Wine Thread

[Fugly M3]

Originally Posted by Jacks76

Wine is bad for your health

This is fake news!

[irontitan]

I always go for Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. I won't say no to a good Zinfandel as well.

[Giopic]

I think I must be the only one on here from Cornwall, UK..........my favourite wine is Prosecco or a local sparkling wine from the Camel Valley. I'd love to know if anyone on here has ever tried it

[RickFLM4]

As the year winds down and the holiday season is upon us, let us know your preferred wines and wine accessories.

My preference is for cabernet / blends from Napa, with Brunello a close second. We also enjoy Chilean cabernet / blends. I don’t really like white wine, but my wife is ok with it. We’ll serve a couple of nice bottles on Christmas Eve with dinner but also have some everyday wines on hand for before dinner.

We have a modest collection of about 50 bottles in 2 smaller EuroCave cellars (wine refrigerators). I keep track of our better wines using CellarTracker and also use an app, CorkageFee, to try to find corkage fees before I head out to a restaurant.

We have been to Napa a couple of times but not in many years - highly recommended trip.

Anyway, what are your preferences and suggestions for others? Types of wine, producers / brands, vintages, accessories, etc.?

(No need to let us know you don’t like wine if you are one of those people...)

[bd307]

I drink more wine, specifically cabernet, than whisky but just a glass with dinner everyday.

Almost exclusively Cab from Napa regions.

We are hosting a get together party this weekend and a friend is bringing a Silver Oak Cab 2015. Can't wait to try it.

Tried Cab from Chile few years back. Not too impressed, but I guess people who like lighter (or water down) red (such as Frances) would appreciate it more than those of us who like our Napa Cab to be on the thick side.

The most expensive Cab I have had thus far is Opus. Personally, I do not think it should worth the price but I did not pay for it lol

[upstatedoc]

good thread start rick. one of my favorites is kendall jackson grand reserve cab. please don't shoot me down.

[bd307]

Oh and the accessories. Used to have a wine fridge, but it broke down after 3 years of use and never bought another one. I stock around 2 cases of wine only and my wines are not that expensive (keeping it under $25 for daily bottles) so did not bother investing into another one.

Does anyone have experience with Coravin or one of those wine preservation systems?

[bd307]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

As the year winds down and the holiday season is upon us, let us know your preferred wines and wine accessories.

My preference is for cabernet / blends from Napa, with Brunello a close second. We also enjoy Chilean cabernet / blends. I don’t really like white wine, but my wife is ok with it. We’ll serve a couple of nice bottles on Christmas Eve with dinner but also have some everyday wines on hand for before dinner.

We have a modest collection of about 50 bottles in 2 smaller EuroCave cellars (wine refrigerators). I keep track of our better wines using CellarTracker and also use an app, CorkageFee, to try to find corkage fees before I head out to a restaurant.

We have been to Napa a couple of times but not in many years - highly recommended trip.

Anyway, what are your preferences and suggestions for others? Types of wine, producers / brands, vintages, accessories, etc.?

(No need to let us know you don’t like wine if you are one of those people...)

Googled it and it is a $2k fridge

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by bd307

I drink more wine, specifically cabernet, than whisky but just a glass with dinner everyday.

Almost exclusively Cab from Napa regions.

We are hosting a get together party this weekend and a friend is bringing a Silver Oak Cab 2015. Can't wait to try it.

Tried Cab from Chile few years back. Not too impressed, but I guess people who like lighter (or water down) red (such as Frances) would appreciate it more than those of us who like our Napa Cab to be on the thick side.

The most expensive Cab I have had thus far is Opus. Personally, I do not think it should worth the price but I did not pay for it lol

Silver Oak was our go to wine for many years but I haven’t had anything after 2013 (and still have a bottle of the 2013). We tried The Bard and Lewis is a similar price range and migrated to those for whatever reason. I have a bottle of 2013 Opus that we don’t plan to drink for a while. Maybe on our 25th anniversary in 2025. As for the Chileans give Don Melchor a try if you get a chance. I found a bottle at Costco last week for $79.

Originally Posted by bd307

Oh and the accessories. Used to have a wine fridge, but it broke down after 3 years of use and never bought another one. I stock around 2 cases of wine only and my wines are not that expensive (keeping it under $25 for daily bottles) so did not bother investing into another one.

