[JohnE]

I am relatively new to drinking wine...moving up from screw top stuff. I had some great wine experinces in Europe, but got little/no instruction regarding what to drink with what, where, when, why etc. Anyone have a website or general guidelines to go by they can share? I need to impress the wifey! :biggrin: :biggrin:

 

[skinny mike]

here are my guidelines:
drink beer instead.

 

[narlus]

basic advice:

1 - find a good local store, and patronise it. ask questions. go to tastings.

2 - invite some friends over for a tasting party.

3 - there are basic guidelines in terms of pairing food and wine, but they shouldn't be straitjackets. have fun, and experiment.

 

[LordOpie]

I am relatively new to drinking wine...moving up from screw top stuff.

first thing you and everyone needs to learn is that screw tops mean nothing. There's amazing wine out there that's screw top.

Also, screw top holds air better, you don't need to screw with a cork to save the rest for the next night, so that's a nice feature. So, anyone who scoffs at you for bringing a screw top to the next party knows less than you do


I'll second Narlus' recommendation of finding one quality store with one quality staffer to help you. As well as wine tasting parties.


What's really helpful is knowing what flavors you prefer, like chocolate, coffee, smokey, fruity (and which kinds of fruits), pepper, flowers (eg. rose, violet)... you get the idea


Along with screw tops, there's no category to avoid. Like some people scoff at blush, rose or pink wines. Or the only real champagne is from France, which is also bullsh!t since there are plenty of sparkling wines that might even be better than the average champagne.

Point is, don't let anyone tell you something sucks if you like it, cuz they're dumb.


But there's several knowledgeable people here who offer reviews worthy of reading. Like search for TN and Laura, I think they've done several

 

[Silver]

I am relatively new to drinking wine...moving up from screw top stuff. I had some great wine experinces in Europe, but got little/no instruction regarding what to drink with what, where, when, why etc. Anyone have a website or general guidelines to go by they can share? I need to impress the wifey! :biggrin: :biggrin:

Are you anywhere close to Costa Mesa? Head over to Hi Time wine...they can hook you up.

 

[JohnE]

Thanks for the help all, and btw Lord Op- I was trying to be funny!!!
(Guess I missed...)

 

[JohnE]

here are my guidelines:
drink beer instead.

My thoughts too, but the beer doesnt impress the wife!

 

[SkaredShtles]

Try lots of wine. Don't get too crazy with expensive stuff - stick with $8-15 bottles until you start to get a good idea of what you like.

Try international stuff - often the best values are from other places. Like Spain, Portugal, Australia, Argentina, Chile, etc.

Get a couple nice steaks and try an Argentinian Malbec.

 

[OGRipper]

Here are a few tips:

Learn about wine for yourself, not to impress your wife.

Learn what YOU like by tasting wine, not by listening or reading about what someone else likes. Trust your own tastes, even if they are telling you that you don't really like wine. As long as you're being honest there are no wrong opinions when it comes to taste.

To help you figure out what grape varieties you like, do some side by side comparisons of different wines, so you can see the differences. Do this with very different wines to start, like maybe a pinor noir and a cabernet sauvignon. Think for yourself about what you like or don't like, then go from there. For this, a helpful wine shop can be a huge asset.

Take notes on what you like and don't like.

Give it an honest effort with an open mind, and get your wife involved. Don't be afraid to ask "stupid" questions, and don't put up with snobbish elitists. Ya gotta start somewhere.

 

[TN]

Just start drinking wine...preferably a lot, you will then soon figure out what you like & dont like. Dont go spending major coin on a bottle of wine either. There is a ton of great stuff for $10. Check Sapin, Argetnina & Chile for some good bets.

 

[DaveW]

first thing you and everyone needs to learn is that screw tops mean nothing. There's amazing wine out there that's screw top.

Also, screw top holds air better, you don't need to screw with a cork to save the rest for the next night, so that's a nice feature. So, anyone who scoffs at you for bringing a screw top to the next party knows less than you do

Damn ya beat me to it.
there are some marvelous wines out there that come in Stelvin closure's, don't write them off (just the obviously cheap stuff)

 

[BikeGeek]

...instruction regarding what to drink with what...

