Wine-savvy

[bods1000]

Ola Winos!

 

Am going to have to agree with you Bods on this, whilst price does not dictate the quality of wine but the quality of wine definitely dictates the price.  I've had my dose of cheap wine and I swear they taste like dogwash.  

 

I've seen Sideways and I found it incredibly hilarious at the same time very painful.  And it was just brilliant how intrinsic the vino was to the story.  Bravo!

 

Oh I'll be in Bangkok next week for work so if Sallybognamathay want's to send something for you Bods I'd be happy to carry it back home.

 

Cheers!

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oh that's so nice of you how long will you be there?

I really can't think of anything - a bottle of wine? a supot of tamarind? whatever - hwag lang transvestite

...and then when you get back home and I will get the pasalubong I can finally meet you

I'll try to get in touch with pareng sbm - thanks a lot!

 

Sideways...Sideways....ang galing ni Alexander Payne, ano?

And then I saw that Thomas Haden Church guy in a Jay Leno episode - he's quite a character sayang hindi sya nanalo ng Oscars

[cebucitylocal]

oh that's so nice of you how long will you be there?

I really can't think of anything - a bottle of wine? a supot of tamarind? whatever - hwag lang transvestite

...and then when you get back home and I will get the pasalubong I can finally meet you

I'll try to get in touch with pareng sbm - thanks a lot!

 

 

Bods

If you need the cell # to contact SBM,Please PM me.SBM is involved with my magazine

[bods1000]

Hey Lipstick! Long time no post!

 

So true - price is not a reliable indication of quality, but quality is a generally reliable indicator of price. Exceptions duly noted. IOW - the cheaper the wine, the more likely to be not good. The better the wine, the more likely to be not cheap. Exceptions noted.

 

Sideways mania is just everywhere these days. Pinots are flying off the shelves, merlot sales are down! A local wine store has the Sideways shelf, where the display the wines and wineries featured in the movie. YOu can buy a Sideways wine pack with a bottle each of the featured wines. The Hitching Post is no longer a sleepy little restaurant for the locals - they had to turn away a large tour bus full of Sidways wannabes because they were full and could not accomoodate the crowd. Amazing what an Oscar-nominated movie will do for you! Lemmings are everywhere! (Inside Mac joke - a reference to an Apple ad circa 1984).

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hey that's a nice way of putting it - re: quality vis-a-vis price....you and ms Lipstick has said it very nicely....

but anyway, to each his own hehehe...who was it who said that the best bottle of wine I've ever tasted is always the last one I opened? :cool:

[bods1000]

oh that's so nice of you how long will you be there?

I really can't think of anything - a bottle of wine? a supot of tamarind? whatever - hwag lang transvestite

...and then when you get back home and I will get the pasalubong I can finally meet you

I'll try to get in touch with pareng sbm - thanks a lot!

Bods

If you need the cell # to contact SBM,Please PM me.SBM is involved with my magazine

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oh thanks a lot, pare - I can use his number..PM mo na lang me if ok with you...

so...that's your mag - I think sbm showed us an issue of it when we met last January...cool and very glossy...

[agxo3]

hey that's a nice way of putting it - re: quality vis-a-vis price....you and ms Lipstick has said it very nicely....

but anyway, to each his own hehehe...who was it who said that the best bottle of wine I've ever tasted is always the last one I opened? :cool:

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And along those lines --- I went to the release reception for Neibaum-Coppola's flagship wine -> Rubicon vintage 2000. It's a Bordeaux blend, this year mostly cabernet sauvignon, with some merlot and traces of petit verdot and cabernet franc. A wonderful wine, as usual. Great for drinking now, but I think I would hold it at least another 3-5 years. Great fruit, nicely restrained tannins. All requisite cab flavors - dark berries, etc. Not as good at the '99 (some call the '99 the best of the decade), more like the '95 (which should be ready to open just about now.

 

It IS an expensive wine, but I think, one of those that is truly worth the money. This wine is an example of why one should NOT dismiss expensive wines as merely snobbery. You can clearly taste the difference.

