Jun 12 2007
Liquid Red
You could say that I am into wine. I receive great pleasure from pairing a delicious wine with a great meal. I love the whole culture of wine: the scientific knowledge of soil, geography, horticulture to the bottling and aging process. Before I could legally drink wine, I studied about the ancient civilizations who transported wine (among other things) throughout the Mediterranean. My own trip to the Near East was where I had my first wine tasting.
Once I turned 21, I started to buy a few bottles here and there to develop a taste. I read some articles and books on the process of wine making, the comparisons, the rating system, and the foods to pair them with. Kris and I also started attending local wine festivals and visiting some specialty wine shops. Then, we started to plan travel that involved wine… I learned so much about wine during my trip to Napa Valley last fall. So many of the vintners and sommeliers were willing to share information and tips – not the snobby, pretentious attitude that one might expect. I have learned that the key to wine tasting is simply finding what you like; despite the reviews, the price tag, and the ratings.
Most of my favorite wines are reds: I got on a Pinot Noir “kick” last year and tried a number of good ones. Since my trip to Napa, I have become quite enamored with full-bodied reds, like Cabernet Sauvignon. Argentinian Malbecs and Australian Shirazes also top the list. Most of the wines are named after the specific variety of grape that they come from, as is the case with all of the wines mentioned. The real taste of the wine comes out with food, and since I am a vegetarian, and most wines are traditionally paired with meat dishes, finding the perfect wine for a meal involves a little trial and error.
I make a few white wine exceptions, I must say. While Chardonnays don’t usually excite me, there are some great Pinot Gris, and some deliciously fruity Riesling wines. My ultimate favorite white is Alsatian or German Gewürztraminer.
Perhaps I like “Gewürtz” the most because it pairs so nicely with my favorite foods: spicy Indian dishes, Thai noodles, and Chinese stir-fries. I also like it on its own.
Wine can be an expensive hobby, but there are some great budget-minded print and online publications for people interested in wine. I recently subscribed to Food & Wine
I recently checked out Great Wine Made Simple: Straight Talk from a Master Sommelier
I am already making plans for a trip to France next spring – and the great thing about it? I can get some fiber education as well as some wine tasting…
**Do you have a favorite wine?
Hubby and I are really getting into wines. Right now we really like Pinot Noir, but are looking into local wineries (we did a tour at Cape May winery in April).
I’ve been into wine for a few years now – here in central Texas we have a lot of good local wineries and it is a lot of fun to do winery tours. There’s even a Hill Country Wine Tour website for people to get roadtrip ideas.
Whites tend to be my favorites, slightly to very sweet, so I really like Sister Creek Muscat Canelli, and moscatos and rieslings in general. Lots of people think of moscatos as a dessert wine, but they really do accompany spicy food well – and spicy food is a way of life here. 
I don’t think I could narrow it down to a favorite, but if I had to, I’d probably go with Shiraz. I usually prefer reds (shiraz, cab sauv, cab franc, pinot noir), but I also really love a dry reisling (both NYS- finger lakes and Canada -Niagara region have some fabulous reislings and gewurtz’s as well) We’re heading up to the Finger Lakes for vacation in a few weeks, and I can’t wait to hit my favorite wineries up there.
What do you do with all of your corks? I sometimes think about drinking more wine (i’m not much of a drinker) just so I can have to corks to make stuff out of!
We just finished a bottle of Dr. Fischer Riesling – 2003 last night and it was heaven. I also normally go for the reds over whites, but this is such a delightful summer treat. I highly recommend it!
I also recently found a great red and posted about it on my blog. Was sorry to discover that it was from Gallo, but loved it anyway. A *really* nice wine.
Cheers!
Hey Lolly,
I’ve been lurking for quite a while, but I don’t think I’ve every commented before. I’m also a PS participant – kind of. Anyway, my husband and I started out our wine cellar building with a lot of California Cabs, but in order to save my poor head (I suffer from migraines), we switched to Pinot Noirs (for some reason they seem to trigger my headaches on a lesser scale). We both love the Oregon region, and my BIL has family in Washington. Between our two families, we seem to cover the Willamette Valley region and Oregon. Most of my favorite Pinots come from Oregon – Argyle (of course). I like to keep O’Reilly’s at the cabin. Ken Wright and Belle Pente are excellent and good. We’ve also tried St. Innocent, Willakenzie (yum) and Witness Tree can be good.
