Wine-savvy

[boomouse]

Blackstone wines are generally good. The 2005 Pinot is a bit young - if you liked it, go ack and buy some more to open in 2-3 years.

 

I keep ALL opened wines in the ref after they're opened, even my reds. I simply give them time to come up to temp before drinking - typically about 15 minutes or so. Between the cork, lying on its side, and the cooler temps, I find it keeps the wine longer so I can keep an opened bottle 4-6 days in the ref as opposed to no more than 3 days outside. The cooler temps drastically slow down any bacterial action that's occuring, helping keep the wine from changing much while it's in the ref.

 

Have you tried a "Vacu-vin"? Its a special rubber cork that comes with a vacuum pump. The cork has a slit that is designed to seal shut when you pump enough air out of the bottle and create a vacuum. You pinch the cork to let air in when you want to pour. I find that it keeps wine drinkable long enough that you can uncork a bottle and be confident that it won't go south on you even if you just drank a glass or two.

 

With more bucks, you can now get a portable 'cruover'. Which allows you to replace the air inside an opened wine bottle with nitrogen ostensibly to prevent any oxidation. I have seen a commercial version in a Hong Kong French bistro, La Rose Noire where they sell grand crus by the glass. Its the only place in Hong Kong where you can sample a Haut-Brion, Margaux, Sauternes, and Gevrey-Chambertin all of outstanding vintage in one night and not have to buy a bottle.

[bods1000]

Isn't a Veltliner an Austrian wine? All the ones I've had here have been Austrian......

 

my apologies, pare.

yes it is indeed an Austrian wine - actually it is a Gruner- Veltliner, which I adore because it could be the only wine which harmonizes beautifully with vegetables and crustaceans, which are two of my favorite food groups

[bods1000]

I liked Blackstone Zinfandel but I also liked Ravenswood Zinfandel. I forgot which one is better...

 

there's a rule of thumb concocted by Jay McInerney, which I believe is tongue-in-cheek, that if a zin starts with an 'R' then it must be good. Think Ravenswood, Ridge, Rabbit Ridge, Renswood, etc... :upside:

[idunno]

I attended the Wine Depot Alabang Villa Maria wine tasting event. They poured 4 of the Private Bin line and 1 from the Cellar Selection. Villa Maria is a New Zealang winery. I forgot to take note of the vintages.

 

Villa Maria Private Bin Riesling (P850) - An average Riesling with refreshing citrus and lime flavors. Below par if you compare it to German Rieslings.

Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc (P850) - Nice bouquet. Nothing spectacular. I will pick Dog Point over this (even if paying for 200 pesos more).

Villa Maria Private Bin Chardonnay (P850) - This is a good flavorful Chardonnay. Buttery. I don't know if this was oaked but the oak is unnoticeable. Excellent value for money!

Villa Maria Private Bin Cabernet Merlot (P850) - Very very soft and fruit forward. Not my type of wine but this would work with some people.

 

Villa Maria Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc (P1670) - This is a different story. Intense and concentrated. Honeyed aromas then flavorful in the mouth. Nice and long finish. This is God's nectar. For this amount of money though, I'd rather spend it on an excellent Cabernet. That's just me though...

Edited May 15, 2007 by idunno

[boomouse]

Villa Maria Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc (P1670) - This is a different story. Intense and concentrated. Honeyed aromas then flavorful in the mouth. Nice and long finish. This is God's nectar. For this amount of money though, I'd rather spend it on an excellent Cabernet. That's just me though...

 

Or a young Barolo...

[noypi^]

wine drinker din ako pero im not good at these kind of level of tasting! i just like the feeling of being drank

i love australian white

[bruiser]

with regard to wines i used to drink a lot of them...my favorites include: butterfly ridge (cabernet-merlot, merlot), and mouton cadet bourdeux by the house of baron philippe de rotschild (it is quite affordable at P1,500 per bottle -- money's worth).

south african wines are also good there is a particularly good brand sold at santi's which is quite affordable to say the least and the taste is quite good...