 

Did I buy some? You betcha! Depleted the ol' savings account to do so. Now I can't buy any toys for a couple of months while I replenish the piggy bank.

[bods1000]

And along those lines --- I went to the release reception for Neibaum-Coppola's flagship wine -> Rubicon vintage 2000. It's a Bordeaux blend, this year mostly cabernet sauvignon, with some merlot and traces of petit verdot and cabernet franc. A wonderful wine, as usual. Great for drinking now, but I think I would hold it at least another 3-5 years. Great fruit, nicely restrained tannins. All requisite cab flavors - dark berries, etc. Not as good at the '99 (some call the '99 the best of the decade), more like the '95 (which should be ready to open just about now.

 

It IS an expensive wine, but I think, one of those that is truly worth the money. This wine is an example of why one should NOT dismiss expensive wines as merely snobbery. You can clearly taste the difference.

 

Did I buy some? You betcha! Depleted the ol' savings account to do so. Now I can't buy any toys for a couple of months while I replenish the piggy bank.

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hehe so that's why matagal kang nawala - heady with wine again. I see you've crossed the Rubicon again

Is Neibaum-Coppola exported to other countries? Parang wala akong nakikita...

pare in a couple of months baka may bagong vintages na naman and there goes your toy money again..

 

Some labels unfortunately have rested on their laurels. I mean they continue to be expensive but the greatness in flavor of vintages past have not been recaptured again. Maybe this contributes to that snobbery thing.

[bods1000]

Hey guys, anybody here want a some-sort-of-an-EB (read: wine drinking) after Holy Week? Almost a hundred pages na ang thread and we still haven't met up

[cebucitylocal]

Hey guys, anybody here want a some-sort-of-an-EB (read: wine drinking) after Holy Week? Almost a hundred pages na ang thread and we still haven't met up

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yes,will be there with my chinese wines ,I can provide venue if needed

[agxo3]

hehe so that's why matagal kang nawala - heady with wine again.  I see you've crossed the Rubicon again 

Is Neibaum-Coppola exported to other countries? Parang wala akong nakikita...

pare in a couple of months baka may bagong vintages na naman and there goes your toy money again..

 

Some labels unfortunately have rested on their laurels. I mean they continue to be expensive but the greatness in flavor of vintages past have not been recaptured again. Maybe this contributes to that snobbery thing.

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Actually, I've just been very busy. I'm in Taiwan right now on business - and just getting off a conference call with the folks back home and on the East Coast. Good thing I'm jet lagged!

 

I'm sure NC wines are exported, but to there? Dunno.

 

Many wines do sell on repurtation more than performance - that's why it's important to NOT generalize by winery or label or vintage. Or, even worse, by varietal. So to say ALL merlots are bad (or good) is a simplistic view of wine. For each varietal, region, winery or label, there are good years, and bad years. The excitement is in finding the good while avoiding the bad wherever possible.

 

So - personal Rubicon rankings from 1995 to 2000:

1995 - second best of the bunch, but a much friendlier wine than the best

1996 - not as good as 1995, but still worthy of anhyone's cellar

1997 - tied with 1995 for second best, but an altogether different wine. Not as friendly - needs a couple more years (1995 was good to drink even then) - but may last longer than the 95

1998 - no Rubicon released. The wine was just not good enough to call Rubicon.

1999 - best of the bunch (and if I believe others, of the decade). MOre structured, more a classic Bordeaux than 1995 or 1997.

2000 - think 1996. More tannins than 95 and 97. should be awesome in 3-5 years.

 

 

If I have a good enough excuse, I'll do a vertical some time this summer.

[agxo3]

Hey guys, anybody here want a some-sort-of-an-EB (read: wine drinking) after Holy Week? Almost a hundred pages na ang thread and we still haven't met up

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Let me know when you're having that EB. I can't join you but I'll make it a point to be drinking some wine that same time and raise a glass to you all.

