The Other Wine Thread

pepperedmoth · January 2014

So, while NOT pregnant (or pregnant, whatever), what wines are the most delicious? Do share.

Me, I adore anything from the southern Cote du Rhone (and yes, I am too lazy to do the accents right there.) All those big-bodied French blends. Om nom nom. I have an especial love for a good chateau-neuf-du-pape, but really anything from that region.

That can get pricy, though. If I'm going for something I can buy at the supermarket, I've had really good luck with this "Fourteen Hands" label my mom turned me onto. $10ish a bottle and tasty.

As far as other alcohol, I love single-malt scotches, especially Islays and OMG TO THE MAX ESPECIALLY Laphroig. My gin of choice is Bombay Sapphire or Hendricks, and I like it mixed in a semi-dry martini. Less vermouth than half-and-half, but more vermouth than "raising the glass in the direction of France." Don't have a huge love of vodka.

Your turn! In this thread we are allowed to judge each other for box wine and anything you can buy in bulk in a plastic jug, but not much else. ;-)

amdecker1016 · January 2014

I am really not a big drinker, but i love any sparkling white wine! D'Asti(sp?) wine is so fabulous!
I cannot bring myself to appreciate a dry red wine at all-

I also enjoy the sunday mimosa...i am now ready to not be pregnant haha i want one!

Pinecone21 · January 2014

We live in California, so there's so much great wine here that we never got into French wine. Napa and Sonoma have some great wines, but they've gotten really expensive, even to just taste at the winery (like $20 per tasting). Our favorites up there are Silver Oak cab, Stags Leap Artemis, and Mark West Pinot if we're feeling cheap.

Our favorite place to visit is the Paso Robles area. So many great wines, and still reasonably priced! We like L'Aventure, Turley, and Epoch. I don't know how many of these are distributed outside of CA, but if you ever visit, check them out!

My husband is a whiskey and scotch fan, but I don't like it. I'll drink tequila instead. Sometimes I like a beer, but never an IPA, more like a Labatt or a Newcastle.

pepperedmoth · January 2014

If I lived in CA, I'm sure I'd be less into French wines!

I don't like IPAs either. They are sooooooo trendy right now but I just don't love 'em. I like ambers and browns for the most part. Vermont has the highest number of microbreweries per capita of any state in the nation so I pretty much ONLY drink local beers, but beer isn't really my thing. Just sometimes --- hot day, boat on the lake......

pepperedmoth · January 2014

Paging @vineyardmel to this thread...... ;-)

saisongbird · January 2014

I am a big fan of both Long Island and Pacific Northwest Rieslings. We have two bottles that are waiting to be opened after LO gets here because I KNOW I will want more than one glass, lol! I think the rieslings are the one time I out-drink DH.

Pinecone21 · January 2014

I wish we had more microbreweries around here. Our local beers are Firestone, Sierra Nevada, and Sequoia, and they all focus on IPAs. I miss Bells from when we lived in Michigan!

pepperedmoth · January 2014

I'd swap some of our microbreweries for some of your wineries. We do have wineries around here, but I'm not in love with any of their stuff. I think our weather isn't right at all for the best grapes.

cdnmomma · January 2014

i only stick to wine and beer. i do not enjoy hard liquor except for in a bloody cesear.

i love my reds (malbecs especially) in winter and my whites (pinto grigio) during summer. im not a fan of california wines or australian. i prefer south american or south african. italian and french are okay too.

my champagne of choice os veuve...i find moet to be too dry.

and beer....oh i love an ice cold local draft/microbrew beer on a hot summer day. nothing beats that.

since being pg wine has seriously grossed me out, but i have been craving cold beer and the smell of a good scotch is to die for!!

jfb29 · January 2014

I love a nice bold red like a red zin or petite Syrah. I can't drink beer without getting violently ill so I don't drink it at all. I do love a nice Irish whiskey now and again too!

WoodShopGirl · January 2014

Carmenere or a carmenere blend if we are going fancy. Alexander Valley has some good cabs for everyday. Semillon for white. Dirty vodka martini for before dinner occasionally. Not too big on mixed drinks or scotch, but a nice sipping tequila for special occasions.

WoodShopGirl · January 2014

Oh, and my brother is a brewer out in CO so I get some tasty brews occasionally like a rye barrel aged ale.

jwls84 · January 2014

I really love me some red wine! My favorite is apothic red, I can't wait until my first glass! (8 more weeks, 8 more weeks!!!)

kmeyers0611 · January 2014

Ooh I'll play!! Ever since our trip to Napa we have been into the California wines. My favorites are Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc and Rutherford Hill for Merlot and Cab. I also really like Oberon, Ledson and Justin for Cabs. My favorite sparkling wines are from Domaine Carneros. Oooooh how I really want some wine now! I also like the single malts. My favorite has to be Doublewood but I also enjoy Talisker. DH and I have a bucket list trip to visit his relatives in Scotland and tour the distilleries there. But that won't be for a loooong time. We'll get there some day! Another bucket list trip is wine tasting in Tuscany... Maybe we can do both someday! One can dream

ETA: is it bad to favorite this post so I can try all these suggestions after LO gets here?

