Wine-savvy

[Guest PK_pang_alis_kati]

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!

[masi]

...  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!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I still made it just before closing. But, alas, nothing to buy anymore!!!

 

There's a cheap Tyrell (well around P350 or so) that I bought before....

well, buti nga creating ripples lang yung ginamit ko - hindi making waves - in which case, Hall of Fame Award ako....ok gotta score a riesling for when I have crabs (crabs for dinner, I mean) hehe...

 

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

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

this crab talk reminds me of the "spider sushi" of OMA!!! :boo: ... good with a sauvignon blanc!!!! :thumbsupsmiley:

 

Hey Storm! What's that URL again for you your sculpture? I want to show it to my better (and more discriminating) half. Than also your Dad's work - is it on a Web site as well?

 

Sorry for the OT. So get back on track - went to a wedding Friday night. Lousy wine - except for the stuff we brougnt in - a '97 Niebaum-Coppola zin (smooooooooth!!!), and a '97 NC Cask Cab. Then there was also that '01 S. Anderson Syrah. Also very nice. But the big story is we went ot Lodi yesterday on the way home from Sacramento, and stopped by 3 different wineries - Jesse's Grove, Spenker, and Barhopld.

 

Spenker does ONLY zins from his own grapes. Nice 2002. Only available at the winery. I bought a bottle. It's got nicely integrated tannins - enough structure to last another 3 years before drinking. None of the characteristic pepper - felt a bit more like a syrah than a zin, but for the zin mix of black berries and cherries that just burst on the palate.

 

Jesse's Grove does a few more varieties, but I like the 2001 Carignane (drink now!) with nice bright red cherries and raspberries, a hint of smoke, a touch of apricot, some plum and a bit of black licorice. Great with everything except s ateak. Then there was the Petite Syrah. Wow! Almost black, very dense and rich. More tannins - keep for another year! Plums! Raisins!Blueberriies!?!

 

Finally, Berghold. Nice set of wines rangng from a very dry viognier - loads of fruit ont he nose but since it was quite dry, not on the palate. Rather, there was some tangerine, some pinapple, a dose of apricot, and a bit of butterscoth. The late harvest viognier, OTOH, was rich, unctuous (I've been waiting to use that word!!!  :cool: ), and oh, so seductive. Honey and citrus. Cantaloupe and white peach. Pineapple and a hint of grapefruit. And a huge burst of Meyer lemon to balance out the sweetness. In between a competent merlot, a rather nice cab-syrah blend and plum bomb of a syrah!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

What's the name of that wine kit you mentioned? I went to "Fully Booked" (our version of Barnes & Noble") and saw the Wine Spectator Wine Kit. It had tags, blind tasting bags, notebook, stickers, etc but not the essences. I'll ask my brother who is coming home for Christmas to get it there for me! Thanks.

 

 

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!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Welcome to the Wine Savvy thread, where the Alcohol is anything but ANONYMOUS !!!! Hope you could join our forthcoming ebs.

 

Which reminds me, I have to get some "bordeaux" stemware. I recently broke one at the stem while washing it (yes, I wash my own glass!!!). Sad part was it broke at the stem and not at the "bulb". :cry:

[storm]

Hey Storm! What's that URL again for you your sculpture? I want to show it to my better (and more discriminating) half. Than also your Dad's work - is it on a Web site as well?

 

Sorry for the OT. So get back on track - went to a wedding Friday night. Lousy wine - except for the stuff we brougnt in - a '97 Niebaum-Coppola zin (smooooooooth!!!), and a '97 NC Cask Cab. Then there was also that '01 S. Anderson Syrah. Also very nice. But the big story is we went ot Lodi yesterday on the way home from Sacramento, and stopped by 3 different wineries - Jesse's Grove, Spenker, and Barhopld.

 

Spenker does ONLY zins from his own grapes. Nice 2002. Only available at the winery. I bought a bottle. It's got nicely integrated tannins - enough structure to last another 3 years before drinking. None of the characteristic pepper - felt a bit more like a syrah than a zin, but for the zin mix of black berries and cherries that just burst on the palate.