Does anyone have experience with Coravin or one of those wine preservation systems?

I have not tried a Coravin and go back and forth on them. We aren’t daily wine drinkers so we usually finish a bottle when we have it. It would be nice to have the ability to have a glass a few nights a week without popping the cork. I’m a little confused by all the different models and find them rather expensive, but admittedly haven’t invested a lot of time in research.

Originally Posted by bd307

Googled it and it is a $2k fridge

Well I have had one for over 15 years (and they were a lot less expensive back then). It still keeps great temp and humidity but got a little noisy. Combined with wanting a little more space I got a new one and moved the old one to another room and continue to use it. We live in FL and need something for wine climate control since I like to store some bottles for years - no actual cellars here. I am ok with the investment given performance and life. I recommend for anyone serious / semi-serious about storing quality wines.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

good thread start rick. one of my favorites is kendall jackson grand reserve cab. please don't shoot me down.

We all like what we like and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. There are plenty of great wines at reasonable prices and that is one of the things that’s great about wine. You just need to try some different choices and figure out what you like.

[bd307]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Silver Oak was our go to wine for many years but I haven’t had anything after 2013 (and still have a bottle of the 2013). We tried The Bard and Lewis is a similar price range and migrated to those for whatever reason. I have a bottle of 2013 Opus that we don’t plan to drink for a while. Maybe on our 25th anniversary in 2025. As for the Chileans give Don Melchor a try if you get a chance. I found a bottle at Costco last week for $79.



I have not tried a Coravin and go back and forth on them. We aren’t daily wine drinkers so we usually finish a bottle when we have it. It would be nice to have the ability to have a glass a few nights a week without popping the cork. I’m a little confused by all the different models and find them rather expensive, but admittedly haven’t invested a lot of time in research.



Well I have had one for over 15 years (and they were a lot less expensive back then). It still keeps great temp and humidity but got a little noisy. Combined with wanting a little more space I got a new one and moved the old one to another room and continue to use it. We live in FL and need something for wine climate control since I like to store some bottles for years - no actual cellars here. I am ok with the investment given performance and life. I recommend for anyone serious / semi-serious about storing quality wines.

Costco is my go to shopping for wine and liquors. Total Wine is the second as the closest one to me is around 15 miles away (Costco is only 2 miles). Costco carries decent wine selection IMO, but they may not be cheapest for wine.

I am the only drinker at home so I would finish a bottle in around 3 days.

You are right about the humidity. Here is the dessert, it is not so much of an issue and I store the cases in a dark room so I have not been willingly wanting to invest into another fridge.

Do you have a recommendation of a wine fridge under $600?

[quick6]

An excellent Pinot Noir to drink is from Adam Lee of Siduri fame called "Clarice". This is a super luxurious wine that cannot be purchased in stores but can be ordered to try off the Clarice website. Super smooth and fruity-you won't be disappointed. It scores in the 94-95 range.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by bd307

Costco is my go to shopping for wine and liquors. Total Wine is the second as the closest one to me is around 15 miles away (Costco is only 2 miles). Costco carries decent wine selection IMO, but they may not be cheapest for wine.

I am the only drinker at home so I would finish a bottle in around 3 days.

You are right about the humidity. Here is the dessert, it is not so much of an issue and I store the cases in a dark room so I have not been willingly wanting to invest into another fridge.

Do you have a recommendation of a wine fridge under $600?

I do not have a recommendation, but suggest you check with Wine Enthusiast. The sell a number of fridges in a wide array of prices and sizes and have people who may be able to make a recommendation. As an FYI none seem to store as many bottles as advertised because bottles are non-standard sized.

I actually worry more about the heat than humidity. Heat ruins wine and actually corks can dry out in low humidity. Not really much of an issue if buying and drinking or storing for only a short period. But if storing for a few years, it is best to keep temp below 70 degrees and temp / humidity as stable as possible.

I try to order direct from wineries and have deliveries in cooler months, but you can’t do that with everything. I have also ordered online from Benchmark Wine and to a much lesser degree, Wine.com. Also shop locally at Costco and Total Wine but I also worry about their storage for other than fast selling wines.

[cmyx6go]

Coravin is for quitters. LOL!

