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The Wine thread


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7 hours ago, markjazzbassist said:

Figured I would start a wine thread as I’m a bit of a wino.  I will drink most anything but I prefer red wines from South America (Chile and Argentina specifically).  The varietals I enjoy the most are Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.  

 

Any other wine enthusiansts here?

I prefer red as well.  The only white I really like is Sauternes.

Big Burgundy fan.  Every year, me and couple of friends, drive to the same hotel in Nuits-Saint-Georges (six hour drive from where we live) and spend a weekend tasting and buying in the Beaune-area.  I have several Nuits-Saint-Georges, Vosne-Romané, Aloxe-Corton, Pommard and Volnay is my wine-cellar.  

The wines I drink regularly tend to be Rioja and Chianti.   I don't know a lot about the so called New World Wines (Chile, Argentina, South Africa, etc.) but would love to find out more about them.

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Drink red in winter but do enjoy a dry white in summer.

Drink mainly French reds but there are one or two South African and Chile reds which are very good.  I like Crozet Hermitage which is reasonably priced but on special occasions we usually go for the Popes house.

My favourite white is Sancerre but there are some very nice German whites which go down well, chilled, on a summers day.

 

 

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3 hours ago, holystove said:

I prefer red as well.  The only white I really like is Sauternes.

Big Burgundy fan.  Every year, me and couple of friends, drive to the same hotel in Nuits-Saint-Georges (six hour drive from where we live) and spend a weekend tasting and buying in the Beaune-area.  I have several Nuits-Saint-Georges, Vosne-Romané, Aloxe-Corton, Pommard and Volnay is my wine-cellar.  

The wines I drink regularly tend to be Rioja and Chianti.   I don't know a lot about the so called New World Wines (Chile, Argentina, South Africa, etc.) but would love to find out more about them.

Nice!  i'm the exact opposite, i know a lot about new world wines and am just getting into the old world ones.  I've been to Napa valley and Sonoma in California (the 2 largest growing regions) and been on many winery tours and tasting.  It's fantastic.  

 

I find South America wines to finish with a little more spice (i don't mean the seasoning, i mean like spicy food spice) which i love.  It's not a coincidence because latin american countries enjoy spicier food than the US so i'm guessing it just translates to their wine, i love it.  

 

South Africa and Australia are ok, personally i try and avoid them if i can, we get mostly cheap wine from the Aussies here, South Africa is hit and miss for me.

 

As far as old world wines i enjoy a spanish tempranillo every once in a while, but have been trying to get into the French wines, lately it's Cotes du Rhone, which is a blend.  

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This thread just reminded me.  Back in the 1970's when I worked for a Unilever company,  I was on an International Management Course (3 weeks residential) and we were split into syndicates of eight. One of the guys in our eight was a Swiss/German. We got talking about wines and the Swiss/German guy started asking how many bottles we had in our wine cellars. The rest of us all looked at each other, I kept my (single bottle) wine on the kitchen windowsill.  It turned out this guy had a wine cellar with 600 bottles laid down. I still buy my wine one bottle at a time,  that way, I don't drink more than I should.

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57 minutes ago, johnh said:

This thread just reminded me.  Back in the 1970's when I worked for a Unilever company,  I was on an International Management Course (3 weeks residential) and we were split into syndicates of eight. One of the guys in our eight was a Swiss/German. We got talking about wines and the Swiss/German guy started asking how many bottles we had in our wine cellars. The rest of us all looked at each other, I kept my (single bottle) wine on the kitchen windowsill.  It turned out this guy had a wine cellar with 600 bottles laid down. I still buy my wine one bottle at a time,  that way, I don't drink more than I should.

same for me john, i buy 1 at a time.  not to mention i don't have a wine cellar.

