That may have happened to me too. Used to be much more into beers. Now I don't really care as much. Just give me my Cabernet. Haha I used to always drink beer with pizza but now I've just switched that over to just having a Cabernet with pizza. Beyond just the taste, I just feel much better after drinking red wine than I do beer. I don't really get much of a headache from my Cabernets either, regardless of how much I drink. Not sure if lucky enough to be getting low tannin bottles or what.
Official Red Wine Review and Discussion Thread
- Thread starter LordEggForgotHisPassword_rivals
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Yeah, 2 buck Chuck is not good. To be fair though, people that know wine tell me that when it first came out and for years after, that it was really solid, but then it took a nosedive.
^^^^ pizza and wine is great together. But what really goes great with a bottle of red is big juicy grilled hamburger. Damn...
^^^^ pizza and wine is great together. But what really goes great with a bottle of red is big juicy grilled hamburger. Damn...
Law of diminishing returns.
My favorite meal in the world is this:
- Bar seating at fancy steakhouse with nobody I know around
- High-End Cab
- Thick cheeseburger cooked medium rare with sautƩed onions
- Fries w/ ketchup
The GYERO trip to wine country was one for the ages last fall. We visited/tasted the following wineries:
TOR - ācultā wine but I swear each pour tasted the same and isnāt worth the price IMO.
Schramsberg - my fave sparkling is their blanc de noirs. Love the Cremant as well. Itās a little sweet but a nice change of pace. Total Wine carries it.
Viader - Howell Mountain reds are delicious. Joined this wine club.
Sosie - small Sonoma winery. Good wines that were on the ācheaperā side compared to other places we visited. I like the Charles Smith cab.
Hamel - love their Isthmus wine (blend) and have been a club member since 2019. When we visited the āclient ambassadorā was from Kentucky and she treated us like royalty.
I love all the cabs Cakebread puts out but especially the Dancing Bear Cabernet (2018 especially).
I started liking wine when I worked at Nadineās in college. Then me and @anthonys735 went to Napa in 2006 not long after we started dating. Back again in 2019. Then with the group trip, me and @drxman1 got involved in researching alllll the wines. He is obsessed. His favorite is Krupp Brothers.
I do like the Josh sparking rosĆØ. Also Corner Wine in Lexington carries a sparkling rosĆØ of Malbec thatās under $20ā¦ Reginato.
I want the next group trip to be to Champagne, France. We shall see.
TOR - ācultā wine but I swear each pour tasted the same and isnāt worth the price IMO.
Schramsberg - my fave sparkling is their blanc de noirs. Love the Cremant as well. Itās a little sweet but a nice change of pace. Total Wine carries it.
Viader - Howell Mountain reds are delicious. Joined this wine club.
Sosie - small Sonoma winery. Good wines that were on the ācheaperā side compared to other places we visited. I like the Charles Smith cab.
Hamel - love their Isthmus wine (blend) and have been a club member since 2019. When we visited the āclient ambassadorā was from Kentucky and she treated us like royalty.
I love all the cabs Cakebread puts out but especially the Dancing Bear Cabernet (2018 especially).
I started liking wine when I worked at Nadineās in college. Then me and @anthonys735 went to Napa in 2006 not long after we started dating. Back again in 2019. Then with the group trip, me and @drxman1 got involved in researching alllll the wines. He is obsessed. His favorite is Krupp Brothers.
I do like the Josh sparking rosĆØ. Also Corner Wine in Lexington carries a sparkling rosĆØ of Malbec thatās under $20ā¦ Reginato.
I want the next group trip to be to Champagne, France. We shall see.
I really love The Prisoner Red, It just takes a dinner out to another level. It is a little pricey, nice for a change, now and then. Especially when paired with steak.
When I look at prices for wine at a restaurant, I am somewhere on a continuum that includes the emotional locations of bemused, fascinated, and angry.
The average wine markup in restaurants is 200-300%.
I met the guy that owns Caymus and started drinking some of their wine on special occasions. It is pricey but very very good
Total Wines always has employee selections which are generally well worth trying.
Kroger has become my wine spot and I do not have a refined palate. I like Gascon Malbec, Jacobās Creek Shiraz, J. Lohr Cab, the Bogles, most 13 Crimes, 12 Hands red blend, Cooper and Thief, bourbon barrel, and will get an Apothic if I have coupon.
Anapamu used to be my go-to Pinot, but it stopped showing up where I shopped. If I want one now, I usually just grab a Bogle.
Pinot Noir
~Kings Estate (first tried this at Tony's and it is excellent....LB has it)
~River Road
~La Crema
Cab
~Seven Rings
~Caymus
~Josh
~Kings Estate (first tried this at Tony's and it is excellent....LB has it)
~River Road
~La Crema
Cab
~Seven Rings
~Caymus
~Josh
Got back from Napa over Labor Day - we brought wine check which is a check on bag that holds 15 bottles so we brought back some of our favorites. Had tastings at like 14 wineries and each time I got drunk and they mentioned anything about merlot I would make a joke about sideways where my wife would roll her eyes and the server would make a polite laugh although Iām sure they were rolling their eyes internally. I also asked like 5 of them when I was really drunk about that study done at the university of Bordeaux where they put red food coloring in white wines and the master sommeliers would describe them with red tasting notes to both my wifeās and the servers horror.