 

Jesse's Grove does a few more varieties, but I like the 2001 Carignane (drink now!) with nice bright red cherries and raspberries, a hint of smoke, a touch of apricot, some plum and a bit of black licorice. Great with everything except s ateak. Then there was the Petite Syrah. Wow! Almost black, very dense and rich. More tannins - keep for another year! Plums! Raisins!Blueberriies!?!

 

Finally, Berghold. Nice set of wines rangng from a very dry viognier - loads of fruit ont he nose but since it was quite dry, not on the palate. Rather, there was some tangerine, some pinapple, a dose of apricot, and a bit of butterscoth. The late harvest viognier, OTOH, was rich, unctuous (I've been waiting to use that word!!!  :cool: ), and oh, so seductive. Honey and citrus. Cantaloupe and white peach. Pineapple and a hint of grapefruit. And a huge burst of Meyer lemon to balance out the sweetness. In between a competent merlot, a rather nice cab-syrah blend and plum bomb of a syrah!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Hi Pareng Agxo!

 

You can see my works in the Sculpture thread under the Art & Graphics Section. Else PM me your email address and I'll send some pictures of our works.

 

Para hindi OT. Where to go to get good wines at reasonable prices aside from Wine Depot? I think I have to buy some for the holidays and to bring in our EB.

 

When is our next EB? Ok lang akong mag-host. :cool:

[Phrozhen.Khold]

Count me in...

 

My friend introduced me to wines when he gave me a bottle as a gift... but the f*cker got most of it... hehehe... since then this was my equation...

 

Wine = Happy days...

[masi]

Hi Pareng Agxo!

 

 

 

Para hindi OT. Where to go to get good wines at reasonable prices aside from Wine Depot? I think I have to buy some for the holidays and to bring in our EB.

 

When is our next EB? Ok lang akong mag-host. :cool:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Wine Depot - Australian mostly, some New Zealand, Californian, Italian

Titania (Yakal/Rockwell) - Chilean, Aregentinean, French, some Californian and Australian

Santis - French, Australian

Barcino (Citygolf Plaza) - Spanish and a few Scotch whiskey

Terry's (Lower Lobby, Podium) - Spanish.

Unimart - Penfold's and other labels.

 

A good wine would average about P500/bot. Happy Hunting!!!

[igol ays]

kaka inggit naman kayo

even though i was having fun myself on a short carribean cruise

 

only have one comment - next time, try a gewurztraminer, a riesling, or a pinot blanc with sushi and sashimi.

Edited December 15, 2005 by eagleyes

[hint-of-lime]

kaka inggit naman kayo 

even though i was having fun myself on a short carribean cruise

 

only have one comment - next time, try a gewurtztraminer, a riesling, or a pinot blanc with sushi and sashimi.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Hmmm! Gewurtztraminer! I had several good ones from the Pfalz region and from here in Baden both in Germany. A wee bit too sweet and fruity for my taste usually but I sometimes like having it after meals on a nice quiet night by the fire when I don't feel like contemplating on the hundreds of flavors in a sip of a more complex red. Germany has a lot of good Rieslings. Tip - if you want a German Riesling and you don't want it too sweet, look for "Trocken" on the label. This label tells you you have a dry type of Riesling.

[bods1000]

this crab talk reminds me of the "spider sushi" of OMA!!!  :boo:  ... good with a sauvignon blanc!!!! :thumbsupsmiley:

What's the name of that wine kit you mentioned?  I went to "Fully Booked" (our version of Barnes & Noble") and saw the Wine Spectator Wine Kit. It had tags, blind tasting bags, notebook, stickers, etc but not the essences.  I'll ask my brother who is coming home for Christmas to get it there for me!  Thanks.

Welcome to the Wine Savvy thread, where the Alcohol is anything but ANONYMOUS  !!!!  Hope you could join our forthcoming ebs. 

