A great and affordable Merlot is Tin Roof, it is so good.
Cool name!--I may have to try it just for the name if I can find any locally.
Sounds more like a beer name, goes right with "Fat Tire," "Turbo Dog," and the like.
--James
I had Three Blind Moose and Toasted Head just last night, they were great! Ghost Pines is around 20 bucks, but it is worth it. I started drinking Raven's Wood because of the Celtic symbol, and it turned out very good too. Try Pinot Grigio or Pinot Noir too if you have a chance.
My dad is a huge wine buff, he worked at Burns Steakhouse for a long time, it has one of the largest wine cellars in the world.
"In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart." John Bunyan
Any of these work for you peeplj? Think local. You could always drive to a vineyard that is close, flip a coin to decide who the designated taster is and make it a day. If the taster thinks one is worth trying, the other can try it and give it the yea or ney.
From the sounds of it you may like a Shiraz, it can be a middle to sweet wine with a good body to it, or a Riesling.
Its just you are gonna get some really cross Kiwi and Ozzys with that kind of talk.
Pinot Gris...
I have has some horrid Grigio but some really nice ones too.
Good when its really hot out and the wine is really cold.
Italian and Californian can be light crisp tangy and grassy.
Kind of like a gin and tonic... well not really but I find it as refreshing.
I also mentioned French Rosé.
I love a good dry Provencal rosé.
Inexpensive and good.
Floral and with fruits like strawberry and a bit of pepper.
The Spanish also make some really good rosados. They tend to have a bit more body and spice.
I usually drink it in the middle of summer with a few ice cubes.
Don't be fooled.
Its not your momma's Pink Zinfandel
That pink crap producers in the states tried to pawn off on us in the past.
I've seen an increase of rosé being offered here in SoCal in the last few years and some California makers have started to make it in the French style. Haven't found one made here that I like yet.
Best part about it is that it is a young wine and its meant to be poured down the throat pretty soon as its in the bottle.
Makes for a less expensive bottle and that means more bottles... and good times.
Someone suggested you visit Arkansas wineries and I second that. A visit to a winery plus a tour can be a nice expedition. You can get a tasting sampler for either free or very little and learn a lot too.
I'll also plug Virginia wines, some are very good.
Wines are so specific to the area, the year's weather, the wine maker, the variety used, etc.
I found (back when we had a vineyard and winery) that folks new to wine tended to prefer sweeter milder wines and often those were white.
It just takes time and tasting. Plus, remember that many wines' taste will change depending on the food pared with them. My dh loves chocolate with cabernet sauvigon. I, on the other hand love a very oaky red with anything. Heck, I love a white with oak, I just love oak. Maybe I oughta just gnaw on a tree...
Oh, and ice wine. Now that's something for a special occasion that is truly wonderful if you get a good one. We were able to make one only one year, when we had perfect conditions, and it sold out in less than a week. It was "The Frosty Maiden" and tasted a lot like peach soda to me.
I won't suggest specific ones, since everyone's taste is different. You've just gotta try them. Yummy.
A vacu-vin will help to keep a bottle for a few days-but trust me- when you find one you really love, that won't be an issue.
There have been some great wine names over the years. One of my favorites- I think it was Californian- was named "Poision" and sold in a coffin shaped box.
Wine lables are strictly regulated and can tell you a bit about what's inside too. Not just by how pretty/interesting, but the actual info. Gee, I use to spend days sweating over getting everything just perfect on a new label submission. It had to be or the ATF would shoot it right back to you.
"Let low-country intruder approach a cove
And eyes as gray as icicle fangs measure stranger
For size, honesty, and intent." John Foster West
Why has no Californian commented on Chas's heresy...that Zinfandel is a sweet wine...white zin, yes (it's a travesty not a wine), but real Zinfandel, which is just plain Zinfandel, is not a sweet wine mix. It's a hardy red with good tannin bite if it's a decent wine. Find a Lodi zinfandel and get back with me on it.
I also second the buy local approach. Arkansas uses many of the same grape varieties used in Missouri, which I might add not only was the largest wine making state prior to prohibition (sorry California) but also contributed the root stock that saved France's vines from phylloxera in the late 19th century. Anyway, I digress...a good Norton wine is a nice, dry tannin rich red - much like a true Zinfandel. Norton also makes an outstanding port style wine. Vignoles makes a nice white similar to Riesling. Catawba makes a nice, sweet dessert wine.
Jayhawk wrote:Why has no Californian commented on Chas's heresy...that Zinfandel is a sweet wine...white zin, yes (it's a travesty not a wine), but real Zinfandel, which is just plain Zinfandel, is not a sweet wine mix. It's a hardy red with good tannin bite if it's a decent wine. Find a Lodi zinfandel and get back with me on it.
I didn't know this. All of the Zinfandels I've had taste more akin to a wine cooler than actual wine. Nasty, vile stuff. I didn't realise there was a such thing as plain Zinfandel. I may have to look into it.
Someday, everything is gonna be diff'rent
When I paint my masterpiece.
Izzarina - if you like good reds, real Zinfandel is a great wine. My aunt, who lives in Thousand Oaks, CA, turned me on to it a few years back. She's quite the wine aficionado. She also quite liked the Missouri, Stone Hill Winery, Norton I sent her...if you like the zin, track down a Norton.
Robert Mondavi makes a nice Lodi Zinfandel (might be labeled Woodbridge or something like that).
Summer of 1975 a friend and I went to Napa. We stopped by Stag's Leap to visit with some guy my friend knew. Came away with a case of 1973 Cab...
spoilt fer life
I lived at Mare Island for 6 months as a contractor rep and I paid visits all the wineries in Napa. What I couldn't afford then, I can even think of now.
the up side is got to listen to Denis Brooks at the Starry Plough.
ew.
