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So reading the last couple of posts in the update thread reminded me to ask something I've been meaning to ask for awhile now. I'm starting to develop a greater appreciation for wine but I know nothing about wine. Would you share some of your favorites and why you like them so that I don't look like a complete idiot when I walk into the bottle shop

Does it really make a difference when spending extra dollars to get supposed "good" wines or are there good wines on the cheaper side of things?

Chadtuba wrote:So reading the last couple of posts in the update thread reminded me to ask something I've been meaning to ask for awhile now. I'm starting to develop a greater appreciation for wine but I know nothing about wine. Would you share some of your favorites and why you like them so that I don't look like a complete idiot when I walk into the bottle shop

Wine is one of those things that can be incredibly snooty, or incredibly down to earth...but I think unless you're REALLY looking for the wine snob crowd, you'll never have to deal with it. I'm not sure what the availability is in North Dakota, but touring a winery or going to wine tasting events is THE best way to learn. The crowds at these things are almost always normal folks looking to learn more, and not wine snobs. Also, talk to the people at the wine shop. If they know anything about wine, they'll be happy to help you, and are usually glad to do something interesting like talk wine instead of just stocking shelves and ringing up people's orders.

Does it really make a difference when spending extra dollars to get supposed "good" wines or are there good wines on the cheaper side of things?

Yes and no. There are bad expensive wines and good cheap wines. The only way to know what you like is to learn what you can and try as much as you can. Even more than tubas, it's all personal preference. No one can convince you that you're not enjoying a certain wine that you like, regardless of what it is or how much it costs.

Lucky... it's 3-buck-Chuck out here in NY. Still a decent wine, and still a good deal.

Also, it's coming up on Glühwein season as well. A few cups of this, mis Schuss (i.e., with a shot of brandy in it) will keep you nice and warm.

http://www.germanfoods.org/consumer/rec ... edwine.cfm" target="_blank

We always have a few bottles around the house... ranging from stuff that's under $5 a bottle to some that are ten times that much. My wife and I enjoy a glass of wine with dinners at home as well as when we go out. We both have out favorites that have been refined a bit over the last fifteen years or so. Wines are fun... as are the local 'craft' beers and downright good booze like the single-malt scotches. We just have a good time with the variety.

One thing... it's nice to know the difference between merlot and burgundy because some bartenders sure as hell don't! There are also a few out there who think a good scotch is Cutty Sark! Boo hiss.

Just go to a few informal wine tastings and visit wineries whenever you get a chance. You'll discover pretty quickly that most of the self-perceived wine experts are full of crap!

It looks like I'm going to luck out. The biggest bottle shop in the area is having their annual penny sale this week, buy one bottle get a second for a penny, with a fairly large list of eligible wines so I guess I know where I'm heading after rehearsal this evening.

LJV wrote:

bort wrote:Lucky... it's 3-buck-Chuck out here in NY.

Dunno, I think its up to "4 buck Chuck" now!

Chadtuba wrote:...penny sale...

One cent Chuck?! Haha, fine, ok ok, you win!

(Bur really, what a deal!)

Hey Joe... I can't read the labels! Whatzit?!

Consumers Report and the New York Times Dining&Wine site periodically recommend wine at $15 and less. I have tried many of these from local wine stores and found them tasty, but have found a few duds on their lists as well. Wines from lesser known wine-producing countries like New Zealand, Chile and Spain are often offered at a bargain price. And if you want inexpensive, read:
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/drin ... _wine.html" target="_blank" target="_blank

I made it to the sale this evening and while there was no 2 buck Chuck I feel I did get some good deals. I picked up 4 different wines to try (along with their respective 1 cent 2nd bottle) so we'll see how this goes. One is from a local vineyard so I'm a little hopeful that I'll like this one and then can contribute to the locals.

bloke wrote:You can always add 2 oz. Popov to 6 oz. of Welch's...

Oh, what class!


This kind of reminds me of a college acquaintance of mine who use to add brewer's yeast to Fruitopia....

bloke wrote:

TubaTinker wrote:...downright good booze like the single-malt scotches.

"single-malt scotches" is not necessarily synonymous with "good booze".....

That's true. However... having spent two years in Scotland back in the 60's while with The Navy... I appreciate the history and local lore that goes with each of them. It's true that some of them might not be suitable for everyone. One of my favorite drinks is "The World's Smoothest Martini".... made with a 50/50 mix of Glenfiddish and Bombay Sapphire Gin.

Back in those days... us sailors would take an empty jug to the local druggist and buy a gallon of draft sherry (basic cooking wine) for a 'half-crown' (which was two shillings and six pence or about 35 cents in the mid-sixties)... and go to the beach in Montrose and get drunk out of our minds! Lost a car that way once. I think it may have rolled off a pier into the North Sea!

knuxie wrote:So wine in a box is no good?

Not necessarily. Wineries are putting better stuff in boxes now than in the past. Like everybody else here has been saying, it depends.

A few years ago I was introduced to a Washington state winery that makes wine I love, Chateau Ste. Michelle. I pay $7 for the Riesling, $8 for the Merlowe and $10 if I really want to splurge for the Chardonnay. Check 'em out. I like everything they make. You can get up to a $25 bottle but the cheap stuff is really very good.

bloke wrote:I believe that I may have observed that the more places in the world there are that manage to develop palatable wines, the lower the prices of "wines" seem to fall.

My favorite Arkansas wines got WAY cheaper with the introduction of the Australian (sub)$10 bottles, and even cheaper after the Chilean invasion.

bloke wrote: A few of those Wiederkehr wines - to say the least - are quite "surprising"

Indeed. The ones widely sold are very similar to your Vodka/Grape Juice comment.

They do have some nice stuff they do on rotation that they pretty much only sell out of their store.

They had a Cynthiana Wine... it was Cynthiana grape wine that had been aged in oak whiskey barrels that had also been packed with tobacco leaves. It was breathtaking.