The Wine Thread

[RedFinn]

I've developed a bit of an interest in wine in the last year or so, probably budding more or less simultaneously along with my interest in cooking.

I mostly just Google around for top picks under $30, and then see which ones are available at the liquor store. Last Christmas I had a reasonably nice experience drinking a Riesling (Hardys Stamp Riesling Gewurztraminer, from Australia) with some sushi (california rolls), until the bottle got too warm from being out of the fridge, because I has the dumb. Like when I went out and bought several bottles of wine for my cabinet without realizing that Shiraz and Syrah are the same thing.

I got a deal on a bunch of prime rib roasts that are currently sitting in the freezer, so over the next few months I should be able to open up some of my Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz to pair with the beef. Over the holidays I'll probably end up dropping $200-300 on a bunch of bottles in the aforementioned price range that are currently on my list.

The only problem is that I always end up drinking a lot less than I think I will. Like, I've opened two bottles of wine in the last year or so.

[AaronM]

My wife and I recently started getting into wine when we discovered that sweeter wines exist. My wife enjoys Moscato D'Asti, and I like anything similar to Stella Rosa (Rosso, Red Reserve). A relative got us a bottle of some super bubbly wine (D'Aquino Gaetano Vino Spumante Dolce) that tasted more like apples than grape, and I enjoyed that too.

I've tasted some samplers at HEB of non-sweet wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, which tasted like it would go well with something like steak, but I don't think I could get through a bottle of that within 48 hours, and my wife won't touch that stuff. Maybe we'll have more sophisticated wine taste buds someday...

[RedFinn]

Local liquor stores just had a big release of Bordeaux 2014 wines. I've been looking at some of the cheaper Bordeaux wines, wondering whether to buy some, but part of me doesn't see much point in trying to act like a snob at this stage. It seems more reasonable to me to buy a bunch of $10-30 wines (that are reasonably well regarded) and develop some experience and taste, rather than buy fewer $40-50 bottles, just because they're Bordeaux.

They're also doing a high-end spirit release in a couple weeks. George T. Stagg, or several bottles of wine? Hmm...

[cgeorg]

Bordeaux is pretty cool. You can get a similar profile as a good Bordeaux in a Chateauneuf du Pape, for less than a comparable Bordeaux, though still more than most non-wine people would pay for a wine. Similar to Chateauneuf du Pape is Gigondas, which can be difficult to find, but for $30 you can get quality similar to, say, a $70 Bordeaux/$50 Chateauneuf du Pape.

[Allentown]

Caveat: I can reliably tell the difference between red and white wine. That's it.

Ever do blind taste testing with wine? Similar styles across a price range kind of thing?

[cgeorg]

I've done more blind tasting of beer than wine, but yes, a bit. Nothing with the black glasses or anything. A very useful thing I did once was an event at BV where they had 20 different things that are often flavor descriptors for wine in their own glasses, once by themselves and once with some pinot noir. After learning a bit and sniffing our way through those, we got pours of various wines from their collection to describe. It was fun writing down first impressions, then heading over to the reference glasses to verify, for instance, American vs. French oak.

[cwd]

I drink box wine.

Not because I want to get drunk cheap, but because I'm the only wine drinker in the house, and box wine doesn't go bad after being opened.

A bottle of decent merlot gives me one good glass (two if I'm drinking heavily for me), then 3-4 more that are progressively more vinegary on subsequent days.

I find that box wine comes in two levels of quality -- shit and boring. The boring costs more, but is drinkable. And still cheap compared to good stuff.

[Hanley]

I drink box wine.

Not because I want to get drunk cheap, but because I'm the only wine drinker in the house, and box wine doesn't go bad after being opened.

A bottle of decent merlot gives me one good glass (two if I'm drinking heavily for me), then 3-4 more that are progressively more vinegary on subsequent days.

I find that box wine comes in two levels of quality -- shit and boring. The boring costs more, but is drinkable. And still cheap compared to good stuff.

My wife and I drink box wine too.

I'm fine with boring. Boring seems to switch to not-so-boring around $30/bottle, then from not-so-boring to startlingly good around $100/bottle. No way I'm paying $30 for not-so-boring...and I can't imagine spending $100 on a single bottle of wine.

[RedFinn]

Ever do blind taste testing with wine? Similar styles across a price range kind of thing?

I haven't, but I think passing a test like this would be a requirement for me to start spending bigger bucks ($30+) per bottle. If I can't tell the difference (and prefer the more expensive wine), then I might as well buy cheaper stuff.

[Allentown]

I drink box wine.

