* THE WINE THREAD *

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  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,582
    mcgruff10 said:
    mcgruff10 said:
    I drank this one last weekend.  One of the best wines I ever had. No ice cubes. ;)

    Fantastic wine.
    So dude just posted a pic of Opus One, but regarding wine like this.  I know they're so good, but I have such a tough time spending $50+ on a Napa Cab or something along those lines. I know they're great and have had plenty, but there are soooooo many good California Cabs that are $30 or so or even less. I feel like I am getting more bang for my buck going old world when I start spending a little more on wine. Like I'd prefer to buy a Brunello/Barolo as a $60+ wine and seek out the good $20-$30 cabs that are highly rated.

    Am I crazy?
    You are not crazy.
    A good brunello or a great one $60 and up is always a good thing.

    The Opus One belongs to a friend. He needed one for a special event and is saving the rest.
    He did share some with me and I enjoyed it but would be just as happy with a good  California cab or a Brunello.
     I never really drank brunello, what would you compare it to? Cab?  Pinot noir?
    So Brunello is Sangiovese.  It is just from around the town of Montalcino and are darker grapes than in other areas of Tuscany.  I think it is Italy's best wine.  Kinda a weak comparison since it's the same grape for the most part, but can probably compare it to a big Chianti Classico a bit.
  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,582
    Glad to hear everyone has a similar mindset and I'm not crazy.  Every Wine Spectator has half a dozen or more Cali Cabs with 90+ ratings in the $20 range.  I can always find at least a couple of them in my liquor store

    I am not shy about buying a nice bottle at all, just feel like it makes most sense to go the old world route when doing so since there is so much good US wine that is reasonably had.
  • mcgruff10 said:
    I drank this one last weekend.  One of the best wines I ever had. No ice cubes. ;)

    Fantastic wine.
    So dude just posted a pic of Opus One, but regarding wine like this.  I know they're so good, but I have such a tough time spending $50+ on a Napa Cab or something along those lines. I know they're great and have had plenty, but there are soooooo many good California Cabs that are $30 or so or even less. I feel like I am getting more bang for my buck going old world when I start spending a little more on wine. Like I'd prefer to buy a Brunello/Barolo as a $60+ wine and seek out the good $20-$30 cabs that are highly rated.

    Am I crazy?
    No you aren't!

    I bought a bottle of Opus for my boss.  I have never tried it.

    Drinking wine though that is expensive is an experience that should be tried every now and again.  Some of the expensive wines aren't as good as a $30 wine though, they just aren't.

    My favorite wines are from Howell Mountain and Alexander Valley area in Cali.  Pick something from those areas that aren't expensive and you'll taste a difference.

    A perfect example is Rodney Strong.  His cab from Sonoma is very good for the price point.  While out to eat at a fancy steak house I noticed RS so I ordered a bottle.  Was a little pricier from what I had remembered but I know it's a good wine.  Upon tasting that wine there was an absolute difference from what I remembered.  Look at the bottle and lo and behold the vintage was from Alexander Valley.  This has become one of my favorites from them.

    So my go to wine that I have around the house?

    Los Vascos Cab from Chile.  About $9 a bottle.

    It's a great wine for $9.  Buy it by the case.

    Then I always have Seghesio and RS too.  Those are for other occasions but if I am really wanting something different I will see what else is out there so I know.  Brands like Jordan, Heitz, Howell Mtn, Symmetry, Hess, Frog's Leap, Duck Horn, Caduces and the list goes on.

    Drinking wine should always be fun no matter what the cost.
  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,582
    mcgruff10 said:
    I drank this one last weekend.  One of the best wines I ever had. No ice cubes. ;)

    Fantastic wine.
    So dude just posted a pic of Opus One, but regarding wine like this.  I know they're so good, but I have such a tough time spending $50+ on a Napa Cab or something along those lines. I know they're great and have had plenty, but there are soooooo many good California Cabs that are $30 or so or even less. I feel like I am getting more bang for my buck going old world when I start spending a little more on wine. Like I'd prefer to buy a Brunello/Barolo as a $60+ wine and seek out the good $20-$30 cabs that are highly rated.

    Am I crazy?
    No you aren't!

    I bought a bottle of Opus for my boss.  I have never tried it.

    Drinking wine though that is expensive is an experience that should be tried every now and again.  Some of the expensive wines aren't as good as a $30 wine though, they just aren't.

    My favorite wines are from Howell Mountain and Alexander Valley area in Cali.  Pick something from those areas that aren't expensive and you'll taste a difference.

