Wine-savvy

[agxo3]

Nice remodel agxo!  :thumbsupsmiley:

 

Although personally I would have gone with a stove-island, and a MUCH larger sink 

 

What dishwasher did you get?

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Thanks, N2DB! We tried, but unfortunately no space for an island unless we gave up the breakfast nook, which we really didn't want to do. Sink's pretty large - a Franke 39" double sink in stainless steel. Got a Bosch dishwasher, mainly because it's got the rep*tation for being one of the quietest on the market. And it's stainless steel, inside and out. Wanted the Fisher and Paykel double dishwashers but read some really negative reports about them, and the Miele was outrageous! Of course after all we spent, perhaps the difference would have been a small percentage!

 

I guess I should post a "before" picture as well, huh? Lemme see if I can find where I hid THOSE pics.

 

GREAT KITCHEN, AGXO!!!!!

 

For a while I though I was looking at a special edition on kitchens in Robb Report!!!

 

What a great way to prepare your meals for the Holidays!  Congratulations!!!!

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Thanks, Masi! Took much more work than I planned for, even with a general contractor on board. There's just no substitute for hands-on project management. We looooove cooking on that great range. We can BOTH be cooking away and not get in each other's way!

 

Speaking of which - wifey did a pot of spaghetti sauce the other night. Poured in a (large) cup of one of my good cabs (Retzlaff '98 - estate-grown Livermore Valley). Wow! Of course I had to have the cab with dinner. The bottle was open and it would have been a shame to waste it, right? Went through the rest of the bottle. Am I a wino or what? That '98 is developing nicely. Needs another year to REALLY come into its own, but at this point, the tannins are integrating nicely, fruit is still not as forward as I'd like (but the cooking sure brought it out!). Loads of blackberries and black cherries with a touch of pepper (!) and a hint of black licorice. Since I'm not really sensitive to that licorice it must be more than a hint, but what do I know? A bit of smoke and a touch of stone fruit (plum and apricot???). Nice, but will get better over the next year or two. Good thin I bought two cases of the stuff.

 

We're doing a prime rib for Christmas dinner. I plan to smoke it on the grill, crusted with fresh-grated horseradish/kosher salt/crushed garlic/crushed black peppercorn. Planning to pop open a '99 Noah's (Lodi grapes!) zin, with a '02 Spenker zin (from Lodi) for backup. Aperitifs will be a nice muscat dessert wine, over ice with a squeeze of Meyer lemon juice (try it! you'll like it!). For dessert, a White House port (also from Livermore). In between, a nice honey-roasted ham, with maybe a J '99 pinot noir. My brother and his family are joining us, as are my daughter and her BF, so there will be plenty of us to drink up all that wine!

[new2dabeat]

Thanks, N2DB! We tried, but unfortunately no space for an island unless we gave up the breakfast nook, which we really didn't want to do. Sink's pretty large - a Franke 39" double sink in stainless steel. Got a Bosch dishwasher, mainly because it's got the rep*tation for being one of the quietest on the market. And it's stainless steel, inside and out. Wanted the Fisher and Paykel double dishwashers but read some really negative reports about them, and the Miele was outrageous! Of course after all we spent, perhaps the difference would have been a small percentage!

 

I guess I should post a "before" picture as well, huh? Lemme see if I can find where I hid THOSE pics.

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Amazing how "small" a 39" sink looks in a photo

 

Yeah, heard that about the Fisher and Paykels - too bad because it's a neat concept. Maybe Miele or Bosch will come up with their version soon.

 

Would love to see the 'before' shots. People typically don't appreciate the full impact of a remodel without seeing what it was like before the goodies were put in

[storm]

Bods, Masi, Lips, Storm - I finally dug up some pics of the now-infamous kitchen remodel - and here they are!!! Taken just after we got the last applicances in but before we got everything back into the kitchen. You can still see the shipping and consumer notification tags. 48" Wolf range with 6 burners and the griddle. Drop-down warming racks on the backsplash and warming lights in the hood. 4 fans in the extra-deep hood pulling 1200 cfm to keep smoke out of the kitchen even when doing lots of frying. Sub-zero fridge (freezer below) keeps my white wine (there - no longer OT!!!) well chilled - so much so that I have to take it out a half hour before dinner to let it come up to 55 deg F. The granite is from Brazil and is called typhoon green - nothing boring about THAT stone! And it hides those wine spills really nice!

 

I took out the small wine fridge I had under the counter in the old configuration in favor of the big Transtherm I got a few months back. I still have it, though and am trying to figure out where I can put it now.

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Wow Pare, ang ganda tsaka ang laki!!!! :thumbsupsmiley:

 

Very nice layout. And I thought our kitchen is big.

