Sorry to come in hear with some little dude questions, but that's life... I was wondering if some people could recommend a good wine to have around the house for when people come over and want wine. I'm a grad student, so it's not like most of the people I have over know much about wine. I prefer cab sauv's and pinot noirs myself. I'm also living on a t.a. stipend so bottles less than $15 would be great.
Sorry to come in hear with some little dude questions, but that's life... I was wondering if some people could recommend a good wine to have around the house for when people come over and want wine. I'm a grad student, so it's not like most of the people I have over know much about wine. I prefer cab sauv's and pinot noirs myself. I'm also living on a t.a. stipend so bottles less than $15 would be great.
Some of low end Riojas mentioned would be sitting at the $15 mark. For even better value than that you can drink Navarras or Riberas. They're from the areas that border Rioja and grown from similar grapes, but not so well marketed.
If anyone does tasting in the Bay area I recommend Ledson in Sonoma. I thought it was excelent. The only thing that sucks is you can only get it at the winery I think. Or you can go to BR Cohn and look at funny pics of the Doobie Bros. Their white wine balsamic vinegar is
Sorry to come in hear with some little dude questions, but that's life... I was wondering if some people could recommend a good wine to have around the house for when people come over and want wine. I'm a grad student, so it's not like most of the people I have over know much about wine. I prefer cab sauv's and pinot noirs myself. I'm also living on a t.a. stipend so bottles less than $15 would be great.
Sorry to come in hear with some little dude questions, but that's life... I was wondering if some people could recommend a good wine to have around the house for when people come over and want wine. I'm a grad student, so it's not like most of the people I have over know much about wine. I prefer cab sauv's and pinot noirs myself. I'm also living on a t.a. stipend so bottles less than $15 would be great.
A nice area to get to know is the Rhone Valley (france). Good Value and more importantly, good wine. Go for Red here (white only makes up 3-5% of annual production and is tempermental with no guarantees), the 2 grape, though there are others, to concern yourself with are Syrah (more in the north) and Grenache (south). Syrah can be a medium-full in body and usually has peppery notes with a bit of a tannic (think over steeped tea) finish. Grenache should have you thinking of dark fruits and smooth yacht rock. Grenache I like to recommend that you play around with it in your mouth as the fruit notes vary on the different parts of the palate, and it also has more of a wet feel. These wines are also a crowd pleaser because there are usually multiple focal points that one can pic to enjoy (the finish, the berry flavour, blahblahblah). My pics on the cheap: Chateau Pesquie (cotes du ventoux) 2003('04 is good too) Terres Du Levant (cotes du ventoux) 2003 $15ish dollars those are medium bodied (most rhones are) middle of the region wines (40:60 grenache syrah blends) Clos du Cose 2001 (100% syrah) $20 and is a big 10-4 good buddy Chateauneuf-du-Pape Mont Redon 2000 (80ish% Grenache) most expensive recommendation $45-50 but it's like Sade was put in a bottle all of these are in CDN dollars and booze is pricey here so prolly cheaper in your area. Also get in on the Argentinian Malbec's, good, cheap, decent, like Cab Sauv. I've been looking into the Duoro Valley for Portugese wines, because Port production is down so much so there are a lot of longterm well tended plots that are now just being pressed for table wines. What a fucking rant, eh? I do this for a living so not being pretentious. To counter this here is the $100ish wanna get laid, or I'm sorry pairing fun.
step 1) Kir Royal or French Press as apertif (Kir= 1/4ozCreme-du-Cassis (black currant liquor) and sparkling wine (cordinui Cava=$12/btl) (French Press= 1/2ozPineau des Charentes (cognac sweet wine) and sparkling with twist atop) serve with canapes of melba toast, cream cheese, smoked salmon (or sable fish.... hype), and caper.
step 2) btl Macon Village Chanson (french burgundy chardonnay) is she likes dry Joie Noble blend (BC) or Pfaffenheim Gwertz (Fr, Alsace) serve with lightly dressed Mesclun salad, or prosciutto, boccocino, basil, halved grape tomatos drizzled with high quality olive oil (pm for hyper baller appies).
step 3) Pinot Noir - Salmon with roasted potatoes green beans, shaved reggiano, EZ Rhone-Anything, ie. one pan chicken, brown breasts or thighs (bone out), flip in pan and toss pancetta into the free area of pan, when crispy put on top of chicken, add green beans tiny bit of wine and butter and cover, wait 8mins or so, take all stuff out add bit more wine(or stock) and butter.... Boooooom you're done. Malbec-Red Meat with red meaty compliments and throw some fucking blue cheese on top of that meat
step 4) Essencia Orange Muscat (california) with zabione with fruit
I bought 20 bottles from Mendocino County a few days ago -- Roederer, Navarro, Lazy Creek, Yorkville Cellars. I like to keep it New World because I live in CA. Plus, I pull a 25-33% discount at all the wineries and never pay the tasting fees.