Not because I want to get drunk cheap, but because I'm the only wine drinker in the house, and box wine doesn't go bad after being opened.

A bottle of decent merlot gives me one good glass (two if I'm drinking heavily for me), then 3-4 more that are progressively more vinegary on subsequent days.

I find that box wine comes in two levels of quality -- shit and boring. The boring costs more, but is drinkable. And still cheap compared to good stuff.

My wife and I drink box wine too.

I'm fine with boring. Boring seems to switch to not-so-boring around $30/bottle, then from not-so-boring to startlingly good around $100/bottle. No way I'm paying $30 for not-so-boring...and I can't imagine spending $100 on a single bottle of wine.

Eh, it seems among people without some sort of formal wine training during a blind taste test there is a slight inverse correlation between price and preference. So buy the $10 bottle and TELL people you spent $50. They will like it better than the bottle you spent $30 on. When I read about that a few years ago was when I decided I needed to be doing blind taste testing with beer, too. Paste magazine has been doing a lot of that as well, and it's fun to see.

[Allentown]

Ever do blind taste testing with wine? Similar styles across a price range kind of thing?

I haven't, but I think passing a test like this would be a requirement for me to start spending bigger bucks ($30+) per bottle. If I can't tell the difference (and prefer the more expensive wine), then I might as well buy cheaper stuff.

Give it a shot! It's a fun thing to do with 4-6 other people. Get everyone to bring their favorite bottle of... uh... malbec? That's a wine, right? Then provide a super cheap and the most expensive bottle you are willing to shell out for. Bring your own glasses, you'll need a glass per bottle per person.

Rotate hosting, that way you get to try a $50 bottle of something else next time without having to pay for it every time.

[cwd]

I can tell the difference between better-quality box wine and a decent $10-15 bottled wine.
The box wine is generally sweeter and less oaky (speaking of my preferred reds here).

I'm not sure I can actually tell $15 from $30+ wine, as I'm too cheap to drink the good stuff except on expense-account shindigs. And then I'm not being objective.

[Allentown]

I can tell the difference between better-quality box wine and a decent $10-15 bottled wine.
The box wine is generally sweeter and less oaky (speaking of my preferred reds here).

I'm not sure I can actually tell $15 from $30+ wine, as I'm too cheap to drink the good stuff except on expense-account shindigs. And then I'm not being objective.

Back to back blind testing?

[cwd]

Back to back blind testing?

No, but my current box of Merlot is pretty damn sweet and bland. I suppose some $15 bottled Merlots could be this sweet and bland, but I'd not think highly of them either.

Btw, the big [!] button right next to the ["] button *nearly* made me report Allentown's post to The Authorities. I wonder if it needs to be that big...

[Allentown]

Back to back blind testing?

No, but my current box of Merlot is pretty damn sweet and bland. I suppose some $15 bottled Merlots could be this sweet and bland, but I'd not think highly of them either.

Btw, the big [!] button right next to the ["] button *nearly* made me report Allentown's post to The Authorities. I wonder if it needs to be that big...

You'll get a stern warning informing you that reporting posts is a waste of time.

[DoctorWho]

Here is advice that worked for me. My wife let my kids (then in single digit ages) pick out some red wine. Plunger Head, Fat Bastard (that was daring and dangerous to an elementary schooler), Red Truck. All cheap and never figured out whether its any good, but we keep buying it for sentimental reasons.

[DoctorWho]

Back to back blind testing?

No, but my current box of Merlot is pretty damn sweet and bland. I suppose some $15 bottled Merlots could be this sweet and bland, but I'd not think highly of them either.

Btw, the big [!] button right next to the ["] button *nearly* made me report Allentown's post to The Authorities. I wonder if it needs to be that big...

There's a report button??!!?? my god. who do I start with and where will I find the time?

[Hanley]

There's a report button??!!?? my god. who do I start with and where will I find the time?

I think I've accidentally reported people. Sorry if I did!

[DoctorWho]

There's a report button??!!?? my god. who do I start with and where will I find the time?

I think I've accidentally reported people. Sorry if I did!

I feel you, unless it was that box-wine-drinking ohioan (pronounced like a Michigan fan would) reasonable cwd. He really deserves to be reported for something. Just haven't figured out what yet.

[Allentown]

There's a report button??!!?? my god. who do I start with and where will I find the time?

I think I've accidentally reported people. Sorry if I did!

I feel you, unless it was that box-wine-drinking ohioan (pronounced like a Michigan fan would) reasonable cwd. He really deserves to be reported for something. Just haven't figured out what yet.

But... I'm not a Michigan fan. I root for the in-state rival that beat them 8 of the last 10.