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I just got back from a few days in Napa/Sonoma. Prior to this trip it was fair to say that I like wine (particularly red wine) and that my previous tasting experiences had convinced me that many $10 bottles were not only as good, but often better than the more expensive wines. In fact, it is fair to say that I have frankly disliked most of the expensive wines I had tasted prior to this trip. However, starting at the wine bar in the airport when a friend bought a $55 bottle of Pinot Noir, over the course of the trip I became generally (not always) more appreciative of the more expensive wines. I tried to be as objective as possible and decide what I like by the taste, not the price. I was probably influenced by doing a tour at Trinchero and learning how they process their different wines - more machines for their mass production wines, more processing by hand for their more expensive wines, etc.
I brought back enough wine that I won't need to buy any for a while, but I'm wondering if the next time I go wine-shopping at my local store if I'm going to have a very different perspective that I have ever had previously.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Will the $9 bottle of Tormaresca Neprica still taste great the next time I drink it?
XL BGE, Klose BYC, ProQ Excel, Weber Kettle, Firepit, Grand Turbo gasser, and a portable Outdoor Gourmet gasser for tailgating
San Antonio, TX
Comments
I went from $10 bottles to $100 bottles then back down to $25 bottles. There are plenty of great wine to be had in the $25 dollar range. Here is what I suggest, buy a great $25 bottle and a great $55+ bottle, same type of wine. Invite some friends over and taste blind, see if you guys can truly tell the difference in the two, I would be willing to bet you can not!
To me, the most important thing is to make sure the wine is allowed to breath, temp is right etc.. 95% of my wine purchases are in the $10-12 range so I don't break the bank. It's amazing how much better a cheaper bottle can be if treated properly. I've tasted some $75 bottles that didn't rock my world either. Also, I guess my palate is not as sophisticated as many folks. I just can't taste "those subtle tobacco notes" or "lignon berry hints with a gravlax afterburn"
In the Hinterlands between Cumming and Gainesville, GA
Med BGE, Weber Kettle, Weber Smokey Joe, Brinkman Dual Zone, Weber Genesis Gas Grill and portable gasser for boating
There was a period in my life where I was having Port and Stilton after dinner. Got so I couldn't stand anything Port-wise that was less than a hundred a bottle. Stopped drinking Port.
Steve
Caledon, ON
36" Blackstone - Greensboro!
"To me, the most important thing is to make sure the wine is allowed to breath, temp is right etc.."
OK. So that brings up another issue. My brother-in-law and his wife bought us Vinturi aerators a few years ago as they will not drink a glass of wine that has not been aerated or allowed to breathe for a while. My wife and I did blind taste tests with and without aeration and we preferred the unaerated wine every time. My sister-in-law was aghast....
XL BGE, Klose BYC, ProQ Excel, Weber Kettle, Firepit, Grand Turbo gasser, and a portable Outdoor Gourmet gasser for tailgating
San Antonio, TX
Re-gasketing America one yard at a time
Ron
Explore. Experiment. Life's too short to get tangled up in someone else's rules on a subject like this.
Like MaskedMarvel I am a professional wine snob. I have been blessed to travel for work and I have tasted some of the "finest" and most expensive wines in the world. Some have been mind blowing experiences, some have been disappointments. Wine is often, but not always, an item where you get what you pay for. As an example, a cheaper wine may be mechanically harvested where the ripe, under-ripe, over-ripe and rotten grapes are all harvested and put into the wine. A more expensive wine likely is harvested by hand by experienced harvesters picking just the perfect bunch (or even individual grapes). Like cooking, if you start with better ingredients your end product is likely better. How grapes are harvested is just one small part in what ends up in the bottle and each will add to the final price and hopefully quality of what is bottled.
How, where and with whom you enjoy that bottle of wine adds to the experience and quality as well...a few bottles of 2 Buck Chuck on a beach in Oregon (not far from some of my favorite wineries in the country) with my wife and friends is one of my favorite wine memories.
