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[Emaline]

So basically, I used to hate wine. It was gross and too tart, and dry and never as good as people told me it was. Then I got invited to a wine/jazz festival, and tried various local wines, and fell in love. I'm pretty much in love with sweet reds, but nothing overly sweet. I had a cherry wine recently and thought it was way too sweet.

Anyway, I'd like to make this thread so we can talk about what wines we think are best and recommend brands, and whatnot.

Basically, my favorite wine so far is the blackberry wine by St. James Winery. It's cheap(or moderately priced), and tasty. This is pretty much what I look for in a wine for everyday occasions. Because wine has become an everyday thing for me. They have a really nice velvet red.


I'm considering buying this or this right now. It's Caduceus, which is the wine that Maynard James Keenan of Tool/A Perfect Circle/Pucisfer makes. Has anybody ever tried it before? What's it like? Is $40.00 way too much for wine?

[Trollstormur]

I would not pay $40 for a wine just because a rock star makes it. If you like sweeter wine, try a Gewurtztraminer.

[Emaline]

He's also a favorite of my boyfriend and me, so he's not just any old rockstar. I agree its a silly reason though, but fuck, I'm curious.


Any brands you'd recommend for the Gewurtztraminer? Or will just any do.

[wafflecone]

Oh man this is the thread for me! I'm from the Okanagan Valley in BC which is kinda like Canadian wine country! So yeah wine is a Thing We Do. And I was just going to mention Gewurtztraminer as my favourite. Been getting into white wine a lot more lately (basically I used to drink red wine a lot simply because it made me look Classy), and I am definitely into the sweeter tastes. What sweet reds would you recommend?

[Verergoca]

Id say, check out the Crazy Frog range (if you can get it in Canadia). T'is made of liquid win!

[MrBlu]

Also, try out that $15 crap that you'd find in a grocery store. The cheap wines are kinda sweet. Merlot, man.

[Hat]

Basically if you are developing a taste for wine don't even bother picking up a bottle over 20 dollars (australian) until you have a pretty good knowledge of which wines in that price range are worth drinking and why, because there's just no way you'll be able to effectively wine wank about anything over 20 bucks unless you can figure out exactly why you like certain kinds and why certain others are dogshit.

If you are not planning on actually becoming a wine wanker there is no compelling reason to spend more than 20 dollars on a bottle of wine ever unless you are trying to impress someone, because quite frankly, without the palette for it, you're just wasting your money most of the time anyway.

[BrittanyMarie]

I drink cheap wine with the cutest/coolest label that has an actual cork, not that weird ass plastic-y stuff. I am not fancy, I am cheap. Except once I got the Francis Ford Coppola wine just because it was Francis Ford Coppola wine so I cannot fault anyone for getting the Maynard James Keenan wine.

[Aimless]

I used to hate wine, but over the past year and a half that's really changed.

The two white wines I most often buy:

- Rudolf Muller's riesling auslese (uhm, just rearrange those words until it's right)

- A sauvignon blanc from Zonnebloem

The former is tasty and really easy to appreciate (ie. to drink :p). The latter is something I often have with my dinner, usually if I've made something with chicken or salmon. It's replaced a chardonnay I used to drink and whose name I've forgotten

Wrt reds, I tend to have a box of Killawarra or King Fish at hand, usually to go with dinner, sometimes to go with chocolate recently I've grown fond of the admirably CHEAP Monterosso sangiovese, partly because it's really nice with grilled meat and it's summer... and partly because it's hella cheap. Often when I've eaten out and ordered red wine without specifying further, I've gotten one that I can't remember the name of... bloody senile, I am, but I think it's one that's very easy to appreciate for anyone who can stomach red wine.

Not much of a wine-wanker, me, but I've come to understand what it is I like

[calenlass]

So what I know about wine mostly concerns my preferences.

-White is better than red.
-Chardonnay is the Worst Thing.
-Pinot Grigiot is ok, especially when the only other white is chardonnay.
-Pinot Grigiot is drier, and riesling is sweeter.
-White Zinfandel/rose/blush is ok but I have not found a good brand I guess.
-American wines all have FDA-required preservatives in them that cause more hangovers than the wine itself. I learned that in France.
-Boxed chardonnay will get me drunk faster and more effectively than anything else I have ever drunk.

This one time in Paris I had a blush apertif (or whatever it is) and I never did know what it was called but it was so light and sweet with just a hint of a tang/dryness. I wish I could find it again. It was so great.

[Tyler]

SWEET BERRY WINE

[mberan42]

[Liz]

Fucking Thunderbird.

[Bastardous Bassist]

I'm considering buying this or this right now. It's Caduceus, which is the wine that Maynard James Keenan of Tool/A Perfect Circle/Pucisfer makes. Has anybody ever tried it before? What's it like? Is $40.00 way too much for wine?

I've actually heard that this wine is pretty good.  I don't think I've heard that it's $40 worth of good.

Except once I got the Francis Ford Coppola wine just because it was Francis Ford Coppola wine so I cannot fault anyone for getting the Maynard James Keenan wine.

