Aliantha, yep, particularly in some sectors of the market. In table wines, about the best deal short of the five-finger discount is the Charles Shaw line of vins ordinaires at the wholesale-like retail price of two dollars US the 750cl bottle. The price has held for years, long enough to get the nickname "Two-Buck Chuck."

Captain Morgan Tattoo and diet coke.

Tattoo seems to be coke flavored. it's black, and peppery, and diet coke seems to dilute it nicely. very smooth, and even. tastes like you're drinking a coke, but when you stand up, you remember the Captain.

UT...lindemans have some nice wines. Very popular for weddings etc as they're among the best of the cheaper wines around. Usually by the carton they work out around $7au/bottle. It's amazing how cheap wine is at the moment actually. I'm lucky not to spend every night drunk at these prices. ;)

UG...we have some wines that would work out about that price but I generally steer clear of them if possible.

Thing is, that while it's not at all extraordinary, it is okay. Quite a bit of bang for buck here.

lol...well that's alright for a budget night then I suppose. I can't imagine paying only that amount for wine here though.

Raisin Rice Wine
 

My friend just delivered the recipe for this amazing stuff. If you have any questions on the process, let me know!

RAISIN AND RICE WINE

2 LBS RICE - REGULAR
2 LBS GOLDEN RAISINS
7 LBS SUGAR
2 ORANGES
1 LEMON
2 CAKES (packages) OF YEAST (preferably Champagne yeast)
2 GALLONS WATER, BOILED AND COOLED

MIX ALL INGREDIENTS IN 5-GALLON CROCK. STIR EACH DAY FOR 3 WEEKS.
STRAIN (I use a nylon fruit wine straining bag) and place into CARBOYS (two 4litre glass wine jugs work perfectly), fit airlocks and let sit 3 weeks. Rack and bottle. MAKES ABOUT 3 GALLONS. (or 10 standard wine bottles)

After bottling wait at least 6 months to open, but this wine doesn’t really get good until it has aged 4 or more years (at 6 months you may think you did something wrong and consider throwing it away - DON’T (it’s not bad at 6 months, just disappointing)) (The original recipe did not call for placing it in the carboys but just immediately bottling it. I just made a batch using the carboys for the first time, and the wine seemed to be much much better for it- and I think it might actually taste good at 6 months – but no promises!) In fact if you try it at 6 months and again at 4 years you won’t even believe it is the same wine! Best of luck, and have fun!

Q:
1) do you cook the rice or put it in raw?
2) is the finished product still or fizzy?
3) Corked or capped? If corked, wine cork or champagne cork?

Thanks, I may be able to do this in a few months.

I'll be sure to ask when I see my friend next - I know it was corked, but didn't have the 'knobby' thing on top. And it's a still wine, no fizz to it.

Hope to have answers for you by Monday.

K

I recently tried port.

Because I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy the experience, I got the cheapest, and probably nastiest bottle of port in the State Store.

I have to go back and get some better port.

Does anyone have suggestions?

What did you get? :eek: I'm not an expert, but Graham's and Cockburn seem to be good choices. I've had some of the really good vintages once or twice, and they were freaking amazing, but hell if I can remember what the exact years were. I don't think you want to drink anything less than 10 yrs. old, and Tawny ports are more delicious and complex than Rubies, IMO. Hope that helps a little.

There are many categories to choose from: vintage port, single quinta vintage port, late bottled vintage port, vintage character (a.k.a. vintage reserve), tawny port colheita, tawny port, ruby port, and there is even white port. Ports can run from nearly dry to very sweet.

Vintage ports and single quinta vintage ports require years of bottle aging; so, they will probably not be of interest to you. My 1994 vintage ports (a great year) will be ready for drinking somewhere between '08-'12. They are also expensive: the current top releases go for $50-$90/bottle. Mature vintage ports, that are ready for drinking, from the '80s and early '90s are hard to find at retail and are just as expensive if not more so. Single quinta vintage ports come about when not all of the vineyards rise to the quality level necessary to declare a general vintage year. They can be good values; but, still require bottle aging. Late bottled vintage (LBV on label) port is aged twice as long in cask before being bottled and is often ready for drinking on release. Vintage character/vintage reserve port is similar to LBV except it's a blend of multiple vintages. Prices are a fraction of that for vintage port and they can be a good introduction to the taste of vintage port. Quality levels; however, can vary widely. It's best to get informed recommendations. I haven't tried any lately.

Tawny ports are completely aged in cask before being bottled and are ready for drinking when you buy them. Tawnies are blended from ports of multiple vintages [excepting the scarce colheitas which are vintage dated tawnies]. They have a different character from vintage ports. Tawnies may be labeled with the number of years they've spent in cask before being bottled (e.g. 10 yo, 20 yo, 30 yo ... etc.). They become increasingly more expensive with longevity; though, more than 20 yo generally doesn't yield much more for the money. As for the tawnies I'm drinking, I have just one bottle left of Niepoort Tawny Port Colheita 1983 which is outstanding; but, just about impossible to find anymore (it was originally about $30/btl.). Fortunately, I found a tawny port that I like just as much; yet, it doesnt come from Portugal at all! It's Hardy's Tawny Port South Australia Whiskers Blake NV. It's a very sweet tawny, aged for about seven years in cask, with layers of flavors that unfold as it warms in the mouth. This stuff to me is like honey to a bear. It's readily available in my area and costs about $13/btl.

Ruby ports come from simple, fruity, and light wines without great concentration. This is the cheapest category. The French like them as an aperitif. I prefer standard wines to this category of port.

White ports are fermented towards dryness and intended to be an aperitif. They are often mixed with tonic water, ice, and a slice of lemon. I'll settle for a wine cooler.

When you go to purchase port, tip the bottle over, and have a look to see how 'thick' it is. Syrupy is probably a better word. If you like sweet wine, then you want something fairly thick. If you like it dry but warm, then less syrupy would be my suggestion. If you were in Oz I could name a few reasonably priced but delicious ports. It's probably unlikely you'd get them there though since most of the ones I like are local.

expresso
heineken
tequila sunrise
occasional (rioja) wine

I just had Middleton's for the first time in a couple of years, and that goes down as the best liquor. Ever.
It's like drinking alchoholic butter.