I’m a Riesling girl, myself. Just within Rieslings, you can run the gamut from sweet to very dry. They pair wonderfully with food, including the types of dishes you listed (stir fries, curries, etc.) and are also nice solo. Many are extremely reasonably priced and very widely available in Virginia.
I like all kinds of wine, but my sentimental favorite has to be Albarino, which is grown in the region where my husband and I went on our honeymoon!
I’ve always been a Red girl too, but lately have enjoyed dry whites. I’m a stem-ware freak and my dad recently purchased these great glasses which I love so much that I drink white every time I visit him. Food and wine is a great resource in providing hints of what wines to try out with what food. They’ve paired up ideas that I would not have thought of myself. I’ve been interested in trying a few different Chilean Reds but haven’t got around to it yet. I’m going to come back to your comments and take notes of what suggestions your readers leave you
Oooh, hubby and I took a wine tasting course at a local community college while he was in law school. We took it with another couple and we learned so much and had WAY too much fun!
I enjoy both whites and reds (just depends on my mood I guess). My faves are as follows: For white I prefer Reislings (Biltmore Estates from here in NC) actually has one that’s not too shabby. I like the slight fruityness (sp?) especially in the summer evenings when it’s still a bit warm out but starting to cool off. Aah! For reds my faves are Spanish Riojas with my absolute fave being a Rioja from Marques de Caceres. YUM-O! Just enough warmth and spice for me!
I am more of a white wine gal (although I will make an exception for a nice pino noir, and I do have some more exploring to do). I love Riesling. No favorite labels, although Lindemanns and Ste Michelle comes to mind.
Cheese and wine make me feel so spoiled. Cheese, wine, and cashmere.
I’m so declasse, my favorite is Barefoot white zin. I miss it. It was $4 at Trader Joes and ever so tasty. (http://barefootwine.com/california_wine/white_zinfandel.html). I also am always up to try a Greek wine ever since having the best wine of my life as a waiter’s suggestion at a Greek restaurant. I kick myself for not writing down the name. I prefer reds to whites, but mostly just look for an interesting bottle or country of origin. Shawn has a few favorites – the Black Chook is one – and there’s a person in the wine section of our local grocer who remembers him and will make suggestions, he never steers us wrong.
I don’t drink Chardonnay, but I do prefer white wine. I love the “sweeter” wines, like Riesling and Chenin Blanc. A yummy Pinot Grigio is also good from time to time. Right now we’re really into Naked Organic Riesling from Snoqualmie Vineyards. It’s inexpensive and so delicious. We had a bottle with some Vietnamese food over the weekend and it was a great pairing. Another favorite Riesling at my house is one by Schmitt & Schone, the one that you can get in a GIANT blue bottle for pretty cheap. We also like the Chateau Ste. Michelle, and when I want some REALLY sweet wine, Hogue makes a good late harvest Riesling.
I’m more into white wine – my favorite right now is a blend called Evolution from Sokol Blosser in Oregon. It’s great with food and especially in the summer. I’m less of a red fan, although we did get some excellent Liberty School Cabernet from a friend. We also had a great red blend called The Grappler from Twenty Rows at a restaurant a little while ago, really tasty.
I don’t have a particular favorite but when I lived in France, I went on a lot of wine tours in Alsace. Easily the best trips I’ve ever taken. Alsatian wine tastings = really kickass. And not nearly as packed with Americans as Provence.
Reisling! Definitely my favourite, although I like a lot of the big, fruity reds you mention too. My husband recently earned his sommelier diploma, and as you say, a lot of wine types are open and willing to share information without being snooty.
I thought I would recommend Janis Robinson’s Wine Course, a set of DVD’s that takes you to differnt wine regions around the world, concentrating on different grape varietites. Really informative, and not at all pretentious.