I have 5 pages of "Classic Affinities of Wine and Food" given to me by a chef I know. It doesn't cover everything but it's a great place to start. If I can get my OCR software working I'll scan it and post a .pdf for you.

 

[berkshire_rider]

Here are a few tips:

Learn what YOU like by tasting wine, not by listening or reading about what someone else likes. Trust your own tastes, even if they are telling you that you don't really like wine. As long as you're being honest there are no wrong opinions when it comes to taste.

Excellent advice. Also, don't necessary rely on the shelf tags containing magazine reviews and/or their point scale to tell you what to buy either. A knowledgeable liquor store employee is a lot more valuable.

 

[LordOpie]

Also, don't necessary rely on... magazine reviews...

good advice in general since pretty much all magazines are whores who'll give you a better review if you advertise in them.

I know this first hand in two different industries among a dozen publications from my marketing days.

 

[OGRipper]

Excellent advice. Also, don't necessary rely on the shelf tags containing magazine reviews and/or their point scale to tell you what to buy either. A knowledgeable liquor store employee is a lot more valuable.

I agree with this, but handwritten shelf tags/mini-reivews in smaller wine shops can be helpful, especially if you're not comfortable asking for advice right away or if the person you want to talk to is not around.

TN pretty much nailed it, just start drinking. It can be helpful to concentrate on one area of the world first. Cali wines are generally less expensive and you can usually easily tell what grapes are in the bottle, which is very helpful for novices trying to figure out generally what they like. There are exceptions but with other countries it's not always so straightforward.

 

[JohnE]

So what most of you are saying is just start drinking. Man, I love you guys...

 

[DaveW]

*blushes* Your such a friendly drunk. :biggrin:

 

[LordOpie]

Damn ya beat me to it.
there are some marvelous wines out there that come in Stelvin closure's, don't write them off (just the obviously cheap stuff)

I forgot, another reason that corks in wine isn't always the best option... they sometimes (10%) leak a chemical from the cork into the wine that ruins it.

We opened about 10 bottles tonight, and sure enough, one of them was "corked" and ruined.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I forgot, another reason that corks in wine isn't always the best option... they sometimes (10%) leak a chemical from the cork into the wine that ruins it.

We opened about 10 bottles tonight, and sure enough, one of them was "corked" and ruined.

I've hit a few of those. Luckily the shop that I purchased from gave me an exchange.

 

[narlus]

i think that 10% claim is way overblown.

 

[LordOpie]

i think that 10% claim is way overblown.

a study of 2000+ wines seems like a pretty good sample size... link

 

[dw]

The bigger the box, the better the wine...

kidding, kidding

 

[DaveW]

i think that 10% claim is way overblown.

Nah I'd say that's about on the mark for the percentage of corked bottles I used to get.

 

[JohnE]

We actually had a bottle the other day with a synthetic cork of some kind. I think it was silicone of one sort or another.

 

[SkaredShtles]

We actually had a bottle the other day with a synthetic cork of some kind. I think it was silicone of one sort or another.

The synth cork is even more prevalent than the screw top currently. I'd say about half of the wine we get has a synthetic of some sort...

 

[narlus]

Nah I'd say that's about on the mark for the percentage of corked bottles I used to get.

so for every case of wine you'd get one bad bottle? have you ever sent wine back @ a restaurant? does it concur w/ the 10% expected rate?

i think i've had about 3-4 corked wines in my life, and none at a restaurant.


maybe my palate ain't too refined.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>
maybe my palate ain't too refined.

This is what I suspect is why I don't see corked ones very often. I suspect the cork is mild and I don't really notice.

 

[LordOpie]

so for every case of wine you'd get one bad bottle? have you ever sent wine back @ a restaurant? does it concur w/ the 10% expected rate?.

Agreed. In the past year, we've popped two corked wines at home and we've probably opened 200 bottles. But our sample group is strictly for stuff that's less than 10 years old. The median and average ages are about four years old... how much of that time is actually spent in a cork-enclosed bottle? Not much.

However, that's the point of good statistics... to eliminate anecdotal opinions and a completely unscientific approach.