    A perfect example is Rodney Strong.  His cab from Sonoma is very good for the price point.  While out to eat at a fancy steak house I noticed RS so I ordered a bottle.  Was a little pricier from what I had remembered but I know it's a good wine.  Upon tasting that wine there was an absolute difference from what I remembered.  Look at the bottle and lo and behold the vintage was from Alexander Valley.  This has become one of my favorites from them.

    So my go to wine that I have around the house?

    Los Vascos Cab from Chile.  About $9 a bottle.

    It's a great wine for $9.  Buy it by the case.

    Then I always have Seghesio and RS too.  Those are for other occasions but if I am really wanting something different I will see what else is out there so I know.  Brands like Jordan, Heitz, Howell Mtn, Symmetry, Hess, Frog's Leap, Duck Horn, Caduces and the list goes on.

    Drinking wine should always be fun no matter what the cost.
    This is good stuff and very much agreed.  I was looking at some ratings of Opus One vintages yesterday and there were a couple that had ratings in the 90 range. Now I get every rating and palate is different, but imagine drinking a $350 bottle of wine that you can get the same rating in a blind taste test for $20?

    I have had expensive wine a couple times and it is an experience.  I love good wine and over the past 5 years or so have been drinking more and more and thinking about it and paying more attention to it. It is a whole lot of fun.

    I am very familiar with Rodney Strong and am sure I have had both the Cab and Zin.  Interesting about Alexander Valley  Will look into.

    Good stuff.
  • HesCalledDyerHesCalledDyer Maryland Posts: 16,416
    edited October 2018
    Been wanting to try a couple of these for quite some time.  It's former Formula One driver Jarno Trulli's vineyard.
  • Been wanting to try a couple of these for quite some time.  It's former Formula One driver Jarno Trulli's vineyard.
    I've had a few Bordeaux', cabs from other countries and even got to try one of Vedders Barolo, which was fantastic by the way, and I can honestly say I do not know enough about European wines...
  • mcgruff10mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 27,739
    Nice little cab for walking around the neighborhood with the kids. 
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • mcgruff10 said:
    Nice little cab for walking around the neighborhood with the kids. 
    I've actually avoided this.

    Is it really decent?
  • mcgruff10mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 27,739
    mcgruff10 said:
    Nice little cab for walking around the neighborhood with the kids. 
    I've actually avoided this.

    Is it really decent?
    For $12.99 I thought it was good.  Good ratings according to my local store but not one I am dying to buy again. 
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • tbergstbergs Posts: 9,195
    Going cheap with canned wine while trick or treating with the kids.

    It's a hopeless situation...
  • tbergs said:
    Going cheap with canned wine while trick or treating with the kids.

    WOW!  That is a few steps below box wine...
  • mcgruff10mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 27,739
    Picked this up today.  One of my go to s.  
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • mcgruff10mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 27,739
    @PJ_Soul went to a big liquor store today and no Canadian Pinot Gris. Closest was Washington state. 
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • PJ_SoulPJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 49,473
    edited November 2018
    mcgruff10 said:
    @PJ_Soul went to a big liquor store today and no Canadian Pinot Gris. Closest was Washington state. 
    I know! The US doesn't sell it! Meanwhile, BC grocery stores that sell wine (which is new for us) were only selling BC wines to help the local vintners, but just made a big deal about how they were now going to sell US wine as well ... but the US isn't reciprocating. Not fair, lol! SANCTIONS! ;)
    Post edited by PJ_Soul on
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • mcgruff10mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 27,739
    PJ_Soul said:
    mcgruff10 said:
    @PJ_Soul went to a big liquor store today and no Canadian Pinot Gris. Closest was Washington state. 
    I know! The US doesn't sell it! Meanwhile, BC grocery stores that sell wine (which is new for us) were only selling BC wines to help the local vintners, but just made a big deal about how they were now going to sell US wine as well ... but the US isn't reciprocating. Not fair, lol! SANCTIONS! ;)
    I will find it. It is my mission. 
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,582
    5 year wedding anniversary. Figured we’d open a 2006 super Tuscan (the year we met) that we brought home from Italy, along with our baby girl, to go along with meats,  cheeses and olives. The real celebration is tomorrow too!


  • mcgruff10mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 27,739
     Is that’s my type of meal Cliffy6745!!! Happy anniversary. 
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • 5 year wedding anniversary. Figured we’d open a 2006 super Tuscan (the year we met) that we brought home from Italy, along with our baby girl, to go along with meats,  cheeses and olives. The real celebration is tomorrow too!


    TAPAS!!!

    Congrats!!!
  • 5 year wedding anniversary. Figured we’d open a 2006 super Tuscan (the year we met) that we brought home from Italy, along with our baby girl, to go along with meats,  cheeses and olives. The real celebration is tomorrow too!


