Wine drinkers?

[Ser Clegane]

Now that we had threads on beer preferences, coffee and tea, I think it's time to see if there are any wine drinkers at the org (I noticed there are some).

How often do you drink wine? And if you drink what type do you prefer (white vs. red; any specific preferences for regions/grapes?)

I usually have one or two bottles a week (together with my wife, but I guess I account for 75% of thr consumption ~D ).
I usually drink the wine on the weekend for diner or if we meet with friends.

Generally I prefer red over white (during summer and for fish I prefer white, e.g. one of the local Rieslings or Sauvignin Blanc from New Zealand).

When it comes to red I tend towards heavy wines but otherwise I like to try out as much as possible (the last ones I tried were a Malbec from Argentina and a Merlot from Bulgaria).

:barrel: :barrel: :barrel:

[Beirut]

Red.

And there are only two kinds that don't give my sweetie a headache.

And they're both about $12 a bottle. ~D

[TinCow]

My wife and I usually drink a bottle a night with dinner, though some nights we go without if we are eating something that simply doesn't go well with wine. Usually this is confined to stuff like tacos or other things with a great deal of spice that would ruin the wine's flavor. As such, we probably drink about 5-6 bottles a week.

In general we don't have any favorites... we like what goes best with the food we are eating. Whatever that is, we like it, be it merlot, chardonnay, cabernet, syrah, etc. I have noticed a trend lately that would indicate my wife has a soft spot for Viognier though. We're also pretty fond of Sauternes and we drink WAY more of it than is correct for a dessert wine. We'll usually polish off a full half-bottle of that stuff in one go, not the usual single small glass. ~D

We love our wine, it is my alcohol of choice.

[Teutonic Knight]

I'm underage, I don't drink ever.......right......ever.....

And I don't like Zinfandel, think Merlot is too rich, or absolutely love Sangria..... nope..... never... *whistles*

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Eurgh, Sangria is foul!

I prefer Rose. (pretend there's an accent on the e.)

[Teutonic Knight]

Eurgh, Sangria is foul!

I prefer Rose. (pretend there's an accent on the e.)

Ah.... really? I love Sangria, it's a dessert in a wine!


Now beer... that stuff's foul.... blech....

[Orda Khan]

It would have to be red and a new world red. My favourite would be Shiraz and I am particularly fond of Australian Shiraz. McGuigan Gold and Howcroft Estate are two delicious examples. Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz Cabernet from South Africa, Australia and California are very nice as is Zinfandel, though I find Zinfandel less appealing than the others. Another robust red is Bull's Blood from Eger in Hungary.
My wife and I will usually drink a bottle of red each night. What better way is there to relax? ~:)

........Orda

[solypsist]

I drink wine, and my current g/f has a master's degree in it.

What I prefer is less about the regions, and more about the taste. But to generalize: I like French wines (mostly because of the aged French oak barrels), the pinot noir varietal. I dislike Australian wines (mostly the Shiraz); they're too strong for my palette.


btw, I prefer sake to wine, and my knowledge of sake is actually starting to catch up to what knowledge of wine I've been able to glom off my g/f.

oh, and some adive: when in a restaurant, order a bottle. it's the best bargain you can get. restaurants price their by-the-glass orders so that the price of one glass covers the cost of the bottle (for them), so you're actually getting less for more money.

[Armchair Athlete]

unwooded Chardonnay, light and easy on the palate with a nice fruity aroma.

[Fragony]

Red. Either South african or Californian.

[dessa14]

Reds, South Australian, i especially like South australian Shiraz, in particular a 2001 penfolds, i can't remember the vineyard, very nice for a green wine.
thanks,
dessa

[King Edward]

White - oyster bay
Red - Fleure

But to be honest if its wet and alcoholic, i'll drink it!

[Kaiser of Arabia]

Anything from southern italy, as long as its red.

I was drinking some a few minutes ago, no, wait, that was blood. Sorry.