Andreabills · January 2014

If it's big and red I'll drink it! I love Malbec, Petite Syrah, Zinfindel, and Cabernet. I've never really gotten into French wines, more North and South American. My favorite vineyard these days for a good, everyday drinking wine is Bogle; for $10-12 at the supermarket you get an amazing bottle of wine.

theluckiest9 · January 2014

I only really like sweeter whites (reisling, e.g). I'm by no means a wine buff though. It's a shame because I married into a family that grows grapes in the Marlborough region in New Zealand (sauv blanc). They've broken out vintage bottles that are apparently delicious to everyone but me. I try them all but just can't acquire a taste (especially reds). Beer makes me feel full to the point of sickness so I generally skip them.

I like hard ciders - pear, apple, whatever. I like JK's Scrumpy, Woodchuck.. I also like Bombay gin and tonics with lots of lime.

I'm a mixed drink or cider kind of girl, basically.

SurpriseAt39 · January 2014

Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon.
Rosemont Estates diamond series Chenin Chardonay. (I believe this is no more)

I try wines from all over the world. If I like them, I need to record the name immediately, because DH gets rid of the bottles too quickly. I've forgotten which ones I liked.

I'm a light coloured beer drinker. Corona, Sleemans.

I used to drink rum, but now I find it too sweet, so rye is my new fave.

At home in the summer...frozen lime margarita. FRESH juices, not premixed concoctions that you just 'freeze and serve'.

clo1982 · January 2014

I love kenwood Chardonnay, Kim Crawford Pinot noir and Pinot Grigio, and alamos red blend. Also a huge Cosmo fan, especially when it's made with pineapple infused vodka....heaven! And omg do I love champagne. Any kind as long as it isn't sweet.

KLP1982 · January 2014

White Sangria with fresh fruit is my favorite summer drink. I like mine on the sweet side, made with a Moscato and a kick of rum.

jennbaylor12 · January 2014

I'm definitely a red wine girl! I love bold merlots, shiraz/syrah's and cabs. DH and I also appreciate a nice whiskey, mmmm

WoodShopGirl · January 2014

And because of this thread I am now enjoying a brew along with my football.

katieg314 · January 2014

I avoided this thread all day because I thought it was going to be something else... And now I am mad. We spent the last 5 years living on the California central coast and became very wine obsessed. We lived in Pinot country, but I love a good cab or Malbec. I also love some bold blends. We wine tasted almost every weekend while we lived there.... Ack I miss it so much!

Pankers · January 2014

Ohhhh, booze

. Love reds especially Pinot noir and Cabernet. I am crap at remembering the ones I like. Whites....Sancerre is nice and crisp Riesling when it is super cold, NZ Sauvignon blanc is good too.. We went to a wine festival in April and tried a traminette which was also nice. I have a bottle of vintage verve yellow label heading out my way in April and I can't wait. Also love Domaine Carneros sparkling wine, that i do remember. Beer.....like most microbrewery stuff which is awesome out here in the states. I used to HATE cider (the hard stuff) as i was super sick on it when i was 15, but i love the Angry Orchard cider out here. Being an English lassie I love my Pimms in summer

, gin=Hendricks which is fab, not much of a spirit drinker. Can't wait to have some nice refreshing drinks in the summer. I plan on pumping a ton if possible so I can enjoy a day or two over the summer without impacting LO

fish8412 · January 2014

We went to Italy on our honeymoon and fell in love with Chianti Classico wines.

KariB509 · January 2014

My husband and I have tried lots and lots of wines. We love any Kendall Jackson wine--they're Chardonnay is probably my favorite. I also love Dreaming Tree wines. Crush is their red blend and it's fantastic. We tend to stick to $7-$20 bottles.

Edit: we usually go for California wines, hence the two I mentioned. I also enjoy reds and whites, kind of depending on the meal or season.

nik1513 · January 2014

I'm definitely a beer girl but I also enjoy both red and white wine.

Belgian beers and pale ales are my fave. I also love Sam Adams and the local microbrews. I so miss an ice cold Boston lager!

