Wine-savvy

[agxo3]

If you are a newbie and not "knowing any better" then the level of your enjoyment for sure is really low. You're excited because this is something you never experienced before. I enjoyed Mompo, Novellino and Carlo Rossi the first time I tasted them but as I got more exposed to different wines, I noticed the difference and I become more discerning.

 

Exactly. Hence why ruin a new generation of oenophiles by literally cramming well-intentioned suggestions down their gullets? (Note that this statement is not directed personally to you, Storm, but rather in general).

 

You're more discerning precisely because you did 'pay your dues' as it were. Anyone else with an interest should be afforded, as often as possible, the same glint of 'Eureka!' on their palates.

 

Boards such as this should not only be a free exchange of experiences, but they should also encourage "the kids" to go climb that tree and scratch their shins without being told that it's easier to take the ladder or they'll have a better view by looking North instead of South. Or, for that matter, being told after the fact that it wasn't worth climbing that tree to begin with.

 

Why NOT give them suggestions? As long as they are suggestions and a guide rather than a hard and fast rule. Yes, EVERYBODY's taste buds are different - I've said that all along. Go backread a bit and you'll find exactly that. However, to suggest that everyone simply find their own way and find their own level is elitist in its own right - not everyone has the same opportunity to taste nor the same opportunity to share experiences. While I would never suggest that what I find good will be received the same way by others (and certainly that's been the case more than once), I would also never suggest that I or others cannot benefit from someone else's experience. Would you also suggest withholding information that could keep someone from driving off a cliff or ingesting something poisonous just so they can learn for themselves?

 

How people use the information that is shared is totally up to them - they can take it as gospel truth (which I would not!) or they can take it as a guide to what they might expect (or inthe case of a good recommendation (what to look for). As my physics teacher drilled into me many, many, many years ago - "Never believe EVERYTHING yhou read, see or hear." Moral of the story - check things out, do your investigation. And then form your OWN opinion. As in every scientific exploration, starting with data is always better than starting with none.

 

But your opening statement that there are NO good or bad wines is disingenious at best, and, IMHO, wrong. There ARE good and bad wines. Some are universally bad - a corked or cooked or improperly vinted wine, for example. Some are merely a matter of taste.

Edited July 19, 2007 by agxo3

[agxo3]

LOL,

Same here. First few wines I ever tasted were those three. Good thing never really got traumatized from drinking wine from a Tetra Pack (Mompo! WTF izzat?! )

Then got to tasting different wines at Bacchus 6750 (Not there anymore, right?)

From there, I would always visit the different wine shops (grocery or liquor store checking out the different selection).

And crashing friends and relatives secret stash, bugging them to open their best bottles. (surprisingly, sometimes they do give in)

 

BTW,

Went on a wine trip last year in Napa, kept on drinking instead of spittiing out the wine. So even way before the tour was done, I was toast already. So if you do go on a wine tour, spit it out. You'll enjoy the experience more

--

 

Cheers to all ya wine lovers!

Lets all drink and be merry!

:thumbsupsmiley:

 

Good advice for tasting. Sip and spit is best. Or, alternatively, sip SMALL, and dump the rest of the pour. They won't be offended.

 

Other tasting advice - rinse your mouth out with water at the very least between wineries. Better between wines. The bread or crackers usually provided serve the same purpose.

 

If the winery provides some small bites of food - they're there to demonstrate how the wines pair with some foods, NOT for you to scarf down and pig out on. Taste both food and wine judisciously.

 

J Winery in Healdsburg does tastings of 4 selected wines along with 4 small bites of food, each bite of food being design to compliment and enhance the wine being tasted. Don't mix and match unless you realize and accept that the results MAY or MAY NOT be good!

 

I was at Williamson Winery tasting room two weekends ago, and Bill Williamson (the owner and winemaker) was doing the puring. He talked extensively about his wines, and what he felt their experience would be, and what he tried to achieve. He also provide a few small tastes of things like chocolate and cheese to show how the wines paired with certain foods.

 

Referring to the previous posts, should I have ignored and dismissed his comments and tried to simply form my own (sometimes not too well-informed) opinion instead? Would it not have been silly, given that the one who should know the most about the wines, their intent, how they were vinted, and the resulting experience, was standing just in front of me, telling me what I should be looking for and soliciting my opinions and my response, to simply go my own way?

Edited July 20, 2007 by agxo3

[idunno]

Then got to tasting different wines at Bacchus 6750 (Not there anymore, right?)

 

The 'ol reliable Bacchus is still there at 6750. Enjoy!

 

Wow, this forum is getting more popular!

