Red and White Wine

[mouth 0]

LtDiver has turned me on to Rosemont Shiraz and I absolutely love it. Unfortunately I can't buy it anywhere here. I have contacted a local beverage store and the owner has agreed to see if he can order it specifically for me.

Living in such a small town sometimes sucks. Thankfully I don't have to worry at all about traffic. 5 minutes to cross town has it's advantages.

--
Hot Mama
At least you know where you stand even if it is in a pile of shit.

[freeflybella 0]

If you order, see if you can get 2000. Later is OK, but you'll taste the difference. And while you're at it, order the Kirralah - if you like Rosemount, you won't be disappointed.

Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi

[lawrocket 3]

First, I know next to nothing about European v. California wines. I guess an important part is what you are looking for.

European wines typically don't stand as well on their own. They are meant to complement food. On the other hand, American, specifically California wines, are typically designed to stand alone without food. This means you may have to be choosier abotu California wines for a good match.

I'd go along with skybytch and say that a lot of the Central Coast wines are fantastic. I've not found anything from Meridian wineries that I haven't loved. I especially loved their sangiovese. Their Cab Sav has a delightful tannin.

Also, another great vineyard is DeLoach up north in the Russian River Valley. Their OFS wine (Out Fucking Standing) is fantastic.

Also, don't hesitate to try a Cab/merlot blend. They are typically wonderful.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[AndyMan 7]

I only buy red wine. I'll drink white, but I'll only buy red.

By far my favorites are red Zinfandels. Don't let the name fool you, these are nothing at all like "white zinfandels". White Zin's are virtually wine coolers, red zin's are strong red wines with attitude, with a literally explosive complex flavor.

I don't keep to one label, In fact I try to taste as many different ones I can. That said, Ravenswood makes a few very good Zin's.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[livendive 8]

Quote

Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel.
I am also a fan of just about every red wine of Greg Norman's that I have ever tasted.



Ok...this is going to sound snooty....but I have two firm beliefs about wine.
1. White Zin is for people who don't really like wine.
2. Shiraz is for people who don't really like red wine.

Ditto on Rosenblum zins. Their "Vintner's Cuvee" is a consistently good bargain, and their single vineyards are often very good. Somewhat disagree on Greg Norman, the bottles I've had (a few chards, and I think a merlot) were just ok. Absolutely agree on white zins ("Friends don't let friends drink white zin"). Absolutely disagree on shiraz/syrah. I might say that about people who drink cab franc as an unblended varietal (actually I'd say that it's a good transition wine for white wine drinkers just starting to play with reds), but I've had and have cellared some syrahs that would stand up to and even overpower most mainstream cabs. More fruit, more tannins, better aging potential, with a little leather and plenty of oak. Yum. :-)

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[livendive 8]

Quote

Just curious as to people's favorite red and white wines! I've been searching for mine, buying all different types, and haven't gotten a favorite yet!! If someone knows any really good red and whites, please share so I may experience them!! Thanks!

You need to be a little more specific.
I'm pretty much into wines across the board (with a few notable exceptions...e.g. Greek wine sucks!), from diesel-y rieslings to cat-piss sauv blancs and buttery chards. Building a new house last year has depleted our 700-bottle climate controlled cellar somewhat, but wine does still own a line in our monthly budget. I can make a list of recommendations for ya, but ya gotta tell me where to start (esp w/ regard to price).

For generic recommendations in the low to mid-price level,
Caymus "Conundrum" is an awesome white, slightly sweet with nice acidity and some floral components. Excellent summer wine and great the rest of the year too, it does well with food and is tough to beat in the $20-$25 range. Reds (which I drink more of) are harder to nail down. If I had to pick just one, the one that pops to mind immediately for just fun, big, drink-it-now appeal in the twenty-something dollar range is Bodegas Lan's, Vina Lanciano Rioja.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[TB99 0]

I'm actually looking for different types. I want to have a daily drinker type, and I want the kind to have with dinner. I love drinking wine with my dinner (usually white when it's seafood and red when it's chicken or beef). As far as price goes, I can't afford the ones that are hundreds of dollars *yet* so I'm sticking to the 15-50 dollar kinds for now Thanks to you and everyone's input! I have a lot of wine tasting to do!

Trailer 11/12 was the best. Thanks for the memories ... you guys rocked!

[chronistin 0]

Red: Rioja. Lots of it

White: Chardonnay (can't drink more than one glass or I'll stay awake for days

Chronistin
(Home @ http://www.fallschirmspringer.net/)

[Guest]

Washington state has some mighty fine Cabernets and Merlots.

"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[chronistin 0]

Quote

Washington state has some mighty fine Cabernets and Merlots.

Yeah, Merlot is fine, too.