[idunno]

with regard to wines i used to drink a lot of them...my favorites include: butterfly ridge (cabernet-merlot, merlot), and mouton cadet bourdeux by the house of baron philippe de rotschild (it is quite affordable at P1,500 per bottle -- money's worth).

south african wines are also good there is a particularly good brand sold at santi's which is quite affordable to say the least and the taste is quite good...

 

There's lots of excellent wines under P1,500. It's fun to drink across a wide variety and discover the gems among them.

 

A couple of my favorites under P1,500:

- Catena Malbec

- Dutschke Willow Bend Merlot Shiraz Cabernet

- Pago Florentino

- Kaesler Stonehorse Shiraz

- Kilikanoon Killermans Run Cabernet Sauvignon

- Summerland Santa Barbara Pinot Noir

- Torbreck Woodcutter's Shiraz

- Vina Cobos "El Felino" Malbec

- and more!

 

These wine that I listed are all available locally.

[idunno]

What wine/s goes well with

- adobo?

- lechon?

- dinuguan?

- pakbet?

- balut?

- menudo?

- kare kare?

- bicol express?

- sisig?

[floppydrive]

What wine/s goes well with

- adobo?

- lechon?

- dinuguan?

- pakbet?

- balut?

- menudo?

- kare kare?

- bicol express?

- sisig?

Lechon - Tempranillo, Cab Sauv, or Shiraz

All the rest - Beer!

[heavygatin_but_cutie]

hi wine peeps... need your help. i have an american colleague who is here til next week. She is looking for local wines that she can bring back to the US as she collects local wines from the country she visits and sterm glasses. Please give me an idea where i can get Philippine local wines for her na magugustuhan nya at di sya mapapahiya sa mga friends nya. I am giving her GSM Blue as a friend advised me na masarap ito..though I know this is considered liquor nonetheless, pinoy pa rin.

 

Masi -- hope you are well. tried calling you the other day to ask about wines...but I guess you were too busy.

[Chinelas1]

Charles Shaw aka..."2 Buck Chuck". Trader Joes simply the best and cheap!

[idunno]

hi wine peeps... need your help. i have an american colleague who is here til next week. She is looking for local wines that she can bring back to the US as she collects local wines from the country she visits and sterm glasses. Please give me an idea where i can get Philippine local wines for her na magugustuhan nya at di sya mapapahiya sa mga friends nya. I am giving her GSM Blue as a friend advised me na masarap ito..though I know this is considered liquor nonetheless, pinoy pa rin.

 

Masi -- hope you are well. tried calling you the other day to ask about wines...but I guess you were too busy.

 

Maybe in 10 years time we will have a real Pinoy wine. It is not improbable to find a good spot and plant vinifera (grape used in wine). Baguio? Central Luzon?

 

In the meantime, I saw a mango-based wine/liquor that was concocted with the help of the French. I saw that in a food expo but haven't seen it since. Maybe the distribution is weak or maybe it is for export only.

 

Also, foreigners tend to like our local rhum, Tanduay Rhum. We might belittle this rhum but people outside actually are surprised by the quality of the product.

[masi]

hi HBC,

 

go to Kultura (the Filipiniana section of SM), they sell a variety of locally produced wines - mango, strawberry, duhat. they also sell coconut wine which comes in ethnic packaging.

 

as for other liquor, get the Tanduay Rum Premium (blue label) which is available in SM grocery wine section.

 

hope this helps.

[floppydrive]

hi HBC,

 

go to Kultura (the Filipiniana section of SM), they sell a variety of locally produced wines - mango, strawberry, duhat. they also sell coconut wine which comes in ethnic packaging.

 

as for other liquor, get the Tanduay Rum Premium (blue label) which is available in SM grocery wine section.

 

hope this helps.

Whatever Tanduay Rhum you choose, please select those aged between 12 to 20 years old. This range, I would say, has the best price to quality ratio.