All-Purpose Wine Thread - anyone interested?

[Hustle]

My wife charged me with buying wine for a very small shindig we had tonight. She said our friends that were dropping by are chardonnay drinkers, and I should find a 'light' chardonnay for all to enjoy - no intense oak flavor or anything.

So at Total Wine, they have a tasting area. The woman recommends Gumdale from Australia. I take a sample and I have to say, damn, it was pretty good. And the price is right, too: $7 a bottle. So I take two of them home.

Those two and a pair of pinot gris: Oregon-made Big Fire, which I've pimped several times on here, and California-made Pepi. My wife didn't much care for Pepi, which is why I ended up drinking most of the bottle myself. (Hey, I'm a well-rounded drinker.)

And perhaps that's why I ended up starting this thread...

 

[Write-brained]

Here's the best advice I can give from the most knowledgable person I know on the subject of good affordable wine: You can never go wrong with Robert Mondavi, especially Woodbridge. It's good **** and it makes a perfect gift when you're invited to someone's house for dinner.

I have absolutely nothing else to offer on this thread, except pinot grigio is pretty good but I just realized I don't know how to spell it.

 

[Hustle]

You spelled it right, so long as you know there's a difference between pinot grigio (Italian) and pinot gris (American and everwhere else).

And I've never had Woodbridge (kinda ironic), as I tend to pick things with more flashy labels (like, say, Twin Fin).

 

[Write-brained]

You spelled it right, so long as you know there's a difference between pinot grigio (Italian) and pinot gris (American and everwhere else).

And I've never had Woodbridge (kinda ironic), as I tend to pick things with more flashy labels (like, say, Twin Fin).

The flashy label **** is never as good as the label ... I tried that cool-looking stuff with the kangaroo on the bottle - shabazz? - and it was awful.

 

[spnited]

The best point you made Hustle is how good the people at TotalWine are at recommending good, inexpensive wines.
And I'll repeat what I've said before... The Francis Coppola wines are very good for the price. In fact, I've ben commissioned to stop by Total Wine and pick up some Coppolas for Mother's Day dinner at my sister's.

 

[ServeItUp]

Writer's Block Pinot Noir went down nice and smooth earlier this month. The Zinfandel, not so much. I'm no expert and liking that stuff probably makes me a Grade-A philistine but all that matters is it tastes good.

 

[Tommy_Dreamer]

If anybody orders Merlot, I'm leaving! I AM NOT DRINKING ANY ****ING MERLOT!

 

[Webster]

In the immortal words of Vito Corleone, I drink more wine than I used to. We have a collection of about 150 bottles, almost all California reds.

I agree that the Coppola wines are pretty good -- the Claret with the black label is an excellent deal for about $15. Aussie reds are still a great deal - they have such a huge supply, even for a nation of drunks. You can find very good wines for $12 or less.

 

[slappy4428]

One of the advantages of Costco is being able to buy good wine at less than 10 bucks a bottle. I've got a 24-bottle wine rack filled -- then some.
Found that I like Australian -- especially Penfolds blend -- and hate Peruvian wines.
When I'm actually awake, I'll prowl and look.
There's a dry white Rioja with a screw off top (dont laugh) for 6 bucks from Spain ( I think) that's pretty good.

 

[Moderator1]

Because of health issues, my wife can't drink reds. So we stick to white. You can get lots of good stuff for less than 10 a bottle, though my definition of good is probably much different than anyone who actually knows anything.

My sister served a ger-vas-something or other last time we were at her place that was ridiculous. So I try to find some of that every time I'm sent to buy. Can't say it, can't spell it, I just look for the long G word.

Aussie wines are very good. Produced much cheaper than wines here.

 

[93Devil]

Looking at the totally other end of the spectrum...

http://www.bumwine.com/

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed reading the reviews written by these guys.

"Our research shows that Cisco is actually the second best tasting of the five great bum wines, especially if you're having one of those hankerings for cheap Vodka, Jello and Robitussin."

And every one of these, with the exception of Night Train has passed through my lips at one point or another in my life.

Oh, TotalWine is one of my favorite stores.

I tend to like the sweet German beers myself.

 

[Dyno]

My sister served a ger-vas-something or other last time we were at her place that was ridiculous. So I try to find some of that every time I'm sent to buy. Can't say it, can't spell it, I just look for the long G word.

Gewürztraminer?

 

[HejiraHenry]

Slappy is on to a good point. Unlike a lot of things in life, you can get a fine bottle of wine at a budget price.

But you do have to know what you're doing.

And, especially with whites, it pays to study a little on the best temperatures for serving.

At most restaurants, my wife and I are accustomed to having whites brought to the table ice cold. Which, generally, is wrong.

The other night, at a favorite place, they brought us the bottle of white we'd ordered – a Piesporter, a kind of dry Riesling – at just about the perfect temp. Cool, not cold. It had started to open up nicely for us.

I used to think all that stuff about "nose" was b.s., but the wife and I took a little wine class in 2001 – it met on the evening of Sept. 11, because we weren't going to let the terrorists win! – and it's made all the difference.

 

[slappy4428]

Here's two... if you can find them at Costco it's cheap; f not it's still going to be inexpensive.

Marques de Caceres, dry white Rioja... like 5.99 a bottle; they make a red, Crianza for about 8.99
Penfold's Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet, like 8.99 a bottle.

Also Whole Foods and World MArket have very good, cheap wines.
HRM Rex Goliath California Pinot Grigio 2006, and Carignan Very Old Wins (red) are good too.

Lot of trial and error (run away from Panarnoz Jumilla), but you can find good stuff

 

[John]

I've slowly developed a taste for red wine, but most whites still taste like vinegar to me.

Just about the only time I drink wine is when I'm visiting my parents, who must have more than 300 bottles -- mostly expensive reds.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

:D :D :D

 

[Moderator1]

My sister served a ger-vas-something or other last time we were at her place that was ridiculous. So I try to find some of that every time I'm sent to buy. Can't say it, can't spell it, I just look for the long G word.

Gewürztraminer?

Yeah, that's it. Unpronouncable. But good.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

The Willm Bros. white wines from Alsace are very good at not too expensive ($10.99 a bottle here in Mass. where it's more expensive by about a buck than most places). Pinot Blanc, Reisling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, all very good for your summer fish cookery.

 

[JR]

If you'd like a good inexpensive everyday red, see if your local wine stores carries Quartana Montepulciano dAbruzzo by Spinelli. It's regularly rated as one of the best buy under $10.00 and like a lof ot Italian reds, represents far better value than a lot of domestic (North American) reds.

 

[expendable]

:D :D :D

That **** gives white zin a good name. :-X