Ultimately, everyone who drinks wine is a wine expert as they know what they like and do not like. Supposedly I am a "wine expert" but if you disagree with me about the quality of a wine you are just as right as I am. If you like it it is a good wine, if you don't then it isnt't!
Edit: wine should be fun and pompous wine snobs SUCK!
Is that a problem?
Oh, and just in case anyone is wondering - it is OK to carry on the wine that you buy in the airport wine store, but it is not OK to pour it and drink it while on the plane. To this end, a red Solo cup will serve you better than the really pretty clear plastic wine cup that they sell in the airport wine store.... just trust me on this one.
XL BGE, Klose BYC, ProQ Excel, Weber Kettle, Firepit, Grand Turbo gasser, and a portable Outdoor Gourmet gasser for tailgating
San Antonio, TX
Steve
Caledon, ON
Ed's Red...... Really named Ed's Smooth Red .... Fall Creek Vineyards..... Tow, TX
This is the $10 red we buy by far most.
"I'm not hung up on varietals or other nonsense. A good red blend is fine with me. I will say that I have had better luck across the board with Pinot Noirs, and not so good luck with Cabernet Sauvignons."
@Village_Idiot, I hate to admit it but that pretty much describes my thoughts as well. To further enhance your appreciation of your new area of residence, you should get your hands on a bottle of Driftwood Vineyards Longhorn Red. I can't speak to the current vintage, but a few years ago at a wine festival where we tasted wines from all over the world, my wife and I each thought that this was the best wine at the festival... of course, my palate has become more sophisticated since then...
And if anybody can find (in the US) a bottle (or case) of Balance Pinotage/Shiraz from South Africa please let me know. Like @A_Smalltown_Egg (and probably many of us), one of my fondest wine memories involves cheap wine and good friends - sitting around a campfire in Kruger National Park while visiting South Africa for the World Cup with friends and making new friends from other countries drinking great wine that only cost $4 a bottle.
XL BGE, Klose BYC, ProQ Excel, Weber Kettle, Firepit, Grand Turbo gasser, and a portable Outdoor Gourmet gasser for tailgating
San Antonio, TX
Location 33.537588, -83.969298 (33.5 miles and 41 minutes SE of the Mothership)
Foghorn I think you hit a nerve with the friends.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Your story sounds similar to my wife. I took her kicking and screaming for a long weekend of wine tasting and vinery tours. (She’s been mostly a white winer.) She learned about different grapes, fermenting process, and tasted a lot of wine (some bad, some average, some really good). She came home and noted the wines she “use” to drink didn’t taste good any more.
My vote is bottles in the 18 to 25 dollar range. Try to taste before buying or really trust the recommender. We’re all different including our wine likes. Aerate your wines only improves the wine.
Buy wines to want to drink and/or share with good friends. Storage and aging is overated (sorry wine pros).
Now next topic: Pairing of wines with meats (BGE style) and cheese. Any takers …
"Now next topic: Pairing of wines with meats (BGE style) and cheese. Any takers …"
I learned/confirmed this weekend that I don't really like cabernet when I am just drinking. It ONLY tastes good to me if I am having it with beef.
A good pinot noir goes with anything.
A pinotage is the best wine for BBQ.
XL BGE, Klose BYC, ProQ Excel, Weber Kettle, Firepit, Grand Turbo gasser, and a portable Outdoor Gourmet gasser for tailgating
San Antonio, TX
@searat I am in! General rule of thumb is more fat, more tannins. Personally I think old-world wines tend to be better with food...higher acidity and lower alcohol than new world wines on average.
@Foghorn Pinotage is the one varietal I just can't seem to really get into. A couple I have really liked but on average it just isn't for me. A nice Zinfadel is good with BBQ. Actually, BBQ is the rare style of food I like Zin with...the alcohol is usually a bit to high (for me) to enjoy with food.
"I believe that life is based on belief-systems. The Way I see it, folks just need to have something that they can really believe in."
"I believe I’ll have another beer."
- Hondo Crouch