Wine

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ajax

100+ Posts
I think I'm addicted to wine

The last several weeks, we've had wine at every meal. Chard for fish, cab for steak, and zin for everything in between. Usually, my wife has a glass and I finish the rest of the bottle. Damn that's a lot of calories, but I've been working out like a mofo. That also explains some of the 6:30pm PST drunk posts I've been putting up.

The other day, we had fish but no wine. The fish was delicious, but seriously I just couldn't enjoy the meal. I just didn't taste right without some white wine to go with it. It's not alcoholism, it's just the food begs for wine.

I also think I've discovered the secret to drinking crappy wine. It tastes fine as long as you don't drink good wine immediately before or after.

I'm drunk right now.
 
too much wine gets you this
billskiss.jpg
 
ajax
i'm the same way
i now belong to 2 wine clubs too, i get the **** delivered to my office. its embarrassing how many bottles we go through at my house.
 
not to hijack the thread but can anyone recommend a good red? I like all sorts of white wine but red...not so much. I belong to K&L also, if that makes it easier for a recommendation. I haven't really liked any of the reds they've sent so far.
 
Expand your thoughts on wine some.

With a grilled salmon, try a pinot noir like Cakebread or Ferrari Carano.

At Thanksgiving, I have opened chardonnays like Morgan and Kistler, but, again, like the pinots with the bird and in fact, have had some bordeux (a Chateau Palmer) which was a great pairing.
 
YChang, what is it about the red wines that you don't like? Perhaps you can name a few that you received so that we can get an idea of what didn't appeal to you.
 
Where as a white taste realy crisp, a red just seems really heavy...too woodsy/musky tasting. Maybe my palate isn't used to it yet...too tannic.

KL have sent me
2004 Mas Que Vinos, Ercavio Roble, La Mancha
2004 Denois Merlot, Vin de Pays d'Oc
2004 Richmond Grove "Weathervane" Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot South Australia

I can't recall all the qualities of them...some I've used for cooking and some I've given away. The Merlot was the least harsh tasting to me.
 
You should probably try a Pinot Noir. In the U.S. that's how it'll be labeled. In France, Pinot Noirs go by the region and are called Burgundys. Pinot Noir is probably the lightest and least tannic grape.

Avoid cabernet sauvignon, which is the most tannic. Also, the Rhone varietals (Grenache, Syrah/Shiraz, Mourvedre) are probably too heavy for your taste. Zinfandel (no, not the white) can be a little spicy, and doesn't have the crispness that you like in whites.

Oregon produces some really good Pinots, same with the Russian River Valley in Sonoma. Carneros (btwn Napa & Sonoma) also has good Pinots.

Hope that is somewhat helpful.
 
I have a theory on why some people have a hard time enjoying red wine. In America, we are used to drinking things either hot, or cold. Red wine is usually served at room temperature. I think that's an adjustment to some people and a reason why its easier for them to drink whites. Then again, my theory could be totally bunk.
 
Orangeblood and Pepper Brooks beat me to it. Since most of us don't have a proper wine cellar, put your bottle in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to bring the temperature down before you drink it. It makes quite a difference.

Not surprising to hear that you preferred the merlot as they are often described as "velvety" or "silky" in texture.

As your palate develops a taste for red wine (which I sincerely hope it does!) and you start sampling some of the fuller-bodied varietals (cab, syrah, zin), I hope you will enjoy how red wines start to transform from the minute you pull the cork out. To me, it is one of the great pleasures of life.

SIDEBAR: A note about 2005 pinot noirs--I would also recommend that you try some pinots. It's incredibly drinkable and can range in texture from slightly thin to very lush. But if you happen to pick up a 2005 vintage and don't like it, please don't let that deter you! We just returned from Napa/Sonoma where we tasted some of the 05 pinots which have just been released. We were very disappointed by what we sampled; some common characteristics were harsh tannins and a bitter finish. Yuck. So beware the 05 pinot! (Keep in mind, this applies to California pinots only. A favorite is the Domaine Drouhin Laurène from Oregon.)

When you discover a red wine that you love, I hope you'll let us know what it was. Cheers!
 
We just finished a blind pinot tasting. A range of years 2003-2005. 2 from Oregon (willamette valley), 1 from Burgundy and 5 from Cali. these were the results:

Darioush (Russian River) - head and shoulders above the rest, no contest from over a dozen different tasters

Paul Hobbs (Russian River) - similar to the Darioush and a great pinot, but not nearly as structured as the other

Domaine Serene (Evenstad) - wonderful Oregon pinot, but still not the same as the Russian river entries

Those were the top 3 without a doubt. Surprisingly, the burgundy was pretty unanimously last. Very different style that nobody cared for.
 
Then, if you want to splurge a bit and want a huge, full bodied red. .. try Dunn Howell Mountain. A big cab, it should be at least 8 years old.. decant it and as it opens, it is a glorious thing.
 
I had a Merlot/Sangiovese blend the other day that was superb with my Italian food. Sangiovese is what they make Chianti out of. Cant' remember the name but it was from Italy.
 
Dunn Howell Mountain cabs were my intro to mountain cabs. Given the price of Dunn, try Ladera Howell Mountain or their Lone Canyon. Exceptional cabs and better prices. They also make a Howell Mountain malbec that is quite nice.
 
Anyone wanting to try a REALLY nice cab should drink Smith and Hook Cabernet Sauvignon. It's only about $19/bottle, but it is phenomenal. It is the best value I have ever found by a very long shot.
 
Red wine. Hmmm. I started drinking red wine about the time I hit 21 which is important because I was still into Miller Lite at the time and red wine was quite foreign. Coincidentally, it was about the time I started drinking coffee, and as I was educated the only way to drink coffee is black. The way you adjust your pallet to black coffee is by drinking it with pecan pie. It just goes together.

Anyway, the way I started drinking red wine was with steak. Good steak. They just go together.

Don't bother spending more than around $10 per bottle at first because you won't be able to taste what makes the wine good. Red wine is definitely an acquired taste, but once you acquire it, it is an expensive habit. Just last weekend I made an unapproved trip to Specs. It was hard explaining to my wife why I wrote a $260 check for wine. She obviously has not acquired the taste yet.
 
Central Market has a pretty good selection of Oregon Pinot Noir. Look for the 2002 or 2004 vintage. Last time I looked, CM still had stock of the 2002 Willakenzie Pierre Leon. If it is anything like the one I tasted from a prior vintage, it should have lots of red fruit up front, followed by a long chocolate finish.
 
Something else that hasn't been mentioned:

Try French wines. As mentioned, Burgundy is well known for pinot noir. Bordeaux does cabs. I like cabs.

I heard a wine critic a couple of years ago claim that French wine frequently goes better with meals than American wine. They tend to be less tannic, and French oak is not as overbearing as American oak. I have found these generalizations to be true in many cases. So, if you want to try getting into cabs (and I think this is a good thing to eventually do if you are into wine at all), go French at first. OTOH, maybe you have to run the gauntlet of American cabs before you can see the difference. Experience counts in wine.

But so does simple flavor and taste. Don't get turned off by wine snobs.

The temperature thing is critical.
 
Thunderhoof

It's a bit diffcult to say try French (specifically Bordeaux) if you want to get into cabs. Most Bordeaux are blends, so you have to know what you're looking for if you want something that is predominantly cab. Pauillac and St. Julien are good regions to focus on.
 
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