I started to read this and had to get up and put a bottle of wine in the fridge to chill. We’re having Fetzer Gewurztraminer, which has been a favorite of mine for years. I love Australian Shiraz as well, but have found that I can no longer drink red wine for fear of migraines. Bah.
I’m a red girl too, and usually go for pinot noir or syrah, or sometimes a fruity zinfandel, although I don’t have a favorite label. I live in the northwest, so we’re fairly inundated with Washington and Oregon wines wherever we go. I had a glass of cabernet for the first time in years when we went out to dinner last week, and coincidentally it was the Liberty School Cabernet that Kim U just mentioned. I’m glad she did, because I’d forgotten the name, and it was EXCELLENT.
I don’t have a favorite wine per se, but I definitely subscribe to the theory of tasting everything to determine what you like. I have a persnickety palette so while one year I may be riding high on pinot noir, the next I may prefer a buttery chardonnay. The only constant is that I’m not crazy about merlot. At least not this month.
My husband and I drink a lot of wine, mostly reds. My current favorite is Sauvignon Blanc, however. I tend to have that if we are eating out–it goes well with a lot of vegetarian dishes. We recently moved to California, so it has been fun trying out the local wines, as well.
Mmmmmm, wine! Hub and I drink wine quite often with dinner, and I tend to gravitate towards “big” reds like Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, though I really like a good Shiraz, too. Ooh, and Shiraz/Cab. Pinot Noirs I tend to be a bit picky about; Firesteed is one of my favorite inexpensive ones. Also, I have not had a wine by Penfold’s that I don’t like (they are out of SE Australia). Seriously, that winery has never done wrong by me — white or red.
Have you ever seen Andrea Immer’s shows on Fine Living Channel? She has a couple; Hub and I watch sometimes, and have nicknamed her “The Wine Gnome” (because she’s so tiny and gnomy)
And I like a Riesling, too, but most recently we had one in a blue bottle that was gawdawful . . . we each took a sip and ended up pouring the rest down the drain!
I’m not much of a drinker (now) and know nothing about wine, but my favorite reds are Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon.
I also love Vihno Verde.
Not much of a drinker here either – but apparently Australia makes fine wines and the legal drinking age is 18! That said, I don’t mind a drop of French wine every now-and then…
I was so excited to see your post on wine! I’m a professional server and wine buyer for a coastal restaurant in Oregon, so of course, my favorite wine is Oregon Pinot Noir. Very different in style from those found in California. It’s cool that you like such a wide variety of wines. And Provence! How exciting! Make sure to try some wonderful French Rose`s while you are there! A nice light and dry Rose` also will pair well with many of the foods you normally eat!
I’m a red wine fan. Pinot Noirs and spicy Zinfandels (Hayman Hill), specifically. Absolutely no Merlot after watching “Sideways.” Hah. Well, not unless it’s mixed with other grapes. When it comes to white wines, I really only like Marlboro, New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs like Nobilo (I think that’s how it’s spelled). It has a peachy, slightly grassy taste with a hint of, oddly, okra. I also like bone dry Reislings with spicy Indian food. (I apologize for any spelling errors. Although I’m obsessed with wine culture, I’m not good at remembering the spellings.)
I hadn’t always been, but recently (the last year or so) have been getting into wine. My favorite red is definitly a Zinfandel while my favorite white is still up for debate, though I have been leaning towards Reislings.
Oh! And Muscadets! Wow, I might like white wines more than I think. Oh, and when it comes to dessert wines, nothing beats a good sauterne (that means mucho $$$ unfortunately) with blue cheese.
My husband and I have been seriously into wine since before we got married, and had our honeymoon in the Loire Valley, so I am very sentimental about certain Loire wines, which are mostly Cab Francs. Try a Chinon to have this very drinkable red. I also love Muscadet, which is my go-to summer white. It tastes like summer to me, very mineral-y and fresh. I love it with shellfish, but as a vegetarian, it would be good with anything provencal or a salad nicoise. I know you prefer the reds, but some other good-with-food whites to explore are Viogner (actually, Virginia produces some really good Viogner) and Albarino from Spain. Both of these would actually be good with spicy foods.