 

Which reminds me, I have to get some "bordeaux" stemware.  I recently broke one at the stem while washing it (yes, I wash my own glass!!!).  Sad part was it broke at the stem and not at the "bulb". :cry:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

yes pare the spiders are still waiting for you there

 

is that the FULLY-BOOKED at Gateway? i was there this week and there is a beatiful book by Andrea Immer about all things wine - very helpful and instructional - I've been meaning to buy it for some time pero at its price it's the equivalent of one premium wine na....

 

speaking of which, i have forgotten to check out santi's for that wine cooler you had....

 

PK (ayan, buti hindi ako nagkamali hehehe) we've been waiting for your appearance here for a long time welcome! when can we see you para hindi ka na maging anonymous uli

[masi]

what a way to start a weekend. after almost a month of slave labor brought about my slave driving japanese principals, i finally got to escape the concentration camp and be with another set of japanese friends (hindi ako makapili, ha!). :boo:

 

we started off by doing what japanese love to do best -- play golf and i got to shoot my lowest score ever on a back-9, 41!!!! :thumbsupsmiley:

 

had dinner at a spanish resto in gb3 and wine to boot. we had a bottle of Lar de Oro 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Tempranillo, over a tabla de jamon, chorizo y quezo and paella valenciana. Mid crimson color, nose was a moderate blend of cherries and dark berries. body was moderate with mild but balance tannins attributable to the cab sauv and a honey sweetness due to tempranillo. finish was hollow, maybe because cab sav (60%) and tempranillo (40%) do not create a full body. like a true tempranillo, this wine evolved as it opened.

 

capped a filling dinner with an espresso at my favorite italian coffee shop in gb2.

 

tomorrow is another round of golf, and perhaps more vino.

 

have a great weekend, everybody!!!!

[masi]

yes pare the spiders are still waiting for you there

 

is that the FULLY-BOOKED at Gateway? i was there this week and there is a beatiful book by Andrea Immer about all things wine - very helpful and instructional - I've been meaning to buy it for some time pero at its price it's the equivalent of one premium wine na....

 

speaking of which, i have forgotten to check out santi's for that wine cooler you had....

 

PK (ayan, buti hindi ako nagkamali hehehe) we've been waiting for your appearance here for a long time   welcome! when can we see you para hindi ka na maging anonymous uli

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

GREAT! so i will invade your resto just before Santa could say HO! HO! HO! :santa:

 

I went to Fully Booked at Rockwell. I agree that it's truly difficult to decide between a good wine book or a bottle of premium vino!

 

For the wine cooler sleeve, it's really worth it for less than P300.

 

Have a great weekend, pare!

[agxo3]

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.

[agxo3]

One more ------

 

That space on the right is the breakfast nook - looks out on to the back yard and on a clear day out to the south end of the SF Bay. The two full-height cabinets are the pantry where I store some wine - at least for now! Next project is to take out the wet bar in the dining room and install the Transterm into that space so my wine is readily accessible, unlike now where I have to go into the spare downstairs bedroom to go dig out wine when i want to pop open a boittle.

 

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.........

[new2dabeat]

Nice remodel agxo! :thumbsupsmiley:

 

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

 

What dishwasher did you get?

[masi]

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!!!!

[tokiojoe2003]

Hmmm!  Gewurtztraminer!  I had several good ones from the Pfalz region and from here in Baden both in Germany.  A wee bit too sweet and fruity for my taste usually but I sometimes like having it after meals on a nice quiet night by the fire when I don't feel like contemplating on the hundreds of flavors in a sip of a more complex red.  Germany has a lot of good Rieslings.  Tip - if you want a German Riesling and you don't want it too sweet, look for "Trocken" on the label.  This label tells you you have a dry type of Riesling. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

There is a good German wine supplier here called Brumms. They even have a "Winery" which you can rent for private functions which is located in Horseshoe Village. Look at their website for more info. Some wines they sell is even rated by Wine Spectator.

 

http://www.brumms.com.ph/index.asp

[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?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

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!!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

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.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

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.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

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.........

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

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),

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

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? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

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? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

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.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

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. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

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.