Any Wine Drinkers in here?

mantis

Whats up all?
I've been missing in action for a while. I just got back from Napa Valley CA Wine Country. We had a blast. We stayed at the Harvest Inn which was amazingly cool. We had Limo service from Saint Helena Wine Tours. If you go , request Barbie , she is totally awesome and is married to Ken LOL.
In one day I drank well over 24 glasses of wine. I stopped counting after the 24 from the tour.

Food was great out there as all the restaurants where incredible.

mhardy6647

In a word, yes. Indeed, we put a small wine cellar in the new house :-)

Next time you're out that way skip Napa, IMO (it's OK but crowded and touristy) and go a little further north(west) to Healdsburg (Russian River Valley) :-)

Other dandy places for wine-touring include the Yadkin River region in North Carolina and the Finger Lakes in NY State. Mrs. H and I did the latter for a second honeymoon on our 25th anniversary. The Ithaca region was a double-whammy for us as Mrs. H is a serious, serious birder, so we spent some quality time at the Cornell Laboratory for Ornithology and its associated grounds (and some big NWRA preserve nearby which name escapes me at the moment).

Stayed in the big, top-floor, towered suite at the at the Belhurst in Castle Geneva, NY for a couple of nights, as well as nice inns in Skaneateles and Ithaca. Had some mighty fine meals, too...

EDIT: Oh, and of course if any one says the name of the town Skaneateles to you... the proper resonse would be Gesundheit. :-)

tonyb

One of my favorite places to be. St. Helena is sweet. I live for good wine and food and Napa has both. Can get touristy but still is laid back enough to make anyone comfortable.

Did you eat at Rutherford's on the main drag.....Go Fish.....Mustards ? What wineries did you visit ? Some of my fav's are Frank Family, Flora Springs, Duck Horn, Silver Oak, and Ledson on the Sonoma side.

pitdogg2

sorry no I can't drink fast enough to out run the pounding headache

DForeman

Here's a good recommendation for wine clubs:

The WSJ Wine Club (Wall Street Journal)

I've been a member for about two years now. Their quarterly selection of wines is excellent. You can select all reds, all whites, or a mix of both.

Highly recommended.

http://www.wsjwine.com/

newbie308

Yep! Wine, beer, liquor ....... it's all good!!! In fact, I may just crack one open right now come to think of it!

Oldfatdogs

Next time you're out that way skip Napa, IMO (it's OK but crowded and touristy) and go a little further north(west) to Healdsburg (Russian River Valley) :-)

Napa is great but agree with MR.H not only good wine but beautiful country.

Moose68Bash

My favorite Callifornia wineries: Silver Oak in both the Alexander and Napa Valleys; Sterling in Napa Valley (great gondola ride to the top of the hill on which the winery sits, and a great unusual white wine -- Malvasia Bianca -- if you like somewhat sweet and fruity aperitifs); Thomas Fogarty in the Santa Cruz Mountains outside of Palo Alto/Woodside (nice chardonnay, great gewurztraminer for the money). You can tell, I am a sucker for the fine scenery as well as the wine!

Interestingly, the Canadian wineries in Ontario around Niagra-on-the-Lake are really coming on. My favorite is Stratus.

This is a hobby that, like audiophilia, can get very expensive very fast! :biggrin:

tonyb

The Russian River valley offers up some good wines and scenery not soon forgotten. Beautiful area to chill and just enjoy who your with. Napa wineries are a tad closer together and that means less traveling. It's proximity to San Fran makes it even more appealing. I make it to Napa in 40 minutes from the Golden Gate. Russian River area is a good stretch from Napa so bouncing around isn't going to be an option. It is nice however, but if you go plan to stay awhile and take it all in.

Gadabout

I used to have a 110 bottle refrigerator at the house but decided to reduce its size to a 46 bottle. It gets refilled from vacations where we usually ship home 2 to 3 cases each trip. I also have a pretty good relationship with the local liquor store and he will usually order what I request as long as I get 6 bottles minimum.

I head to the west coast every year for vacation. I usually get to CA wine country every other year. Napa has it all, great food, well known vinyards and great inn's and B & B's. That being said we usually skip Napa and head to the Russian River Valley, Dry Creek, Carneros and Sonoma Valley areas. Usually, not as many people down in these areas. We usually take a break and lunch out on the coast or under the redwoods. Dinner is usually someplace we can find caught that day seafood.

