What wine are you drinking? Summer 2009

[dean_martin]

why, oh why?

The French painter G. Massias produced this bicycle advertising poster in 1895. A wine with a label featuring the poster has been banned from sale in the state of Alabama because it features a person "posed in an immodest or sensuous manner."

[Dramiel McHinson]

For these hot daze in Bama I like a V. Sattui Gamay Rouge or St. Christopher Piesporter Riesling Auslese. Both are light, fruity, sweet, but not too sweet, and no over abundances of tannins, acid, or oak. For the barbecue I like just about anything old vine zin. The youngsters seem like a basket of berries and the older ones seem to take on a stewed fruit and spice taste with an earthyness. I don't know where that comes from. Maybe I should wash my glass more often.

Thanx Josh for the great tour!

[Dramiel McHinson]

why, oh why?

The French painter G. Massias produced this bicycle advertising poster in 1895. A wine with a label featuring the poster has been banned from sale in the state of Alabama because it features a person "posed in an immodest or sensuous manner."

I live in North Alabama and feel your pain. Right next to a liquor store on highway 72 is a large billboard that has an advertisement for a strip club next to an invitation to worship from the local church. However, in all three of these establishments, I am protected from obscene materials made immortal by the worlds great artists plastered on fine wines. Of course, in the tattoo parlor strategically located next to the liquor store, one can have their anal cleft tattooed to make it more presentable to the discerning public. We aim to please. In moderation of course.

You just can't make this stuff up.

[Attila]

I had a California Reisling the other night that was most excellent despite its very silly name. Kung Fu Girl.

[Josh]

I had a California Reisling the other night that was most excellent despite its very silly name. Kung Fu Girl.

[Sijan]

Lots of whites and roses, of course. Mostly Sauv. Blanc-based whites from New Zealand and Touraine (Loire Vallley). Some riesling as well, but not any of the heavier spatlese/auslese. Provencal and French roses. Some Virginia cheapies.

I am really enjoying a very cheap semi-sweet Riesling from Washington, the 2007 Snoqualmie Riesling Winemaker's Select. Was able to get it for $6/bottle from Wal-Mart. Wine Spectator gave it 88 pts and selected it as a Best Value. Indeed!

Also some lighter reds - Beaujolais (Gamay) and Pinot Noir. Also had a bottle of 2000 Ch. Laroque (St. Emilion) last week with filet mignon and it was excellent.

We have also been opening some of the wines from our honeymoon in Catalunya and Southern France, so the odd bottle from Penedes, Priorat/Montsant, Les Baux, Costieres-de-Nimes, and the S. Rhone.

[camduncan]

We're not exactly drinking wine per se, but ports and muscats from several Australian Granite Belt wineries (A 3 hour drive west.) Our favourites by far are Bellandean Estate Liqueur Muscat, Heritage Estate Moonshine Madness, Rumbalara Impi Cream and just about every port from the region that we open... Every time we visit the area, we come home with about 3 dozen bottles.

[Sijan]

We're not exactly drinking wine per se, but ports and muscats from several Australian Granite Belt wineries (A 3 hour drive west.) Our favourites by far are Bellandean Estate Liqueur Muscat, Heritage Estate Moonshine Madness, Rumbalara Impi Cream and just about every port from the region that we open... Every time we visit the area, we come home with about 3 dozen bottles.

[mier]

For the latest tasting i did for some customers i had the following wines

As entry-Antech de Limoux brut 2007 sparkling white France.

As 2nd-Montespina verdejo-viura white 2008 Spain.

As 3td- Tohu sauvignon blanc white 2008 New Zealand.

As 4th-Luis Canas Rioja(85% viura)barrel fermented 2006 white Spain.

As 5th- Tohu merlot red 2007 New Zealand.

As 6th-Corte Ibla nero d`àvola-cabernet sauvignon 2005 red Sicily italy.

As 7th-Luis F Edwards Dona Bernarda private collection 2005 blend Chile.

Getting paid for drinking wine ah i love my job though sometimes pretty exhausting.

Eric.

[Josh]

For the latest tasting i did for some customers i had the following wines

As entry-Antech de Limoux brut 2007 sparkling white France.

As 2nd-Montespina verdejo-viura white 2008 Spain.

As 3td- Tohu sauvignon blanc white 2008 New Zealand.

As 4th-Luis Canas Rioja(85% viura)barrel fermented 2006 white Spain.

As 5th- Tohu merlot red 2007 New Zealand.

As 6th-Corte Ibla nero d`àvola-cabernet sauvignon 2005 red Sicily italy.

As 7th-Luis F Edwards Dona Bernarda private collection 2005 blend Chile.

Getting paid for drinking wine ah i love my job though sometimes pretty exhausting.

Eric.

[smokinjoe]

I'm not much of a wine drinker, but I felt like going with a white for dinner yesterday. I had been gifted a bottle of Las Brisas white wine, from a guest of our Cinco de Mayo party this year. It's been in the fridge, so I pulled it out. Very enjoyable wine. Crisp, clean, with nice citrus notes. Went very well with the Red Curry scallops. This would be a bottle I might buy for another occasion.