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49 minutes ago, johnh said:

This thread just reminded me.  Back in the 1970's when I worked for a Unilever company,  I was on an International Management Course (3 weeks residential) and we were split into syndicates of eight. One of the guys in our eight was a Swiss/German. We got talking about wines and the Swiss/German guy started asking how many bottles we had in our wine cellars. The rest of us all looked at each other, I kept my (single bottle) wine on the kitchen windowsill.  It turned out this guy had a wine cellar with 600 bottles laid down. I still buy my wine one bottle at a time,  that way, I don't drink more than I should.

I have about 50 but have room for a couple 100 more and I hope during the next decades to be able to build up my stock. They keep their value (or increase in value) and great for any special occasion. I look at it as both a hobby and an investment.

I agree with you on German whites. A good Riesling on a hot summer evening is perfection. I ban all rosé wines.

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14 minutes ago, holystove said:

I have about 50 but have room for a couple 100 more and I hope during the next decades to be able to build up my stock. They keep their value (or increase in value) and great for any special occasion. I look at it as both a hobby and an investment.

I agree with you on German whites. A good Riesling on a hot summer evening is perfection. I ban all rosé wines.

if i had the finance and cellar i'd do it too.  you're right they are a great investment.

 

my wife loves Rose, that and sparkling (champagne) are her favorites.  got her into a portuguese white called Vinho Verde which is a little bubbly, it's nice in the summer.

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I rarely drink wine, but I had an experience about forty years ago now which has always stuck with me. Was only a teenager but was "on tour" with an audio visual show which my company had put together for a pharmaceutical company trying to flog a new pain killer to doctors, no expense spared in the schmoozing department by the company in an effort to get the docs to prescribe their product, show we made with stills, video (on three screens) and music really was a thing of beauty called "An Experience in Pain" and featured me on the soundtrack doing a scream representing a wounded soldier in excruciating agony (everyone in the company had a go in the studio and mine was selected as the most "authentic").

Anyway, I digress; one of the shows was at the Metropole Hotel at the NEC in Birmingham which was at the time quite a newly built complex. We were there for three nights and the place had three restaurants; a good one, a very good one and a "don't even think about it on expenses" one. First two nights we ate at the the first but on our last night we decided we needed an upgrade so we went to find the next one up but it was closed for some reason and we managed to stumble into "don't think about it" territory. Absolutely incredible meal followed but the wine connection (you knew I'd get there in the end:P) was that we put ourselves in the hands of the sommelier because we had no clue really. I don't remember what he chose for us but I remember clearly thinking that though I thought I'd had a nice glass of wine or two before this was just the nectar of the Gods, something a million miles from what I'd ever had!

So anyway I know there a good wines and bad ones, but I don't think I'll ever taste anything that good again:(.

Side story is that I was the junior of the three of us that night but it turned out it was my turn to sign for the bill; it was just short of £80 which may not sound much today but in 1978 was a serious sum! Lived in fear for a while waiting to be hauled up by the company directors after a complaint from the client but it never happened, pharmaceutical companies have more money than sense!

(In the next installment I'll tell you how I "invented" the Bloody Mary from my mini-bar in Leicester on the same tour:lol:)  

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In the 1990's a supplier took me and a colleague for lunch at the French Horn in Sonning.  The sommelier brought the (leather bound) wine list.  We noticed that one of the wines was ten grand a bottle.  We asked the sommelier if anyone ever ordered it. He said that since he had been there they had only sold one bottle, to a party of trade unionists.

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54 minutes ago, johnh said:

In the 1990's a supplier took me and a colleague for lunch at the French Horn in Sonning.  The sommelier brought the (leather bound) wine list.  We noticed that one of the wines was ten grand a bottle.  We asked the sommelier if anyone ever ordered it. He said that since he had been there they had only sold one bottle, to a party of trade unionists.

Was it a red😁

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57 minutes ago, johnh said:

In the 1990's a supplier took me and a colleague for lunch at the French Horn in Sonning.  The sommelier brought the (leather bound) wine list.  We noticed that one of the wines was ten grand a bottle.  We asked the sommelier if anyone ever ordered it. He said that since he had been there they had only sold one bottle, to a party of trade unionists.