What's the average age of wine that y'all drink?

 

[SkaredShtles]

Agreed. In the past year, we've popped two corked wines at home and we've probably opened 200 bottles. But our sample group is strictly for stuff that's less than 10 years old. The median and average ages are about four years old... how much of that time is actually spent in a cork-enclosed bottle? Not much.

However, that's the point of good statistics... to eliminate anecdotal opinions and a completely unscientific approach.

What's the average age of wine that y'all drink?

Just about every bottle we consume is 4 or less years old.

 

[narlus]

for everyday stuff, i'd say it's 2-3 years old or less.

i've got some (maybe 80 bottles, maybe a bit more?) sitting in my basement but the oldest wine i have is only a '93 or so (brunello). i opened a '97 riserva chianti over the weekend and it was fine.

i see yr point re: impact of aging and corked wines though (ie, the rate will increase the longer the wine sits). that said, the 10% number is still overstated imo.

 

[SkaredShtles]

for everyday stuff, i'd say it's 2-3 years old or less.

i've got some (maybe 80 bottles, maybe a bit more?) sitting in my basement but the oldest wine i have is only a '93 or so (brunello). i opened a '97 riserva chianti over the weekend and it was fine.

i see yr point re: impact of aging and corked wines though (ie, the rate will increase the longer the wine sits). that said, the 10% number is still overstated imo.

Did you look at the results of the "study"? There are a number of things which make me think their results are not particularly applicable to every day wine drinking... they don't mention how old the wines are they are drinking, they state that >80% of the wines were under cork, and they also say that white wine had a higher incidence.

They also mention that the tasters were experts - they can probably taste cork taint at much milder levels.

 

[narlus]

hadn't seen that link.

so for my unrefined, primarily young red wine-drinking tongue, a percentage of less than 1% sounds about right.

 

[OGRipper]

Most of the stuff we drink is 4 years old or less. I rarely get a tainted bottle, definitely less than 10%.

I kinda like the screw tops but the synth cork seems like a great solution. It addresses the issues of cork taint and sustainability of supply while preserving the ritual of pulling a cork.

 

[LordOpie]

Anyone else burnt out on ritual of pulling the cork?

For that matter, what's wrong with a screw top on a beer also? Is the non-twist cap somehow better?

Am I a philistine or perhaps I just drink too much?

 

[SkaredShtles]

Anyone else burnt out on ritual of pulling the cork?

I could give a rat's ass, but I'm a barbarian that way.

For that matter, what's wrong with a screw top on a beer also? Is the non-twist cap somehow better?

Two points:

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
Gordon's Ale from Oskar Blues

Twist off and *can* beer respectively. Both excellent.

Am I a philistine or perhaps I just drink too much?

There's such a thing as "drink too much"?

 

[OGRipper]

Anyone else burnt out on ritual of pulling the cork?

For that matter, what's wrong with a screw top on a beer also? Is the non-twist cap somehow better?

Am I a philistine or perhaps I just drink too much?

Personally I don't really care how you get it open...but I've talked to winemakers who say it's a real issue of perceived quality among customers, especially for restaurants. Deftly pulling a cork apparently helps justify the markups.

I don't understand the beer thing either, but I will e-spec that threaded v. non-threaded makes it a cost or equipment thing.

 

[berkshire_rider]

For that matter, what's wrong with a screw top on a beer also? Is the non-twist cap somehow better?

Growlers all come with a screw top.

 

[DaveW]

Anyone else burnt out on ritual of pulling the cork?

For that matter, what's wrong with a screw top on a beer also? Is the non-twist cap somehow better?

Am I a philistine or perhaps I just drink too much?

I'm over the cork biz.... to be honest I really prefer my wines with the Stelvin closure.
Vastly better if your at a party, picnic or just want one glass while I cook dinner.

 

[BikeGeek]

Growlers all come with a screw top.

Not all of them.

 

[BikeGeek]

I don't understand the beer thing either, but I will e-spec that threaded v. non-threaded makes it a cost or equipment thing.

You could be on to something. My cheap-ass capper won't cap a threaded bottle.