[TN]

I have been drinking lots of beer lately which is very strange for me. Mostly because I can't find any wines that I like anymore. Most everything I have tried lately (wine) has just been too much. Way over extracted, too much alcohol (16% really?! is that still wine?), & most being too big to be food friendly.

Of course I stay away from most domestics, Aussie wine & even Spanish wines. But even the Bordeaux (2005) & the Vouvray (2006) we had last weekend were WAY too big. I hope Robert Parker hasn't influenced the Frogs. lthumbsdown:

It could be global warming, our coca-cola culture, or Mister Parker's numbers.

Whatever it is I feel really disenchanted with the state of the wine world right now.

 

[Sandwich]

hmmm maybe you need to try different wines.

Merlots from cali are coming up in quality, and jumillas from spain are always fantastic but nice and smooth. I'm a big fan of malbecs as well. Skip the bourdeaux and try a cotes-du-rhone. Grab a pinot or burgundy...those are both sweet and light.

I agree with the "too much" comment to a degree. I can't drink american beers because almost all think that adding more hops than anybody else makes their beer better...I hope that's not happening with wine.

What's your price range?

 

[TN]

hmmm maybe you need to try different wines.

Merlots from cali are coming up in quality, and jumillas from spain are always fantastic but nice and smooth. I'm a big fan of malbecs as well. Skip the bourdeaux and try a cotes-du-rhone. Grab a pinot or burgundy...those are both sweet and light.

I agree with the "too much" comment to a degree. I can't drink american beers because almost all think that adding more hops than anybody else makes their beer better...I hope that's not happening with wine.

What's your price range?

$10 or so....$20 for a splurge.

We had a merlot form Columbia Valley, WA (producer eludes me) Sunday night. It was a well made wine with nice smooth berry flavors, a good bit of cigar box & tobacco but the mofo was so big it filled your mouth & hung on forever. I know most people feel like they are not getting their moneys worth form a wine unless it is a BIG mouthfilling wine, hence me blaming our coca-cola culture.

I am just sick of the "Hedonistic Fruit Bombs".

I tired Peloton Pinot from cali out a couple weeks ago...same story. Too big but still a good wine, just not what I am after.

Anything from Argentina & Chile seems to be made in the same style, which is a shame b/c I used to love Cabs & Carmeneres from Chile but the same wines I used to like (root 1 cab among others) arent teh same. I know there are huge differences in vintages, but I swear growers are picking there grapes later & later.

Good call on the CdR's. I might pick up a Cru Beaujolais (none of that nouveau stuff, but I did have a nouveau in a plastic bottle on Thnxgvng that was nice) tonight.

We LOVE LOVE LOVE burgundy....it is a shame it is one of those aristocratic Frenchie wines with price tag to match.

I have found a few bottle of Italian wines that I really like. I should do some research & explore the Boot a little more.

I am open to suggestions.

 

[TN]

re: your beer comment.

I agree. I stay away from Rogue beers for that very reason. I think brewers take the more hops for your money approach, so when you spend $8 on a beer you think you get your $'s worth.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Barbera.

Italian specifically.

Do you have a good liquor store nearby that carries lots of imports?

 

[Sandwich]

re: your beer comment.

I agree. I stay away from Rogue beers for that very reason. I think brewers take the more hops for your money approach, so when you spend $8 on a beer you think you get your $'s worth.

it's always cool to know I'm not alone. I always make the same comment and people come down on me...I'm sorry, but just because your beer has 300lbs of hops and has a 9% alcohol content doesn't make it good. I love belgian beers (or the style, anyways) for their variety of flavors and balance.

As for wine, you can have some fun with the italians. I loves me some sangiovese and there's a few montepulcianos that aren't pretentious but still good. Di majo norante is one of my favorite sangioveses...I think as you move further north the wines get bigger and more expensive...but not necessarily better. I'm a 9-$20 bottle guy myself, and I used to work in a liqour store, so while I don't know everything, I know enough to get a pleasurable bottle of wine.