So how did it taste John:P?

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5 hours ago, Palfy said:

Was it a red😁

@Palfy mate i was hoping you would pop in, i know you like rioja, anything else from spain or elsewhere you would recommend?

 

4 hours ago, rubecula said:

I like most Portuguese wines but the French are easier to buy  I do like a nice Merlot.  Not yet tried a british wine.

 

i didn't realize you could make wine in england.  thought the weather was too rough.  

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5 hours ago, markjazzbassist said:

@Palfy mate i was hoping you would pop in, i know you like rioja, anything else from spain or elsewhere you would recommend?

 

i didn't realize you could make wine in england.  thought the weather was too rough.  

Think Cornwall has some vineyards 

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6 hours ago, markjazzbassist said:

@Palfy mate i was hoping you would pop in, i know you like rioja, anything else from spain or elsewhere you would recommend?

 

i didn't realize you could make wine in england.  thought the weather was too rough.  

 

1 hour ago, Matt said:

Think Cornwall has some vineyards 

Have one just down the road from us...

http://yearlstone.co.uk/

There's a difference between English wine and British wine though; English is made here from our own grapes whereas British is made from imported grape concentrate.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/aug/26/british-english-uk-wines-confuse

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52 minutes ago, MikeO said:

 

Have one just down the road from us...

http://yearlstone.co.uk/

There's a difference between English wine and British wine though; English is made here from our own grapes whereas British is made from imported grape concentrate.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/aug/26/british-english-uk-wines-confuse

My mistake I thought it was the other way around

 

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interesting, yeah i mean you can make wine in cleveland but it's super sweet because it's too cold and not temperate enough.  you can't grow the dry reds.  so yes technically it's wine, just not stuff i'd drink.  hence why i thought there wouldn't be much market in england.

 

@pete0 it may be 30 from france but not 30 miles from the growing regions, those are down south in france.

 

@MikeO interesting distinction there.  in california it's estate grown (use their own grapes) versus buying grapes on the open market and using those.  although it's such a big industry out there it's not concentrate, they're fresh, so even cheap wines are decent.

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1 hour ago, markjazzbassist said:

...even cheap wines are decent.

It's like that where we stay in Greece, we're surrounded by endless grapevines and olive trees and everyone makes their own wine and olive oil. Not all the wines are great obviously but you can get a litre bottle from around €2 and some are lovely.

Worst wine I ever tasted was a local bottle on Malta, it came free with a meal at an otherwise excellent restaurant and was called Festa, it tasted like it had been festering for some time:unsure:.

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4 hours ago, MikeO said:

It's like that where we stay in Greece, we're surrounded by endless grapevines and olive trees and everyone makes their own wine and olive oil. Not all the wines are great obviously but you can get a litre bottle from around €2 and some are lovely.

Worst wine I ever tasted was a local bottle on Malta, it came free with a meal at an otherwise excellent restaurant and was called Festa, it tasted like it had been festering for some time:unsure:.

Some of the best house red I've had is in a locals restaurant in Vale da Lobo Portugal it doesn't come in a bottle they pour it out a cask into 1.5 - 2 litre pitchers it's cheap as chips and drinks really well there's normally 8 of us lads on a golf trip and no one ever leaves there sober.

But my biggest passion is for Rioja I've drank loads of wines and have really enjoyed a lot of them but I've never found anything that suits my taste more than a really good Rioja.

The dearest bottle of Rioja I've bought was in a restaurant in Borough Market London called Roast when I ordered it I was thinking shit this is mental, but when I took the first sip I was like wow I'm so pleased I bought it, just reminiscing about it brings the joy back I felt at the time that's what wine can do in the right moment.

 

 

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6 hours ago, markjazzbassist said:

interesting, yeah i mean you can make wine in cleveland but it's super sweet because it's too cold and not temperate enough.  you can't grow the dry reds.  so yes technically it's wine, just not stuff i'd drink.  hence why i thought there wouldn't be much market in england.