Chronistin
(Home @ http://www.fallschirmspringer.net/)

[bkdice 0]

i love red bordeaux wines. especially medocs and margauxs.

i also love a good italian barolo or barbaresco. yum.

i'm not much of a white wine drinker, but i do like sauvignon blanc. cakebread is one that i remember having that i loved.

[livendive 8]

Quote

I'm actually looking for different types. I want to have a daily drinker type, and I want the kind to have with dinner.

Cool! There is so much out there it's impossible to taste everything, but try to approach it the same way I do beers. Nobody ever had a massively produced Coor's Light or a Budweiser and said "wow, that's awesome, I gotta stock up on some of that", and I doubt that's likely to happen with a K-J, Columbia Crest, or low-end Mondavi or Gallo. That's not to say there aren't occasional good bottles produced by them, it's just not where I look for good stuff.

OK, whites...
Sparkling
Low end - Schramsberg Mirabelle (California, $15)
Better - Veuve Clicquot Vintage Reserve (Brut or Rose) (France, $35)
Something different - Schramsberg Cremant Demi-Sec (a soft, somewhat sweet sparkler, AWESOME w/ jalapeno jelly & cream cheese on crackers, $35)

Riesling
Schloss Lieser Estate QbA (German $11)
Trimbach (France $13)
Woodward Canyon sweet or dry (Washington, $10 sweet, $20 dry)

Sauvignon Blanc
Duckhorn (California, $20ish bucks, by far my favorite SB)
Clos du Bois (California, $10 (good value wine))
Cloudy Bay (New Zealand, $23)

Chardonnay
Ferrari-Carano Reserve (California, $28)
Rombauer (California, $25)
Ryan Patrick (Washington, $13)
Note I'm not including white burgs cuz I just don't have enough money to play much with those

Sweets
Kestrel Chardonnay Ice Wine (Washington, $40/split, looks like liquid gold, tastes like strawberry jam, awesome over vanilla ice cream)
Tualatin Estates Semi-Sparkling Muscat (Oregon, $15, a real "panty dropper" & good hot tub wine)
Santo Stefano Moscato D'Asti (Italy, $14/split, similar to the Tualatin muscat, but creamier and not so sweet)

Other
Caymus "Conundrum" (California, $22)
Beaucastel Chateneuf-du-Pape Blanc (France, $45, a great white Rhone blend)

Pinot noir
Panther Creek, any single vineyard (Oregon, $40ish)
Ken Wright, any single vineyard (Oregon, $45ish)
Domaine Drouhin (Oregon, $40)
Note I'm not including burgs...too expensive and difficult to find for me to drink enough to form strong opinions. Anyhow, the last few vintages in Oregon have been outstanding

Syrah/Shiraz
Woodward Canyon (Washington, $40)
Apex (Washington, $35)
Barnard Griffin (Washington, $30)
Can ya tell I like what Washington's doing with syrah? :-)

Merlot
Andrew Will (Washington, $38)
Duckhorn (California, $28)
Petrus (France, $300-$1800...ok I had to throw it in there :-))

Cabernet Sauvignon
Woodward Canyon Old Vines (Washington, $50)
Mount Veeder (California, $40)
Liberty School (California, $14)

Bordeaux style blends
Estancia Meritage (California, $28)
Hedges Red Mountain Reserve (Washington, $35)
reasonably priced 2nd growth Bordeaux, such as Gruaud-Larose, Leoville Barton, Leoville Las Cases, Lynch-Bages, Pichon-Lalande, etc

Other red blends
Ferrari-Carano "Sienna" (California, $30, blend of Cab.Sauv., Sangiovese, and Malbec)
Rosenblum Vintner's Cuvee (NV) (California, like $15)
Bonny Doon "Big House Red" (California, $12)
Marietta Old Vine Red (NV) (California, around $15)

A few off of this list ought to keep your mouth happy for awhile. :-)

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[Rdutch 0]

Rabbit Ridge Zinfandel (its Red) Bill Bookamn turned me on to it, and it is the best wine I have ever drank, it is sometimes easy to find sometime hard but always good.

Ray
Small and fast what every girl dreams of!

[skycutie 0]

Rosemont Shiraz is one of my favorites. I love shiraz! But, it is a very strong grape, it requires a nice piece of meat, or pasta with a strong cheese sauce.
I use to work for a wine company from Rioja. Those are great wines also. I love wines with Garnacha, one of Spain's best grapes. Tempranillos are soft, sweet and simple... White? Albariños are my favorite.... love that tangy, fruity taste.

MEN: you can't live with 'em, you can't shoot 'em, but you can act psychotic and keep 'em off balance.
HISPA #10

[RevJim 0]

My 2 favorites are Corbett Canyon Shiraz and Snoqualmie Syrah. They are both technically reds. Very dark, deeply fruity, acidic, woodsy reds.

Droooool. Too bad I can't afford them right now.

It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

[VectorBoy 0]

Ferrari- carano tresor