Our latest project has been sampling Bordeaux from 2001, the year of our daughter’s birth. We want to cellar a case or two to pull out for special occasions, like the 21st birthday, first job, wedding, etc. Planning ahead, you know — the research has been lots of fun! Unfortunately, 2003, the year our son was born wasn’t as good a vintage, but we should be able to find something special for him too when those wines start to demonstrate their hold-ability.
Let’s have a bottle together some day!
Sigh. It’s times like this that I really miss living in San Francisco. When my husband and I got married we took an afternoon to drive up to 2 of our favs to buy wine for our wedding reception. Schug is a favorite vineyard, small, known for their Pinot Noirs. Of course, I love Wilamette Valley (Oregon) Pinots, too! Italian reds like Barolos are nice….Sometimes I like to go into a good wine store, browse for a while and pick out a bottle that speaks to me!
I can’t really get into wine, but I haven’t tried hard. I’m more of a beer person. Plus I find having a whole bottle of wine in my house is too tempting (I don’t have guests over enough I guess!) I loooove sangria though
The Gewurtztraminer from Ridgeback Winery (Mt. Dora, FL) is my favorite wine.
I also like their peach and strawberry Reislings.
I don’t drink wine often, but I enjoy a glass now and then, mostly white wines.
I am going to the south of France in September on a knitting tour. We are staying in a chateau on a vinyard. Can you stand it?!?
I am a dry red wine girl myself. I love all of the ones you mentioned as well as a nice Chianti. Oh, and let’s not forget the dry Champagne!
Amy
One of my favourite whites is actually called Kris. It’s an italian pinot grigio and you can get it at Cost Plus. It’s light and fresh, really perfect for summer, and affordable too! http://winelibrary.com/reviewwine.asp?item=29750
Hi Lolly…wine is definitely a good PS subject. My favorite red is Francis Coppola Diamond Claret 2003. And my favorite Gewurtztraminer is bottled by Fetzer…very good price and easy to find.
My favourite wine is from Peelee Island – Late Harvest Vidal. A delicious dessert wine. You can read more about the winery and the island it’s on here.
http://www.peleeisland.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/islandinfo.html
Have you ever read the blog http://chocolateandzucchini.com/ ? Clotide recently wrote a cookbook and is from France. She is really delightful and I bet would have some good tips and even be up for a meetup. You can see speak at google authors on youtube. No, I am not her PR person – just like her blog and yours!
Oh my, I do like a nice glass of wine every once in a while. I actually couldn’t handle red until two years ago, when I tried some of the wine I brought for my dad as a gift from Paris. It’s all been downhill from there
I don’t know if it’s because I’m a vegetarian or what, but I tend not to like wine with food as much in general – I can appreciate it more on its own.
My favorite has got to be that port-like after dinner wine you guys let me taste from your stash that one time – YUM, it was so sweet and good!! What was it called?
Vampire Merlot. Very yummy. We have a really nice winery right up the road. Bean’s Creek Winery. The owner is a client of mine and one of my son’s worked for them last summer. It was hard and dirty work, for sure. He came home stained and tired all the time.
I’m a die hard Pinot Noir dévotée…but have recently developed an affection for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc!
We love wine too – Pinot Gris and Merlot are my favourite varieties. You should also check out the Okanagan in BC, they have hundreds of wineries and some really great wines.
For the price and the taste you can’t beat Wishing Tree Syrah.
RM and I are really into wine as well. We belong to a wine club through Imagery Estate Winery which is a reserve label for Benziger wines in Sonoma. Almost every wine we’ve had by them is delicious. Benziger also has some really nice wines. I like both reds and whites, although I think reds are more complex than whites.
Zinfandel is my favorite, old vine zins especially. The husband and I are members of A Taste of Monterey’s wine clubs (http://www.tastemonterey.com/), and they do a great job of showcasing Monterey County wines.