[jeter08]

Wine Drinker here :thumbsupsmiley:

[storm]

Why NOT give them suggestions? As long as they are suggestions and a guide rather than a hard and fast rule. Yes, EVERYBODY's taste buds are different - I've said that all along. Go backread a bit and you'll find exactly that. However, to suggest that everyone simply find their own way and find their own level is elitist in its own right - not everyone has the same opportunity to taste nor the same opportunity to share experiences. While I would never suggest that what I find good will be received the same way by others (and certainly that's been the case more than once), I would also never suggest that I or others cannot benefit from someone else's experience. Would you also suggest withholding information that could keep someone from driving off a cliff or ingesting something poisonous just so they can learn for themselves?

 

How people use the information that is shared is totally up to them - they can take it as gospel truth (which I would not!) or they can take it as a guide to what they might expect (or inthe case of a good recommendation (what to look for). As my physics teacher drilled into me many, many, many years ago - "Never believe EVERYTHING yhou read, see or hear." Moral of the story - check things out, do your investigation. And then form your OWN opinion. As in every scientific exploration, starting with data is always better than starting with none.

 

But your opening statement that there are NO good or bad wines is disingenious at best, and, IMHO, wrong. There ARE good and bad wines. Some are universally bad - a corked or cooked or improperly vinted wine, for example. Some are merely a matter of taste.

 

I completely agree!

 

Have a great weekend folks!

 

Announcement:

 

You are cordially invited to the opening of my first solo sculpture exhibit for the year 2007. Please pass on the invitation to your family/friends who may be interested in the arts. Thanks and see you there.

[bods1000]

I was about to post last week that naligo naman ako --- parang wala nang may gusto mag post after I posted. Ha ha ha.

 

Seriously, just let me know when and I'll haul my 200lbs ass over (Pareng Storm, I stand corrected ... hindi 300lbs ang ass ko kundi 200 lang. Yung buong katawan ko ang 300lbs!) -- I just hope the chairs at the meeting place will be sturdy enought to support all that weight. :lol:

 

I'll bring a bottle or two of those whites I've been flirting shamelessly with. :thumbsupsmiley:

Not even a liplock with Brad f*cking Pitt can mask the taste of bad wine.

 

Hello Bods ... the rains are here again. It's my favorite time of the year.

 

It's like being camped out, sleeping in your tent, then waking up in the middle of the night to see the Northern Lights for the first time - maybe that was the effect of your post. Everyone was just dumbstruck, and most probably starstruck, to give a quick reply :upside:

 

I bet you wouldn't know if it's a bad wine if you taste it on the lips of Mrs. Brad Pitt

well it's still not Seattle weather. It rains then the sun comes back with a vengeance. Bad weather for storing wine hehehe

I remember somebody else saying that rains are her favorite, because...but that's another story and does not belong to this wholesome thread lol....

Edited July 21, 2007 by bods1000

[bods1000]

If you are a newbie and not "knowing any better" then the level of your enjoyment for sure is really low. You're excited because this is something you never experienced before. I enjoyed Mompo, Novellino and Carlo Rossi the first time I tasted them but as I got more exposed to different wines, I noticed the difference and I become more discerning.

 

quite true..

we've been having these informal "wine" drinkings with my partners every Friday night. Needless to say, wine was a very foreign drink to them. I myself am not much of an expert but I've had some experience so it was always me who tries to guide them. It's true - anyone who starts out with mediocre wines then subtly shifts to good enough wine will know the difference, like they did when we progressed through several weeks. In fact, the first wines they tasted were really not that good (think Carlo Rossi and Angove's) and their comments mirrored the wines they were drinking. I kept my comments to a minimum, just let them have a drink and see for themselves.

Then we progressed to Wolf Blass Yellow Label, Rosemount Diamond Label, Mcguigan Bin 4000, Wyndham Bin 555, Grant Burge, etc,- ordinary but decent enough wines and the positive comments came pouring in. NOw they're beginning to enjoy wine. I think there's no way for them to go back to bad wines now that they've had some sip of heaven...

[bods1000]

I got introduced to wine during a strayed visit to a Santi's branch looking for German sausages. The Santi's lady strongly recommended a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chateau Los Boldos (it was below P300 many years back).

 

It truly is an excellent first step into the journey and adventure of wine appreciation. If I had mistakenly drank a really bad wine, I would probably have sworn never to touch wine again...

 

My favorite entry-level wine now is La Planta (P500) from the Ribera del Duero region of Spain. The new release is available now in Wine Depot outlets.

 

Let's go on with the EB and continue our debates there! Meron ba dito Merlot haters like that guy in Sideways? :goatee:

 

speaking of Wine Depot we just had their wine of the week - Veramonte Reserva Cab Sauv and it was just great. My friends just loved it, and to think that it was just P400. The Grant Burge shiraz which came after it did not impress anyone anymore, and it was more expensive...gotta check out that La Planta. Thanks pare...