2013 was a great year for CA Cabs. I was a huge fan of Stag's Leap Artemis. I couldn't find it for while in the local stores. I tried a 2016 recently and didn't like it at all. Caymus is my favorite and the 2017 actually isn't bad. Is there anything else out there that tastes like the Caymus? It has a very distinct flavor I have found in any other Cab. Some of my friends do the "I taste oak, berry". I don't know what I taste, just that I really enjoy the Caymus.

[M_Six]

Love me some beefy reds. Cabs or Merlot or a blend. I lean towards Aussie wines, but Napa is right there as well. I don't drink as much wine as I used to (wine cooler has been unplugged for years) due to diet. Whiskey has fewer calories. But I still love a glass now and then. Had a nice Merlot with dinner last night, for instance.

I don't drink much white, but I do enjoy the sweeter whites like an Austrian Auslese or even a Riesling now and then.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by cmyx6go

Coravin is for quitters. LOL!

2013 was a great year for CA Cabs. I was a huge fan of Stag's Leap Artemis. I couldn't find it for while in the local stores. I tried a 2016 recently and didn't like it at all. Caymus is my favorite and the 2017 actually isn't bad. Is there anything else out there that tastes like the Caymus? It has a very distinct flavor I have found in any other Cab. Some of my friends do the "I taste oak, berry". I don't know what I taste, just that I really enjoy the Caymus.

I don’t do the tastes like oak, boysenberry, etc. either... I do let my dog smell each cork though. His nose is much better than mine.

Not sure about anything that tastes like Caymus - and it definitely varies by vintage. But another pretty good wine in the Artemis / Caymus price range is Joseph Phelps.

[bd307]

Originally Posted by cmyx6go

Coravin is for quitters. LOL!

2013 was a great year for CA Cabs. I was a huge fan of Stag's Leap Artemis. I couldn't find it for while in the local stores. I tried a 2016 recently and didn't like it at all. Caymus is my favorite and the 2017 actually isn't bad. Is there anything else out there that tastes like the Caymus? It has a very distinct flavor I have found in any other Cab. Some of my friends do the "I taste oak, berry". I don't know what I taste, just that I really enjoy the Caymus.

Funny you mention Stags Leap Artemis. Was having one few days ago, but this is 2015.

Caymus is/was another very good brand, but they got too expensive (oversea demands are high) and I stopped paying for it.

AMICI is another brand I like. Last year I tried Meli Melo (I like to try new wine with stupid labels) and it is very pleasant to drink.

[bd307]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I don’t do the tastes like oak, boysenberry, etc. either... I do let my dog smell each cork though. His nose is much better than mine.

Not sure about anything that tastes like Caymus - and it definitely varies by vintage. But another pretty good wine in the Artemis / Caymus price range is Joseph Phelps.

Speaking of corks, I save up all the corks of every single bottle I open since 2017 (this was wife's suggestion) and she would write the date on them then put them into a big wine bottle (4' tall).

[RickFLM4]

Vintage charts for anyone interested:

https://www.winespectator.com/vintagecharts/search

[bd307]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I do not have a recommendation, but suggest you check with Wine Enthusiast. The sell a number of fridges in a wide array of prices and sizes and have people who may be able to make a recommendation. As an FYI none seem to store as many bottles as advertised because bottles are non-standard sized.

I actually worry more about the heat than humidity. Heat ruins wine and actually corks can dry out in low humidity. Not really much of an issue if buying and drinking or storing for only a short period. But if storing for a few years, it is best to keep temp below 70 degrees and temp / humidity as stable as possible.

I try to order direct from wineries and have deliveries in cooler months, but you can’t do that with everything. I have also ordered online from Benchmark Wine and to a much lesser degree, Wine.com. Also shop locally at Costco and Total Wine but I also worry about their storage for other than fast selling wines.

You are much more serious than I am for wine. I do not store wine longer than 6 months.

[cmyx6go]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I don’t do the tastes like oak, boysenberry, etc. either... I do let my dog smell each cork though. His nose is much better than mine.

Not sure about anything that tastes like Caymus - and it definitely varies by vintage. But another pretty good wine in the Artemis / Caymus price range is Joseph Phelps.

Thank you! I've seen the Phelps but haven't tried it. I will now.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by bd307

Speaking of corks, I save up all the corks of every single bottle I open since 2017 (this was wife's suggestion) and she would write the date on them then put them into a big wine bottle (4' tall).

I had this idea too, but my wife wanted nothing to do with it lol.