Sadly, I will never be able to get my absolut favorite wine again. It was a Cab Frank put out by Mission Trail and was a complete one off. They had found some Cab Frank that no one knew where it came from and put out a tasty blend. *sigh*
One of my favourites is Julia’s Pinot Noir (http://www.cambriawines.com/wines/julia_pinot.html) which I used to get at Ralphs. I prefer red wines over white. I used to drink a lot more wines but in the last couple years switched to craft beer drinking…I think I get over enthusiastic over the wines that the hang overs are a bitch to get over. Heh.
I like wine very much! There’s nothing like sipping a good wine on the back deck during the spring through the fall
I went to the VA Wine Festival last year and got a bottle of this great Viognier. I like both reds and whites depending on what the mean is. One thing I cannot do are the dessert wines. They are just too sweet for my taste.
I’ve been a Shiraz girl for the most part, but I’m branching out to other reds. They’re definitely my preference, but I probably just need to learn more about whites…(hmm…is there any wine in the house?)
Absolutely gewurtztraminer is my favourite followed by riesline…it’s the German in me…ciao
Cabernet Sauvignon and Montepulciano are my two favorites. I definately prefer reds to whites, although I do like a fruity Reisling when I’m in the mood. I like my reds fairly full bodied, and my whites fairly dry. I know that, like you have nicely written, certain wines go better with certain foods. But I really feel that any good wine goes well with any good meal! Or maybe that’s just because I don’t take the effort to pair them up so nicely
The old Guwertz is one of my faves, as well as Resielings. I also like a lot of local wines from small wineries around Ohio
I like wine and wine tasting, but I wouldn’t call my palate sophisticated. I like to spend $10 or less on a bottle of wine. Since moving to Texas a year ago, my new go-to wine has become Becker Estates Cabernet. Who knew they made delicious wine in Texas? Other affordable standbys are Rosemont Shiraz, Smoking Loon Cab, and Gabbiano Chinati. For special occasions, especially those during the warm months, I love Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio.
Great post, Lolly! I love Chilean reds – there are several wonderful vintners – but I’m partial to the cabs. But, my true love is Champagne, especially Louis Roederer Estate L’Hermitage Brut. They also have a lovely Rose Champagne that is a lovely peachy pink shade with a delightful fruity flavor that is great with a special vegetarian meal. Sigh . . . Perhaps I spent too much time watching old movies and swooning each time Cary Grant ordered a “Champagne Cocktail”! :~) -Micah
Your post are always so interesting Lolly! I don’t even drink wine but your prose and pictures made me wish we were sipping a glass together
I love Riesling, but a lovely Weissherbst is great too. I love wines from the Markgräflerland (an aerea in the South of Germany near Freiburg im Breisgau). Weissherbst is a Rosé and goes nicely with aspargus for which the area is also famous. (White aspargus is in season until this week here and we have enjoyed a lot of it.)
I used to be pretty much into wine, too….still am, but I’m not drinking as much anymore, being Asian, it’s hard to not turn totally red and have my head doing a spinning dervish after a glass and a half of Syrah (13.5-14% really does it for me).
Apart from that, wine’s a great thing…in moderation…ne quid nimis, eh?
BTW, I’m not sure whether you know but the term “Gewürz” in German means “spice” (no idea about the “Traminer” part).
And you’re totally right, the thing about wine is to find what you like, despite the name, the price tag, the sort or what the critiques say.
I don’t have a specific brand or wine that I can say is my favourite…but to name a few: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot for reds. Whites I like Riesling (Robert Weil, or Tesch – yup, must be German…*yum*…you should try Tesch, if you get a chance to), Pinot Grigio.
being french, people always assume that i know plenty about wine when in reality i know butkiss. but i do know what i like. i grew up drinking the stuff and have been exposed to all sorts of varieties, qualities, ages.
i tend to not like sweet wines and my preference is for dry reds especially with food. what’s really cool is that my father recently found a vineyard not too far from their home (they live near the bordeaux region) with our last name. so it’s kind of fun to be able to serve a wine with my name on the label. it also happens to be excellent.
i know you know this, but in france wines are catagorized not by the grape but by the region.
