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The Wine Thread

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knapplc

knapplc

Nebraska is a Volleyball school
I've been an avid drinker of wines for about ten years now. We lived just south of San Francisco during the dot-com boom of the late 90s, and after a while I picked up the wine habit. Reds, Whites, you name it, I drink it.

I started off with Merlots, then transitioned into Cabs, really heavy with the more tannins the better. That lasted for several years, and now in the last few years I've transitioned almost all the way over to exclusively drinking whites. These days I really dig Sauvignon Blanc, but I also dig Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, you name it.

I'll drink the occasional red still, usually a chianti or a red zin (spicy!), but mostly if I have reds these days it's for cooking.

Last October Lincoln got its first Trader Joe's, and I've since fallen in love with their Charles Shaw "two-buck chuck," which retails here for $2.99. It's cheap, it's tasty, and it goes as well in a sauce as in the glass.

I've heard lots of folks talking about Malbec but I've never tried it. Anyone have any suggestions of a Malbec that you've enjoyed?

Any favorite regions? Most people have had California wines or French/Italian wines. Has anyone here gotten into Chilean wines? They're making some really good stuff down there these days, and it comes cheap now while they're trying to break into the American market.
 
knapplc;1942610; said:
I've been an avid drinker of wines for about ten years now. We lived just south of San Francisco during the dot-com boom of the late 90s, and after a while I picked up the wine habit. Reds, Whites, you name it, I drink it.

I've heard lots of folks talking about Malbec but I've never tried it. Anyone have any suggestions of a Malbec that you've enjoyed?

Any favorite regions? Most people have had California wines or French/Italian wines. Has anyone here gotten into Chilean wines? They're making some really good stuff down there these days, and it comes cheap now while they're trying to break into the American market.
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I believe I mentioned the Malbec, sir. (have to keep up protocol in the wine thread) My favorite is the Concha y Toro Frontera. You can get the big bottle in supermarkets around here for eleven dollars. I'll get a better bottle on occasion, but it really is better than most.

Concha y Toro is from Chile, and all of their Frontera wines, white or red are above average. I can't justify spending more on wine that isn't much better, if at all.

The one wine I'll go big on is Spanish Tempranillo. It's actually a Cabernet Sauvignon Tempranillo, so it's pretty powerful. Spanish Quarter is a good one to try, but if I'm ever at a tapas restaurant, I break the bank.
 
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I'm a big fan of inexpensive wines. You can spend a lot of money on wine that isn't worth it. I think I've spent more than $15 on a bottle of wine five times in the past year, tops. And those have been when I have guests.

I'll have to try a Malbec. What do you pair it with?
 
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I like reds.

And greens, and the yellows are ok.

maddog.jpg
 
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Apache;1942670; said:
Shiraz.....Australian is one of my faves!
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They make great Shiraz there, don't they? I've been drinking Rosemount for years, but it's been a while since I had one. They won several gold medals for their 2007 or 2008. And it was a bargain wine - you could pick it up at most any grocery store for under ten bucks. Penfolds also makes a fine Shiraz.
 
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knapplc;1942628; said:
I'm a big fan of inexpensive wines. You can spend a lot of money on wine that isn't worth it. I think I've spent more than $15 on a bottle of wine five times in the past year, tops. And those have been when I have guests.

I'll have to try a Malbec. What do you pair it with?
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I really think Malbec pairs well with lots of foods. You can't really go wrong with red meat, roasted/smoked chicken, or any dish with marinara. It is an excellent wine with pizza.
 
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knapplc;1942628; said:
I'm a big fan of inexpensive wines. You can spend a lot of money on wine that isn't worth it. I think I've spent more than $15 on a bottle of wine five times in the past year, tops. And those have been when I have guests.

I'll have to try a Malbec. What do you pair it with?
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While living in Berkeley in the mid 70s I developed a taste for some local table red -- something on the order of $5 a gallon -- that's gallon as in four quarts.

So I'm in my favorite store -- Telegraph Wine and Liquors -- and the guy says, "hey, while you're buying that get one of those bottles out of the barrel. Really great buy."

I look and there in a huge wooden barrel rests the close out bottles of an Almaden Cab from 1958. I give up the 3 bucks, come home, steam some artichokes, put a couple of nice steaks on the grill, sautee onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and zucchini and open the Almaden and let it breath.

So incredibly smooth, just a great glass of wine. We finish the meal and decide we should try a bit of the gallon jug just to make a comparison.

Terrible idea.

We almost spit the stuff out and gag. That damn bottle of vintage cab ruined our taste buds for what we could afford to drink for a week.

Right now I'm a fan of DEBS, a store right across the river in KY that specializes in buying up close outs and then moving them out at great prices.
2 for 10, $60 for a case. Problem is that when you find something you really like you have to move on it NOW or it's gone forever. This past month it's been three reds, pinot noir, syrrah and cab from Motos Liberty, an off shot of Franzia in Sonoma and very drinkable.

I'm a white fan during the summer, but for me many California whites, especially the chardoneys, have really over done it on the fat, buttery side or the fruit salad in a bottle side. Just doesn't appeal to me. I remember the older styles, when chardoney was a crisp, light taste a bit on the flinty side like a good white burgundy.
 
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cincibuck;1942704; said:
I'm a white fan during the summer, but for me many California whites, especially the chardoneys, have really over done it on the fat, buttery side or the fruit salad in a bottle side. Just doesn't appeal to me. I remember the older styles, when chardoney was a crisp, light taste a bit on the flinty side like a good white burgundy.
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Yeah, it's kind of a bummer that Montrachet is so pricey.

I don't have brands off the top of my head, but, unoaked Chardonnay is getting pretty popular... at least to the point that you should be able to find it in a decent wine store or large grocery. IIRC, if you can find some Dry Creek Valley (Sonoma), stylistically it's probably pretty close to what you're looking for--even without the oak. And likely has not gone through an intentional malolactic fermentation (which causes the buttery flavor/fatty mouthfeel).
 
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