For wine I enjoy Pinot noir, chianti, Riesling, and Gewürztraminer (had to look that one up). I was in Italy for 4 months and got hooked on chianti during that time. I also love the wineries in the finger lakes region in NY. Oh and champagne/sparkling wine!

VineyardMel · January 2014

How am I so late to this party??

Ah, wine...where do I even start. We lived in Sonoma for a couple of years and DH worked in the industry and we got flat out SPOILED. It's so hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to I'd go with PlumpJack merlot--I LOVE the big merlots out of Napa, almost as big as a cab with a little bit of a different nuance. I also love Ehlers (small but amazing winery between St Helena and Calistoga) merlot and Duckhorn merlot. I love any red from Chapellet and Stags' Leap petite syrah. I like a good crisp sauv blanc on a hot day, but I don't care for the big buttery chards. My favorite sparkling is Schramsberg and that's probably my favorite tour in Napa. I love the cave and the history of the winery. If we're going all out, Quintessa is so amazeballs (and DH worked there for a while so we got to drink it a lot). Sigh...I could go on about this all night. I got a little burned out on pinot being in Sonoma, but there are still a few that I love. For French wines, I prefer the Rhone varietals over the Burgandies...but who are we kidding--if it's a nice wine I'm going to drink it.

I don't do much hard liquor anymore, but I'm usually game for an extra dirty martini before dinner. This pregnancy I've really craved margaritas and I can't wait to have one in a few weeks. For beer my favorite is Shiner Bock (I'm a Texas girl!). I can't stand IPAs--way too bitter for me, but I fell in love with a good hefeweisen when I worked for a German company and traveled there a bit.

I miss living in wine country so much!!!

VineyardMel · January 2014

Pinecone21 said:

We live in California, so there's so much great wine here that we never got into French wine. Napa and Sonoma have some great wines, but they've gotten really expensive, even to just taste at the winery (like $20 per tasting). Our favorites up there are Silver Oak cab, Stags Leap Artemis, and Mark West Pinot if we're feeling cheap. Our favorite place to visit is the Paso Robles area. So many great wines, and still reasonably priced! We like L'Aventure, Turley, and Epoch. I don't know how many of these are distributed outside of CA, but if you ever visit, check them out! My husband is a whiskey and scotch fan, but I don't like it. I'll drink tequila instead. Sometimes I like a beer, but never an IPA, more like a Labatt or a Newcastle.

@pinecone21 We love Epoch! DH used to work with the winemaker and enologist when they were at Chalk Hill in Sonoma. We're in the club and love getting their shipments! Good friends of mine also named their dog Turley.

babylimas · January 2014

When not pregnant I prefer whites. Particularly Sauvignon blanc. I don't like an ounce of sweetness. I like it really dry, and I love it pucker-up tart. Yummmm. I prefer red when pregnant, and like the lighter ones like Pinot noir. I also really enjoy a super peppery red. Again, nothing sweet and please no Merlot. I can't drink anything sparkling unless I want to be very sick. Boo.

Other than that I will drink anything with fresh grapefruit juice. I love fancy grapefruit cocktails from the trendy bars. It's good with gin, vodka or tequila. I drank waaaay too much rum when I was young and can't handle it anymore. I also judge people who drink light rum, but that's the islander in me.

Also pepper, I share your Scotch love. I really don't ever sit and drink it but I love to taste. I get sample drams of fancy ones for my H so I can taste them all. I really like Oban. I also like when you get a super smokey one. I'm salivating.

pepperedmoth · January 2014

Ooohhh, I like Oban too!

I kinda judge people for drinking "light" anything....

I don't really like sweet wines to drink on their own or with a meal, but I have occasionally enjoyed an ice wine for dessert.

kmeyers0611 · January 2014

VineyardMel said:
How am I so late to this party??

Ah, wine...where do I even start. We lived in Sonoma for a couple of years and DH worked in the industry and we got flat out SPOILED. It's so hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to I'd go with PlumpJack merlot--I LOVE the big merlots out of Napa, almost as big as a cab with a little bit of a different nuance. I also love Ehlers (small but amazing winery between St Helena and Calistoga) merlot and Duckhorn merlot. I love any red from Chapellet and Stags' Leap petite syrah. I like a good crisp sauv blanc on a hot day, but I don't care for the big buttery chards. My favorite sparkling is Schramsberg and that's probably my favorite tour in Napa. I love the cave and the history of the winery. If we're going all out, Quintessa is so amazeballs (and DH worked there for a while so we got to drink it a lot). Sigh...I could go on about this all night. I got a little burned out on pinot being in Sonoma, but there are still a few that I love. For French wines, I prefer the Rhone varietals over the Burgandies...but who are we kidding--if it's a nice wine I'm going to drink it.