I’m ‘kind-of’ into wine too. So much so that we’re converting the closet in our basement into a wine cellar.
I randomly bought a wine called Yard Dog (from Australia, maybe?) red a few weeks ago (it’s a blend with mostly shiraz/syrah but I can’t remember if it was labeled as a red or as a varietal). Honestly, I bought it because I thought the label was funny but it was the first thing in a while that truly impressed me – great value (around $10/bottle), little bit of spice, full bodied. Yum.
Also, I, like you, am not into Chardonnay but I love a good Viognier. D’Arenburg (Australian vineyard) makes an awesome one that’s a Viognier/Marsanne blend, called The Hermit Crab (probably around $12/bottle). Also there’s a wine from South America (Argentina, I believe) called Crios – both the Rose and the White are out of this world and affordable (probably around $12 – $15/bottle).
Finally, my aunt (who is not a wine drinker) bought me the Windows on the World Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly. Great, great book.
I could talk wine forever – there are so many I love.
mmmm – Gewürztraminer is one of my faves too!!!!
I love wine, but it puts me to sleep after more than one glass. Bummer. That said, when I do indulge, I like wines that are dry and have earthy or spicy flavors. Love me a big spicy zinfandel. I still haven’t found any whites I like – Pinot Grigio is okay, but other whites I’ve tried are still too sweet. Fun topic!
I just got back this week from Bordeaux in the west of France. Heaven. Pure heaven. I’m already dreaming of going back. If you go to France, make sure that you tour a small, family-owned vineyard. It’s an experience that you will never forget. ::Sigh::
My favorite wine for the past year or two has been Chateau St. Michelle Columbia Valley Riesling. (In fact, I just bought a bottle last night.) It’s pretty reasonably-priced, too. I think only about $9 or 10 at Trader Joe’s.
I love wine as well – I took a Wine Appreciation class in undergrad through the Food Science department, and it was a pretty intense class. Lots of science and Latin. I loved it. Anyway, I STILL haven’t been to Napa or Sonoma, but I’ve been in a few wine clubs…my favorite wine was the bottle hubby and I drank the night we got engaged: 1996 Sterling Vineyards (Winery Lake) Pinot Noir. I have no idea what it goes for now, but I had one bottle in 1999 and the second in 2002, and it only got better with age.
We’ve always liked the Concha Y Toro for a very good, but inexpensive wine. The “Cellar of the Devil” is an excellent choice!
I like the kind with animals on the label.
Alcohol tastes icky. =P But I appreciate your enthusiasm and enjoyment. I liked reading the entry/contemplation.
My love of wine goes without saying. I am blessed to live in a region where there is so much produced – even the “cheap” stuff can be pretty darn good.
Right now I love big, buttery Chardonnay, mostly because it goes so well with seafood (and can be served cold, which is about all that sounds good when it’s 100 outside). La Crema is a favorite, as is Grgich Hills (who also makes a Stellar Zin).
Hi Lolly, it looks like we have very similar taste in wine…and food! I’m lucky in that one of our good family friends is a real expert and I grew up drinking amazing wines (well, taking little sips on holidays anyway). When I was a kid, I would sniff the cork and I was usually right guessing which wine the adults would like the best. The best bottle I ever had was a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which I’m hoping to get for when I finish my Ph.D. – forget the champagne! Since I study the south of France just at the time the popes were living there, I figure it’s thematically appropriate too.
The website for the Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines is here (in French): http://www.chateauneuf.com/
It seems as if all my spare money goes to yarn and wine! I like Syrah- my friend calls me ‘syrah girl’. along with red blends from Spain, German Kabinette rieslings, moscato and rose’s in the hot weather.
I live in eastern Washington and am close to any number of wineries, and the grocery stores in my smallish town have great wine departments!
I think you have it right on- don’t worry about the ratings- find and get what you like. I like the Andrea Immer book you mentioned- it’s a good one.
Oh, I love wine. In fact, I work in the wine business! I would love to spend some time talking wine with you sometime! I have many favorite wines but lately Sapanish red Riojas are really exciting me.