[bonneamie]

While in Northern Michigan over the weekend we went to a local winery for a tasting and I ended up buying one bottle. I think on the whole I won't be buying any more wine from this particular place (it's not a winery anywhere near Traverse City). The whites were totally unremarkable and the red I bought had a smokey flavor (reminded me of Josh's bacon infused bourbon) that was interesting at the sampling, but not so interesting for a full glass.

[Joshua]

Regarding the Kung Fu Girl, it's from the same folks as Holy Cow. They're changing the Holy Cow (I think that's it?) name to something else... they're from Washington if I remember right and surprisingly good. We got some in Kansas for about $10 a bottle, up here it's a bit more.

I enjoy it

[Josh]

Last night finished off a bottle of Veranda Rose from Chateau Thomas Winery in Plainfield, IN (just off I 70). Great restaurant nearby too. The Coachman. Get the Pork Tenderloin, fried.:grin:

When we visited this winery I didn't really care for it. Nice tasting room, lots of wines available for tasting (almost too many). But no estate wines, no native varieties, hardly even any Euro-American hybrids. Most of the wines seemed to lack distinction too.

This was one of the few I liked, and it took some breathing, but it's a well executed semi-dry rose. Great with food.

[Phantos]

Regarding the Kung Fu Girl, it's from the same folks as Holy Cow. They're changing the Holy Cow (I think that's it?) name to something else... they're from Washington if I remember right and surprisingly good. We got some in Kansas for about $10 a bottle, up here it's a bit more.

I enjoy it

yeah, that's all Charles Smith juice and good.

They do things the French way.

I'm a fan.

Tried the Charles & Charles rose yet?

Pretty killer.

[Josh]

Yesterday shared a bottle of Domaine Barrien's Wolf Prairie Red with my wife and a friend of ours. Domaine Barrien is a really unique winery. It's just a few miles from Chicago on the Lake Michigan shore in SW Michigan. Unlike most Michigan wine-makers who focus on German/Alsatian whites, they specialize in estate-grown reds and do a damn good job.

Few days before that I finished off a bottle of White Spings (Seneca Lake) 2007 Gewüztraminer. Really good. Fruity and spicey, great with food. Good summer pour.

[Jono]

Tonight I am enjoying Guenoc 2007 N Coast "Victorian Claret" ...a CA burgundy...a red blend...but very good.

http://www.thewinebuyer.com/sku48205.html

[Josh]

Tonight I am enjoying Guenoc 2007 N Coast "Victorian Claret" ...a CA burgundy...a red blend...but very good.

http://www.thewinebuyer.com/sku48205.html

Looks good Jono.

Just finished two bottles today and opened another. Finished a bottle of Royal Rose from Seneca Shore Winery near Penn Yann, NY. Nice fairly dry rose with a good foxy Catawba touch. Everything we got there was very good for the money, despite the cheesy medieval theme of the place.

Also finished a bottle of 2003 Markham Cab Sauv (Napa) that was left by a mustachioed friend who stopped by Saturday evening.

Just opened a bottle of Vignoles Ice Wine from Wagner Winery/Brewery on Seneca Lake. The some of the beers were good and most of the wines were mediocre. But this ice wine, wow. Like biting into a ripe pear, but sweeter. It was affordable too, for an ice.

[Sijan]

Had a bottle of the 2005 Barboursville Octagon, 8th Edition last night with dinner at Clyde's in Tysons Corner. Their price on the bottle is actually slightly less than the $40 retail - no idea why. The wine is made by the Barboursville Vineyards near Charlottesville, Virginia and is a merlot-based meritage-style blend.

The name Octagon comes from the Barboursville ruins on the winery grounds, designed by Thomas Jefferson for his friend James Barbour, governor of Virginia. The mansion burned down in on Christmas Day in 1884 and only the octagon-shaped brickwork remains.

I thought the wine was excellent, rating in the low 90s.

[bigtoys]

Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and Elivette (Bordeaux blend)

Rubicon Cabernet (Coppola's first winery)

Orin Swift Mercury Head Cabernet & The Prisoner (51% Zin, 23% Cab,...)

Franciscan Magnificat (Bordeaux blend)

Cain 5 (Bordeaux blend)...pricey, but worth it. they also have Cain Concept, which is more reasonable

[mier]

I had a schwarzriesling from the Baden-region of Germany,a red wine,half dry called Becksteiner Tauberklinge 2006 for its price a very surprisingly good wine.Another name for the grape is pinot meunier originally from Burgundy.

Eric.

[troyce]

Just killed off a bottle of the Seghesio 2007 Sonoma Zinfindel . Good stuff.

[kateric]

Order some T-Vine stuff from California... you won't be disappointed if you like fruit-forward reds! Newton Meritage is good also for red. Mer Soleil makes a good Chard (as does Newton unfiltered) and Conundrum is a good blend. Mondavi Oakdale is an excellent Cab Sav. Honig and Brown Estate are also good Cabs. Qupe Shiraz is nice. And although it isn't highly rated, I really enjoy King Estate Pinot Noir.