Wine Info Exchange

[tutusue]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

[...]One of my current favorites is Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, from NZ; [...]

One of Consumer Reports top picks is the Nobilo Marlborough sauvignon blanc 2006! Do you buy Nobilo at Times, K?

I was gifted a bottle of Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontes by a friend who told me this is the only white she likes. I enjoyed what little I could taste (my problem, not the wine's)! Whole Foods carries it for about $14./bottle. Guess that might mean $10. elsewhere!

[matapule]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

One of my current favorites is Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, from NZ;...

Well K, Andrea Robinson really likes this wine and has a video review of it. Here is what she says, "This Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc has taken the market by storm, offering the signature grapefruit/herbal style the region is known for at a 'great price.'" She further notes that the wine holds well in the refrigerator and gets better after 3-4 days!

Sounds like you found a winner (about $12 per bottle).

[Expat Kamaaina]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

Well we gave it the test tonight. We were gifted with a bottle of Barefoot Pinot Grigio a while back, one of our guest's favorite wines. I pulled that bottle out of my vast 6 bottle cellar. We served it with a homemade Chef's Salad with shredded BBQ chicken and some toasted buttered french bread with light garlic. We thought the wine was good, not great, but good.

I'm wondering if you think that is one of the undrinkables. I'm a novice, but interested in learning.

I'm saving a bottle of Columbia Crest, Grand Estates, Cab (2007) to share with our daughter who comes for a visit next week. It is her favorite. Andrea Robinson gives it a rating of very good to excellent and is one of her personal favorites. Comments or opinions?

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Less anyone think that I am a wine snob, I want to restress that everyone's palate is different. And you should drink what you like and what you can afford. Generally (not always) I follow the ratings. Seems to work well for me. And with most things, the higher the rating, the better the quality and taste of the wine, and of course, the higher the price. Don't get me wrong, most wines are "drinkable" but you can either notice an acidic taste, or a puckery taste (the tannin factor) or a little sour taste. A Very Good to Excellent wine will have none of these tastes, but only a nice, even, smooth taste and you can smell the hints of berries, chocolate, lavender, and even tobacco sometimes (I am talking about red wine). Last comment, I have never had the Columbia Crest Grand Estates 07 Cab, but it has not been rated by the expert raters. However, most of the tasting notes on the Cellar Tracker website says that it is a 84-85 point wine. This means that it is acceptable (90 points means very good; 95+ points means excellent). And it seems to retail at about $9-$10 per bottle.

Now speaking of Columbia Crest Cabs, the 2005 cab is rated by Wine Spectator at 95 points and was chosen to be the 2009 wine of the year. Due to the depressed economy, more economical wines are getting higher positions on the top 100 wine listings for the year because more weight is being placed on the price of the wines. This means that even a far superior tasting wine rated at 98 points may not be chosen as the wine of the year because it might be priced at $200. So this Columbia Crest 2005 Cab was priced at $30 per bottle when released in early 2009; it is now priced at about $50 per bottle due to its selection as the wine of the year. I bought six bottles. Drank two (my taste buds would rate it as a 92 point wine), gave two bottle away to friends, and still have two bottles in my wine keeper that I will drink probably next year to see what some aging does for it.

[Expat Kamaaina]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

I just got back from a trip to the Cabo San Lucas Costco. We had to have our Costco hot dog fix. Where else are jalapeno peppers featured next to the onions and relish condiments along with apple flavor soft drink? Yum, yum!

I took a close look at the wine section. Yup, they have WS rating shown for about half their wines. The WS description is in Spanish, but is easily deciphered. I stopped to study a 2007 Pio Cesare Rebolo from Italy rated at 94. And yes, it was a 2007 label in the bin. The price was about US$80.

As matapule was studying this label, uaifi come along and say, "what you doing matapule? Just keep dreaming and move along." So matapule puts hands back in pocket and move along. When uaifi tell matapule to do something, matapule do it like yesterday. Matapule no like whack, whacks from uaifi.

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It doesn't cost you anything to look. I look all the time at the high-end wine shops. Everyone has a budget and I cannot afford $500+ bottles of wine. But it is fun and interesting to look. When I was younger and we were saving our money, my wife would say the same kind of thing to me when I looked at the wines and the scotch. But now, she says nothing because she knows we cannot take our money to the grave with us.