[bods1000]

yes,will be there with my chinese wines   ,I can provide venue if needed

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ok pare, you're in!

so that makes two of us - anybody else?

If there's just the two of us - I'd be stuck with your Chinese wines hahaha!

[bods1000]

Actually, I've just been very busy. I'm in Taiwan right now on business - and just getting off a conference call with the folks back home and on the East Coast. Good thing I'm jet lagged!

 

I'm sure NC wines are exported, but to there? Dunno.

 

Many wines do sell on repurtation more than performance - that's why it's important to NOT generalize by winery or label or vintage. Or, even worse, by varietal. So to say ALL merlots are bad (or good) is a simplistic view of wine. For each varietal, region, winery or label, there are good years, and bad years. The excitement is in finding the good while avoiding the bad wherever possible.

 

So - personal Rubicon rankings from 1995 to 2000:

1995 - second best of the bunch, but a much friendlier wine than the best

1996 - not as good as 1995, but still worthy of anhyone's cellar

1997 - tied with 1995 for second best, but an altogether different wine. Not as friendly - needs a couple more years (1995 was good to drink even then) - but may last longer than the 95

1998 - no Rubicon released. The wine was just not good enough to call Rubicon.

1999 - best of the bunch (and if I believe others, of the decade). MOre structured, more a classic Bordeaux than 1995 or 1997.

2000 - think 1996. More tannins than 95 and 97. should be awesome in 3-5 years.

If I have a good enough excuse, I'll do a vertical some time this summer.

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ok you said it right - don't judge a grape, label or winery by its rep*tation hehehe....Those folks who are hung up on pinot noirs now because of SIDEWAYS maybe gulping down anything that has pinot noir on its label - not knowing if it's good or bad...

 

pare could you do some explanation here on what a vertical and a horizontal tasting is - I myself still don't it

thanks a lot!

cheers! sayang you can't make a SIDEWAYS trip here from Taiwan hehehe..

[bods1000]

Let me know when you're having that EB. I can't join you but I'll make it a point to be drinking some wine that same time and raise a glass to you all.

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that should put a literal meaning to the phrase "present in spirit"

yeah, we'll keep you posted - but as of now it's still touch-and -go...

[agxo3]

ok you said it right - don't judge a grape, label or winery by its rep*tation hehehe....Those folks who are hung up on pinot noirs now because of SIDEWAYS maybe gulping down anything that has pinot noir on its label - not knowing if it's good or bad...

 

pare could you do some explanation here on what a vertical and a horizontal tasting is - I myself still don't it

thanks a lot!

cheers! sayang you can't make a SIDEWAYS trip here from Taiwan hehehe..

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Hey - I thought seriously about heading over there again but I was just there in January, so I figured I'd pass this time around. Maybe later this year. I'm due for a long visit in March of 2006 but I think I want to go over before then for a shorter visit. Maybe when I do my next Taiwan trip - that would be May.

 

Okay - vertical and horizontal tastings -

 

a vertical is where you taste the same wine (same varietal, winery and label. For example, Neibaum-Coppola Rubicon) but from different vintages, usually a sequence of vintages. As in my list of Rubicons - open one each of the 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 and 2000 and you have a vertical. Now THAT would be an expensive evening! But I would guess, well worth it! I wonder if I could sell tickets to that?

 

a horizontal is where you taste the same varietal from the same or different wineries but all of the same vintage. Most effective as a tasting tool if all the wines are from the same area. For example, I can do a horizontal of 1995 zins from Napa Valley. I have the BV and Mondavi. I'd have to find another one or three. But put them all side by side, and you have a horizontal.

[agxo3]

that should put a literal meaning to the phrase "present in spirit"

yeah, we'll keep you posted - but as of now it's still touch-and -go...

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Well, I'll make sure there's a sufficient amount of spirit present!

[bods1000]

Hey - I thought seriously about heading over there again but I was just there in January, so I figured I'd pass this time around. Maybe later this year. I'm due for a long visit in March of 2006 but I think I want to go over before then for a shorter visit. Maybe when I do my next Taiwan trip - that would be May.

