Wine whine

[LuketheDog]

I bought this one because it had a deer skull on it, it turned out to be good. I think @TOGIE and I have the same purchasing principle-there are a couple wines I know are good, otherwise I buy whatever has the coolest label.

 

[TOGIE]

I bought this one because it had a deer skull on it, it turned out to be good. I think @TOGIE and I have the same purchasing principle-there are a couple wines I know are good, otherwise I buy whatever has the coolest label.

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only difference being i never even figure out if they're good or bad! that's up to the poor hosts that had us over for dinner or my wife.

i do often find that how much i like a wine is inversely proportion to it's price. the more i pay for something that i don't like much to begin with and all tastes the same to me the less i like it

 

[Irrelevant]

Often can’t go wrong with a Cotes du Rhône.

You're not lying. I bought a box, case?, like 12 bottles or something of the Kirkland Cotes du Rhone, great. I will say this thread is making me question how many good wines I need in my life? Also who much whine I have in my life? Maybe too much of both.

Anyway the issue came up because I wanted to buy my wife a nice bottle and put it in her stocking. But there is literally no way to this without drinking it first. That is frustrating.

 

[longbow51]

@neffa, you live in Wenatchee? Aren't there like a zillion wine bars or something where you could sample?

There is no reason for good wine to be expensive, and the Europeans figured that out long ago.

We laid in 12 cases of 2000 Bourdeaux (sadly gone) for an average of < $8/bottle. And I know that was a very unusual year with a killer harvest which drove prices down.

Our kids have lived in Europe a lot, and have found many excellent reds for $12 or so.

 

[Irrelevant]

@neffa, you live in Wenatchee? Aren't there like a zillion wine bars or something where you could sample?

There is no reason for good wine to be expensive, and the Europeans figured that out long ago.

We laid in 12 cases of 2000 Bourdeaux (sadly gone) for an average of < $8/bottle. And I know that was a very unusual year with a killer harvest which drove prices down.

Our kids have lived in Europe a lot, and have found many excellent reds for $12 or so.

Yes, but that takes time and I can't order it on my phone while taking a dump.

I have about as much free time for wine bar splurging as I tell my wife I do for fixing sh!t around the house. I snowblow, I fix my snowblower, and chukar hunt. That's all the free time I have time for.

I learned that Spain makes very good serviceable reds, a bit on the thinner side, for a fraction of that costs that similar wineries in CA or WA charge. We routinely visit a couple a year with friends for different functions and routine feel that they are the biggest swindlers on the planet, $35-65 for a bottle that the Kirkland box blows out of the water at under $4/bottle.

 

[jryoung]

Kirkland CdR is one of the best QPRs out there, it is a blend of grenache, syrah and mouvedre (wine dorks simply say GSM). Washington has some of the best GSM vineyards in the country.

Basalt Cellars has a great GSM blend for around $30-35

 

[bullbugle307]

My wife loves the Apothic Red that you can get at just about every grocery store and gas station that sells booze in America. I dig it too, and it’s cheap.

Take everything I say with a grain of salt though, I’ve probably drank more pre 21 Boone’s Farm than anything as far as wine goes in my lifetime.

 

[Irrelevant]

My wife loves the Apothic Red

Yeah that ones not bad either.

Kirkland CdR is one of the best QPRs out there, it is a blend of grenache, syrah and mouvedre (wine dorks simply say GSM). Washington has some of the best GSM vineyards in the country.

Basalt Cellars has a great GSM blend for around $30-35

Really? is CdR a type? I thought it had to be from that region to be called that? Does it go be another name in WA because I would love to pick up a handful of those.

 

[Khunter]

Bogle is probably the best value for price and available just about everywhere

I live in Wine Country but I'm no wine expert...

Store Locator - Bogle Family Vineyards

boglewinery.com

Good gawd no it is not.

 

[BigHornRam]

I scored a case of 2016 Portteus Zinfandel for $6 a bottle while visiting their vineyard last spring. Will be having it with dinner tonight.

 

[Beignet]

You're not lying. I bought a box, case?, like 12 bottles or something of the Kirkland Cotes du Rhone, great. I will say this thread is making me question how many good wines I need in my life? Also who much whine I have in my life? Maybe too much of both.

Glad you like it! I landed on that region years ago and had a “that’ll do” moment and haven’t really explored much else since.

 

[jryoung]

Yeah that ones not bad either.