Check out Luzon Jumillas from spain...you might like them as well, and all three bottles come in around 12$, plus they have an organic bottle.

 

[TN]

Barbera.

Italian specifically.

Do you have a good liquor store nearby that carries lots of imports?

We have an awesome boutique wine shop 1 block away with a dynamite selection but since it is a boutique wine shop only about 1/5th of their section falls in our budget which we have just about tapped out cuz we be lushes.

Are Barbera's affordable? Something you &/or Narlus suggested was too much greenbacks. I can't remember what it was but it was Italian.

I like a good Chianti & also montepulcianos. The only Barbera I have had that I can remember was from Ravenwood from Cali. It was good but not great, from what I can remember.


I used to work in the marketing dept. of TN's biggest wine shop so I am a little jaded when it comes to wine merchants. Shelf talkers with big rating points is what sells wine which I think will be the downfall of the types of wines I like.


I have tried the Jumillas you mentioned but were still too much in recent vintages. I do however know I can always get a Rioja Reserva & be happy for the most part. Crianza's as young as they are tend to have that over the top-ness that I an so disenchanted with.

Keep the good suggestions flowing though.

 

[Westy]

Drink domestic booze. Better for the economy.

 

[TN]

Drink domestic booze. Better for the economy.

I drink local beer (yes they still make decent beer in Milwaukee...you just have to avoid the big boys).

As for wine...as the dollar keeps slipping in value I may have to.

 

[narlus]

barbera's aren't gonna be found for $10 a bottle.

dolcettos are a bit cheaper than barberas.


also take a look for montepulcianos...in good years, they rival the much more expensive brunellos.

 

[Westy]

I drink local beer (yes they still make decent beer in Milwaukee...you just have to avoid the big boys).

As for wine...as the dollar keeps slipping in value I may have to.

Last and only time I was in Milwaukee I drank at a very nice brewpub.

I try to drink only local wine. We have OK wineries. But talk about local, I ride my bike by them all the time.

 

[TreeSaw]

Have you tried any Argentinean Malbecs? I have had a couple of good ones recently...one was a Trinvento and the other I can't think of the name off the top of my head. They were both less than $15 per bottle.

 

[BikeMike]

Rosso di Montepulciano and Rosso di Montalcino are both great--I've no idea what they cost, surely a fair bit more than $10, but can be really nice wine and a fair bit less expensive than Vino Nobile or Brunello. The Tommolo Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo (2006?) Trader Joe's was selling for $5 was interesting and kind of charming in it's own way. Also supposedly organic.

TJ's also had a Barbera d'Alba for ~$7 that was quite nice. La Loggia or something. If it still exists it's an awesome deal.

 

[SkaredShtles]

barbera's aren't gonna be found for $10 a bottle.

Not many, it's true... but if the budget is bumped to $15 there are LOTS of options... at least around here.

The last really good barbera I found was just under $10/btl.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Had a very nice Barbera d'Asti last night with bolognese... just under $10 at Costco.

 

[TN]

Found a couple that were very enjoyable in the bargain bin.
I can't remember the producer but one was Corbieres & the other a Merlot from Mendoza. The Corbieres is what I want in a wine....nuanced, not over the top, around 12%, good backbone that can stand up to food but in no way needs food to be enjoyable & it was CHEAP!

 

[narlus]

Had a very nice Barbera d'Asti last night with bolognese... just under $10 at Costco.

we had an awesome bolognese last month...the waiter said the chef added ground up chicken liver to give it that extra flavor.

my wife will not try that, and sticks w/ the classic beef/veal/pork mix.

 

[SkaredShtles]

we had an awesome bolognese last month...the waiter said the chef added ground up chicken liver to give it that extra flavor.

my wife will not try that, and sticks w/ the classic beef/veal/pork mix.

