Tilted Wine
 

Post all your reviews here. Positive and Negative.


To start (putting on my snooty wine reviewer glasses):

This evening I sampled a bottle of 2006 Twin Fin Chardonnay which we recently purchased at the local grocery store for about $7. We typically try to keep our everyday wines under $10 a bottle, and we frequently step outside those we already enjoy and try new brands.

Upon first impression, the screw top gave me pause as I am not used to screw tops on even the inexpensive wines we drink, but it didn't stop us from trying it. It tastes like an inexpensive chardonnay. It is very lightly oaked, sweeter then normal for a chardonnay, somewhat fruity, and while very simple is surprisingly drinkable.

However, I prefer our inexpensive go-to brands over this one. Lindemans, Yellowtail, etc.

Screwtops are just fine for short-lived wines like chardonnays. Corks, especially given the issues with the trees, are better for things that will be sitting in your cellar for years to come. Chards really should be drunk within a couple of years of release, so a screwtop shouldn't matter much.

I think I created a thread like this a year ago or so, but I'm very happy to see someone else take an interest and create a new thread. Let's make this one stick!

My tastes tend to run a little more expensive than this, though. Last night we had the family over for our pre-Christmas/November and December birthdays dinner and I served a 2004 Pride Mountain Cab. It's not a huge cab, but it has a very mellow finish a lot like a good Silver Oak, but for about 3/4th the price. Before dinner, I served a 2005 Frank Family Zin, which is about $30/bottle direct from the winery and is my new favorite. I'll probably go through a case of that this winter, if not more.

I love reds, not too dry, not too sweet.

There is an excellent table wine that I fell in love with out of missouri called riverboat red. I bought a case.
Les Bourgeois Riverboat Red Review

I was getting into Bin 333 Pinot Noir from Wyndham Estates there for a while as well, but there are so many small new wines, i have to try them all.

Down here in Guatemala, ive been drinking an argentinian red wine and loving it. http://www.winedrop.co.uk/ShowDetails.asp?id=773

if you can get it, try it.




I will drink Port like a wine, a whole bottle in one shot. But that doesnt count, does it?

i am not a particular fan of parkerized wines, so don't really enjoy most kali reds. parker wines are all oak aged--they all have flavor concentrated up front and offer very little in the way of length or complexity---and i prefer both.

so when i'm feeling flush, i like red burgundies which tend to start at about 25 for a decent bottle, i don't really understand why. i use burgundies as my guide type for sussing out various malbecs, spanish wines and italians...

i keep telling myself that i should make a diary so i know the specific vineyards i like---because for some reason no matter how much i like a particular bottle, the chances of my remembering the vineyard are nill--so i have to go back to the same store and rely on space memory to help me locate more, if i want it.

a collective wine diary...

I myself am a very big fan of Yellowtail (Shiraz and Cabernet-Sauvignon) as well as Wolf Blass

Good to see Aussie wines getting a run overseas :) You can't go wrong with the reds from Wyndham estate.

edit - I changed it to wines after seeing JamesB referring to Wolf Blass.

I bought a couple of bottles of Fifth Leg (a Semilon/Sauvignon Blanc blend) from Western Oz. Very tasty - good chilled for a warm summer evening.

http://www.fifthleg.com.au/


The current Red is a Peter Lehmann Picture Series Cab Sauv. This is also quite a favourite.

http://www.peterlehmannwines.com/Pro...spx?p=27&id=15

I've been writing things down lately. I don't have enough money for wine, so it's mostly about coffee and breadmaking. I did have a bottle of Zenato Valpolicella Ripassa at a business meeting/dinner. I hafta say i really enjoyed it, but when checking my spelling, i see that Parker likes it.

For your upscale-on-the-cheap celebrations, i recommend cremant de bourgogne instead of champagne. I've also had excellent Georgian champagnes. The post-Chernobyl ones can be had quite cheaply.