Some of the favorites in the area for wine are: Pezzi King, Dry Creek, Pedroncelli, Curvare, Gloria Ferrer, Ravenswood, Kenwwod, Chateau St. Jean.

http://www.sonoma.winecountry.com/visitorsinfo/Sonoma_County_Winery_Map.pdf

My taste is usually for Zinfandel's & Pinot Noir's, but some of the vineyards listed above also have great Chardonnays.

If you ever decide to go on a Pinot Noir quest up in Oregon, shoot me a PM and I'll let you know my favorites up there.

Glad you had a great time, everyone should do Napa once. A few of my friends have made it one of their favorite destinations and they return year after year.

Scott

mhardy6647

ooh, ooh... I haven't been down that way for a long time, but I have some fond memories of tasting in the Santa Ynez valley (Los Olivos area - not too far from Santa Barbara/Ventura) and (believe it or not!) in the vicinity of Temecula (the name of which I can remember from old Bugs Bunny cartoons!) -- which is NE of San Diego.

Another LONG-time favorite (for any of you in or near B-more, whether by choice or otherwise): Boordy Vineyards in Hydes, MD. A beautiful part of the world and just a hoot n a holler from that big, gritty city :-)

BlueFox

DForeman wrote: »

Here's a good recommendation for wine clubs:

The WSJ Wine Club (Wall Street Journal)

I've been a member for about two years now. Their quarterly selection of wines is excellent. You can select all reds, all whites, or a mix of both.

Highly recommended.

http://www.wsjwine.com/

I was (recently quit) a member of a wine club like that, and 4 times a year I would get a box of 12 reds. Plus I ordered some of their specials. Now I do not even drink the stuff. I think I have had one bottle in the last year. I have about 15 unopened boxs, and probably another 100+ bottles in racks. Hopefully, they will still be drinkable after retiring in 5-10 years.

mhardy6647

BlueFox wrote: »

I was (recently quit) a member of a wine club like that, and 4 times a year I would get a box of 12 reds. Plus I ordered some of their specials. Now I do not even drink the stuff. I think I have had one bottle in the last year. I have about 15 unopened boxs, and probably another 100+ bottles in racks. Hopefully, they will still be drinkable after retiring in 5-10 years.

Many reds ( not all, of course) and some of the more interesting whites keep quite well depending on age, varietal, and intrinsic quality - I'd think you'll find many just dandy in a decade.

Heck, we've still got a couple of cabernets from the late 1970s :-P
(and the better sweet dessert wines - Tokay and Sauternes, e.g. - can be kept for decades if not a century...)

vcwatkins

Yeah I drrink alidddle wine, so whadduvvit? Jush you mine your own bizh(hic)... bizh(hic)... affairzh. (buuurrrp)

Face

If it's a chardonnay that hasn't been aged in oak, I'll drink it.

Jimbo18

My wine budget is like my audio one, I love the "good" stuff but have to look for the value items. My favorites are, in general, Calif. Cabs, but I like some South American and Australian reds as well. But for the most part they are $10 - $20 bottles, unless my old boss drops off some of his overstock.

vcwatkins

Small "cellar" (corner of basement) with mostly Cabs, Rhones, and a ton of '94 Ports that I got on the cheap before reviews came out by trading cigars that were difficult to get at the time. Complex, rich fruit of the gods. Very lucky it turned out to be the deal of a lifetime, lol.

West coast Pinot & Cab, and cheap meritage are my daily drinks of choice. Enjoy Conundrum occasionally. Love sparkling white when I have an excuse to drink it.

Surprised to see NC mentioned. There are a some good producers now. Just didn't know anyone else knew it, hehe. Childress cab is one I like and drink occasionally.

Craig

mantis

tonyb wrote: »

One of my favorite places to be. St. Helena is sweet. I live for good wine and food and Napa has both. Can get touristy but still is laid back enough to make anyone comfortable.

Did you eat at Rutherford's on the main drag.....Go Fish.....Mustards ? What wineries did you visit ? Some of my fav's are Frank Family, Flora Springs, Duck Horn, Silver Oak, and Ledson on the Sonoma side.

We ate at V.Sattui Winery first for Lunch , it was amazing. They had some damn good Lamb sandwiches and German Potatop Salad not to mention one of the very best tasting Riesling's I have ever had it was a OFF-DRY Riesling. Awesome tasting room with many cool people who work there and know their craft.
Then it was off to Frank Family where we sat in Denis office for a private tasting . We had Killer 2011 Chardonnay which was to die for. Then a sweet Pinot Noir which was simply amazing. Even the Zinfandel was so well made , never had one that good like Frank Family. We had the Cab's and the reserve which was probably the best cab I have ever had in my life. I believe it was a Rutherford Reserve cabernet Sauvignon 2010 year. We also had a 2010 regular Cabernet Sauvignon. Very good quality wines and I can see why you like them so much. Excellent.