 

Bought an Australian Shiraz, 2003 Hardys Nottage Hill. I'm not sure if it's good. I'll serve it on our next EB here in our house.

[masi]

One more ------

 

 

 

I guess I should take a picture of that Trnastherm for Masi who was interested in picking up a wine fridge. I did see some Haier 32-bottle units at Fry's this weekend, selling for $129!!! Cheap!!! And there's that 75-bottle Danby at the Wine Hardware store for $525. I'd buy the danby over the Haier - Danby has better rep*tation for reliability and life than Haier.

 

And now, back to your regular programming.........

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Boy, you guys out there get the best of the best!!!! I've been doing the rounds for a personal wine ref and I am limited to very few choices. A Haier (the cheapest in the lot which still goes at P14k andyou only get it for $125), Toshiba (P19k which looks like a medicine cabinet), GE Signature series (best looking with a stainless steel/glass fron door (for P20k). All these have a capacity of 25 bottles. The 50-bottle Vino cab sells at P35K.

 

Oh there iss one more, the Viking brand (24bottle) (by indent order) which looks like a personal ref, selling at P120k!!!!! :grr:

[new2dabeat]

Boy, you guys out there get the best of the best!!!!  I've been doing the rounds for a personal wine ref and I am limited to very few choices.  A Haier (the cheapest in the lot which still goes at P14k andyou only get it for $125),

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Whoa! That's a HUGE difference - over twice as much! How do they get away with that?

[masi]

Whoa! That's a HUGE difference - over twice as much! How do they get away with that? 

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that's the reality of being in a "developing country" ... the citizens don't have much of a choice and are over-taxed!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE!!!!! :santa:

[floppydrive]

Whoa! That's a HUGE difference - over twice as much! How do they get away with that? 

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Simple: The wine ref market is a very special niche. They believe that people who would like to keep wines can afford to pay an arm and a leg for such an appliance. Since there are only a few people who bring it in, it is a seller's market.

[new2dabeat]

Simple:  The wine ref market is a very special niche.  They believe that people who would like to keep wines can afford to pay an arm and a leg for such an appliance.  Since there are only a few people who bring it in, it is a seller's market.

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Almost makes on want to open up a wine-fridge business... almost.

[masi]

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

 

Finally got to pop open a bottle of Banrock Station Sparkling Shiraz!!!!! Truly a remarkable experience!!!! Unusual and out of character!

 

Deep almost black color, hardly any but a hint of the typical rich nose of a shiraz (perhaps due to it being chilled), peppery spice, dark berries and plums. Body was everything to expect from a "sparkler"!!!! A clash of the expected fruitiness of your bubbly and the fullness and spicey body of shiraz! Lingering flavors of cocoa at the tail!

 

Smooth, lovely and RED!!! Just the way Christmas should be!!!!

Edited December 27, 2005 by masi

[floppydrive]

Almost makes on want to open up a wine-fridge business... almost. 

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Oh there are some who make them here in RP already, but are in prototype stage. The controls work fine. Temp is maintained very well, but need tweeking in terms of aesthetics.

 

Merry Christmas to everyone!

 

 

Agxo, your kitchen is BEAUTIFUL! Top of the line appliances blending well with the cabinets.

 

 

Cheers and may we all have a more bountiful 2006!

 

 

Ms. LipStick, The Spanish Gate is good! I had some while cooking spaghetti - of course, half of it went into the spaghetti! hehehe.

[new2dabeat]

Cheers and may we all have a more bountiful 2006!

 

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Hear Hear!

 

And as a follow-on thread - what're you all planning on popping (bubbly-wise) for the new year? I'm starting to chill a case of 'J' (my personal California sparkling wine favorite) for the "house" sipping bubbly:

 

http://tinypic.com/j7t079.jpg

 

And then a handful of bottles of Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle for the actual toasting:

 

http://tinypic.com/j7t1ms.jpg

[Lipstick]

Ms. LipStick,  The Spanish Gate is good!  I had some while cooking spaghetti - of course, half of it went into the spaghetti! hehehe.

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FD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hahahahahaha Happiest of Holidays to you my fellow vino fan.

 

Hmmmm are you sure you liked the Spanish Gate? Eh bakit kalahati eh ginawa mong vinegar sa spaghetti mo?

[Lipstick]

Ms. Lips - I am so glad you decided to have that cup of coffee and wait so patiently for us. I hope the wait was worth it. Extraordinary as the wine was, it was no match for the company and ocnversation. What a range of topics we covered, and what a surprise to see what a small world it really is.