From listening to wine merchants in a local cafe, i know the wines that are marketed around here are supposed to be fun, accessible, light, not too serious. Sheesh. It makes me want ascetic, heavy, brooding, wines with overtones of Negative Dialectics.

I'm all about bold reds and tart whites. No buttery (malolactic) Chardonnays for me! Cabernet Sauvignon is my favorite by far. Petite Syrah is another varietal I enjoy.

Some of my favorite Cabs:
Jordan
Frank Family
Hall
Silverado

Unfortunately, I do not have any of these on hand. I do have a couple bottles of Newton Unfiltered Cabernet which should be interesting.

We went to Frank Family on the spur of the moment with the intention of trying the Cab. The guy said, "well how about I warm you up with the Zin, then we try the Cab."

Their Cab is second-rate compared the Zin. If you can track that down, give it a whirl. Their cab is ok, but not that special. Not so with the Zin.

Castellano di Amoroso makes one of the best Pinot Grigios I've had in a few years. You have to order directly from them, but it's my favorite summer wine.

[QUOTE=The_Jazz;2572826]Screwtops are just fine for short-lived wines like chardonnays. Corks, especially given the issues with the trees, are better for things that will be sitting in your cellar for years to come.

Um, having sold and worked for an elite top shelf wine distributor in Napa California, Wilson Daniels Ltd. ....you must be joking.
NO white white should be "sitting for years", they just degredate and taste like crap or worse yet, wet newspaper. They aren't to be treated like cabs and zins or merlots. White is extremely delicate and needs to e enjoyed fresh and at the perfect temperature.

So really C'mon - there are very few decent whites (unless you spend a whole $10 for a jug i.e. yuck....)Kidding. - that are okay for "basic" consumption in a box or a screw top. Nope, don't go there. But if you get real. And Do your homework or PM me...I can help you rehab. I'm a real wine expert and have had too many chuckles about wine in tfp over these many years. If you are serious, I'll share the info. and experienc and be happy when you become "enlightened".

Good luck. ENJOY and avoid screw tops and drink it slowly at a less cold temperature. You'll be amazed. And in truth the Aussies do have a few terrific wines. They don;t have to be Californian to be great. Also try any wine from Washington State. WOW!!

Uhhh, huneychile, did you not read what I wrote. That's pretty much what I said. In fact, it's exactly what I said. So if you're going to try to belittle my opinions, why don't you at least figure out what they are first.

I've found some very good screwtop whites, but they're usually from small production vinyards like Fortitude (I'm pretty sure their Chard has a screwtop, but I might be misremembering).

Dumol is considering a screwtop for their Chard. I found that out last night from someone who would definitely know.

The thing about wine is that lots of people make it overly complex. At the end of the day, whatever you enjoy is right for you. The Ausies, South Africans, Chileans, etc. all make some excellent wines.

i feel this way too.
don't you?

I'm not sure the screw top is as bad as you guys are making it out to be. There is a *lot* of mainstream wine in Oz (not just cheap stuff) that is being produced with a screw top lid. I hardly cellar things for too long, but if a majority of wine is being bottled without a cork, it can't be that bad for the wine. This area is certainly changing - there has also been quite a few wines recently 'corked' with synthetic corks - the local discussions have actually been that they may be *better* than cork as they won't rot...

Chard is that hydra-like vegetable that you just can't overharvest. Mmm...

Pretty much all the beaujolais nuveaus are being corked with synthetics these days. They are also very short-lived (they're the first sample of a season's harvest and are usually seen as an indicator for how good or bad a particular year is).

Most of the Australian wines that I know aren't really meant to be cellared for years, like a good Napa or French Cabernet. If I caught you drinking, for instance, a 2006 Opus right now, I'd smack you in the back of the head for wasting it. That's something that will really develop sitting in a cellar for at least a few years.

Went to dinner earlier this week to do some celebrating with my coworkers and was reintroduced to Dominus. We had their last bottle of '04 Cab and two bottles of '05 (there were 5 of us). I'd forgotten how good that wine is, although I'm not quite sure if it's worth the sticker price (I just found it online for $60/bottle for '05). Tasty, but probably expense account wine for clients.