Tell her to put in the livers. I usually use a BIT more liver than my recipe calls for and it is GOOOD. I think it has to do with the umami in liver.

 

[OGRipper]

Not sure how I missed this earlier, but as others have noted, it sounds like you just need to explore different wines. You are stating a fairly common problem among folks with a more developed palate - namely, that you are seeking more elegant, nuanced wines that will compliment what you are eating instead of dominating. For domestic, to me that means pinot noir and some of the lighter-bodied syrahs that are around. There are also some folks doing domestic sangiovese that might be right up your alley. I'm not a merlot guy but they are certainly softer than the bigger zins and cabs. Once you move beyond the US, there is a whole world out there. I've recently enjoyed a few valpolicellas as well as some southern italian reds - aglianico and negroaroma to name just two.

Of course, you might just be going through a phase in which you don't want to drink a lot of wine - nothing wrong with that. More than that though, it sounds like the best thing to do is talk to your local wine merchant or sommelier for specific suggestions.

EDIT: Hell yes, a bit of chicken liver in bolognese makes a big difference.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip> I'm not a merlot guy

Which one of these is you?

 

[TN]

Gotta be a rut.
There is a Ridge tasting here in a couple of weeks. That might be just what I need.

 

[narlus]

Ridge is awesome...big wines, though.

 

[TN]

Ridge is awesome...big wines, though.

For zins though, at least the ones I have tried, they are on the lighter side.

 

[narlus]

i thought you were railing against 14% alcohol levels...i'd be surprised if any of the Ridge zins are less than 13%

edit - i did a spot check and all but one were over 14.7%

 

[TN]

i thought you were railing against 14% alcohol levels...i'd be surprised if any of the Ridge zins are less than 13%

edit - i did a spot check and all but one were over 14.7%

Better see if they are having a Primitivo tasting anytime soon.

I believe the law allows a margin of error of +/- 3% so some of your ridge bottles may be 18% or more. :0
How long do intend to cellar them? At what point do these high alcoholic wines peak? I know zin is not the best wine to lay down, but I have had some 10 & 12 year old zins that were so delicious.

I ask cuz I am curios.

 

[narlus]

i don't have any Ridge zin left...had a case of '97 geyserville which was excellent; if i don't haev one more bottle, i think i killed the last one in '05. it was still great.

i don't buy pricey wine anymore...can't afford it.

 

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>
i don't buy pricey wine anymore...can't afford it.

Amen, bruthah...

 

[Fool]

Kind of an aside, but I've been listening to this podcast lately. Been going through the archives and picking varietals to learn about.

http://www.3wineguys.com/

 

[Brian HCM#1]

Aussie wines suck for the most part, at least the ones I've tried. What do you have against Napa wines?

 

[TN]

My tastes are always changing...I used love most of the Grateful Palate wines but anymore they are just way overbearing. I have had a few Napa wines that I have liked. Had a 96 Laurel glen cab that was amazing & few months ago I had a zin made from lake co. grapes, but from a winery in napa (cant remember any more specifics). Crazy thing though, the zin was 15% but was not hot in the least & very pleasant to drink. I think it takes more finesse on the winemakers part to craft a drinkable high alcohol wine.

 

[TN]

i thought you were railing against 14% alcohol levels...i'd be surprised if any of the Ridge zins are less than 13%

edit - i did a spot check and all but one were over 14.7%

I always forger that they are more of a kitchen sink wine than a zin, I am not even sure if they can legally be called zinfandels.

 

[narlus]

well some are more zin than others, but i think regardless that zin usually consists of at least 70% of the grapes. the blend wines tend to be stuff that usually wouldn't make wine on its own (carignane, mataro, petite sirah, etc).

the ponzo vineyard i think is the highest percent of zin grapes.

 

[jking09]

i too like to drink wine from the local wineries.

 

[TN]

I tried a SHIRAZ *GASP* this weekend & liked it. Not over extracted, not too hot actually had some backbone. Well done, mates.