Wine-savvy

[bods1000]

I learned something new here!!!!! Especially this one "It needs a bit of air. Let's wait a few minutes, shall we?". Wait (all the while making your moves), swirl, taste and only THEN say "NOW it's ready to drink!"      :thumbsupsmiley:

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pare a word of caution. Don't get too aggressive, or else it will be your date that will need a bit of air :evil:

 

cheers!

[gr82d8]

Sir bods, wala po ba kayong wine drinking courses fr beginners? haha Tried out a bottle of shiraz 2004 gawa sa aus. forgot the brand tried swirling it in the glass, smelled it alcohol lang naiimagine ko. Chewed it, gulped it down, noticed that the tate stayed for a while but hindi ko madetermine kung ano yung taste. Na frustrate ako, opened a bottle of asti na champagne, naubos ko yung bottle and got a very light buzz. Trying to shift from beer to wine, gusto ko na lumiit yung tiyan ko.

[masi]

Sir bods, wala po ba kayong wine drinking courses fr beginners? haha Tried out a bottle of shiraz 2004 gawa sa aus. forgot the brand tried swirling it in the glass, smelled it alcohol lang naiimagine ko. Chewed it, gulped it down, noticed that the tate stayed for a while but hindi ko madetermine kung ano yung taste. Na frustrate ako, opened a bottle of asti na champagne, naubos ko yung bottle and got a very light buzz.    Trying to shift from beer to wine, gusto ko na lumiit yung tiyan ko.

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we learn from experience and sharing. what you did was the right step. now you have to buy another bottle, say a cabernet sauvignon from chile don't buy gato negro and try to differentiate the smell and the taste.

 

experience is the best teacher. wine is a personal choice just like making love.... there is no other way except your way... good luck.

[agxo3]

Sir bods, wala po ba kayong wine drinking courses fr beginners? haha Tried out a bottle of shiraz 2004 gawa sa aus. forgot the brand tried swirling it in the glass, smelled it alcohol lang naiimagine ko. Chewed it, gulped it down, noticed that the tate stayed for a while but hindi ko madetermine kung ano yung taste. Na frustrate ako, opened a bottle of asti na champagne, naubos ko yung bottle and got a very light buzz.    Trying to shift from beer to wine, gusto ko na lumiit yung tiyan ko.

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Practrice, practice, practice! :boo:

 

But a word of advice - don't practice on bad wines because that will just convince you to go back to beer. You need to sharpen your taste buds on good wine so you learn what's good, learn what you like based on the real flavors of the wine, and develop your own list of favorites. Then, when you taste an unfamiliar wine, or even a new bottle of an old favorite, you will have a reference to go by and you'll know if it's bad, good or indifferent.

 

Another thing you can do is buy the Wine Spectator wine education kit and start with that so you learn to differentiate betweent he various flavors that come out in wine.

 

Bods, Masi and Storm, among others on the group, are a great resource for what's available locally that is good rather than unpalatable. As they will tell you, some of us are in different time zone with a different variety of wines available for our scrutiny and (hopefully!) enjoyment.

[agxo3]

pareng bods,  i hope everything is well!  don't worry about the bridgewater mill, there's more of that!  hang in there pare!  when you have the time, let me know, i have more than a bottle of shiraz waiting for you.

pareng storm, let's get together when pareng bods could join us.

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thanks pare!

things are still a little bit dicey....will keep you posted, and yes, naubos ko din yung Bridgewater

Not much character left, I should say...

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Hey guys! Hope all is well with you, Bods! Have not seen Ms. Lips on the board for a while. Everything okay with her? Hope so......

 

Looks like I get a free wkend in Asia next month, and I plan to spend it in Manila!!

 

Can we plan a small EB to sample the bottle or two I plan to bring?

 

I'll have more details next week as I firm up my travel plans.

[storm]

We look forward to that Pareng Agxo.

 

Cheers to all!

[floppydrive]

Hi guys!

 

Was invited to a Chinese Lauriat recently, and they served a Hardy's Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. The wine was very young, needed to breath awhile. (Reminds me of Agxo's "Now it's ready to drink!") It had fruity notes, tannins were not so strong, and medium legs. What's nice about it is that it went suprisingly well with the menu! It was good with the seafoods, vegetables and meats. It just didn't go with the shark's fin soup.

 

Since it was a big banquet, the wine was flowing non stop. I think we finished a bottle per person that night.

[agxo3]

Hi guys!