Also, I really can't say enough good things about the Frank Family Zinfandels. The wife and I have had about 4 bottles in 12 days, and it's just plain old yummy stuff. I tried a reserve last night with some salmon, and I honestly didn't taste much of a difference between it and the lower priced version. Perhaps it will bottle-age into something different, but if you're interested and you're going to be drinking it within a year, don't bother with the reserve.

Jumping into the discussion late...

Sorry but this made me LOL!! :D Good luck convincing Burgundian and Alsatian winemakers of your opinion. The only reason Californian whites don't hold up to ageing is the lack of acidity.

There is absolutely no reason to avoid screwcapped wines. Have a look at the New Zealand section of your local wine shop next time... you'll be hard pressed to find 1 out of 10 bottles sealed with a cork, even the top shelf stuff. This might surprise you, but if done properly, screwcaps are much more reliable than cork, as they avoid the risk of TCA. Problem is they're more expensive than cork, equipment is more expensive, and as shown in this thread, people generally have a negative opinion of them.

Synthetic corks are the absolute worst form of bottle closure! They allow the loss of sulphur dioxide, which is the antibiotic, antioxidative, antimicrobial agent in wine, thus leading to premature ageing (browning, flat & sherry-like taste). "Plastic" cork sealed wines should almost always be consumed within a year or so of bottling.

+1 on Frank Family Zin... tasty stuff!

Try DeSante Sauv Blanc ($15 - $20/bottle)... light, complex, and very well made.

If you have $100 to spend on a Napa Valley Cab for yourself or as a gift, try to get your hands a bottle of Tierra Roja (Oakville)... un-effing-believable!

If anyone has any questions on anything to do with wine production, hit me with em! :)

Chris, winemaker
BSc (Hons) Oenology

Cabernet Sauvignon for me.

A good vintage Port.

Sat down with a bottle of '77 Taylors over Christmas, it was like drinking liquid sex.


Edit: screw caps are a superior form of sealing a bottle, providing a much greater seal. They're not as fun though, and have a negative image because they were originally used on cheap wines. Avoid plastic corks like the plague, the whole point of normal corks is that the wine soaks them and they expand to fill all gaps in the neck. Plastic corks can't expand so are more likely to allow air seepage. A good cork shouldn't rot if the wine is stored properly.

ALWAYS store your wines horizontally, i can't stress this enough.

Not for at least 30 years anyway... cellulose will break down eventually. Some SERIOUS wine collectors will re-cork really really really old bottles to avoid any risk.


Except for screwcapped wine, of course. ;) But then, chances are you won't be storing screwcapped wine. There are huge debates over the best way to store Champagne... upright or lying down. The reasoning behind upright storage is that the CO2 creates an inert barrier between the wine and the cork, thus minimising the risk of oxidation. It's also been hypothesised that the high acidity of Champagne will break down the structure of the cork over time when lying on its side, leading to premature ageing.

Thorough studies have never been done on this, as you'd need a fair amount of Champagne and about 30 years! :) It's a moot point, for me anyway... I never hang onto Champagne for long enough for it to make a difference.

Recorking? I'd just drink it:thumbsup:

Storing Champagne for that long is a moot point anyway, it doesn't have the lifespan of regular wines before it degrade. 50-70 years is really the lifespan for many bottles before degredation starts to affect the quality.
It should be kept on its side, i've been to several of the big houses in Reims and the surrounding Champagne region, they all keep them flat. Not gonna argue with the guys who make it!

I saw a documentary on TV a few years ago where the showed Penfolds having their 'regular' Grange clinics, where people with older bottles had them tested, topped up (with a compatible vintage) and re-corked. It included people who inherited bottles, found bottles tucked under the bed etc.

