What wine are you drinking? Winter/Spring 2010

[Josh]

Time to revive this sucker...

Today, finished what was left of something I had never had before (no not Laid's) it was a Montenegrin red wine, made from the Vranac grape indeginous to the Balkans. Nice dry red, 2005, well under $15. It's called Plantaze, from the Lake Skadar region, wherever that is.

Then, of course, I had to open something else. So I did. It is a souvenir from a trip up to Old Mission Peninsula, north of Traverse City, Michigan. Chateau Chantal, Proprietor’s Reserve (CCPR?), 2007 Pinot Gris.

WOW. Buttery, dry, golden yellow, perfect age, great vintage. I usually don't drink Alsatian/German-style whites in the winter, but this wine is full-bodied enough to hold its own against March 1. :grin:

What are you drinking?

[bonneamie]

I'm having a nice warm cotes du Rhone 2007. Nowhere near as good as that Chateau Chantal, I'm sure, but very drinkable.

[ErichPryde]

We had a bottle of Shiloh Road open this evening. not bad, but you're paying for Napa Valley.

My favorite cost/quality wine from the last few weeks was a bottle of Unruly Red, which I found to be delicious with whatever it was I was grilling that night (steak? mahi-mahi? I'm not sure). I'd recommend it to anyone who wants an easy-drinkin' red.

[Chu'Wuti]

Erik,

Have you tried Evil? It's very nice for a very reasonable every-day drinking price.

We need to go wine shopping again in April . . . .

Hug!

[Jono]

I love the Traverse City area and the wineries...the Chantal location is gorgeous and the wines are good. Michigan produces some very good quality wine.

[HipFlask]

A very nice Bogle Phantom. rich wine with a dry finish that then opens to more flavor...grapes.

[Josh]

I love the Traverse City area and the wineries...the Chantal location is gorgeous and the wines are good. Michigan produces some very good quality wine.

Indeed it does! I assume you've been up there, Jono. Old Mission is a great little getaway spot, as is Leelanau Pennisula next door. People think of Michigan as The Great White North, but Traverse City is at the same latitude as Bordeaux and the lakes create favorable microclimates all over the place.

A little closer to you is the Lake Michigan Shore AVA around Berrien County. The wines, generally aren't as good as farther north, but many of them hold their own. Domaine Berrien (specializes in reds), Tabor Hill, and St. Julian are the best in that area.

ANYWAY...last night I attended a wine tasting above a deli in downtown Detroit. A friend of mine (a waitress at the pub I frequent) and her husband are in the process of opening a winebar/shop. They're specializing in affordable European wines.

I tried a lot of great wines last night but the best bargain was probably a Portugese wine called Versatil, from the Alentejano region. It was a 2005 and jammy, and semi-sweet and very fun to drink.

[ErichPryde]

Erik' date='

Have you tried Evil? It's very nice for a very reasonable every-day drinking price.

We need to go wine shopping again in April . . . .

Hug![/quote']

Probably at your house, it sounds familiar. BevMo is doing a "buy one, get one for 5 cents" sale, so the unruly worked out to be about 6 dollars a bottle instead of 12.

[Jono]

Josh, indeed that area is a favorite midwest vacation spot. If I had to relocate in the midwest that would be a top spot.

Here is site for all of the Traverse City wineries....more than when I was up there last...about 8-10 yrs ago.

http://www.michigan.org/Things-to-do/Attractions/Wineries/Default.aspx?city=G3602

Was the Versatil a white?

I have been drinking a lot of S American Malbec - none stand way out above the others....most have been very enjoyable. The last bottle was "Cupcake" Malbec out of Argentina. I also pick up various Italian, Aussie, CA reds and a few white. For a desertish white I really liked Baciami - Albana Di Romagna grapes. The back label states "Roman Princess Galla Placida tasted the wine in 382 A.D., she declared that it was so smooth it "should be drunk in gold."

[ErichPryde]

A very nice Bogle Phantom. rich wine with a dry finish that then opens to more flavor...grapes.

[OscarV]

Grilled up some jerk wings in the MI sunshine yesterday and opened up a Sauvignon Blanc by Chateau Ste Michelle.

Low priced Wahington state wine, but it works for me, also if it had Califonia on the label they could double the price easily.

The light citrus went very well with the jerk seasoning.

[Jono]

I am not sure how the rest of you buy wine, but for me, since the vast bulk of varietal wines are comparable to each other due to overall solid quality, I tend to use price as more of a decision maker than vintner. I find the differences between a $7.00 , a $15 and a $20 bottle of wine to be slight and not always in order of price. You could find 20 good Sauvignon Blancs that ranged from cheap to pricey and I wonder if the average drinker could tell the difference. Unlike with whiskey, where I can more readily pick up the less developed flavor profiles between the bottom shelf and the top shelf versions.

You may say, Jono, you just don't have an appreciation for xyz or and undeveloped tongue....maybe...but it is what it is. It is rare that I run into a "bad wine" and it is rare that I run into a wine that is truly exceptional. Maybe I have to spend $35 - 75 on a bottle...but I hesitate to do so unless I know it is going to be worth the price. It doesn't keep like whiskey.

I think this is a reflection of the overall global development of very good wines....it almost hard to find a bad choice.

