Food Do we have any oenophiles here?

I would say there are probably a couple things going on there. First, wine is almost always drastically overpriced in a restaurant. I've seen bottles that I could get for $8 on sale ($11 reg) for up to $38 at a Flemmings or the like. So a $60 bottle may just be a $15-20 bottle in reality. Second, you like what you like. Though, as I've experienced and tasted more wine I've found that often paying more (within the bounds of varietals and regions I prefer) often translates to wine I think tastes better, it's not always the case. There are a handful of bottles in the $10-16 range that I really, really like, even though most of the stuff I'd classify as really good to me is more like $25-45 (and would probably higher if I could afford to frequently drink bottles that cost more ). And finally, it could be that your tastes just aren't that developed or complex. Though I've found that last reason usually to be due to inexperience with good wine. I've stated before that I love matching up casual or infrequent wine drinkers to stuff that I think they'll really like. I like nothing better than having 2-3 bottles open, giving them a taste of each, getting their feedback (too dry, too sweet, too fruity, too oaky, certain flavors they really like/dislike), then guessing which other bottle to grab that they'll love. I've gotten reasonably good at it, and I absolutely love it when they taste what I picked for them and go "WOW, that is really good!".

What I recommend for people who have little experience with wines over $12-15 is to go somewhere that has wine tastings or wine flights. Taste a variety of stuff and give feedback on what you liked and disliked. At a good wine bar or the like, you will often then get suggestions from that that will blow your socks off. Above all else, make it fun!!

 

Love wine...especially the reds.
Have tried a great variety over the years.

I prefer those which have a warm rich taste...not dry or sharp, to roll around your tongue.
I don't like oak'y tastes...but I do enjoy a bit of vanilla & spice in the mix...perhaps your richer fruits like blackberry or plum

Merlot, Shiraz, Chianti are nice...right now I seem to have a thing for Pinot Noir.

I've found price doesn't matter as much, it's more of the style that it's made...year too and location.

Fortunately, I've got tons of wineries in the area that I can enjoy. Virginia is an up & comer.
And my company's CEO/owner has a wine bar that he owns down the road...wonderful discoveries there.

 

Mind sharing some specific favorites?

If you are look for big Pinots that have rich fruit flavor, I'd love to hear your thoughts on some of these:

Belle Glos Pinot Noir (2008 preferred, 2009 is good too, just needs to breathe a bit more)
Small Vines Pinot Noir Russian River Valley (2006 is my fav, the '07 and '08 are solid too)
King's Estate Signature Pinot Noir 2008
Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard 2008

If you like Shiraz/Syrah, here is another to try:
Klinker Brick Farrah Syrah 2008
Fess Parker The Big Easy Syrah 2008

Though you didn't mention Cab Sav, if you want to try one that has a great fruit forward taste, big flavor, and is still smooth, pick up a bottle of this:
Crossbarn Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2008




All of the above are wines that are among my personal favorites of those varietals. I actually have all of them currently except the Big Easy Syrah, which means I should probably go get a couple bottles of it. And I don't know what your budget usually is for a bottle (many of those are in the $25-40 range), but I can't say enough good about the Crossbarn Cab Sav. It is usually about $42 around here, and is easily the best Cab I've ever had that was under $80. I've served it to tons of people who didn't know a lot about wine but said (similar to you) "I don't want something oaky, I like a lot of fruit, but I don't want something sweet". Usually the response is "Wow, I really have to start getting into wine!!"

And a wine bar is, IMO, one of the best places to expand your horizons and taste new stuff. If the staff there are good, they will remember what you like and give you recommendations based off of what you enjoy. The 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th wines above were all ones that I discovered at my local wine bar. They have an awesome group working there, and it's a ton of fun to come in when they have wine reps or wine makers in. I've taken several wine classes there that were informative and very enjoyable. It helps you learn what various tastes and smells are, and what to expect from various grapes and regions. I absolutely do not consider myself a wine expert, but the amount I've learned in the last 2-3 years has made me very comfortable talking and discussing wine, and most importantly, helped me find what I like.

 

Last week at the wine walk I picked up a lovely sangiovese from this guy: Panache Cellars The guy pouring the tastes was the same guy who makes the wine, and our town is small enough that I later discovered he is good friends with an acquaintance of mine. So far they are only selling it one place in town, but it is so good.

 

Anyone else like carmenere? We enjoyed a bottle acquired at TJ's last night--it was on sale for 6.99 when I bought it, and I think it's regularly only 7.99. It was a good wine to drink while watching GoT. The price points on carmenere here are very different--it's either a cheap bottle out of Chile or $28 bottle out of the Columbia Valley. I wish there was more middle ground. While the Found Object Carmenere from TJs lacked some of the spice notes I like in Nuthatch Cellar's Carmenere, it was still a very good wine for the price.