[Expat Kamaaina]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

I'm a novice, but interested in learning.
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I know that most of the people commenting here are on limited budgets and have only tried economy wines, but if you are somewhat like me, you like to read all kind of stuff. So I will share some info with you......was in Vegas this past weekend and had dinner with a casino GM and his pit boss. We drank two bottles that we brought. He brought a 2005 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red (a red blend). It was super-good! So I looked -up the data on this wine this morning. It is rated at 94 points by Wine Spectator and 96 points by Robert Parker. Cost averages about $100 a bottle. I brought a 2004 Lancaster Estates Cabernet. Was also great. I bought a case about a year ago and drank one bottle back then. It was good, but not super-good. The research suggests that it was a little young and should be cellared for 1-5 more years. So after only one year, it was now excellent compare to my tasting last year. It is rated at 97 points by the Wine Enthusiast, and was $50 at release towards the end of 2008. It is now up to $85 per bottle. So we had a good time, with good scotch and wines, and we ate grilled shrimp appetizers, hot spinach salads, prime rib with baked potato, and big fat choc cake for dessert. What a pig out.

[matapule]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

EK, I have a question. Usually I keep a variety of reds and whites in my vast 6 bottle wine cooler . What temperature should I keep them at siince I can't make every bottle happy?

[Expat Kamaaina]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

EK, I have a question. Usually I keep a variety of reds and whites in my vast 6 bottle wine cooler . What temperature should I keep them at siince I can't make every bottle happy?

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The best average temp to store your wines in a wine cooler is at 54 degrees F. But in reality, it really doesn't matter that much -- anything between 42 - 60 degrees F will be OK, as long as the temperature is constant. And another thing -- if you store wines for too long, the lack of humidity will sometimes affect the corks and the wine taste. Even if you lay the bottles on their sides, the lack of humidity for long periods of time will take its toll on the wine. Also remember that white wines do not keep for too long -- best to drink them within a year or so (generally). For red wines, you can keep them for 1-3 years easily and sometimes up to 5-10 years. On occasion, a red wine will keep well for decades. Lastly, you can store your wines in your refridgerator in you must. Better to be in the fridge for a couple of weeks than laying out in the cabinet. If you live in a warm climate, it won't take but a couple of weeks to screw-up your wine without temperature control. If you refridgerate your wines, make sure you let them come up to the proper temp before you drink them, but don't rush the temp rise -- don't put them in hot water or anything crazy like that.

[matapule]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

The best average temp to store your wines in a wine cooler is at 54 degrees F.

Thanks EK, my vast 6 bottle wine cooler was set on 57F, so I wasn't too far off.

[anapuni808]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

I got a nice email from someone at the winery who makes the "Black Bubbles" sparkling Shiraz. Alas for me - there are no distributors in Hawaii nor are there any who will ship here. The winery says they are "working on something" but don't have a solution yet. So, unless I have a friend traveling to Australia - I'll just have to dream about a tasting.

[Expat Kamaaina]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

Thanks EK, my vast 6 bottle wine cooler was set on 57F, so I wasn't too far off.

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What city do you live in? I sometimes go visit my son in North LA County. Maybe we can share a glass of wine sometime. I am going there the first week of March for my granddaughter's birthday party.

[matapule]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

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What city do you live in? I sometimes go visit my son in North LA County. Maybe we can share a glass of wine sometime. I am going there the first week of March for my granddaughter's birthday party.

EK, check your PM.

[Kaonohi]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

There is one Cabernet I like, but I forget the name - have to get back to you on that one....

Ah! J. Lohr....

[Kaonohi]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

One of Consumer Reports top picks is the Nobilo Marlborough sauvignon blanc 2006! Do you buy Nobilo at Times, K?

This cheap shopper buys it wherever it's on sale! I have seen it and bought it on sale at Long's and Safeway and Times. Don't know if it's currently on sale anywhere, but even at full price it's worth it.

One place I like to go is the Liquor Collection in Ward Warehouse. They pick up on things you often don't find elsewhere at prices you don't believe. I once got a Beringer White Cabernet/Chenin Blanc blend for $2.99 a bottle. It was a LOT better than it sounds, and after the first bottle went back for all the rest. The folks there are great, too.

K

[tutusue]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

This cheap shopper buys it wherever it's on sale! I have seen it and bought it on sale at Long's and Safeway and Times. Don't know if it's currently on sale anywhere, but even at full price it's worth it.

I looked for it at Safeway and didn't find it. I'll look again.

One place I like to go is the Liquor Collection in Ward Warehouse. [...] The folks there are great, too.

K

George is also a really good actor. Oh wait! I mean that sincerely, not sarcastically!!!

[Kaonohi]

Re: Wine Info Exchange

I looked for it at Safeway and didn't find it. I'll look again.

George is also a really good actor. Oh wait! I mean that sincerely, not sarcastically!!!

Remember to look in the "Imported wines" section, it's a New Zealand wine. But, maybe not all Safeway stores carry it.

George is one of my favorite proprietors. Even though I'm obviously not a 'big spender,' he treats me like a valued customer.

Good actor did you say? Hmmmm.