Of Wine and Gear

[Pyrrho]

Take a deep breath Pyrrho....it was a joke (hence the ) But if you're ever in my neck of the woods there is an area close by with fifty or more wineries that are starting to rival anything from the Napa/Sonoma area. I'll take you on a tasting tour

Mort

No need for the deep breath, as I saw the wink and, generally, when people speak of the second bottle starting to taste good, it is a joke.

Seriously, though, the Charles Shaw Sauvignon Blanc isn't bad and I am not surprised that it beat out a much more expensive wine in a taste test (see the article mentioned in the opening post). I have had many wines that cost 5 times as much that are not as good as that $2 (in California) bottle of wine. And I have had a few that cost 8 times as much that are not as good as that $2 bottle. That, of course, means that there are plenty of wines that are not worth the price charged for them.

If you are poor, the Charles Shaw Sauvignon Blanc is an excellent choice for a dry white wine.

 

[j_garcia]

I prefer strong reds to anything else. Big Cabs, Zins and Pinos. Dessert wines, good ones anyway, are certainly not turned away however I don't really dig most general white wines though anymore.

 

[rnatalli]

Dessert wines, good ones anyway, are certainly not turned away however I don't really dig most general white wines though anymore.

I'm a big fan of desert wines myself. Personally, I like Bonny Doon Muscat which sells for like $15/bottle.

 

[j_garcia]

Bonny Doon is a favorite of mine also, both on price and taste (they are local). There are also two other little local places that have a nice dessert wines too; One is from http://www.chouinard.com/ who have a number of unusual wines such as the Granny Smith apple wine. Excellent Muscat and Sparkling wines, as well as a good selection of good, inexpensive reds. The other is one is called Nebia (formerly Obester) of Half Moon Bay and it comes in a very cool half moon bottle (will take pics). They also have something I had never had before, a Black Muscat, which is a deep red Muscat that is sweet, but tastes a little different than a typical one. It is almost like a light port.

 

[rnatalli]

Bonny Doon is a favorite of mine also, both on price and taste (they are local). There are also two other little local places that have a nice dessert wines too; One is from http://www.chouinard.com/ who have a number of unusual wines such as the Granny Smith apple wine. Excellent Muscat and Sparkling wines, as well as a good selection of good, inexpensive reds. The other is one is called Nebia (formerly Obester) of Half Moon Bay and it comes in a very cool half moon bottle (will take pics). They also have something I had never had before, a Black Muscat, which is a deep red Muscat that is sweet, but tastes a little different than a typical one. It is almost like a light port.

I'll have to give them a try. Thanks for that!

 

[j_garcia]

Haven't had a chance to take pics yet...extremely busy the last few days.

 

[Djizasse]

I have a friend that's really into wine (not in the alcoholic way) and he knows what I like and gives me great advice on what to order from him.
He also takes us (me and friends) to wine tasting events, held in a local (Lisbon) wine cellar. These events are excellent for wine tasting. The bottles are at the right temperature and are opened before we get there. We also get bread, cheese and Dry-cured ham. This is perfect for wineholics wannabes like me

I don't know about the wines you're talking about. My cellar has a few bottles of portuguese wines (the most part from Douro and Dão). From abroad I've only have bottles from Argentina (made with Malbec by Fabre Montmayou), which i really like.

My favourite grape variety is Touriga Nacional. I really love it.

I've found that being an Audioholic is a perfect match to being a wine lover. Sitting on my couch, listening to Bob Marley, a glass with good wine on one side and a hookah with shisha on the other side... it's perfect