 

Okay - vertical and horizontal tastings -

 

a vertical is where you taste the same wine (same varietal, winery and label. For example, Neibaum-Coppola Rubicon) but from different vintages, usually a sequence of vintages. As in my list of Rubicons - open one each of the 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 and 2000 and you have a vertical. Now THAT would be an expensive evening! But I would guess, well worth it! I wonder if I could sell tickets to that? 

 

a horizontal is where you taste the same varietal from the same or different wineries but all of the same vintage. Most effective as a tasting tool if all the wines are from the same area. For example, I can do a horizontal of 1995 zins from Napa Valley. I have the BV and Mondavi. I'd have to find another one or three. But put them all side by side, and you have a horizontal.

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great info, pare - kung minsan kasi nalilito pa din me dyan eh...isn't it in horizontal tasting, the bottles are unmarked so that you wouldn't be biased on what you are tasting - o sa competition lang ito?

Does anybody here do those horizontal/vertical tastings?

 

yeah, May! that's near enough...we'd look forward to meeting you!

[bods1000]

  Well, I'll make sure there's a sufficient amount of spirit present! 

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...that does not surprise us Imagine that - a wine EB being held simultaneously in different parts of the globe - kailangan may kasama ka din dyan para masaya

[agxo3]

great info, pare - kung minsan kasi nalilito pa din me dyan eh...isn't it in horizontal tasting, the bottles are unmarked so that you wouldn't be biased on what you are tasting - o sa competition lang ito?

Does anybody here do those horizontal/vertical tastings?

 

yeah, May! that's near enough...we'd look forward to meeting you!

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Depends on the reason for doing the vertical. If it's a competition then the identities of the wine are hidden to level the playing field. IOW, so that 2 buck chuck is not judged on its label and dismissed without a fair judging, and so that Chateau Pertus does not win on the strength of its rep*tation. But if it's for fun (and sometimes profit) then the choice is yours.

 

No reason to hide the wine identity when doing a vertical - they're all the same wine from different vintages.

 

Going for a visit in May is a desire and a hope, not yet a reality but this is incentive to try to make it happen.

[agxo3]

...that does not surprise us Imagine that - a wine EB being held simultaneously in different parts of the globe - kailangan may kasama ka din dyan para masaya

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I'm sure I'll find someone........that won't be hard. We have a small group of winos here and I am sure they'll gladly join the festivities.

 

On another note - the vendor I visited last Wednesday is being really nice to me. They're angling for new projects. But hey! who am I to look a gift horse int he mouth? All the gift does is remind me how eager they are to work with us.

 

So what was that gift - why a bottle of wine, of course! A 1997 Chateau Lynch-Bages. It's a Bordeaux, good reviews and good ratings. Could not find it on the on-line catalogs of the wine stroes I frequent, nor at Sam's Wine Club in Chicago. So I guess I should consider myself lucky to have this bottle - and I do! It's going under my house for another year or two.

[bods1000]

anybody else up for the wine EB?

mukhang kaming dalawa lang ni ccl - that means I'll finally get to taste his chinese wines?

 

pareng agxo, I do hope you can swing around here by May

[agxo3]

And along those lines --- I went to the release reception for Neibaum-Coppola's flagship wine -> Rubicon vintage 2000. It's a Bordeaux blend, this year mostly cabernet sauvignon, with some merlot and traces of petit verdot and cabernet franc. A wonderful wine, as usual. Great for drinking now, but I think I would hold it at least another 3-5 years. Great fruit, nicely restrained tannins. All requisite cab flavors - dark berries, etc. Not as good at the '99 (some call the '99 the best of the decade), more like the '95 (which should be ready to open just about now.

 

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Okay - my mistake. That's what I get for trying to type when I am soooooo upside down! This was actually the 2001 release! Comments still hold - I just mistyped the vintage.