Not a wine drinker really, but there are some good wine blogs out there. I read subscribe to the Well Fed Network through Bloglines and came across this one: http://www.winesediments.net/. Cheers!
dry reds are my favorite. one of my favorite wineries is one in WA state — Chateau Ste. Michelle. We bought cases [!] of one of their 99 cabs — unfortunately we drank through it already! heh. Anyway, I’ve liked a number of their reds, most recently their 2004 indian wells cab sauv and their 2001 columbia valley cab sauv (this one was AWESOME, almost as good as the 1999, but hard to find now).
I also like a number of Sirahs, Syrahs, Shiraz, and Petite Sirahs — I actually haven’t had a bad one yet! I liked the Concannon 2004 limited petite sirah recently.
For a really inexpensive but tasty merlot, we like the Bogle merlot (which they have at costco if you venture to the one by the pentagon in VA).
And then there is always two buck chuck! heh.
Mmmm…wine…don’t even get me started. My favorite way to unwind after a day at the office is a glass of red wine with (or before and after) dinner. We drink a lot of wine and try quite a few new varieties each year and one of the best (new to me) wines we had this year was a Cabernet from Sterling Vineyards. Absolutely delicious.
I started getting interested in wine when I was in college, my university had a wine tasting course! For credit too! My wine knowledge was limited to the stuff in boxes my dad likes and the white zinfandel my mother drinks. I don’t like whites at all, especially not chardonnay. I find a lot of the people I know drink reds that taste like vinegar. My hands down favorite wine ever is Amarone, I forget which vineyard, it’s been awhile. It’s not cheap but well worth the price tag. Lovely and dark and perfect with lasagne.
When you’re in NYC, check out one of the two locations of this store (http://www.vintagenewyork.com/homepage.html). They have fabulous New York only wines ~ and they encourage you to TASTE before you buy! The prices are great. They have some wonderful Guertz’ (my favorite whites) and Cabernet Francs (yum!) I love to head there for a weekend wine tasting.
There are a few German wines my dad introduced me to that I’m really keen on. Mostly I don’t drink a lot of wine because when we buy it we buy cheap and it doesn’t taste nice. but I do drink wine at fancy restaurants and at family holidays because my MIL and BIL are REALLY good wine pickers and they always have great wines and then I really enjoy it.
I really like a good Pinot Grigio and a good Pinot Noir.
I’m a vegetarian, too. I also like Reisling and blush zinfindel wines. My first wine tasting was at the Biltmore Winery in Asheville, NC where I was introduced Sauvignon Blanc. They lined up a bunch of sampling glasses in front of me and I sipped my way through. I got up and walked over to a wine steward to ask which way the restroom was, and it came out “Blah, bleh. Blah, blah, blah?” He just pointed down the stairs, and there it was.
Goats do Roam Shiraz. It is fabulous and I was just at the winery. Love it!
i looooveeee malbecs. Love love love. It could do with the fact that I am argentinian. Have you been to “El Patio” in Bethesda? They have reasonably priced food and a nice selection of inexpensive malbecs to choose from.
Hmm, being of low alcohol tolerance, I have to be selective and savor. I am all about the white sweet wines, my go to is Schmitt-Sohne Blue Riesling Auslese. When I find a good one, I like to splurge on a good eiswein. Sweet.
I gotta tell ya, I don’t like wine. But there was a great little winery just down the road from my college, and I found one there that I liked after tasty several that I didn’t: St. Julian’s Shalom. It’s a kosher, rabbinical wine, and it’s very sweet–the alcohol content is like 1% lower than the sherry cut-off. That’s probably why I like it.
It’s so hard to name a “favorite” wine — it depends so much on that year’s weather, what you’re eating with the wine, what kind of mood you’re in…but that’s why I like wine in general, I guess.
I opened a bottle of 1997 Cottonwood Canyon Synthesis last night and it was great! I visited the winery in the mid coast California area and fell in love with the wineries. They are great.
Thanks for this interesting article. Living in Germany I never had Gewürztraminer. It has an old fashion sound to it. For sure I will get it, especially because I eat spicy (asian) food a lot.