Anyway we had all the good ones Opus One, Caymus, yada yada. Wines good, I like it, we have a wine cellar in our house. But honestly if you just go to Costco and get bottles that are rated 90 or higher by wine enthusiast youāre set. Thatās how I buy all my wine. All these wine stores have stickers with the wine rating on them. Just go and pick out the ones that are 88 or higher (you can always find a bottle in every variety under 20) and then impress your douchebag wine snobs.
Anyway we had all the good ones Opus One, Caymus, yada yada. Wines good, I like it, we have a wine cellar in our house. But honestly if you just go to Costco and get bottles that are rated 90 or higher by wine enthusiast youāre set. Thatās how I buy all my wine. All these wine stores have stickers with the wine rating on them. Just go and pick out the ones that are 88 or higher (you can always find a bottle in every variety under 20) and then impress your douchebag wine snobs.
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Told my wife your red food coloring story and she could not understand why I found humor retelling your story about your āwivesā and a server having whores. āIs it funny that he claims more than one wife or that they have whores?ā
This is absolutely true. Take for example a buttery Chardonnay. You have the classic Rombauer (referred to as ācougar juiceā by those in the industry). This bottle is around 40 retail, but you can get a Rayburn which in a taste test 9 out 10 couldnāt differentiate between the two for 20. You can get the classic Belle Glos for 40 or one of the many amazing Willamette Valley Pinots (like the Wilametter Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster) for 20. Instead of a Caymus Zin for 50 you can get a delicious Saldo for 20, etc etc. A lot of time your just paying for the fact it was made in Napa (85% has to come from that region for it to be claimed to be from there) and Napa surprisingly only produces about 4% of all wine made just in California alone.
So we stayed on the Beringer vineyard when we were in Napa and our server for our tasting said they are going away from the big buttery oaky California chards they used to make and going to the French style crispier ones. Outside of a classic like Rombauer he said itās going to be really hard to find a buttery chard in a couple years, which we were disappointed to hear since thatās our favorite style chard. A really good newer style one Iāve had is called Sixto (can usually find this at Costco) that has the crisp initial taste but a really nice silky finish. Itās reasonable at 28 a bottle but gives a good idea of the newer style theyāre going for. Tastes almost identical to Beringers new chard (the premium one you can only get with a wine membership).
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I agree on Cosco and some Krogers for great finds. The one I mentioned above can be bought and enjoyed cheaper than in a restaurant.
Love this conversation and recommendations!
Love this conversation and recommendations!
This is a very nice red blend (roughly 70% cabernet, 25% petite sirah, 5% merlot). You can find it for $21-$24. It's Rated 93 by Wine Enthusiast. It's from lesser known Paso Robles, CA which is why it can be had for a relative bargain IMO. In Louisville, Kroger, Total Wine and Party Mart carry it. Sometimes Costco has it too.
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Probably will not be well received but I have gotten to like Ruffino chiantis.
I even love the basic Chianti Classico. Itās around $10
What are y'all's opinion on wine stoppers? Necessary? Am I crazy to just put the cork back in my Cabernet to keep it relatively fresh. To my less than sophisticated palate, my Cabernet still tastes just fine to me through the next week or two by the time I finish off my bottle.
I use a product I got on Amazon called Vacu Vin. Came with a couple stoppers and a small hand pump that draws the air out of the bottle. Supposed to keep freshness for up to 4 weeks. I only use it for any wine I might not finish on a Sunday night so it stays good until the following Friday. But I wonder if that is even necessary.
I like bold reds. Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfindale, and several of the traditional French wines.
I particularly like Piedmont wines though. Barrollo and Nebbiolo are two of my overall favorites.
I particularly like Piedmont wines though. Barrollo and Nebbiolo are two of my overall favorites.
I may have to pull the trigger on this one some time. Just to say I've tried it. I've been hesitant when I see this in stores for $50+.
Here are some of my current favorite full bodied cabernets/cab blends for steak night or a slightly special occasion:
Chappellet Mountain Cuvee $50 or Chappellet cabernet $85
Hess Alomi cabernet $35
Groth Oakville cabernet $75
Freemark Abbey cabernet $60
BV Tapestry Reserve $50
Chappellet Mountain Cuvee $50 or Chappellet cabernet $85
Hess Alomi cabernet $35
Groth Oakville cabernet $75
Freemark Abbey cabernet $60
BV Tapestry Reserve $50
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To keep my wine fresh, I use the time tested method of finishing the entire bottle. 
Just picked up a 2021 J Lohr Paso Robles cab from my Wally earlier today. Gonna crack it open with dinner. I can't recall if I've had this one before or not.
Had a bottle of 2019 last night.
Drinking Laurent Perrier Champagne now celebrating the W.
At 15 bucks a bottle Cline Ancient Vines Zin is a steal.
Currently enjoying Conundrum red blend. Made from Cabernet, petite Syrah and Zinfandel.
Same folks that make Caymus wines.
Same folks that make Caymus wines.
Gnarley Head has a great Zin for around $9 bucks.
Dry as hell and awesome. My breff is on 15 after a glass of that
This is the truth.
That Old Vine Zin is almost too good to be true at the price.
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To keep my wine fresh, I use the time tested method of finishing the entire bottle.
Are these heathens not decanting?