 

So to add to the list below ->

 

Actually, I've just been very busy. I'm in Taiwan right now on business - and just getting off a conference call with the folks back home and on the East Coast. Good thing I'm jet lagged!

 

I'm sure NC wines are exported, but to there? Dunno.

 

Many wines do sell on repurtation more than performance - that's why it's important to NOT generalize by winery or label or vintage. Or, even worse, by varietal. So to say ALL merlots are bad (or good) is a simplistic view of wine. For each varietal, region, winery or label, there are good years, and bad years. The excitement is in finding the good while avoiding the bad wherever possible.

 

So - personal Rubicon rankings from 1995 to 2000:

1995 - second best of the bunch, but a much friendlier wine than the best

1996 - not as good as 1995, but still worthy of anhyone's cellar

1997 - tied with 1995 for second best, but an altogether different wine. Not as friendly - needs a couple more years (1995 was good to drink even then) - but may last longer than the 95

1998 - no Rubicon released. The wine was just not good enough to call Rubicon.

1999 - best of the bunch (and if I believe others, of the decade). MOre structured, more a classic Bordeaux than 1995 or 1997.

2000 - think 1996. More tannins than 95 and 97. should be awesome in 3-5 years.

2001 - friendly like the '95, almost as structured as the '99. Makes this #2 of the lot. I'll hold this for another 2-3 years before I start drinking my stash.

 

If I have a good enough excuse, I'll do a vertical some time this summer.

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Don't know if this was mentioned here (and too lazy to backread) - turns out the title of the film "Sideways" is a reference to - what else? - being drunk.

[agxo3]

anybody else up for the wine EB?

mukhang kaming dalawa lang ni ccl - that means I'll finally get to taste his chinese wines?

 

pareng agxo, I do hope you can swing around here by May

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Will try.....might be sooner. There may be a family funeral on the horizon. Old (95?) maiden aunt is pretty sick.

[bods1000]

Will try.....might be sooner. There may be a family funeral on the horizon. Old (95?) maiden aunt is pretty sick.

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oh hehehe...dunno if we'll be happy or not for that...

but what's clearer on the horizon is that when you're here, tuloy ang wine binge natin

[agxo3]

oh hehehe...dunno if we'll be happy or not for that...

but what's clearer on the horizon is that when you're here, tuloy ang wine binge natin

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Yeah - well, life goes on I guess. Wine! Yes! More! More!

 

Just got out of a phone conference. What makes these particular calls tolerable is the wine we drink while on the call. Today it was a Diamond Grove zinfandel. 1999. Cheap wine. I got it for $20 A CASE!!! That's $1.83 a bottle!! Less than 2-buck chuck and lots better. The wine merchant (a big merchandiser with lots of different labels) was changing his labels so he had to get rid of the current stock. So - anything he had in stock, case lots only, $20 a cse, no limit! Some was good, like his zin, other stuff was just terrible. The good news, they had tasting tables set up so you could taste before buying. I bought 5 cases that day, my friend bought 8. I saw someone loading up a van with what must have been 30 cases. Some days, you feel like you've accumulated some good karma.

[bods1000]

Yeah - well, life goes on I guess. Wine! Yes! More! More!

 

Just got out of a phone conference. What makes these particular calls tolerable is the wine we drink while on the call. Today it was a Diamond Grove zinfandel. 1999. Cheap wine. I got it for $20 A CASE!!! That's $1.83 a bottle!! Less than 2-buck chuck and lots better. The wine merchant (a big merchandiser with lots of different labels) was changing his labels so he had to get rid of the current stock. So - anything he had in stock, case lots only, $20 a cse, no limit! Some was good, like his zin, other stuff was just terrible. The good news, they had tasting tables set up so you could taste before buying. I bought 5 cases that day, my friend bought 8. I saw someone loading up a van with what must have been 30 cases. Some days, you feel like you've accumulated some good karma.

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nothing of that sort here even if you've got good karma...no wine store here comes up with something like that...At that price I could have made some good profits selling it here Siguro that guy loading up 30 cases will be doing some reselling.