The Wine Thread

Discussion in 'Food and Wine' started by KSigMason, Feb 4, 2013.

  1. Montegriffo

    Montegriffo Well-Known Member

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    It's a very good accompaniment to cheese.
    It also goes very well with pot and poker IMO.
    Not strictly from Oporto. The wine is produced in the Douro valley and then taken to Oporto to be mixed with some very strong brandy (over 70% alcohol) and left to mature in large vats or in bottles if it's a vintage port.
    It used to be sailed down the Douro river but a dam now makes it impossible so it comes by road.
    They still have a festival in Oporto to mark the first wine of the season ''coming down the river'' where one of the activities is shoving cloves of garlic up your nostrils.
     
  2. DEFinning

    DEFinning Well-Known Member Donor

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    I have long been a greater fan of reds, than whites, but I have lately found whites more versatile, & convenient, for both the dishes I've been eating, & for casual sipping. Part of this may be an accommodation for my surfeit of stomach acid, which can be more antagonized by a tannic red (I also have to forego the hard stuff, for the most part, but I also like Bourbon-- Bulleit's my fav-- though I'm mostly a Scotch-guy). I generally like dry wines, but I make an exception for the slight sweetness of Rieslings.

    It sounds like you might have an appreciation for terroir, the character of a place, that inhabits a wine. Besides the soil & climate, there's also the factor of different national styles of wine-making. For example, I am a big fan of Argentinian wines (Mendoza), myself, though I prefer Syrah to the Malbec. I just tried a Patagonian Pinot Noir, which was not bad. Syrah is also a favorite of mine, among the French wines, as a major constituent of Cotes du Rhones (along with Grenache). If I want to spend a little more than usual, I'd go for a Crus like Gigondas or, if I could find it, a Saint-Joseph, from the northern Rhone, from where I once had an outstanding 100% Syrah. And yet, as much as Australia is known for their Shirazes (same grape, by another name), I find them completely unappealing: too fruity and nebulous of character.

    I also prefer the French Cab & Merlot blends, from Bordeaux (though, of course, California has good Cabs; though its Merlots can be a bit soft). And, while they are generally out of my price range, the good Bourgogne French Pinot Noirs have a lot more to offer than the American ones I've tried (from Willamette Valley, Oregon).

    I know there are some good Chiantis, but I find you have to spend more, to get one. IOW, I think you get more value for your money elsewhere. I do, however, like Montepulciano d' Abruzzo.

    I am a fan of the Spanish Tempranillo, which is medium-bodied. Over the summer, I also found a decent, interesting Rose, a 2017 from Rioja, produced by Baron De Ley. And Portugal is a treasure trove of bargain reds, but I am unfortunately still very unfamiliar with all their regions and grape varieties. A good, mid-priced red from Lisboa, is the 2016 Vidigal Reserva.
     
  3. DEFinning

    DEFinning Well-Known Member Donor

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    Yes, of course cheese is a good accompaniment (in some places, considered a dessert course). I am now limited to only goat & sheep cheeses, which are very good, but impossible to find anywhere near the variety one gets, with those made from cow milk.

    I wasn't saying that Port comes only from Oporto (you can get California Port), only explaining the derivation of the name.

    P.S.-- Could you translate, "pot & poker," into American for me? Is that fondue?
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2021
  4. Montegriffo

    Montegriffo Well-Known Member

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    One is a mind altering herb and the other is a card game.

    Port, pot and poker are 3/5ths of my favourite ''P''s.
    Ping pong being the other 2.
     
  5. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    Müller-Thurgau deserves a thread of its own! :)
     
  6. Trixare4kids

    Trixare4kids Well-Known Member

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    West Coast Merlot from our Vineyard.
     
  7. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    I love Zinfandel! :)
     
  8. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    For Silvester I was looking for a Gewürztraminer today.

    But there was none to be had.

    So I took a Traminer instead.

    Just as good!
     
  9. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    Where have all the wine friends gone?
    Long time passing .....
     
  10. Montegriffo

    Montegriffo Well-Known Member

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    In rehab? ;)
     
  11. DEFinning

    DEFinning Well-Known Member Donor

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    You ask about "type of wine," but I will start with grape, which I think would probably be Syrah. Not Shiraz, even though they are the same variety, because Shiraz is the Australian name, and their style of that grape is big & fruity, but not very interesting. I prefer the French style of Syrah, and the terroir of the Rhône Valley, to Australia. I'm talking about a Syrah with some meaty tannins; a wine that benefits from a bit of ageing (St. Joseph, for example). But Syrah also works well in the Rhône blends. Gigondas is my favorite, which I prefer to its more expensive big brother, Chateauneuf du Pape.

    Besides France, the other place that makes decent Syrah, I've found, is Argentina, in the high elevations of Mendoza, where they also grow the Malbec, that is specified in the OP. I've tried that, but prefer the slightly leaner, and spicier Syrah.

    That said, I drink all types of wine, and am one of those who pairs it with my food, so that the two complement one another. IOW, Syrah is not always the best choice. I also am partial to Cabernets and Merlots but, once again, the style is important. I don't like softer style of Merlot that is all fruit and little structure. I don't think one can do better than Bordeaux, where they grow both, and often blend them, sometimes with other grapes, as well. The one grape in that group (though also grown in the Loire region) that I just do not care for, at all, is the very rigidly structured Cabernet Franc. There is just something medicinal about its taste, that is off-putting to me.

    With a lighter body, there exist very tasty Pinot Noirs-- with the best, once more, coming from the Bourgogne, aka Burgundy region, of France. Though I like the cherry flavor that is often dominant, the good Pinots tend to be rather pricey, so I haven't done the kind of sampling that I have, of other varietals. Sangiovese (as in Chianti) is another grape that, though I've found decent, moderately priced ones, it has seemed more of a crap shoot, if one prefers not to pay a high premium. I would rather hunt out good values and, even in the Bordeaux region where some wines are fairly expensive, I have found good, inexpensive wines.

    For a medium bodied wine, then, the Spanish Tempranillo, is one I like. A decent one, you might see for about $8, is Protocolo, from the Castile region. But a great place for bargain finds, that I am trying to investigate more, is Portuguese wines. These use a lot of their indigenous varieties, though, so one has to almost start from scratch, to become acquainted with them. A really good, appealing red blend, that I had a couple of times, but haven't seen now, in a while, is called Ea, made by Cartuxa; importer: Tri-Vin imports, New Rochelle, NY. I'd had the 2017 vintage. It comes from the Allentejano region, and is:
    40% Aragonez; 25% Alicante Bouschet; 20% Trincadeira; 10% Syrah; and 5% Castelão.

    Though not as exciting of a deal, but one which might be easier to find, and is still a solid wine, from Portugal, is Videgal Reserva, from the Lisboa region. I have also, in the past, had a good, full bodied wine, with nice tannin, that they call Dão. I don't know what grapes are in either of these wines (but both are reds).



     
    Last edited: May 5, 2023
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  12. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    For me grape is also the most important factor for wine. :)
     
  13. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    So do I :)
     
  14. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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