    Beautiful.. congratulations.  Looks perfect
    brixton 93
    astoria 06
    albany 06
    hartford 06
    reading 06
    barcelona 06
    paris 06
    wembley 07
    dusseldorf 07
    nijmegen 07

    this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,582
    Thanks, all. Solid all the way around. Really liked the wine.
  • curmudgeonesscurmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 3,218
    mcgruff10 said:
    I drank this one last weekend.  One of the best wines I ever had. No ice cubes. ;)

    Fantastic wine.
    So dude just posted a pic of Opus One, but regarding wine like this.  I know they're so good, but I have such a tough time spending $50+ on a Napa Cab or something along those lines. I know they're great and have had plenty, but there are soooooo many good California Cabs that are $30 or so or even less. I feel like I am getting more bang for my buck going old world when I start spending a little more on wine. Like I'd prefer to buy a Brunello/Barolo as a $60+ wine and seek out the good $20-$30 cabs that are highly rated.

    Am I crazy?
    No you aren't!

    I bought a bottle of Opus for my boss.  I have never tried it.

    Drinking wine though that is expensive is an experience that should be tried every now and again.  Some of the expensive wines aren't as good as a $30 wine though, they just aren't.

    My favorite wines are from Howell Mountain and Alexander Valley area in Cali.  Pick something from those areas that aren't expensive and you'll taste a difference.

    A perfect example is Rodney Strong.  His cab from Sonoma is very good for the price point.  While out to eat at a fancy steak house I noticed RS so I ordered a bottle.  Was a little pricier from what I had remembered but I know it's a good wine.  Upon tasting that wine there was an absolute difference from what I remembered.  Look at the bottle and lo and behold the vintage was from Alexander Valley.  This has become one of my favorites from them.

    So my go to wine that I have around the house?

    Los Vascos Cab from Chile.  About $9 a bottle.

    It's a great wine for $9.  Buy it by the case.

    Then I always have Seghesio and RS too.  Those are for other occasions but if I am really wanting something different I will see what else is out there so I know.  Brands like Jordan, Heitz, Howell Mtn, Symmetry, Hess, Frog's Leap, Duck Horn, Caduces and the list goes on.

    Drinking wine should always be fun no matter what the cost.
    This is good stuff and very much agreed.  I was looking at some ratings of Opus One vintages yesterday and there were a couple that had ratings in the 90 range. Now I get every rating and palate is different, but imagine drinking a $350 bottle of wine that you can get the same rating in a blind taste test for $20?

    I have had expensive wine a couple times and it is an experience.  I love good wine and over the past 5 years or so have been drinking more and more and thinking about it and paying more attention to it. It is a whole lot of fun.

    I am very familiar with Rodney Strong and am sure I have had both the Cab and Zin.  Interesting about Alexander Valley  Will look into.

    Good stuff.

    In my life before children, long ago, I live near a very good and very famous wine shop, where I learned a lot (that I have since forgotten), attended a lot of tastings, etc.

    The one piece of advice I kept with me over the years, though, was that if you can get a nice bottle of wine for, say, $20, then a hundred dollar bottle of wine really ought to taste five times as good to be worth the money.

    Now, truth be told, I can taste the difference between most $12 bottles and something priced over $50, but I'm still cheap enough that I will drink the $12 bottle on the regular and save the pricier stuff for "special occasions" (result being that I now have a refrigerator full of Veuve Clicquot waiting for an adequately "special" occasion.). And I'm a total bargain hunter at Costco.
    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
  • curmudgeonesscurmudgeoness Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 3,218


    Opened this tonight; got it at a "wine pull" (charity fundraiser). Interesting wax capsule instead of metal. Pretty tasty....

    That's a pretty big pic. Sorry...

    All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
  • bbiggsbbiggs Posts: 6,926
    Oh great. I just realized there’s a wine thread. I already spend enough time on the craft beer and bourbon threads lol.  Here was tonight’s bottle. A nice blend from Coopers Hawk...a local Chicago restaurant/ winery. 


  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,582
    You ain’t wrong, tempo 

  • You ain’t wrong, tempo 

    Awesome!  I'm so glad you tried it!!!

    Glad you enjoyed it too!
  • Cliffy6745Cliffy6745 Posts: 33,582
    Breaking out a bottle from Italy, a really small winery ran by a dude named mirko


  • Breaking out a bottle from Italy, a really small winery ran by a dude named mirko


    And?
  • mcgruff10mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 27,739
    Breaking out a bottle from Italy, a really small winery ran by a dude named mirko


    And?
    His ice maker broke so he wasn’t able to drink it. 
    I had some stags leap on Christmas, damn it was delicious!!
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
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