Nuthatch Cellars: Oregon and Washington Vineyard Red Wine Varietals and Blends - Syrah, Tempranillo, Red-breasted Red

 

I've had some during tastings at our local wine bar. I'll have to keep track of what they were if I see them again. I was thinking the ones we tasted were more in the middle ground ($14-19/bottle) that you are looking for. I thought they were decent to good, my mom and sister both loved them.

 

Before I left for vacation I bought a case of wine at a charity wine tasting I went to, and it was waiting for me to pick it up today. When I went to put it away, I realized that I officially have too much wine. Wine fridge is full. Wine rack in the basement is full. Top shelf of the pantry, the only one my wife will let me steal, is full. I had to leave the last six bottles in the box they shipped in.

As I see it, I have three choices:
1) Stop buying wine.
2) Mount another rack in the basement (to step up to a bigger wine fridge is too costly).
3) Drink more.

 

My MIL got around this by adjusting temperatures on her regular extra fridge and turning it into the wine fridge. The freezer compartment holds whites and the fridge holds reds.

 

My extra fridge usually has too much in it to turn it that warm. Months ago my FIL offered a mini-fridge that I still haven't picked up, maybe I should see if he still has it.

 

Sitting here drinking wines with Ty Caton.

 

This is from a post I made elsewhere that I thought some of you might find interesting:

I often have friends who know about my interest in wine ask me how they can best learn about what they like, or even learn about wine in general. Lots of people find the entire idea of choosing wines, learning what they like, or ordering wine overwhelming because there are just so many options and such a wide variety of pricing.

Lately I've been telling almost everyone who asks me that they need to find a local wine bar that they can frequent. Trying wine flights, talking to the servers about wine (if the wine bar is a good one), and getting suggestions from people who love wine is a huge first step. We've become regulars at a local wine bar and have got to know the owner and workers very well. They even ask me to bring Stanley in and let him hang out there for hours at a time when they aren't busy, he'll just lay on the floor by my stool or follow one of the girls around the store. It's kind of the 'go to' place for us over the last 16-18 months. I particularly like this place because it's locally owned, has a small and knowledgeable staff, and has a very wide range of wines in both varietals and pricing. Over the last year I've bought a lot of wine there both to drink and to keep. I've referred several other friends/family who have signed up as members there. I've learned a lot, had a good time, and it's just a neat place to hang out.

So today I have a voicemail from the owner of our local wine bar asking me to call her. They are closed starting today through most of the week as they remodel the place, update the wine list, move stuff around, etc. It turns out that she decided at the last minute to clear out a bunch of inventory instead of moving it all around. She offered for me to come in today while they are closed and buy up some of the inventory she wanted to get rid of. She said that I was the first person she was calling and had first choice if I was interested, and that she was willing to sell some really good wines for $100/case.

So I go in there this afternoon to look through what she wanted to get rid of. I couldn't believe some of the stuff she had set aside to move. I ended up getting over $1100 worth of wine for $300. Some of the wines were $50-60/bottle. The average of the 36 bottles of wine that I got was ~$30/bottle, and I paid ~$8/bottle for it all. She gave me first dibs on everything and wasn't going to call any other customers until I was able to cherry pick what I wanted out of the lot. She said I was doing her a favor.




Cliffnotes - The owner of our local wine bar called me and asked if I wanted to buy a bunch of $20-60/bottle of wine for $8/bottle.

 

I just got my MIL's old wine mini fridgie. So excited to move my collection into it. It was getting too large for the shelf.

 

So, to be nice I called them up yesterday. I know they are working like 16 hour days to get everything remodeled in the time they are closed and after a few days in a row of that they are worn out. I offered to drop by tonight with dinner for the owner, her fiancee (a cool guy), and 2-3 of the workers who were helping out. So after work I grilled a whole beef tenderloin, a bunch of corn on the cob, grabbed some bread from a local bakery, and the wife made some pasta salad. We show up at 6:30 with all the delicious grub to eat dinner with them and check out the progress. In return she opened a $150 Cab Sav, a $75 Pinot Noir, and a couple other decent bottles. Awesome people, and that's part of why I am such a loyal customer and pimp them out to everyone who will listen.
Again I say that if you have an interest in wine, go find a good local wine bar.

 

I love most things that come from Duckhorn. I'm especially a fan of the Paraduxx and Goldeneye stuff. Their entire Decoy line are some of the best bang for the buck wines widely available IMO. Good choice for someone who is willing to pay $18-25 (depending on variatel) for a wine that drinks even better.