[mier]

At this moment having a glass of Madiran,just like this wine made of the tannatvariety.Yesterday had a few glasses of a Chilean malbec which is very tasty too.This afternoon i had a glass of sauvignon blanc also from Chile,they make some nice wines overthere!Eric.

[Vange]

Clio 2006

Mollydooker Maire D; 2005

Chateau Leoville Poyferre, St Julien 1995

[Josh]

Was the Versatil a white?

I have been drinking a lot of S American Malbec - none stand way out above the others....most have been very enjoyable. The last bottle was "Cupcake" Malbec out of Argentina. I also pick up various Italian, Aussie, CA reds and a few white. For a desertish white I really liked Baciami - Albana Di Romagna grapes. The back label states "Roman Princess Galla Placida tasted the wine in 382 A.D., she declared that it was so smooth it "should be drunk in gold."

The Versatil was a red, sorry.

Galla Placida was an interesting character living in a very interesting time, when the Western Empire was slowly shuffling off its mortal coil and the political power in Western Europe was shifting from the Romans to the Goths. But I believe that back label about as much as I believe that the Beams have been making the same whiskey since 1795! Sounds tasty, anyway.

Enjoying some 2006 Parallele 45 Cote du Rhone. They had a bunch of this stuff at Trader Joe's, and it's pretty good. It has some great Syrah character without being too agressive. I don't buy much French wine since, as you point out, one can get good French-style reds from South America, and any number of places these days. But there are some great bargains to be had in the larger, generic ACs and vins de pays.

[Dramiel McHinson]

I'm enjoying a St. Bartelemy 2002 Petite Sirah (SIC) port wine from Napa, CA. They make five different ports from single varietals. This one has rich fruit on the nose and palate. Nice tannins along with the smooth brandy at 18.5 ABV and low sugar content make it a really nice port to enjoy after a meal alone or with a dessert.

[spun_cookie]

Easy fells, this thread is not Scott (Callmeox) approved yet http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13728

I will hold off drinking until then...

[Josh]

Easy fells, this thread is not Scott (Callmeox) approved yet http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13728

I will hold off drinking until then...

I covered my bases. Note the slash. I'd hate to risk the wrath of a powerful man like Scott.

[ErichPryde]

You may say, Jono, you just don't have an appreciation for xyz or and undeveloped tongue....maybe...but it is what it is. It is rare that I run into a "bad wine" and it is rare that I run into a wine that is truly exceptional. Maybe I have to spend $35 - 75 on a bottle...but I hesitate to do so unless I know it is going to be worth the price. It doesn't keep like whiskey.

I think this is a reflection of the overall global development of very good wines....it almost hard to find a bad choice.

totally agree with you. I've found that I don't need to spend more than about 20 bucks on an enjoyable bottle- most of the ones I REALLY like fall in the 10-15 dollar range with just a couple at 20 or so. Considering that I'm not buying it to drink, sit and think, and considering (as you said) that it doesn't last, what the hell.

Maybe my wine palate is underdeveloped and underexperienced, but in this case, I'm happy that way. :slappin:

[smokinjoe]

totally agree with you. I've found that I don't need to spend more than about 20 bucks on an enjoyable bottle- most of the ones I REALLY like fall in the 10-15 dollar range with just a couple at 20 or so. Considering that I'm not buying it to drink, sit and think, and considering (as you said) that it doesn't last, what the hell.

Maybe my wine palate is underdeveloped and underexperienced, but in this case, I'm happy that way. :slappin:

Me, too. $15 is really stretching it for me. Most of mine are in the under $10 range. Self-proclaimed unsofisticated wine palate here. And, I have no intention of gettin' 'phisticated. I really did enjoy a Mark West Pinot Noir last weekend. $9.

My MIL may have the cheapo record. She rips through the Foxhorn Chardonnay 1.5's like water. She doesn't get out much, so I get it for her by the multi-case. Her usual order is 6 cases (6 1.5's/case). Total Wines has had at $4.79/1.5, though they're up slighltly as of late. There goes the inheritance.

[sailor22]

Last night was Early Times BiB bottled in '93. I swear it would give lot B a serious challenge.

[CorvallisCracker]

Last night was Early Times BiB bottled in '93. I swear it would give lot B a serious challenge.

Uh-oh. Forum Confusion.

[Josh]

Uh-oh. Forum Confusion.

It frequently happens when one drinks substantial amounts of bourbon, or, um, wine.

[boss302]

For me, it is Stella Maris, by the Northstar winery in Columbia Valley, WA.

It's mostly Merlot, with a portion of Cabernet Sauvignon mixed-on. I picked it up on clearance at the PA state store for $24 a bottle.

Velvety texture, rife with black raspberry and plum tasting notes, and a hint of spice in the nose.

Not as sweet as most CA Merlots-- definitely drier, and lighter. It would be perfect with a rare grilled Filet Mignon.

[ErichPryde]

Me, too. $15 is really stretching it for me. Most of mine are in the under $10 range. Self-proclaimed unsofisticated wine palate here. And, I have no intention of gettin' 'phisticated. I really did enjoy a Mark West Pinot Noir last weekend. $9.

My MIL may have the cheapo record. She rips through the Foxhorn Chardonnay 1.5's like water. She doesn't get out much, so I get it for her by the multi-case. Her usual order is 6 cases (6 1.5's/case). Total Wines has had at $4.79/1.5, though they're up slighltly as of late. There goes the inheritance.