I don't do much hard liquor anymore, but I'm usually game for an extra dirty martini before dinner. This pregnancy I've really craved margaritas and I can't wait to have one in a few weeks. For beer my favorite is Shiner Bock (I'm a Texas girl!). I can't stand IPAs--way too bitter for me, but I fell in love with a good hefeweisen when I worked for a German company and traveled there a bit.

I miss living in wine country so much!!!

I forgot about Quintessa!! So yummy! Too bad I live in Ohio where the wine import laws are awful.. I would have to buy that by the case and that gets pricey!

pepperedmoth · January 2014

I need to learn more about California wine.....honestly once I figured out that I reliably liked anything from the cote du rhone I stopped bothering with anything else (I HATE being disappointed with wine!) but obviously I'm missing a lot and there are soooooo many good suggestions here....

VineyardMel · January 2014

pepperedmoth said:

I need to learn more about California wine.....honestly once I figured out that I reliably liked anything from the cote du rhone I stopped bothering with anything else (I HATE being disappointed with wine!) but obviously I'm missing a lot and there are soooooo many good suggestions here....

There are so, so, SO many really good world-class wines out of California. SO yummy!

babylimas · January 2014

I love California whites. We also get a lot of wines out of Oregon.

Pinecone21 · January 2014

VineyardMel said:

Pinecone21 said:

We live in California, so there's so much great wine here that we never got into French wine. Napa and Sonoma have some great wines, but they've gotten really expensive, even to just taste at the winery (like $20 per tasting). Our favorites up there are Silver Oak cab, Stags Leap Artemis, and Mark West Pinot if we're feeling cheap.

Our favorite place to visit is the Paso Robles area. So many great wines, and still reasonably priced! We like L'Aventure, Turley, and Epoch. I don't know how many of these are distributed outside of CA, but if you ever visit, check them out!

My husband is a whiskey and scotch fan, but I don't like it. I'll drink tequila instead. Sometimes I like a beer, but never an IPA, more like a Labatt or a Newcastle.

@pinecone21 We love Epoch! DH used to work with the winemaker and enologist when they were at Chalk Hill in Sonoma. We're in the club and love getting their shipments! Good friends of mine also named their dog Turley.

Chalk Hill and Cakebread are about the only Chardonnays that I like. If I drink white wines, I usually go for Riesling or Pinot Grigio or Viognier. (Why does my phone capitalize all of the wine varietals??) I really don't like Sauvignon Blanc - to me, it is the IPA of wines.

kmeyers0611 · January 2014

pepperedmoth said:
I need to learn more about California wine.....honestly once I figured out that I reliably liked anything from the cote du rhone I stopped bothering with anything else (I HATE being disappointed with wine!) but obviously I'm missing a lot and there are soooooo many good suggestions here....

We knew nothing about California wines until we actually went to Napa and Sonoma with friends... Now we still enjoy our italian whites and sauv blanc from New Zealand, but have pretty much converted to all Cali wines. If you like to travel put it on your bucket list

kcanuck · January 2014

I'm a big, right reds girl. Malbecs, Cabs etc. Mmmmmmm.

In the summer I like Sauv Blanc and Prosecco.

Can't wait until I can have a couple of glasses in one evening!

*Naea* · January 2014

I get spoiled because my sister works for a wine/spirits importer and picks up some nice bottles on the cheap at their wine sales. I love a good malbec, super tuscan, rioja, old vine zin... or prosecco in the summer. My drink of choice is a nice tart gin & tonic. While I've had the occasional glass of wine, I missing my mixed drinks and I am dying for a tall g & t once baby girl is here!

There are some amazing boxes these days, too. And great when you don't know if it is a 1 glass of wine a week month, or 3 glasses in a night kind of week

lindsey1031 · January 2014

OP, we have sooo much in common...come over and hang! (in about 2 months!) I will introduce you to my bar - which is much to your liking! :-bd

ewallace00 · January 2014

Mmmmm wine. I miss red wine.

Reds, in order: Pretty much any Shiraz or Syrah. Malbec and Petite Syrah. Zinfandel. Sangiovese. Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot. Pinot Noir is one of my least fave reds.
Brands: Stags' Leap comes to mind as we visited Stags' Leap, Silver Oak, Domaine Chandon, and Opus One in Napa this past Memorial Day. I will try pretty much any Shiraz, Syrah, or Malbec in the $9 - $20 price range at the wine superstores. One go-to is Gaston (I think) with the purple seal... I'm out of practice so I'm having a hard time remembering names.

Whites: Tried Miner Family Wines Viognier in Napa and whew that was delish. I'm not as well versed on whites. I'll order Kim Crawford if I'm at a business dinner.

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