[Hetman_Koronny]

Red preferable. Love some French and Chilean ones with a dinner. I really like Spanish wines, Malaga is great. Other significant are Bull's Blood, Rieslings and some German Rhine wines.

[rasoforos]

I do prefer wine than any other alcohol. Being from Greece i grew up having some wine with my lunch almost every day. I am a bit sensitive as to what i consider as wine.

Its important for me to never drink alcohol when i m stressed or sad. When I am with my girlfriend we use to have a bottle or two with a nice dinner once a week or so. And i ll have some during the week two but no more than a glass per day. Needless to say, with my gf being away and my mood being in an all time low my consumption is zero at the moment.

Where from :

For me wine has to be from traditional wine producing countries. I drink Greek Italian Spanish and French and i will go for some other European countries ( Bulgaria has some good cheap wines for example). No Aussie Californian S.african or whatever for me....its like eating Norwegian Noodles or Zimbabwean Vodka. Lets keep it traditional.

Packaging :

Its very important for me that the wine is produced in the traditional way. First of all it has to mature in barrels and not in huge metal vats like its petrol or something. Its gotta be bottled and not packed in those carton bullshit. Its gotta have a natural cork and not that plastic nonsence.

I hate this new fashion the 'wine for cooking' ...if its not good enough to drink its not good enough to eat...If you wanna do gourmet stuff with wine you can put your hand a bit deeper in your pocket...

I ll also wont say no to some traditionally made wine, you know grapes stepped on , non-commercial. But thats rare to find.

Taste :

I like my red a bit sour-ish at the end and full bodied. I like my white Dry. I ll never go around sniffing glasses and doing 'whine-tasting' nonsence. Apart from being totally useless in enjoying your wine it also looks stupid. Good company is what makes wine taste its best.

Its also very important that the wine tastes like....wine. The northern European market is crowded with (mostly Aussie ) wines that taste like appricot and stuff like that. This is not natural you just cant make wine taste like that. There is a lot of 'frankenstein's monster' wines like that and i have no idea what they put inside. Although ppl like these aperitif wines I find them an abomination :furious3: . In addition i wont go for those ' matured in whiskey barrels ' wines , they are too oakish for me but its a matter of taste.

Specific Types :

I like 'Santorini' for white. Grown on a volcanic island its better and has 1/3 of the price of a good Chablis. Sometimes it differs from year to year due to climatic conditions. You can find it in the UK. Of course I drink retsina , its dificult to avoid retsina if you are Greek.

I drink any type of red. I like a wine that can mature ( about 5 years old ) but i wont go into excesses ( no 1965 or something stuff for me....overpriced and not much difference anyway) . I dont mind going for wine that is not meant to mature that much. I like 'naoussa grand reserve' by boutaris ( you can find it in the U.K too ) and its close to what i like the most.

I like Mavrodafni in the deep winter with some warm and heavy good. Its a greek wine that goes up to 15%. Strong and a bit sweet its even unofficially aproved by the church in Greece ( its the wine they usually use for the communion ).

For everyday i like the 'semi-sweet' wine. Its a wine that has sugar or honey added to it ( the ancients used to add honey on their wine too ) . Its a table wine and kids here are usually trained into wine by using this type. It lasts long opened so you can have a single glass per day.


K thats it...Aussies and Californians feel free to flame ~;) ~D

[dessa14]

the stuff you guys are getting overseas must be off or something, because all the aussie wines i have drunk, don't taste like apricot and whatnot.
the south australian grapes are the best in australia.
well at least for wine.
only good wines i can get in Australia, are Australian or Kiwi.
imported foriegn wines taste bad in comparison to Australian wines and cost at least 5x as much.

thanks,
dessa

[Spetulhu]

Red wines. I avoid the "traditional" wine countries as they have such confusing schemes for labels. Why should I spend time researching the different districts just in order to purchase a bottle of good wine? If the label states what grapes were used I'm happy.