 

@pete0 it may be 30 from france but not 30 miles from the growing regions, those are down south in france.

 

@MikeO interesting distinction there.  in california it's estate grown (use their own grapes) versus buying grapes on the open market and using those.  although it's such a big industry out there it's not concentrate, they're fresh, so even cheap wines are decent.

Mark we make some of the best sparkling wine's in Europe we are winning gold medals for our sparkling wine's, beating the French Champagne's the Italian Prosecco's and the Spanish Cava's.

The reason being our climate in southern England is perfect for the white grapes it's near on the same as the Champagne region in France, but all the so called experts are saying our climate is now slightly better that's why our wines are winning so many medals, but the only downside is they are doubling in price because of the market adulation.

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26 minutes ago, Palfy said:

Mark we make some of the best sparkling wine's in Europe we are winning gold medals for our sparkling wine's, beating the French Champagne's the Italian Prosecco's and the Spanish Cava's.

The reason being our climate in southern England is perfect for the white grapes it's near on the same as the Champagne region in France, but all the so called experts are saying our climate is now slightly better that's why our wines are winning so many medals, but the only downside is they are doubling in price because of the market adulation.

interesting, the colder regions do well for the sweet wines, the local wines to me are all very sweet (i don't like sweet wines, dryer the better for me).

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28 minutes ago, markjazzbassist said:

interesting, the colder regions do well for the sweet wines, the local wines to me are all very sweet (i don't like sweet wines, dryer the better for me).

I had a week in San Francisco about six years ago had some great food and wines, from memory I wanted to go on a wine tour it was on the Oakland side of the Bay my cousin who I was with had no interest so it didn't happen.

From there we went to Vancouver Island to see our relations one of them had done a tour of the vineyards and wine houses I'm sure they said that was the Napa Valley she said we should have gone if just for the scenery.

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34 minutes ago, Palfy said:

I had a week in San Francisco about six years ago had some great food and wines, from memory I wanted to go on a wine tour it was on the Oakland side of the Bay my cousin who I was with had no interest so it didn't happen.

From there we went to Vancouver Island to see our relations one of them had done a tour of the vineyards and wine houses I'm sure they said that was the Napa Valley she said we should have gone if just for the scenery.

yeah i've been to napa, did a week there when i graduated college (gift from my parents/aunt and uncle, they were with me).  stunningly beautiful scenery, amazing wines and food.  we hired a driver so we wouldn't have to drive, and my aunt lived in that region so she was well versed, says to the driver "just take us to the wineries that you personally drink and buy from".  he took us to places that were just unbelievable, some had already sold out of wine to buy, just had some for tasting they were so well renowned.  i've talked to friends and most go to the "name" places, i'm glad we went a different route, when the local driver is leaving places with a bottle in hand (and he's been to them all), you know you're at a good spot.

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34 minutes ago, markjazzbassist said:

yeah i've been to napa, did a week there when i graduated college (gift from my parents/aunt and uncle, they were with me).  stunningly beautiful scenery, amazing wines and food.  we hired a driver so we wouldn't have to drive, and my aunt lived in that region so she was well versed, says to the driver "just take us to the wineries that you personally drink and buy from".  he took us to places that were just unbelievable, some had already sold out of wine to buy, just had some for tasting they were so well renowned.  i've talked to friends and most go to the "name" places, i'm glad we went a different route, when the local driver is leaving places with a bottle in hand (and he's been to them all), you know you're at a good spot.

Sounds amazing mate I definitely missed a trick there, think for me the moral of story is don't go near a wine region with a Geordie Brown Ale drinker.

I'm planning to go back one day with the wife she hates reds but loves her whites, so should get to go round the wineries.

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2 hours ago, johnh said:

Was my birthday on St Patrick's day (it was last year as well, funny that) Got a crate of half-a-dozen Crozet Hermitage, one of my favourites.  Should last me till  the week-end.:D

Only four hours left John.....pass me a glass and I'll assist!

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