agxo3 Posted September 24, 2007 Share Posted September 24, 2007 (edited) My wife and I tried a bottle a bottle of Listel Cab Sauv 2004. Quite fruity, with tobacco flavors but highly tannic, but, a good everyday drinking wine (or if you really have nothing to drink!!!). Would beat a vin de pays anytime. Wine with meatloaf? But of course! Meatloaf for dinner last night. Good old fashioned comfort food. So what wine would work well with ground beef, onions, garlic, a bit of cayenne, mustard.....well, it turns out a cabernet franc does just fine. Had a 2003 Camaraderie Cab Franc. Flavors of red berries, bold (but not overwhelming) tannins, a hint of leather, plum and cassis. Long finish, with lingering flavors of prune and rasisn (yes, the grapes were quite ripe at harvest time!). Camaraderie is a Washington State winery - this was one of the wines I picked up on our last visit to Seattle in July. Edited September 26, 2007 by agxo3 Quote Link to comment
Mobius Stripper Posted September 26, 2007 Share Posted September 26, 2007 French 1st, Aussie 2nd, California 3rd. Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted September 26, 2007 Share Posted September 26, 2007 (edited) French 1st, Aussie 2nd, California 3rd. You say that because you haven't had the good California wines yet! Ask Masi, Storm and Bods about the wines I've brought back for them to taste, all of them in the middle range quality- and price-wise. The California wines I've seen over there are not the best examples of California vinting - they're the mass-produced, low to mid-grade, not for aging kinda wines. Edited September 26, 2007 by agxo3 Quote Link to comment
idunno Posted September 28, 2007 Share Posted September 28, 2007 French 1st, Aussie 2nd, California 3rd. I'd put them all on the same level. You can find excellent wines whether it be Californian, Aussie or French. Likewise, there are $300 Californian, Aussie, French wines. I won't be surprised if there are up and coming excellent wines from China or Russia or Cambodia or Iraq. Quote Link to comment
bods1000 Posted September 30, 2007 Author Share Posted September 30, 2007 You say that because you haven't had the good California wines yet! Ask Masi, Storm and Bods about the wines I've brought back for them to taste, all of them in the middle range quality- and price-wise. The California wines I've seen over there are not the best examples of California vinting - they're the mass-produced, low to mid-grade, not for aging kinda wines. amen to that!one main problem here is that not many excellent but mid-range California wines are available here - not like the available Aussie wines here which have occupied all price ranges with excellent wines at all levels. Like the Tamar Ridge Pinot Noir I sampled recently. Great silky tannins with good balance overall. Not a wine for aging but very good nonetheless. BTW, the Tasmania region (of which Tamar Ridge belongs to) is beginning to be a haven for superb Aussie pinots. NOt very expensive too... Quote Link to comment
idunno Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 amen to that!one main problem here is that not many excellent but mid-range California wines are available here - not like the available Aussie wines here which have occupied all price ranges with excellent wines at all levels. Like the Tamar Ridge Pinot Noir I sampled recently. Great silky tannins with good balance overall. Not a wine for aging but very good nonetheless. BTW, the Tasmania region (of which Tamar Ridge belongs to) is beginning to be a haven for superb Aussie pinots. NOt very expensive too... Washington also offers good discoveries such as Waterbrook at friendlier prices. Notables are the Waterbrook Melange (P1200), a Merlot-Cabernet blend, the Waterbrook Chardonnay (P825) and the Sauvignon Blanc (P795). Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 (edited) Washington also offers good discoveries such as Waterbrook at friendlier prices. Notables are the Waterbrook Melange (P1200), a Merlot-Cabernet blend, the Waterbrook Chardonnay (P825) and the Sauvignon Blanc (P795). Washington seems to be about where Sonoma was about 5 years ago. Still a very friendly experience. the wineries are a bit more spread out and when it's hot, it's HOT! Wines are a mixed bag -some good, some merely drinkable. Inconsistent form year to year - but they're improving. I'd say another 3-4 years and there'll be a superstar winery coming out of Washington. My money's on the eastern end - Yakima Valley and out that way. The wineries around Puget sound just don't get enough sunshine to ripen their grapes to their full potential, so much so that many of the wineries inthat area get their grapes from eastern Washington! If you can get an Oregon pinot noir, do so! Those