[Negative]

The wife and I drink a couple of bottles a week.

I’m not a big fan of white, but I like some Rieslings. I also love Gewurztraminer. Gewurztraminer goes very well with spicy dishes.

I haven’t ever met a red I didn’t like. I do prefer a California Cabernet or Merlot though. I’m also fond of the Chilean Reds.

[Orda Khan]

There are some pretty lousy 'traditional' wines too. The truth is actually that the great wine making countries now have their ass in their hand because they are being bested in what they consider is theirs by no other virtue than they have been producing wine for longer. Does anyone honestly believe that these countries do not add the same stinking chemicals to their product? Get real. I moved on to New World wines because they are IMO far superior to the over priced 'traditional country' garbage. This aloof attitude we get in European countries, regarding wine, is only helping to hasten the demise of their wine making reputations.
Yes Dessa, Australian wines are superb, as are Californian. Oddly enough I decided to try a French wine last weekend, I won't be buying French again.

.....Orda

[Hosakawa Tito]

Australia does produce some nice reds. One of my favorites is Black Opal.
I live in grape country. The area near the southern shore of Lake Erie in western NY, and the Fingerlake region of Central NY, have many small vintners that produce some nice wines, especially cabernets and merlots. The Fingerlakes area has a nice little cottage industry going with these small family vintners hosting wine tasting tours. Every few years, my wife and I go with some friends on a weekend trip and tour probably up to 10 or so of these places. The nicer ones provide some great home made breads and cheeses to go along with the wine tasting, usually on a nice deck with umbrella tables overlooking one of the Fingerlakes. We usually end up buying 5-6 cases of our favorites. It's an enjoyable way to spend a weekend with friends. ~:cool:

[Kas]

3 to 4 bottles a week...with dinner or just with some cheese.

I love wine for over 25 years now and this hobby got a bit out of control...at certain moment I had over 900 bottles in my cellar...now reduced to a steady 250...most red French (Bordeaux/Bourgogne), but also some special whites like Sauternes, Meursault, Corton Charlemagne, Chablis. Also some Vintage Port.

Those "cellar wines" are for special ocassions or really nice dinners (I'm a chef myself).

For "normal" use I like more easy going red wines (Spain, Italy, Australia). White...mostly a well made Chardonnay.

[dessa14]

Australian wines are great..., specially good australian wines without the preservative in it.
thanks,
dessa

[Ser Clegane]

I like 'naoussa grand reserve' by boutaris

That's my favourite to go with Greek food ~:)




For me wine has to be from traditional wine producing countries. I drink Greek Italian Spanish and French and i will go for some other European countries ( Bulgaria has some good cheap wines for example). No Aussie Californian S.african or whatever for me




There are some pretty lousy 'traditional' wines too. The truth is actually that the great wine making countries now have their ass in their hand because they are being bested in what they consider is theirs by no other virtue than they have been producing wine for longer. Does anyone honestly believe that these countries do not add the same stinking chemicals to their product? Get real. I moved on to New World wines because they are IMO far superior to the over priced 'traditional country' garbage.


There is actually a good chance that you get some awful wine from whatever country - just as you will find some wonderful wines in almost any country that produces wine.
While I really enjoy wine from France and Italy I usually only buy them for a special diner, as you will pay a relatively high price for a decent bottle (or a more than decent one) while in the price segment of 10-15 EUR you often get more for your money if you go for the non-European wines (within Europe, Spanish or Greek wines would also be a good alternative)


Bulgaria has some good cheap wines for example
They also have some very interesting wines in higher price segments - I recently tried a wine called ReDark, which must have been the richest and darkest Merlot I ever tasted...