Really? is CdR a type? I thought it had to be from that region to be called that? Does it go be another name in WA because I would love to pick up a handful of those.

Yes, Cotes du Rhone is a regional wine, several parcels throughout the Rhone valley can qualify for the CdR labelling. It is traditionally a blend of GSM (and few others). Value wise you won't beat a bottle CdR with a US blend of GSM, but if you want to get a more upscale blend there are good options especially from Washington. Stylistically they'll be different simply because old world v. new world.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Why is there no good way to tell if a bottle of wine is good? I mean sure there's some difference in taste but there's many many MANY bottles of simply shitty astringent wine on the shelves that people actually buy!?

Since I'm not a wine drinker, in my opinion all wine tastes shitty and astringent to me.
I like to make fun of the few people I know who try to make themselves out to wine connoisseurs.

 

[BirdManMike]

Second, third, whatever the recommendation of Cote Du Rhone. This is typically the best bang for the buck on most shelves in terms of cost/quality.

California and other domestic wine is almost never good bang for buck. In order to get similar quality to Spanish, Italian, and French wines, you need to spend 3x or more on a bottle.

Kirkland/Costco actually sources some decent French wines to slap their label on. If you see Kirkland Gigondas or Chateaunuef du Pape on the shelf, buy a case (or all of it).

White wine can be tough. Portuguese Vinho Verde is my go to, typically. It’s inexpensive and the nice thing about it is that it’s only 9-10% alcohol so finishing a bottle doesn’t hit any harder than drinking a couple IPAs.

If I want a nice white, I’ll typically buy a White Burgundy. These are 100% Chardonnay, but French Chardonnay and domestic Chardonnay does not come close to comparing. American Chardonnay is absolute swill, especially the buttery crap, while the French is nice and crisp and more complex.

I’m full of more recs if interested!

 

[Beignet]

Here’s a good stocking stuffer? Not sure what you were looking to spend, but it’s around $30.

We bought it on a lark after stopping in Chinon this summer. We had an absurd lunch of the fattiest food and copious amounts of booze served by a real bon vivant straight ought of “old French guy” central casting at Dédé la Boulange.

My girlfriend is from the region and was surprised at how good it was, as she says they’re better known for white wine.

 

[Irrelevant]

Second, third, whatever the recommendation of Cote Du Rhone. This is typically the best bang for the buck on most shelves in terms of cost/quality.

California and other domestic wine is almost never good bang for buck. In order to get similar quality to Spanish, Italian, and French wines, you need to spend 3x or more on a bottle.

Kirkland/Costco actually sources some decent French wines to slap their label on. If you see Kirkland Gigondas or Chateaunuef du Pape on the shelf, buy a case (or all of it).

I'll def keep an eye out. Heading there now.

White wine can be tough. Portuguese Vinho Verde is my go to, typically. It’s inexpensive and the nice thing about it is that it’s only 9-10% alcohol so finishing a bottle doesn’t hit any harder than drinking a couple IPAs.

our fav but we don't have a trader joes here.

If I want a nice white, I’ll typically buy a White Burgundy. These are 100% Chardonnay, but French Chardonnay and domestic Chardonnay does not come close to comparing. American Chardonnay is absolute swill, especially the buttery crap, while the French is nice and crisp and more complex.

I'm not going to call you a liar, but I'm close... Chardonnay? I haven't had a good one yet.

I’m full of more recs if interested!

Bring it on!

 

[jryoung]

The Loire valley is one of my absolute favorites for wines where Chinon is. The main grapes in the Loire valley are Cabernet Franc for red wines and a Chenin Blanc for white and Sauvignon Blanc from Samcerre. The wines are generally very old school and rustic, funky and excellent with wild game. Many of the vineyards are still plowed by horse.

 

[Beignet]

Here’s a good stocking stuffer? Not sure what you were looking to spend, but it’s around $30.

We bought it on a lark after stopping in Chinon this summer. We had an absurd lunch of the fattiest food and copious amounts of booze served by a real bon vivant straight ought of “old French guy” central casting at Dédé la Boulange.

My girlfriend is from the region and was surprised at how good it was, as she says they’re better known for white wine.

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Update: The GF said the 2017 is much better, FWIW.

 

[MThuntr]

I redact my earlier submission! These are kegs of wine on tap. Definitely not slapping that bag

 

[mtmuley]

I am making a list of the members here that drink wine. A sublist that drink the "high"dollar stuff. Jeez. mtmuley