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Mr. Agxo3 .. was it worth it! Overly!!! Kahit walang wine. It was a treat to have met you and it is always a treat for me to spend time with the Winos. :thumbsupsmiley:

 

venerable Lipstick.

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Venerable naman sa yo .... ano ba yan. Parang akong Judge Judy nyan!

 

Wow!  You guys had a grand wine celebration!  I'm amazed how you guys could still be active at 3:30 in the morning after 5 wines.  I'd probably be snoring loud by the 3rd bottle. hehehe

 

Fantastic FRs from everyone!

 

Para hindi OT: this was a simple weekend, and since I wasn't sure of the preferences of our group, I got an ever reliable Montepulciano.  Medium legs, very fruity, some light woody tones.  Easy drinking.  Of course this is nothing compared to the friday to saturday wine marathon! hehehe  I guess no one made it to the Salcedo Saturday Market? hehehe  Cheers!

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Hey FD, you should join us the next time we get together. Does anyone have your mobile number? PM na para kasama sa stampita! :thumbsupsmiley:

 

p.s. Haha I did not make it to the Market that morning as you suspected.

[Lipstick]

now for celibacy, why are nuns and priests not crabby?

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Hmmm maybe because they are at the confessional box often?

 

 

The Bods??? parang pangalan ng sculpture yan ah - sculpture of what - I don't know!

 

at kelan ako naging object of anything dito aber?? If ever, please give me the handles of those gurlets para ma-PM ko naman :evil:

 

para hindi OT - I again bought a Dunnewood at WD yesterday because it was still on sale

pareng masi wala akong makita nung Sparkiling Shiraz.....

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Are you sure you really want me to PM you those NAMES????? :boo:

 

well we sure were rewarded for our obstinacy (not obscenity ha ) and we all enjoyed each other's company through that looonnng Friday night....and excuse me, your charm is not spectral but very alive and full-bodied (ayan, para hindi OT - like the full-bodied Niebaum-Coppola which has now ceased to be a spectre of our collective wishes)....and yes, those compromising situations are just a pigment (being art-minded now, I'd like to think ) of your mind's colorful canvass...

 

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Hayyy Bods, sana ang vino at charm na lang ang full-bodied sa akin. Man the holiday season has not only made me more than full-bodied ... more like overly-stuffed-bodied! Ackkkkkkkkkkk.

 

[Lipstick]

How is the wine scene (if any) in the Philippines? I live in California (just an hour away from "Wine Country" - Napa and Sonoma), so we're pretty much inundated with fruits of the vine here. You pretty much *can't* get away from wine around here - be it American (North, South, and Central), European (French, Italian, German, etc), African (yes, they have very good ones), Australian, and Japanese (sake is considered a wine, per it's production process - very big sake revival going on for the past few years).

 

I've also lived on Long Island (New York) and have done weekly runs out to the wineries out on the forks as well.

 

I'm going to be visiting the Philippines (Makati / Manila) in a few weeks (after a 20-year hiatus) and am interested in hitting any local wine bars, sample whatever selections are available.

 

Any recommendations from this group? What to hit, where to go, what to avoid?

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Welcome to the thread new2dabeat!

 

Hello winers!

 

We (me and my bride) had a great great time last Friday till Saturday dawn in the company of the thread owner, pareng Masi, Liberty, Lipstick and sulpot-bayan Agxo3. Many many thanks to all of you guys and gurlets. I am looking forward to our next pre-christmas eb.

 

:thumbsupsmiley:

 

Thanks Bods for your company at OMAKASE.  :thumbsupsmiley:  :thumbsupsmiley:  :thumbsupsmiley:

 

We'll be there next week with the kids. Promise.

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Pareng Storm!!!!!!!!!! Congrats again for winning in the NAAP sculpture division.

 

Ehermmmm I have joined fellow Winos Bods and Masi in being proud owners of a STORM dancer ---- I super duper luv my dancer!!! Worth the trade off for a BVLGARI ring. :thumbsupsmiley:

 

Thanks ..

Ok i'll be doing more readings here and more tastings back at the house .. 

any suggestions to get good wines at reasonable prices? I got a friend who sells wines, you think its better to buy there or at the mall?

:mtc:

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Whats a reasonable price range for you Autopimp? Normally Aussie, Spanish, Chilean and Californian wines give the most VFM (value for money).

 

Hello friends

 

ang sarap mag back read. dami kong natututunan.    i just drink and i hardly take time to "experience" the liters of wine i consume.

 

next time i get a midnight text from Lipstick, gigising na nga rin ako!

 

cheers!

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Hey friend!! Welcome to the thread! Luved our 5bottles of Wine and A Bibimbap Later session lat Friday!