We did 3 more places in Lava Vine , Reverie which was my favorite place , they had a cave and Red wood Trees , not to mention the best host one could ever ask for , she knew her **** like no other even the trees , nature , weather , the cave you name it she was on it. Then we ended up at Silver Oak which was my least favorite but still top quality and very nice place. They did red and red only , that pretty cool.
The Lava vine guys where so cool and down to earth. Fun and very worth the time spent.
We ate Dinner at this very good place called Cindy Pawlcyn's. They had amazing service , food and really took very good care of you. From beginning to end I felt so comfortable there and would absolutely go back again and again.

One night we where told to check out this place called Gott's Roadside. It was kinda like fast food but very very good and not nothing like anything back home in Pa. They had super good Fish Taco's , best ever , excellent chicken in the California Chicken , one thing they did well was Burgers in the Wisconsin Burger. Even the Fries where excellent they where Garlic fries. I sugest checking them out one day or night for lunch or dinner.
We did 3 days Friday , Saturday and Sunday. That was enough as I drank so much Wine it's not even funny. The Tour I had 24 glasses which by that point I was smashed , then we kept drinking into the night and finished off 4 more bottles of Reverie A.S.KIKEN which I want a case of now.

mantis

Face wrote: »

If it's a chardonnay that hasn't been aged in oak, I'll drink it.

From what I learned , most are aged in Oak barrels , new ones every time is supposed to be the best way so you don't get to much of that oak taste. The more american way is to take it out early and keep it fruity and full of flavor with little to no oak taste.

mantis

Gadabout wrote: »

I used to have a 110 bottle refrigerator at the house but decided to reduce its size to a 46 bottle. It gets refilled from vacations where we usually ship home 2 to 3 cases each trip. I also have a pretty good relationship with the local liquor store and he will usually order what I request as long as I get 6 bottles minimum.

I head to the west coast every year for vacation. I usually get to CA wine country every other year. Napa has it all, great food, well known vinyards and great inn's and B & B's. That being said we usually skip Napa and head to the Russian River Valley, Dry Creek, Carneros and Sonoma Valley areas. Usually, not as many people down in these areas. We usually take a break and lunch out on the coast or under the redwoods. Dinner is usually someplace we can find caught that day seafood.

Some of the favorites in the area for wine are: Pezzi King, Dry Creek, Pedroncelli, Curvare, Gloria Ferrer, Ravenswood, Kenwwod, Chateau St. Jean.

http://www.sonoma.winecountry.com/visitorsinfo/Sonoma_County_Winery_Map.pdf

My taste is usually for Zinfandel's & Pinot Noir's, but some of the vineyards listed above also have great Chardonnays.

If you ever decide to go on a Pinot Noir quest up in Oregon, shoot me a PM and I'll let you know my favorites up there.

Glad you had a great time, everyone should do Napa once. A few of my friends have made it one of their favorite destinations and they return year after year.

Scott

I really would love to move out to CA. Every time I visit , I fall in love with the place. Napa was no different. So cool and nice , no humidity and beautiful weather all the time , how damn cool is that? We will be going back as well.

Face

mantis wrote: »

From what I learned , most are aged in Oak barrels , new ones every time is supposed to be the best way so you don't get to much of that oak taste. The more american way is to take it out early and keep it fruity and full of flavor with little to no oak taste.

Yes, but with some grapes, oak is needed to reduce acidity.

headrott

Based out of St. Helena, I highly highly recommend Rombauer wines. Their Chardonney is phenominal! Even better (IMO) however is their Zinfindel. They have 3 different Zins however, and they are a little better or not as good depending on which you buy. The best I've tried is this one (for current production):

http://www.rombauer.com/2010%20-%20Fiddletown%20-%20Zinfandel

The best one I've had is the '07 mix of Amador County and Napa Valley Zinfindel. One of the best wines I've had in my life. Their wine isn't cheap, but not stupidly expensive either. I highly recommend it!

DForeman

BlueFox wrote: »

I was (recently quit) a member of a wine club like that, and 4 times a year I would get a box of 12 reds. Plus I ordered some of their specials. Now I do not even drink the stuff. I think I have had one bottle in the last year. I have about 15 unopened boxs, and probably another 100+ bottles in racks. Hopefully, they will still be drinkable after retiring in 5-10 years.

I've had wine turn on me several times after 6+ years or so. That's a nice stash of wine you've got. I hope you don't lose any of it.

Erik Tracy

I really enjoy a good wine at the end of a day or rather the start of a nice relaxed evening to enjoy with the sunset, friends, music, and food.

Mostly a red kinda guy, but enjoy a good Riesling from time to time.

Tonight we decided to be totally decadent and open a red on a weekday!


yummy, deep, very deep, long finish...

tonyb

mantis wrote: »

Then it was off to Frank Family where we sat in Denis office for a private tasting . We had Killer 2011 Chardonnay which was to die for. Then a sweet Pinot Noir which was simply amazing. Even the Zinfandel was so well made , never had one that good like Frank Family. We had the Cab's and the reserve which was probably the best cab I have ever had in my life. I believe it was a Rutherford Reserve cabernet Sauvignon 2010 year. We also had a 2010 regular Cabernet Sauvignon. Very good quality wines and I can see why you like them so much. Excellent.
.

Had a case of that Rutherford Reserve shipped home, fantastic wine. Honestly though, their reserve Zin is about the best I've had....anywhere. It was one of those rare occasions when the wine itself lived up to the fantastic nose. Had 2 cases of that shipped home as well. I believe an old CEO of Disney is the proud owner of Frank Family.

One thing I stick to when visiting wineries, I only taste their top reserve wines. You don't go to Napa to drink the same stuff you can get local, whats the point. Kinda like going to Germany and asking for a Budweiser. Vintage also weighs heavily, I've had the exact same wine, in the winery, one year to the next and the difference can be astounding. Astoundingly bad....or good, depends.

Wine is like audio....subjective to individual tastes, but you have a hell of a time figuring it all out. :cheesygrin:

GFOviedo

I want to do some wine tasting, but my wife doesn't really care much for wine

Msabot1

From time to time I enjoy a good Merlot or Claret....find it is a good sedative!!

muncybob

We visit the Finger Lakes, NY area on at least an annual basis. Barely a 2 hour drive for us. Usually we rent a house on the eastern side of a lake and sit back with a chilled bottle to enjoy the sunset. Went up there last year the 1st weekend in October and while the trees changing colors were nice we won't do that again...too many people at that time of year. Looks like this year we'll be going late October or early November, again a first for us.

mhardy6647

mantis wrote: »

From what I learned , most are aged in Oak barrels , new ones every time is supposed to be the best way so you don't get to much of that oak taste. The more american way is to take it out early and keep it fruity and full of flavor with little to no oak taste.

Back when Chardonnay got popular in the US (early 1980s), the US wineries latched on to the Burgundy style and - like US automakers of the era! - made it "longer, lower, wider" and turned their oak-aged chardonnays into what I like to call "cartoon Charonnay"; so buttery/vanilla-y/oaky that they were just too much.

US wineries, unfortunately, seem to have a tendency to do this IMO - take a good wine idea/style and amp it up until its just not a good idea any more. Recall the Merlot debacle of the 90s :-P (there's a reason that the French blend Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc to make Bordeaux!). I am afraid that the next varietal to get run into the ground is going to be Malbec :-(

BTW, if you've ever seen Sideways (and I assume anyone reading this thread has...); the physical and (sadly) the philosophical resemblance of the Paul Giamatti character to me is... umm... rather frightening! My daughter, who gave us the video, wondered if I might notice that ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5PItDrtjOA

EDIT:

GFOviedo wrote: »

I want to do some wine tasting, but my wife doesn't really care much for wine

Perfect! She can be the designated driver! ;-)

Moose68Bash

GFOviedo wrote: »

I want to do some wine tasting, but my wife doesn't really care much for wine

If you want "to seduce" your wife into acquiring a taste for wine, I suggest that you take her to the Sterling Vineyards winery, take the gondola to the top of the hill, take the tour, and treat her to a glass of Malvasia Bianca on the patio overlooking the Napa Valley looking south. Gorgeous view, lovely drinkable white wine, and I presume a beautiful companion for you. This is not the greatest winery or wine in the world, but it is an introduction in an environment that is practically irresistible. Oh, by the way, about an hour or so before sunset enhances the setting and the romance.

Just a suggestion!

Moose68Bash

Face wrote: »

If it's a chardonnay that hasn't been aged in oak, I'll drink it.

You might want to try:

Benoni Chardonnay "Petits Grains" Sonoma Coast