are developing quite nicely - the Drouhin family from Burgundy, for one, has invested in the area. In the mean time, I continue to discover more and more in my local area (California, the San Francisco Bay Area) that there's no need for me to go too far to get great wines at reasonable prices! So for now, I'll concentrate on wines from this area....... BT - if anhy of you get the chance to get out to Taipei, and can find someone with a Costco card - see if you can find the Cameron Hughes wines. If you do, buy a bottle or three then let me know whicho one you found and I'll send you the cellar notes. More lilelhy than not, it will be a very good wine at a really decent price. Edited October 2, 2007 by agxo3 Quote Link to comment
igol ays Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 i'm looking for a wine eb calling masi and the gang!!! Quote Link to comment
idunno Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 i'm looking for a wine eb calling masi and the gang!!! I'm game for a wine eb! Quote Link to comment
johnlove Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 (edited) Just wondering. . .I noticed that most wine bottles are available with cork caps. Are you suppose to finish everything every time you open a wine bottle? Edited October 5, 2007 by johnlove Quote Link to comment
masi Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 i'm looking for a wine eb calling masi and the gang!!! hi eagleyes!! sorry i didn't catch this one. i've been quite busy these past couple of weeks. Quote Link to comment
floppydrive Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 Just wondering. . .I noticed that most wine bottles are available with cork caps. Are you suppose to finish everything every time you open a wine bottle?Not really. You can put the cork back on halfway, but it's recommended that you finish the bottle within 2 to 4 days, storing the bottle in the ref. As soon as you open the bottle, the wine will start reacting with air and the wine starts "changing". A few days later, you might not like the taste of the wine anymore. Quote Link to comment
storm Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 So when is the wine EB? Quote Link to comment
agxo3 Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 Not really. You can put the cork back on halfway, but it's recommended that you finish the bottle within 2 to 4 days, storing the bottle in the ref. As soon as you open the bottle, the wine will start reacting with air and the wine starts "changing". A few days later, you might not like the taste of the wine anymore. I'd push the cork as far in as possible - more cork in means a better seal and restricting the amount of air inthe bottle. You can also get a vaccum cap system taht lets you pump tha air out of the bottle. This supposedly helps - I've never tried it myself. The other option is an aerosol can of nitrogen (generally available here in the US under the brand name "WineSaver". You fill the bottle with nitrogen, displacing all the air in the bottle. Since nitrogen is inert, the wine has nothing toreact with and should keep. I tend to stick with the simple method - cork in as far as possible, bottle int he fridge (even reds!). The lower temperature slows down any bacterial action and any reaction between the wine and air. David Bruce (of the winery by the same name in Santa cruz County) used to claim that a good bottle of wine shoud last at least 4 days after being opened. I typically finish off a bottle in 2-3 days. Quote Link to comment
bods1000 Posted October 11, 2007 Author Share Posted October 11, 2007 I'd push the cork as far in as possible - more cork in means a better seal and restricting the amount of air inthe bottle. You can also get a vaccum cap system taht lets you pump tha air out of the bottle. This supposedly helps - I've never tried it myself. The other option is an aerosol can of nitrogen (generally available here in the US under the brand name "WineSaver". You fill the bottle with nitrogen, displacing all the air in the bottle. Since nitrogen is inert, the wine has nothing toreact with and should keep. I tend to stick with the simple method - cork in as far as possible, bottle int he fridge (even reds!). The lower temperature slows down any bacterial action and any reaction between the wine and air. David Bruce (of the winery by the same name in Santa cruz County) used to claim that a good bottle of wine shoud last at least 4 days after being opened. I typically finish off a bottle in 2-3 days. same here - about 3 days after opening, but I find that I still enjoy the wine even if I don't put the opened one in the fridge. Nasanay na lang siguro ako sa ganito :goatee: Quote Link to comment
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