I bought 20 bottles from Mendocino County a few days ago -- Roederer, Navarro, Lazy Creek, Yorkville Cellars. I like to keep it New World because I live in CA. Plus, I pull a 25-33% discount at all the wineries and never pay the tasting fees.
who are you and how can i be down!
a good wine for about $10 is the Liberty School Cabernet. I think they are from Paso Robles and high end wineries like Caymus either sell them excess grapes or buy excess grapes from them. Anyways, that wine is the one wine i always have on hand for everyday drinking. You can also get the more common BV coastal cabernet which runs about $7 a bottle and is passable.
step 1) Kir Royal or French Press as apertif (Kir= 1/4ozCreme-du-Cassis (black currant liquor) and sparkling wine (cordinui Cava=$12/btl) (French Press= 1/2ozPineau des Charentes (cognac sweet wine) and sparkling with twist atop) serve with canapes of melba toast, cream cheese, smoked salmon (or sable fish.... hype), and caper.
step 2) btl Macon Village Chanson (french burgundy chardonnay) is she likes dry Joie Noble blend (BC) or Pfaffenheim Gwertz (Fr, Alsace) serve with lightly dressed Mesclun salad, or prosciutto, boccocino, basil, halved grape tomatos drizzled with high quality olive oil (pm for hyper baller appies).
step 3) Pinot Noir - Salmon with roasted potatoes green beans, shaved reggiano, EZ Rhone-Anything, ie. one pan chicken, brown breasts or thighs (bone out), flip in pan and toss pancetta into the free area of pan, when crispy put on top of chicken, add green beans tiny bit of wine and butter and cover, wait 8mins or so, take all stuff out add bit more wine(or stock) and butter.... Boooooom you're done. Malbec-Red Meat with red meaty compliments and throw some fucking blue cheese on top of that meat
step 4) Essencia Orange Muscat (california) with zabione with fruit
I know certain flavors can complement each other but is "Wine-Paring" is kinda rigid IMO. Just eat/drink what tastes good.
I bought 20 bottles from Mendocino County a few days ago -- Roederer, Navarro, Lazy Creek, Yorkville Cellars. I like to keep it New World because I live in CA. Plus, I pull a 25-33% discount at all the wineries and never pay the tasting fees.
who are you and how can i be down!
a good wine for about $10 is the Liberty School Cabernet. I think they are from Paso Robles and high end wineries like Caymus either sell them excess grapes or buy excess grapes from them. Anyways, that wine is the one wine i always have on hand for everyday drinking. You can also get the more common BV coastal cabernet which runs about $7 a bottle and is passable.
I'm a chef, so I pull an industry discount. I'm about to throw down on a wine fridge because I've made some nice acquisitions and I'm worried about the summer.
If any Bay Area Strutters want to ever go taste, hit me on the PMs. I should mention, though, that my days off from work are usually weekdays, so you may have to take a sick day (it's better to taste during the week anyhow, less people). My discount almost always applies to anyone who rolls into the tasting room with me, which would make you a
damn!!! i hit up napa back in January and hit up Silver Oak (good god damn!!!) Plumpjack (ehhh), Sequoia Grove (solid!), Franciscan (solid), v.Sattui (garbage but they sold meats cheeses and had picnic areas) and Cosentino (we had a free tasting voucher and it was next to the restaurant we had reservations for Mustards Grill but the wine sucked pretty bad)
Im hoping i can hit up the Joseph Phelps, Caymus and Cakebread wineries soon before it gets too hot in Sonoma.
damn!!! i hit up napa back in January and hit up Silver Oak (good god damn!!!) Plumpjack (ehhh), Sequoia Grove (solid!), Franciscan (solid), v.Sattui (garbage but they sold meats cheeses and had picnic areas) and Cosentino (we had a free tasting voucher and it was next to the restaurant we had reservations for Mustards Grill but the wine sucked pretty bad)
Im hoping i can hit up the Joseph Phelps, Caymus and Cakebread wineries soon before it gets too hot in Sonoma.
Co-sign on those assessments, though I've never stopped at Sequoia and can't really remember Franciscan. Don't sleep on Grgich Hills -- it's my favorite winery in the Napa Valley.
I've been all about some Chilean reds these days. Anybody else feel me on this?
I am not all about them, but I liked some of them recently. Best value for money were the Montes ALPHA joints; especially the Syrah. Easily drinkable and you don??t have to store them in the cellar for ages
Comments
THE HELLO KITTY ISSUE CAMUS '98
(contains two red skinnies in a box)
"it was really good"-D.C.
I still have one bottle left...
it seems the napa cabs are unfairly hated on.
kind of like how i hate on the lakers and the yankees.
groth, phelps, jordan, stags leap...
I was wondering if some people could recommend a good wine to have around the house for when people come over and want wine. I'm a grad student, so it's not like most of the people I have over know much about wine. I prefer cab sauv's and pinot noirs myself. I'm also living on a t.a. stipend so bottles less than $15 would be great.
Some of low end Riojas mentioned would be sitting at the $15 mark. For even better value than that you can drink Navarras or Riberas. They're from the areas that border Rioja and grown from similar grapes, but not so well marketed.