I hate this new fashion the 'wine for cooking' ...if its not good enough to drink its not good enough to eat...If you wanna do gourmet stuff with wine you can put your hand a bit deeper in your pocket...
I fully I agree - for a good diner, you better use good ingredients



Its gotta have a natural cork and not that plastic nonsence.
I'm a bit divided when it comes to the cork issue - while "real" cork certainly adds to the overall wine drinking experience, a good bottle of wine that has been ruined by the cork certainly can spoil the atmosphere.



I ll never go around sniffing glasses and doing 'whine-tasting' nonsence. Apart from being totally useless in enjoying your wine it also looks stupid. Good company is what makes wine taste its best.

While I do not enjoy "professional" wine tastings too much, a wine tasting in a more relaxed setting can be a lot of fun. From time to time we invite some friends and spend the evening trying out 4-6 bottles of different wines - just to get a better idea of how wines differ in direct comparison and were the individual preferences lie.
We do not make any wine tasting notes or give ratings but it's fun to see how different the preferneces of different people are and how sometimes a cheaper wine is more popular than a rather expensive one



only good wines i can get in Australia, are Australian or Kiwi.

There are indeed some very good ones - I especially like Penfolds from Australia and some wines from Babich in NZ (especially the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc).


and we drink WAY more of it than is correct for a dessert wine. We'll usually polish off a full half-bottle of that stuff in one go, not the usual single small glass
That reminds me that we ran out of Port - got to do something about that ~:)


at certain moment I had over 900 bottles in my cellar...now reduced to a steady 250...most red French (Bordeaux/Bourgogne), but also some special whites like Sauternes, Meursault, Corton Charlemagne, Chablis. Also some Vintage Port.
*drools*

[Adrian II]

(..)most red French (Bordeaux/Bourgogne), but also some special whites like Sauternes, Meursault, Corton Charlemagne, Chablis. Also some Vintage Port.Seconded, except for the numbers in your cellar I'm afraid... Red Bordeaux goes with most food, Bourgogne goes into most food as well, particularly the boeuf Bourguignon of course, but also coq au vin. I like a bottle of cava to go with tapas. White: Chardonnay mostly, though for special occasions I have small crate of light, fruity graves which I bought at the castle of Charles Louis Secondat Baron de la Grève et de Montesquieu. 'De Montesquieu?' I hear you say. Yes, apart from being a fine writer and world famous philosopher of law, Charles was also a winemaker. EDIT I forgot the dry whites I like to accompany fish, and the Entre-deux-Mers in which I steam North Sea mussels, and the young Italian dries that are a treat with some Gorgonzola, and the Ruby Portwine with Stilton. I also drink Chilean, Californian or Oz wines occasionally and they're nothing to be ashamed of, m8s, but if you don't mind I'll stick to the original... :cool4:

*ducks*

PS Oh, and if you've never tasted fruits de mer with a bottle of iced Muscadet on a terrace overlooking a Brittany tide harbour, I daresay you've never lived.

[KukriKhan]

Started out sneaking the cheap jug-wine they used when I was a Catholic altarboy. It was probably cooking sherry.

For everyday peanut-butter-and jelly meals I like https://jimcee.homestead.com/files/thunderbird.jpg

For special dress-up-and-use-a-fork meals, I dig deeper and go for https://jimcee.homestead.com/files/md2020.jpg


Kukri = wine ignorant. No offense meant.

[Orda Khan]

Started out sneaking the cheap jug-wine they used when I was a Catholic altarboy. It was probably cooking sherry.

For everyday peanut-butter-and jelly meals I like https://jimcee.homestead.com/files/thunderbird.jpg

For special dress-up-and-use-a-fork meals, I dig deeper and go for https://jimcee.homestead.com/files/md2020.jpg


Kukri = wine ignorant. No offense meant.


LOL ~D
That's the way.....If it tastes good to you that's all that matters

....Orda

[Teutonic Knight]

Started out sneaking the cheap jug-wine they used when I was a Catholic altarboy. It was probably cooking sherry.

It's actually really cheap Jewish table wine... I would know ~;)