was good.
Interesting. Pricey for a Garnacha, but could be really good. Keep us posted.
As far as "house wines," I mentioned a couple above, the Baron Fini Pinot Grigio for a good all purpose white, The Borsao Garnacha, the Tapiz Rose Malbec, The Bellaruche from France and the Borba reds from Portugal. I forgot that we are currently stocking the 2014 Hahn Pinot Noir from Monterray County, which has a lovely light body with a strong taste of cherry. We used to really like the Matua Pinot Noir from New Zealand, but it's not as good as is was a few years ago, and it's gotten pricey. Other than that, we tend to get things that we like when we sample them, often getting multiple bottles which take us some time to get through; by which time many are gone, so we just move on to other things.
Bill
Not a wine drinker but the title of this thread is killing me.
Prog-n-Grapes.....
Something else I wanted to mention that this guy who buys for some NYC stores told us at the wine tasting class:Yeah, cleansing the palette is important when tasting several different wines. Bread/crackers and water is your best bet. Cheese is good because of how well it goes with wine, but I don't find it 'resets' the taste buds the same way.
Oh, and 8 bottles sounds grand to me!
He had a rule: "sell with cheese, buy with apples." Meaning, according to him, eating cheese kind of makes lots of wine taste good, but if you eat apples in between you can taste the wine much more clearly. So if you want it to taste good, nothing wrong with eating cheese, but if you really want to judge a wine (maybe before buying) eat apples before it. I've found this to be true, and in fact it seems to work with coffee too.
The nearest bottle of that to me is in Detroit!
Low-hanging fruit!Not a wine drinker but the title of this thread is killing me.
Prog-n-Grapes.....
I am far from being a wine connoisseur but I know what I like. I believe that any "expert" who tells you what you should and shouldn't like is full of shit. Here in Québec our liquor commission stocks 5 times more French wines than any other... I prefer "New World" wines, from places like Chile, Argentina, California, South Africa, Australia. I like full bodied wines and enjoy an oaked taste. I rarely spend more that 25.00 CAD for a bottle. We drink maybe a bottle a month. I'm a beer guy... Still interested in this thread though.
"Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."
-Cozy 3:16-
Hey, nothing wrong with knowing what you like. My only advice to people with regards to wine is to do a little research of their own, explore and find what appeals to you.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
Exactly! Having some sommelier tell you what to like and not like is the equivalent of being told that in order to be a proper fan of a certain music you should like these artists and avoid these others....
"Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."
-Cozy 3:16-
Yep, or being told here that you shouldn't enjoy a particular remastered album because the sound isn't good. "Experts" are everywhere. I pick and choose whose advice I take.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
You know yer old when yer grapes hang low......
I'm not sure about apples. When doing many samples in sequence, the alcohol in wine dries the skin in your mouth out. Not sure that putting more acid from apples in the mouth is going to help. The festivals provide oyster crackers.
Might not work with a ton of wines, but a few maybe.
So we drank our Terra Noble Carmenere Gran Reserva last night. Sorry to say I wasn't blown away. We decanted it about 1:15 before dinner, but it just never developed much complexity and never lost its "tartness." I expected more from a $20 wine, though it obviously showed promise in our tasting. I have plenty of wines that, for my tastes, drink better than this at half the price. But as has been noted, different things appeal to different people, and if this does it for you, then that is great.
Bill
Ahhh, I'm sorry to hear that Bill! Well, now you know, and trying it yourself is the only way to know.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
Totally. You win some, you lose some. It wasn't terrible by any means, I just expected a bit more at that price point. It may still be young, it was well balanced, but seemed a little lifeless to me.
I will say, that if you like this Terra Noble then you should try to track down some Douro wines from Portugal. On balance, they tend to be more full bodied and drier than the Alantejo wines. I think they'd be up your alley. These are all vineyards I've had god luck with from the Douro:
Duas Quintas
Periquita
Passa
Quinta de Crasto** (particularly good)
Assobio
Don't be afraid of these if they are under $10, they'll be at least solid, sometimes wonderful, particularly for the price.
The Quinta de Coa is also a Douro, but it is a bit pricier at ~$16/bottle. We were drinking the 2009s and they were great, but they just got in the 2011s and they are perhaps not quite as good. We have one more bottle downstairs and that will determine if we get more. The Portuguese winemakers strive for consistency, even if their exact proportions of grapes changes from year to year based on weather effects. You're usually OK trusting a vineyard you like in different vintages, but this may be a case where that doesn't hold. Still, I think you would like this wine, it's every bit the of the Terra Noble to me, even the 2011.
Not sure what you have for Portuguese in your area, but if you have some, look for the Douros.
Bill
Great post, thanks!
There are quite a number of Portugese wines in the area, I've just checked online and several of the ones you mention are included (although the only Quinta de Crasto I see is a white), so I will be keeping my eye out for sure!
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
Great Grapes fest:
The winner today at Great Grapes:
^^^ Looks like a good time!
BTW, for anyone who doesn't know, there's a good phone app called Vivino Wine Scanner, where you scan the wine bottle label and it provides a variety of info/ratings/reviews. I've used it a lot at the store when I don't necessarily trust the store reviews.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks