Do you like wine?

[Stapel]

Yes, I like wine a lot!

Pretty much any wine, as long as it is no Liebfraustuff, Lambrusco or other cheap, sweet stuff!

My favourite white wine grape is Chardonnay. The Chardonnay grape is named after a small village in Burgundy, just west of the Saone river, between Macon and Chalon (between Dijon and Lyon). The Chardonnay grape is called the 'whore of all grapes' sometimes, as she grows every where in the world. The best Chardonnay I have ever had is an Italian one (Giacosa Fratelli, from Neive, Piemonte, Italy). I have also tasted excellent Chardonnays from South Africa and Australia.
Other white wines I like are the Elzas toppers Gewuerztraminer and Riesling. These two grapes are pretty much Elzas grown only afaik. Another famous white Elzas grown grape is the Pinot blanc (white Pinot), but it is grown all over the world.
Other white grapes that come to mind are Semilion and Sauvignon blanc (typically Bordeaux), but they are not my favourites. Chenin (stone) blanc is also good and popular.

I don't have a favourite red wine. Wines made of the Shyraz (Syrah) grape are usually easy to drink. For some reason, I buy Australian Syrah pretty often. I guess the Syrah grape fits the Australina climate.
Best red wines, imho, are Bordeaux' Haute Medoc AOC wines, usually made of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes.

Thought most 'famous' white wines are made of white grapes, this not always the case. Most cheap, blended table wines are made of several kind of grapes. The difference between white and red wines is the production:
With white wine, the grapes are squeezed first, and then the juice will be put in a whatever is available.
With red wine, not only the juice but also the leftover (in fact the skin, which contains the red colour) is used.
Some of the best Champagnes are made of red grapes (but also of Chardonnay grapes ) !

Just a few kilometers from the Chardonnay village is the village of Brancion. In the really tiny village of 'La Chapelle sous Brancion' (The Chappel beneath Brancion), I found this brilliant wine farm (that's me on the pic, Stapel is my Family name):

Vins de Bourgogne: Wines of Burgundy
Degustation: tasting
Vente: sales

At this farm, Chardonnay grapes and Pinot Noir (black Pinot) grapes are grown. Chardonnay for the white wine and Pinot noir for the red wine.

Do I need to explain I bought some?

 

[Stapel]

Originally posted by Hawkster
I have no palate for wine whatsoever - all wines taste like vinegar to me from expensive wines to cheap wines they all taste yurk. Even expensive chapaign tastes foul. Must be the way I'm made....

Hmmm, I'll try to convert you !

First of all, I don't like Champagne either. It's sweet and I don't like that!

If a wine tastes like vinegar, it's simply not a good wine! Wine is a product of nature, so one in every x bottles is sour! Maybe you had bad luck?

Try a Chardonnay wine! Usually easy to drink!

 

[WickedSmurf]

Mmmm... wine.... Any from the Rioja region is good for me.

 

[Stapel]

Originally posted by WickedSmurf
Mmmm... wine.... Any from the Rioja region is good for me.

Ah, Rioja red wine, is a wine I have quite a lot too!

 

[Drewcifer]

Originally posted by Stapel

Other white wines I like are the Elzas toppers Gewuerztraminer and Riesling. These two grapes are pretty much Elzas grown only afaik.

Actually I have has some good Riesling from some unexpected places...the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York, Ontario, Washington state, Alto Adige in Italy, South Australia; and of course Germany. There is one hill in Sonoma County California that makes good Gewurztraminer and a few vinyards in the Finger Lakes. Afaik good Gewurztraminer from outside of Alsace is very rare.

 

[Stapel]

Originally posted by Drewcifer
Actually I have has some good Riesling from some unexpected places...the Finger Lakes in Upstate New York, Ontario, Washington state, Alto Adige in Italy, South Australia; and of course Germany. There is one hill in Sonoma County California that makes good Gewurztraminer and a few vinyards in the Finger Lakes. Afaik good Gewurztraminer from outside of Alsace is very rare.

Yes, I have tasted (or at least seen) German Rieslings! But Riesling from the USA is really new info for me!

I know two good wine shops in The Hague and one in Delft (15km from Den Haag). They're all expensive... I don't think they have the wines you mention! Supermarkets have Elzas Reisling only.

How did you find them?

 

[col]

One of the best things about the Uk is that we have access to one of the widest choices of wine in the world. We can get most the American, Australian and European wines.

I have a particular taste for Gran Reserva Riojas - at least 15 years old - and Sauturnes dessert wines - an acquired and very expensive taste.

 

[Hawkster]

Sorry Stapel - you'd be wasting your time - I've tried all sorts of wine (inc chardonnay and wines from all over the world) inc some expensive ones to no avail. My parents drink wine quite a lot so I've treid various ones they have had - but none taste anything other than like vinegar.

 

[Drewcifer]

Originally posted by Stapel


Yes, I have tasted (or at least seen) German Rieslings! But Riesling from the USA is really new info for me!

I know two good wine shops in The Hague and one in Delft (15km from Den Haag). They're all expensive... I don't think they have the wines you mention! Supermarkets have Elzas Reisling only.

How did you find them?

The Finger Lakes and Ontario Rieslings I had when I lived in Upstate New York near the the Finger Lakes. They can be quite good but hard to find. The ones from Washington and and Oregon are widely available in the US, inexpensive and of good quality, done in the dry Alsatian style rather than the sweet German one. California also produces some Riesling but none worth mentioning, their climate is too warm.