Last weekend a friend of mine introduced me to Retsina, a greek wine, which I really liked. We had it on the evening of a very hot (for Northern Germany) day with barbecuing feta (greek cheese) and vegetables. Very delicious.
Your Provence workshop sounds great. I love the Provence, have been there many times and never am tired of it. Besides other reasons it’s so inspiring for art there. Good choice, you’ve taken.
Hello from Hamburg
:-Tally-:
Hmm…I’m not sure I could pick a favorite…my favorite inexpensive wine might be Red Guitar. It’s a crowd pleaser, and the label looks great in the wine rack while it’s waiting for you! I do enjoy the Gewurtz more and more every time I taste it.
I adore a good Shiraz (Red Diamond makes a very good one). I love that bold and yet mollow oakiness. I also recently tried a marvelous white shiraz by Little Penguin that was out of this world.
Also, hailing from Upstate NY, I love our local wineries, especially Goose Watch.
Oooh, I also like a good Mascato D’ Asti, for something sparkling.
i go for the beaujolais. i say be in france for that. i was in the loire valley during the festivals and it was simply amazing.
My favorite go to red is Rex Goilath Pinot Noir.
I second Lindsay’s Beaujolais vote!!!
De-lurking here to say if you’re going to visit a wine country, don’t leave out South Africa. They only export 20% of their production and keep the rest for themselves. Amazing wines!!!
We live between the Napa/Sonoma region and the Sierra Foothills wine-growing regions. We have a lot of fun trying different wines. Pinot Noir and Shiraz are my favorites along, while my husband prefers Cabs. Recently, we’ve been trying Ports for after dinner. Some of them are fabulous.
lately i’ve been obsessed with sauvignon blanc. any wine for which ‘pear’ is a word you use to describe the flavor is one i like. actually, it’s interesting–i used to only like really dry wines, but more and more i like slightly sweeter ones.
i’m also maintaining a year-plus long stretch of opting for sparkling wine when out for a glass of wine. love prosecco. (actually don’t like true champagne.)
i am so envious of your red wines! i am allergic to something in the reds…but do love me a nice glass of white! my favorites are riesling and “gewurtz” maybe it is my good german heritage, but the fondness of these delightful sweet wines is definitely genetic: my grandma loves them too! i like dr frank’s gewutrz, and lots of bully hill wines. i also like vernaccia di san gimignano…my fave tuscan village!
Lolly,
I had another little thought about wine recommendations. I know from reading your blog that you are an environmentally conscious person. In buying American wines, lately I’ve been doing research on the wineries themselves before I buy. I’m limiting myself to producers who are hands-on and smaller producers. Chateau St. Michelle in Washington, for example, is actually owned by a tobacco company, so I won’t buy their wine. A lot South American producers also use chemicals to clean out their wine barrels in between productions. I just won’t buy wine from the “Walmart” of winemakers, etc. Just a thought!
Lori
I know nearly nothing about wine – but I do love Gewürztraminer. Yum!
Lolly,
If you like a sweet dessert wine, try one from Honeywood Wineries. I’ve tried the Loganberry, Blackberry, and Boysnberry. They are very good, and very different from a Cabernet or Merlot. It is hard to find their wine on the west coast, and probably impossible in the east coast, but they do ship their wine. Check out their website-www.honeywoodwinery.com
Wow, usually I tune in for the yarn p0rn, but pretty wine pics are awfully good too! All my favorite things on one blog!
i’m really into wine, too. i, also, prefer reds – montelpuciano, chianti, syrah, and a cabernet sauvignon here and there. i loathe chardonnay. for whites i go for pinot gris or sancerre.
oh! another red i like is corbieres.
When in France try a Pouilly fumé . Pouilly is nearby Sancerre . Wonderful area and delicious wines not to speak of the cheese ….
Danièle
I like my drinks sweet and fruity, so I go for the white wines. Johannisberg Riesling and Gewürztraminer are my faves. Being a Seattlite, I usually go for a bottle from Washington or Oregon.
Nice wine photos too, by the way!
You need to check which wines are suitable for vegetarians its a nightmare