 

Was invited to a Chinese Lauriat recently, and they served a Hardy's Cabernet Sauvignon 2004.  The wine was very young, needed to breath awhile.  (Reminds me of Agxo's "Now it's ready to drink!")  It had fruity notes, tannins were not so strong, and medium legs.  What's nice about it is that it went suprisingly well with the menu!  It was good with the seafoods, vegetables and meats.  It just didn't go with the shark's fin soup.

 

Since it was a big banquet, the wine was flowing non stop.  I think we finished a bottle per person that night.

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I've been finding that a lot of California and Australian wines are now being made in a "drink now" style - very restrained (dare I say - mild?) tannins, lots of fruit forward, almost "sweeter" in a way. Much less complex but a lot friendlier. They don't age gracefully, though, and go downhill within a couple of years, so if you have any of those wines, drink 'em up fast! I wonder what it was in the shark's fin soup that didn't go with the wine?

[floppydrive]

I've been finding that a lot of California and Australian wines are now being made in a "drink now" style - very restrained (dare I say  - mild?) tannins, lots of fruit forward, almost "sweeter" in a way. Much less complex but a lot friendlier. They don't age gracefully, though, and go downhill within a couple of years, so if you have any of those wines, drink 'em up fast! I wonder what it was in the shark's fin soup that didn't go with the wine?

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Agxo, that's the impression I got - it's a drink now, won't keep wine.

 

The soup, although no one complained, was something that tasted off for me. More like not so fresh oyster. This was in Eastern China, so their preparation might be different from the cantonese style of shark's fin soup we're used to.

[bods1000]

Sir bods, wala po ba kayong wine drinking courses fr beginners? haha Tried out a bottle of shiraz 2004 gawa sa aus. forgot the brand tried swirling it in the glass, smelled it alcohol lang naiimagine ko. Chewed it, gulped it down, noticed that the tate stayed for a while but hindi ko madetermine kung ano yung taste. Na frustrate ako, opened a bottle of asti na champagne, naubos ko yung bottle and got a very light buzz.    Trying to shift from beer to wine, gusto ko na lumiit yung tiyan ko.

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hi there! thanks a lot for mingling with us winos here

what you said about not determining what you were tasting when drinking that wine is very understandabe for beginners. I myself still falls into that taste limbo quite often. The tasting notes in the wine journals sometimes are of little help because they describe the wine in terms of fruits and spices not familiar to us Filipinos. How can you know if the wine tastes of apricots and blueberries if you haven't tasted these fruits in the first place? Or of cinnamon, or cider, or plums etc. Some of the tasting sensations are quite familiar though, like bananas, or strawberries, or chocolate. What you need to know first as agxo said is be familiar with the expected tastes of corresponding wine varieties. A certain variety should taste of a certain fruit or spice, otherwise it is not a well-made wine not worthy of further attention.

 

What you can do as a start is determine if the wine is puckery or not (tannic) - that bitter sensation that knots up your mouth - or if the taste remains in your mouth a good deal of time after swallowing (long finish). A wine that does not pucker up your mouth or does not taste too acidic may have good balance. Chances are with these characteristics, you've stumbled upon a good wine - or at least a wine that you would like and would like to buy and drink again.

 

Say goodbye to San Miguel. The world of wine is more interesting

 

good luck!

[bods1000]

I've been finding that a lot of California and Australian wines are now being made in a "drink now" style - very restrained (dare I say  - mild?) tannins, lots of fruit forward, almost "sweeter" in a way. Much less complex but a lot friendlier. They don't age gracefully, though, and go downhill within a couple of years, so if you have any of those wines, drink 'em up fast! I wonder what it was in the shark's fin soup that didn't go with the wine?

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Hardy's more often than not produces drink-now wines - something that is friendly enough for everybody

 

we look forward to seeing you again, pare!

[storm]

Padaan lang sa thread. See you soon pareng Agxo.

[agxo3]

Padaan lang sa thread. See you soon pareng Agxo.

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i leave for hk/china on friday and hope to be in manila the following friday (may 19). pm me and let me know what your weekend is like, and let's plan something!

[storm]

i leave for hk/china on friday and hope to be in manila the following friday (may 19). pm me and let me know what your weekend is like, and let's plan something!

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Sige, mag-uusap kami and we'll let you know.

[agxo3]

Sige, mag-uusap kami and we'll let you know.

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Great! I'm leaving this Friday (May 12) because I have to go to Hongkong and China first. Any wine in particular you'd like me to bring? Or should I surprise you? I'd be looking at maybe an early- to mid-90s California cabernet or merlot.

Edited May 10, 2006 by agxo3