I have a bottle of Coppola Claret because I heard it was really good.

My problem with wine is that I live by myself and most of my friends are beer fans (don't get me wrong, I love beer as well).  Whenever I have someone for dinner, they usually bring a bottle of wine, and it's usually not very good (not always their fault).  So, as a result, I rarely get to drink wine that I like, unless I want to drink a whole bottle (and I don't), which is unfortunately very easy for me.  Here are my tastes on varietals (there are way too many blends to get into, and I don't have that good a memory to remember them all):

Whites

Chardonnay - NOT OAKY!  I much prefer buttery or even a little citrus (which usually doesn't happen in chardonnay), which means that I pretty much have to stay away from American wines here.  I like for meatier fish or something that may take a lighter red wine
Riesling/Gewürztraminer - I lump these two together because they're both a little sweet for me.  I don't like sweet wines at all.
Pinot Grigio/Pinot gris (apparently there is a slight difference, like Shiraz and syrah) - I like this for lighter foods like fish.  The citrus is quite refreshing.
Sauvignon Blanc - Definitely something that I like.  I feel that it's not as far on either end as chardonnay or pinot grigio.  I good table white, as a result.

Reds

Cabernet Sauvignon - BIG!  Really, really big.  Great for steaks and other red meat.  America can make a pretty good one of these.  In fact, my favourite cab that I've had has been from California.
Merlot - One of my favourite reds to drink by itself, but I rarely drink wine by itself.  It goes great with chocolate, where it's not so intense as the cab and it lightens the whole thing up a bit.
Pinot Noir - Another of my favourite reds to drink by itself.  This is also great in a braise because of how the flavours change with cooking.  It's lighter than either of the previous ones and I think it's one of the lightest reds with which I have much experience.  It was also strongly supported by the movie Sideways, as I recall.
Syrah - Kind of spicy.  Goes great with more gamey meats.  My first experience with this, my friend and I made london broil.  The wine was really good, the food was not.  It's not so easy drinking, but damn if it ain't good.

Sparking
Champagne - Either from US or France.  No one else can call it champagne (though France isn't happy about the US being able to call it champagne).  Don't get the stuff from the US.  The stuff from France usually ends up being rather expensive and not worth the price.
Sparkling wine, including cava - Can be good, can be crap.  This stuff is good:

Prosecco - I've never had a bad one of these.  It's less bubbly than your other sparklings, but good.

Now, I may have given the impression that I know things, but all of it is in general terms.  If I look at a wine list, or go to a wine store, I'm completely lost as to which SPECIFIC wine to buy.  Plus, there are way too many blends out there for me to have any hope of keeping up.

[De_El]

Man I just have the hardest time getting into white wine. If someone else who knows what they're doing serves me a white wine that is paired well I tend to enjoy it, but I do not like sweeter wines. The wines I have had the most of recently are Malbecs, mostly from Chile and Argentina, especially the Mendoza region of Ag. I like them a lot! I can't pretend I know what I'm talking about and describe the flavors all that well, but it's a bit tart and bitter and it is not hard to find bottles for like 10 or 11 USD.

[Hat]

I drink cheap wine with the cutest/coolest label that has an actual cork, not that weird ass plastic-y stuff. I am not fancy, I am cheap.

Apparently the plastic shit is actually better for the wine nowadays, but most of the wines I drink just have screw caps so it's not even an issue for me

Also repping prosecco because that shit is great in sparkling cocktails

[Tyler]

hobo magic

DELECTABLE BUM WINE

Known as "liquid crack," for its reputation for wreaking more mental havoc than the cheapest tequila.  Something in this syrupy hooch seems to have a synapse-blasting effect not unlike low-grade cocaine.  The label insists that the ingredients are merely "citrus wine & grape wine with artificial flavor & artificial color," but anyone who has tried it knows better.  Tales of Cisco-induced semi-psychotic fits are common.  Often, people on a Cisco binge end up curled into a fetal ball, shuddering and muttering paranoid rants.  Nudity and violence may well be involved too.  Everyone who drinks this feels great at first, and claims, "It's not bad at all, I like it."  But, you really do not want to mess around with this one, because they all sing a different tune a few minutes later.  And by tune, I mean the psychotic ramblings of a raging naked bum.

[Jimmy the Squid]

Apparently the plastic shit is actually better for the wine nowadays, but most of the wines I drink just have screw caps so it's not even an issue for me

From what I remember the rubber corks are better because 1) if the cork breaks and you get some in the wine it won't fuck with the taste and 2) the amount of money and time and effort and resources that go into growing the trees used for wine corks is so ludicrous that it is way cheaper and generally better to just use the rubber corks. Also screw-tops generally last longer because you can effectively close the bottle after opening it. However they are not as classy as corks.

[öde]

Also screw-tops generally last longer because you can effectively close the bottle after opening it.

Nah, you need a wine-vac or wine-saver or whatever they're called because they take all the air out of the bottle so it doesn't ruin the wine.