[bods1000]

How people use the information that is shared is totally up to them - they can take it as gospel truth (which I would not!) or they can take it as a guide to what they might expect (or inthe case of a good recommendation (what to look for). As my physics teacher drilled into me many, many, many years ago - "Never believe EVERYTHING yhou read, see or hear." Moral of the story - check things out, do your investigation. And then form your OWN opinion. As in every scientific exploration, starting with data is always better than starting with none.

 

But your opening statement that there are NO good or bad wines is disingenious at best, and, IMHO, wrong. There ARE good and bad wines. Some are universally bad - a corked or cooked or improperly vinted wine, for example. Some are merely a matter of taste.

 

This is just like in audio. Listen to the experts, read reviews but in the end there are only two guides you will have - those situated on both sides of your head.

Also like in wine, there are universally bad gear. Comparing a Samsung speaker to a Vandersteen would be like comparing a duhat to a cabernet grape :upside:

[storm]

This is just like in audio. Listen to the experts, read reviews but in the end there are only two guides you will have - those situated on both sides of your head.

Also like in wine, there are universally bad gear. Comparing a Samsung speaker to a Vandersteen would be like comparing a duhat to a cabernet grape :upside:

 

 

Hehehe. I remembered bigla the Sevilla Farms' Duhat Punch and Santol Wine,

 

 

Kita-kita tayp sa exhibit on Thursday.

[masi]

My wife and I went to Barolo @ Serendra last Saturday. This place is a quaint wine bar with a moderate Italian (some French, Argentinian, and Chilean) wine selection. After much discussion with the sales staff, who were alright in at least telling me their "best sellers", my wife and I decided to get a bottle of Luigi Leonardo 2003 Chianti. Per label, this Chianti was a blend of Sagiovese, Canail Nero, Trebbiano and Malviasia grapes. Visually the wine was inviting with its mid crimson color.

 

Nose was lively and floral. It had the flavors of ripe cherries. Tannins were moderate and "legs" were pretty long with 12.5% volume alcohol. No peppery or oaky spice. Finish was good.

 

Pricewise this bottle was good value.

 

I have to commend Barolo for their exquisite stemware.

[Lipstick]

Wow :boo: Nice avatar mareng lips.

 

I don't believe it's 200lbs. To see is to believe. Hehehe!

 

O pareng boomouse, let's have an eb within the week.

Pareng Storm naman, 5million years na itong avatar ko anoh! Ngayon mo lang napansin?

 

Come now, a liplock from whom would it take, then, to mask a bad wine? Everyone has a "price..."

 

Personally, reconstituted Greek amphorae-gelled wine would taste just dandy to me as long as I got to sip it out of Morena Baccarin's navel, or licked from betwixt Monica Bellucci's cleavage...

ha ha ha ... Darling, agreeing to drink bad wine from the lips of Brad is different from deluding myself into believing I am drinking good wine! Not even Brad's lips could hold that much magic. But hey I would drink bad wine from Brad's lips!

 

I got introduced to wine during a strayed visit to a Santi's branch looking for German sausages. The Santi's lady strongly recommended a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chateau Los Boldos (it was below P300 many years back).

 

It truly is an excellent first step into the journey and adventure of wine appreciation. If I had mistakenly drank a really bad wine, I would probably have sworn never to touch wine again...

 

My favorite entry-level wine now is La Planta (P500) from the Ribera del Duero region of Spain. The new release is available now in Wine Depot outlets.

 

Let's go on with the EB and continue our debates there! Meron ba dito Merlot haters like that guy in Sideways? :goatee:

Am not fond of Merlot but strangely the CabSavMerlot went down quite well when I had it.

 

The 'ol reliable Bacchus is still there at 6750. Enjoy!

 

Wow, this forum is getting more popular!

This thread has always been very popular with many shy lurkers. I wish a lot of them would come out of the closet or cellar so to speak and start posting their vino experiences here

 

Wine Drinker here :thumbsupsmiley:

Welcome jeter08! So tell us about your fave drop

[Lipstick]

I completely agree!

 

Have a great weekend folks!

 

Announcement:

 

You are cordially invited to the opening of my first solo sculpture exhibit for the year 2007. Please pass on the invitation to your family/friends who may be interested in the arts. Thanks and see you there.

Ehermmmmm eto na pagkakataon ko ipamukha ang aking 200lbs butt! I'll be there!!! What would be the best time to catch you guys there?