This page has a video about the clinic:
Penfolds Clinics

Penfolds Grange Page

Of the wines I tasted recently that I liked, one that sticks to mind in terms of bang for your buck is the pinot noir from Duckpond. Quite good and inexpensive.

dippin, I ran across Duckpond Pinor Noir this week at my wine store and gave it a try based on your suggestion since it was fresh in my head. We had it with a pretty hearty pasta dish, and it was very nice, especially for the price. It's not an 01 Silver Oak, but it's good. I especially like that I can get a case discount from my shop that would push it down to under $15/bottle.

Yay, Oregon pinot noir! I'll have to check this one out. We usually save our pinot drinking for special occasions, as we can't often afford to splash out for it. We do, however, imbibe our fair share at family occasions where someone else is paying for it. :D

I recently tried that cheap ($CDN 7.95) Bodega Familia Zuccardi (Argentina) Fuzion Shiraz-Malbec 2007 that's been getting all that attention lately in Quebec (and now in Ontario).

The attention is warranted, and I can see why it's flying off the shelves and is currently a bit of a challenge to find in stock in Ontario. It's probably the best $8 bottle of wine I've ever tasted.

We managed to get a hold of a box of it to share the wealth with others.

If you see a bottle of it around, give it a try. I don't think you can go wrong at that price.

I recommend, if you can find it, Croft Pink Port. Chilled down it's absoloutly gorgeous.

Broadly Vineyard
Pinot Noir
2007

mmmmm

I've noticed a few Pinot Noir fans in this thread so I thought I would share a couple of my recent tastes. Waterstone 2007 Pinot Noir from California and my favourite (although at $75 CDN per bottle at little steep!) 2006 Cuvaison Pinot Noir, also from California.

Both were excellent.

I was a contract winemaker for Cuvaison last year... let me know what you think of the 2008 when it's released! ;)

holy crap. Hope you enjoy the drink $75?

I've been trying to focus in the affordable, and do recognize that sometimes pricepoint does make a difference, and that here in Ontario there are artificial tax barriers to affordable wine. But I clearly can find some good plonk for under the 10 - 12 dollar mark. Better than some that I have purchased for more than $20.

The one that I like to recommend is a Portuguese offering from a Castelao grape variety. This red wine is a full flavoured drink along the lines of an Australian Cab. Really nice for under $10/bottle, and roughly half the cost of the Wolf Blass products from down under.

The wine is called Pedras do Monte

Here is a description of this from the liquor store

Product Information

I work for a beer/wine distributor, so I get to try a good bit of wine and beer on a regular basis.

One of the better values I've had recently is Brazin Old Vine Zinfandel
It comes from Lodi, which I am not normally overly impressed with as far as wine growing regions go, but this one seems to hit the mark.
Pricing runs different from state to state, but you should be able to find this in the $13-18 range.

In a week I will be in Willamette Valley in Oregon for a bit of fun. Does anyone have any suggestions/recommendations of wineries I should visit while I am out there? I'll be staying in Carlton, OR.

So, I've been going to a wine tasting every week at the local wine shop near my house. Today I found a nicely priced bottle of merlot ($6.58, the web has it listed under $10) that was mellow but still had a very nice berry flavor to it.

http://www.winelabelworld.com/common...age.php?l=1087

Sombras del Sol 2008 Chile

I had the Carmenere, Merlot, and a Sauvignon Blanc and the were all at the same price. The carmenere was nice, but had a really dry aftertaste. Good, but needed to be paired with something to help with that. The Sauvignon Blanc was good for someone who doesn't like white wines at all. For the price I recommend picking it up.

Cab and merlot for me. I'm not an educated drinker. I enjoy a couple of glasses in the evening before dinner. Due to my current financial situation, I migrate more towards cheaper wines. Its hit or miss. I may not be able to fully appreciate a very expensive wine but I sure a hell know when I'm drinking a bad cheap one. For the price I've been pleased with Vendange's cab more so than their merlot. Its really an inexpensive wine. About $8 for 1.5 liter when on sale, which it often is.