The laws vary from state to state but in Minnesota wine cannot be sold in grocery stores; because of this there are many shops that specialize in wine and have very good selections. Because of the size of the domestic market most of the small to medium sized winerys in the US don't export. Unlike those in Australia, Chile and South Africa they have had no need to (this may be changing). The US is the world's 4th largest producer of wine (behind Italy, Spain and France) but you would never know it by it's presence in the international marketplace.

 

[Matrix]

"Do you like wine?" A bit too much, actually.

At my old study there's a traditional beaujolais get-together ("borrel") the 21st this month, and I have never missed one before. (For the layman's among us: beaujolais is the first wine to be gathered and is considered the lemonade among the wines (very easy taste (so very easy to get drunk!)).) I told them today that I will be there traditionally, but I won't get drunk this time. Then someone said "But you said 'traditionally'!" Apparently I have a reputation.

 

[Martacus]

Good tastes in wine all around. I'm partial to Chardonnay myself; a lot of reds just don't tast right to me. Some I like, of course. I also like sherry, I remember bringing my parents back a couple bottles from Spain; it was good stuff. Cognac...I like! I like!

Port, on the other hand, is simply a little too sweet for my tastes.

 

[bobgote]

not a big wine fan, but i'll drink it if someone else knows what's going on and picks one out I'd usually only drink it in a formal situation tho.

Originally posted by The Yankee



Yes, I hate the drinking laws, too. There's always a way around it, though.

visit australia

 

[polymath]

I enjoy wine a great deal, I have a recommendation, a white wine. If you see it, I strongly urge you buy it to see for yourself.

It's called Gavi di Gavi.

There are a handful of wine producers surrounding the town of Gavi. Their wine (called only Gavi) does not concern you. Nor do you want Grappa Gavi di Gavi. That is something different again.

What you want is a Gavi di Gavi wine. This is made by wine producers within Gavi itself. I believe only a few thousand bottles a year make it to the US so if you see some, grab it.

Amongst 'experts' you will often hear it described with terms such as "impeccable", "perfect balance" and "supreme elegance".

If you love wine, please, please check it out. Trust me.

There is only one red, BTW. Amarone. This tastes exactly how one thinks red wine should taste in one's dreams.

 

[Hitro]

I do like wine but I prefer beer.

 

[Stapel]

Originally posted by Drewcifer
The Finger Lakes and Ontario Rieslings I had when I lived in Upstate New York near the the Finger Lakes. They can be quite good but hard to find. The ones from Washington and and Oregon are widely available in the US, inexpensive and of good quality, done in the dry Alsatian style rather than the sweet German one. California also produces some Riesling but none worth mentioning, their climate is too warm.

The main reason I hardly ever but German wine is because it too sweet most of the time. I dont' know why that is. Maybe they harvest later?
But, if you say that the Northwest american wines are not that sweet, I should try I guess!

 

[Drewcifer]

Originally posted by polymath
I enjoy wine a great deal, I have a recommendation, a white wine. If you see it, I strongly urge you buy it to see for yourself.

It's called Gavi di Gavi.

There are a handful of wine producers surrounding the town of Gavi. Their wine (called only Gavi) does not concern you. Nor do you want Grappa Gavi di Gavi. That is something different again.

What you want is a Gavi di Gavi wine. This is made by wine producers within Gavi itself. I believe only a few thousand bottles a year make it to the US so if you see some, grab it.

Amongst 'experts' you will often hear it described with terms such as "impeccable", "perfect balance" and "supreme elegance".

If you love wine, please, please check it out. Trust me.

There is only one red, BTW. Amarone. This tastes exactly how one thinks red wine should taste in one's dreams.

I have had Gavi di Gavi and it is delicious. I am a big fan of Amarone too. If you ever see any Zinfandels from the Sierra Nevada foothills or Amador County, California you may want to try them, they taste similar to Amarone. They are not very common even in the US so probably very few make it to Europe.

 

[Cilpot]

I really like red wine!


but not white




And I also prefer beer (or Cognac)

 

[Akka]

I dislike wine, as I dislike every beverage that include alcohol. I just can't stand the taste of alcohol.
Tried about every kind of alcohol you can imagine, but it's definitely alcohol itself that I find disgusting.

Which is considered blasphemous by some of my friend, as I spent my life in Bordeaux
(in fact, my window in my childhood house was right in front of a Pessac-Léognan vineyard ^^).

 

[test_specimen]

I like white wine, though usually you have to spend some money if you want to reduce the headache. I rarely drink any, so I usually get drunk fast from it.

I prefer beer, since I know better when to stop and how high my maximum is. Also it has less side effects on the next day.

It depends on the food: you simply have to drink beer if you eat Gulyas (Hungarian food that is popular around here) or sausages. For fish and most meat you usually take wine.

 

[Hitro]

Originally posted by Akka
I dislike wine, as I dislike every beverage that include alcohol. I just can't stand the taste of alcohol.
Tried about every kind of alcohol you can imagine, but it's definitely alcohol itself that I find disgusting.

That is quite weird, I mean, aren't there alot of things where you can hardly taste the alcohol? Like those sweet evil things they sell to 14-year-olds...