I like a good Petite Pinotage myself. A preetty earthy wine.
Sho' you Right...
Or you can go to BR Cohn and look at funny pics of the Doobie Bros. Their white wine balsamic vinegar is
Sounds delicious.
I just copped a bottle of Sherry for Steak Au Poire.
A nice area to get to know is the Rhone Valley (france). Good Value and more importantly, good wine. Go for Red here (white only makes up 3-5% of annual production and is tempermental with no guarantees), the 2 grape, though there are others, to concern yourself with are Syrah (more in the north) and Grenache (south). Syrah can be a medium-full in body and usually has peppery notes with a bit of a tannic (think over steeped tea) finish. Grenache should have you thinking of dark fruits and smooth yacht rock. Grenache I like to recommend that you play around with it in your mouth as the fruit notes vary on the different parts of the palate, and it also has more of a wet feel. These wines are also a crowd pleaser because there are usually multiple focal points that one can pic to enjoy (the finish, the berry flavour, blahblahblah). My pics on the cheap:
Chateau Pesquie (cotes du ventoux) 2003('04 is good too)
Terres Du Levant (cotes du ventoux) 2003
$15ish dollars those are medium bodied (most rhones are) middle of the region wines (40:60 grenache syrah blends)
Clos du Cose 2001 (100% syrah) $20 and is a big 10-4 good buddy
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Mont Redon 2000 (80ish% Grenache) most expensive recommendation $45-50 but it's like Sade was put in a bottle
all of these are in CDN dollars and booze is pricey here so prolly cheaper in your area.
Also get in on the Argentinian Malbec's, good, cheap, decent, like Cab Sauv.
I've been looking into the Duoro Valley for Portugese wines, because Port production is down so much so there are a lot of longterm well tended plots that are now just being pressed for table wines. What a fucking rant, eh? I do this for a living so not being pretentious.
To counter this here is the $100ish wanna get laid, or I'm sorry pairing fun.
step 1) Kir Royal or French Press as apertif
(Kir= 1/4ozCreme-du-Cassis (black currant liquor) and sparkling wine (cordinui Cava=$12/btl) (French Press= 1/2ozPineau des Charentes (cognac sweet wine) and sparkling with twist atop) serve with canapes of melba toast, cream cheese, smoked salmon (or sable fish.... hype), and caper.
step 2) btl Macon Village Chanson (french burgundy chardonnay) is she likes dry
Joie Noble blend (BC) or Pfaffenheim Gwertz (Fr, Alsace) serve with lightly dressed Mesclun salad, or prosciutto, boccocino, basil, halved grape tomatos drizzled with high quality olive oil (pm for hyper baller appies).
step 3) Pinot Noir - Salmon with roasted potatoes green beans, shaved reggiano, EZ
Rhone-Anything, ie. one pan chicken, brown breasts or thighs (bone out), flip in pan and toss pancetta into the free area of pan, when crispy put on top of chicken, add green beans tiny bit of wine and butter and cover, wait 8mins or so, take all stuff out add bit more wine(or stock) and butter.... Boooooom you're done.
Malbec-Red Meat with red meaty compliments and throw some fucking blue cheese on top of that meat
step 4) Essencia Orange Muscat (california) with zabione with fruit
I bought 20 bottles from Mendocino County a few days ago -- Roederer, Navarro, Lazy Creek, Yorkville Cellars. I like to keep it New World because I live in CA. Plus, I pull a 25-33% discount at all the wineries and never pay the tasting fees.
who are you and how can i be down!
a good wine for about $10 is the Liberty School Cabernet. I think they are from Paso Robles and high end wineries like Caymus either sell them excess grapes or buy excess grapes from them. Anyways, that wine is the one wine i always have on hand for everyday drinking. You can also get the more common BV coastal cabernet which runs about $7 a bottle and is passable.
I know certain flavors can complement each other but is "Wine-Paring" is kinda rigid IMO.
Just eat/drink what tastes good.
I'm a chef, so I pull an industry discount. I'm about to throw down on a wine fridge because I've made some nice acquisitions and I'm worried about the summer.
If any Bay Area Strutters want to ever go taste, hit me on the PMs. I should mention, though, that my days off from work are usually weekdays, so you may have to take a sick day (it's better to taste during the week anyhow, less people). My discount almost always applies to anyone who rolls into the tasting room with me, which would make you a
by association.
Im hoping i can hit up the Joseph Phelps, Caymus and Cakebread wineries soon before it gets too hot in Sonoma.
Co-sign on those assessments, though I've never stopped at Sequoia and can't really remember Franciscan. Don't sleep on Grgich Hills -- it's my favorite winery in the Napa Valley.
I checked out this decent blend from Washington state the other night:
Nicholas Cole Cellars Camille 2003
I've been all about some Chilean reds these days. Anybody else feel me on this?
All day baby.
I am not all about them, but I liked some of them recently. Best value for money were the Montes ALPHA joints; especially the Syrah. Easily drinkable and you don??t have to store them in the cellar for ages