 

It's like being camped out, sleeping in your tent, then waking up in the middle of the night to see the Northern Lights for the first time - maybe that was the effect of your post. Everyone was just dumbstruck, and most probably starstruck, to give a quick reply :upside:

 

I bet you wouldn't know if it's a bad wine if you taste it on the lips of Mrs. Brad Pitt

well it's still not Seattle weather. It rains then the sun comes back with a vengeance. Bad weather for storing wine hehehe

I remember somebody else saying that rains are her favorite, because...but that's another story and does not belong to this wholesome thread lol....

AWARD BODS!!!! :lol:

 

And yes, Mrs. Brad Pitt is way tempestuous not to consider. :evil:

 

My wife and I went to Barolo @ Serendra last Saturday. This place is a quaint wine bar with a moderate Italian (some French, Argentinian, and Chilean) wine selection. After much discussion with the sales staff, who were alright in at least telling me their "best sellers", my wife and I decided to get a bottle of Luigi Leonardo 2003 Chianti. Per label, this Chianti was a blend of Sagiovese, Canail Nero, Trebbiano and Malviasia grapes. Visually the wine was inviting with its mid crimson color.

 

Nose was lively and floral. It had the flavors of ripe cherries. Tannins were moderate and "legs" were pretty long with 12.5% volume alcohol. No peppery or oaky spice. Finish was good.

 

Pricewise this bottle was good value.

 

I have to commend Barolo for their exquisite stemware.

Hmmm pasabache ba yung baso nila?

 

I've had the Leonardo Chianti twice already and they were consistently good -- and man, the legs on that drop were as long as Julia Roberts' legs! Hope to see you. Ms. Liberty and Bods on Thursday!

[masi]

I completely agree!

 

Have a great weekend folks!

 

Announcement:

 

You are cordially invited to the opening of my first solo sculpture exhibit for the year 2007. Please pass on the invitation to your family/friends who may be interested in the arts. Thanks and see you there.

 

Congratulations Storm!!!! :thumbsupsmiley:

 

 

It's like being camped out, sleeping in your tent, then waking up in the middle of the night to see the Northern Lights for the first time - maybe that was the effect of your post. Everyone was just dumbstruck, and most probably starstruck, to give a quick reply :upside:

 

I bet you wouldn't know if it's a bad wine if you taste it on the lips of Mrs. Brad Pitt

well it's still not Seattle weather. It rains then the sun comes back with a vengeance. Bad weather for storing wine hehehe

I remember somebody else saying that rains are her favorite, because...but that's another story and does not belong to this wholesome thread lol....

 

Wow, Bods, you're at it again! (I meant, in the state of drunken stupor!)

 

quite true..

we've been having these informal "wine" drinkings with my partners every Friday night. Needless to say, wine was a very foreign drink to them. I myself am not much of an expert but I've had some experience so it was always me who tries to guide them. It's true - anyone who starts out with mediocre wines then subtly shifts to good enough wine will know the difference, like they did when we progressed through several weeks. In fact, the first wines they tasted were really not that good (think Carlo Rossi and Angove's) and their comments mirrored the wines they were drinking. I kept my comments to a minimum, just let them have a drink and see for themselves.

Then we progressed to Wolf Blass Yellow Label, Rosemount Diamond Label, Mcguigan Bin 4000, Wyndham Bin 555, Grant Burge, etc,- ordinary but decent enough wines and the positive comments came pouring in. NOw they're beginning to enjoy wine. I think there's no way for them to go back to bad wines now that they've had some sip of heaven...

 

 

Well, with a mentor like you, their learning curve will be very steep. :thumbsupsmiley:

 

Hmmm pasabache ba yung baso nila?

 

I've had the Leonardo Chianti twice already and they were consistently good -- and man, the legs on that drop were as long as Julia Roberts' legs! Hope to see you. Ms. Liberty and Bods on Thursday!

 

What is "pasabache" Senyora? I've been out of circulation for so long that I could hardly differentiate alcohol and work!!!

[idunno]

speaking of Wine Depot we just had their wine of the week - Veramonte Reserva Cab Sauv and it was just great. My friends just loved it, and to think that it was just P400. The Grant Burge shiraz which came after it did not impress anyone anymore, and it was more expensive...gotta check out that La Planta. Thanks pare...

 

The La Planta that is sold now in Wine Depot is a new release (red label) and is different from before (cream-colored label). There are differences in this new release, most notable is the "appelation" Ribera del Duero is now on the label with a DOC guarantee. There is more fruit and concentration in this release. This is even more intense than Arzuaga's Ribera del Duero Crianza. The problem with Crianza is that by law they have to age the wine for a minimum of 2 years, so they release La Planta earlier and also at a friendlier price. The Crianza, on the other hand, is more balanced and classy. Both are 100% tempranillo.

 

I also tried Veramonte Reserva Chardonnay. Very crisp with hints of oak. Veramonte Primus was really good, Bordeaux-like, and rated 91 by Wine Spec.