[Bastardous Bassist]

The problem with that is that the air has already started chemical reactions that will continue even after you deprive the wine of the air that started the reaction.  It might last a little longer with those vacuum things, but not significantly.

[Hat]

The actual argument for rubber corks over, well, cork corks, is that if you cellar any bottle with an actual cork horizontally, any amount of liquid interacting with the cork will eventually over time, cause the cork to degrade and go into the wine.* Really if you store all your bottles standing upright or at least on a decent lean, there is no need for rubber corks, in theory.

Oh god I wrote the word 'cork' so many times I am not sure if it is a word anymore.

And yeah, while wines last a little longer than people tend to think they do once opened, they do only take a few days to go off. However most whites become unpalatable because they lose their carbonation before they actually turn.

Pro-tip: use that flat white wine that has been in your fridge since last night for cooking! It is still perfectly fine! Wines take about a week to actually go off if they're stored at the correct temperature, however like milk they tend to progressively taste worse and worse by small increments after about the 2 day mark until they are actually off and completely incapable of being drunk except by the most determined wino.

*I still recall the tragic day I had to throw out a whole bottle of Grand Marnier because some dipshit did not know this also who stores a liqueur bottle horizontally?

[Bastardous Bassist]

I store some liquor horizontally.  Of course, that's the only way some of it will fit into the cabinet I have set aside for it.  Don't worry, though.  It's all gin (and vodka) with screw-on caps.

p.s.  Not all whites have carbonation.

[Emaline]

Also screw-tops generally last longer because you can effectively close the bottle after opening it. However they are not as classy as corks.

Thats what I've heard too. Which is great because all my favorite wines have screw caps.


And I'm buying that wine. I understand that $40 is a lot for wine. But, like Hat said, if I'm trying to impress someone.... And I am trying to impress someone. Who is about as knowledgeable about wine as myself. But hey, it is fancy wine, by a fancy rockstar, that we both fancy. So why not? You only live once, and I'd rather buy the wine and not enjoy it so much, than never buy it and wish that I had the experience.

[Emaline]

Also guy, I bought some more blackberry wine and I am going to finish this bottle tonight probably and then I am buying some more for a party tomorrow. I am drinking this right now.




Also, man. wine glasses. Needed various cups for various alcohols is confusing.

[loco_banana]

This isn't quite as sweet as you probably want, but it is very mild, very delicious, and very awesomely named.







It is also like $10USD a bottle. Delicious and cheap? Win.

[Bastardous Bassist]

Also, man. wine glasses. Needed various cups for various alcohols is confusing.

It gets less confusing if you start thinking about why each glass is shaped like it is.  Then you're just looking for a glass shape, rather than "oh, what does that red wine glass look like."  At least, that's how it was for me.

[Mnementh]

Good wine isn't always expensive, but it often is.  That said, $40 dollars is really not a lot of money for wine.

[Emaline]

Also, man. wine glasses. Needed various cups for various alcohols is confusing.

It gets less confusing if you start thinking about why each glass is shaped like it is.  Then you're just looking for a glass shape, rather than "oh, what does that red wine glass look like."  At least, that's how it was for me.

I know all that. I understand that each glass is shaped for certain reasons, but man is it difficult to remember why, and who goes where, and etc etc.

[Bastardous Bassist]

Right.  That's the thing.  Once you start remembering why, it gets a lot easier, for me.  I went the longest time, "So, ummm...  Red goes in the small one because you want to concentrate it?  No?  Damn."

[chowburger]

You only live once, and I'd rather buy the wine and not enjoy it so much, than never buy it and wish that I had the experience.

That is my excuse every time. I spend too much money on wine. Mind you, for me €20 constitutes 'too much', but hey.

Also, when it comes to cheap but nice wine, I generally buy some sort of Pinot Noir — it's not always amazing, but it's almost guaranteed to at least be nice.

[mberan42]

The actual argument for rubber corks over, well, cork corks, is that if you cellar any bottle with an actual cork horizontally, any amount of liquid interacting with the cork will eventually over time, cause the cork to degrade and go into the wine.* Really if you store all your bottles standing upright or at least on a decent lean, there is no need for rubber corks, in theory.

Not true. If you vertically store a bottle of wine with a natural cork, the cork will dry out, allowing much more oxygen into the bottle, spoiling the wine. While it's true that natural cork allows oxygen in, that tiny bit interacting with the wine is important for proper aging. Haven't you ever seen pictures of a wine cellar? Google image search it, I won't bother posting pictures here - every single pic that comes up has wine stored horizontally. Evern been in a proper wine shop? All bottles will be horizontal, or at a steep angle. Ever seen a wine rack? It stores the wine horizontally. Wine fridge? Horizontal.

The wine keeps the cork wet, ensuring the proper seal, and the proper conditions for aging.

[calenlass]

I love wine.

[SonofZ3]

I like riesling!
Check out "Graf" reisling in the German wine section of your local state store, it is oh so delicious! If you like slightly drier rieslings give "Blue Moon" a try, its domestic (domestic for me in America), being produced in the pacific northwest.