Wine Connoisseurs

freshnesschronic · 02-02-2009, 01:03 AM

Hey all. I miss reading posts and threads and all like I used to when I was a freshman and didn't have anything to do in college. Now I'm a grown junior with many more responsibilities and leadership positions and things to do and grades to keep up and internships to apply to and interviews to prepare for and damn. I am a helluva lot busier than I was when I logged into the Cellar at age 18, December 2006. But that comes with the territory of college, getting involved and growing up. But enough of the feel good story bullshit.

So I walked to this liquor store a couple blocks away from me tonite (I left at 12 hah) and it was closed so I went to the Mobil gas station a block south and they don't sell alcohol after midnite. I walked four blocks east to the campus pantry and they don't either so I walked my ass home and I'm writing about it. Damn I feel like a loser

But anyway, this year I've gained an appreciation and taste for wine. At recent parties I had my friends buy Sangria. It turned my socks purple when it spilled but it was still great.

Wine connoisseurs, help a fledgling kid like me who just turned 21.

Aliantha · 02-02-2009, 01:09 AM

The most important rule to remember when you're on a budget is that cheap does not always mean nasty as far as wine goes. I don't know much about cheap local wines over there, but I'm pretty sure there'll be plenty of dwellars who can help you out.

02-02-2009, 05:33 AM

There's an excellent resource for wine indoctrination in Chicago, Sam's Wines and Spirits, located at:

1720 N. Marcey St.
Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 664-4394

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Name: Sam's location.bmp
Views: 231
Size: 50.2 KB

The massive inventory of worldwide wines in this warehouse sized store may boggle your mind and humble you; but, don't let it scare you off. Just ask any rep to steer you to the $10 and under rack of recommended wines. They've made a fortune educating beginners who became repeat customers; so, they're very accommodating. Take some friends with you.

Be ready to tell them what you'd like to explore first (e.g. red, white, rose); also, what you can remember about wines you've tried and liked in the past. This will help them determine what your tastes are. Ask for information about their wine club and tasting events. Actually tasting different wines is key to determining your own preferences; also, what constitutes quality and value in any category of wine.

wolf · 02-02-2009, 09:46 AM

Buy based on the coolness of the label. Oh, and cheap.

I have done very well by buying Smoking Loon, Three Blind Moose, and Bored Doe from the Goats Do Roam Vineyard in South Africa.

Do not buy Bully Hill, which is a New York State Wine that tastes like the goat pictured on all of their labels peed straight into the bottle.

Undertoad · 02-02-2009, 10:05 AM

It's the most expensive hobby in the world. Maybe the best, though. There is no end to the amount of stuff you can learn about wine.

Shawnee123 · 02-02-2009, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolf

Buy based on the coolness of the label. Oh, and cheap.

I have done very well by buying Smoking Loon, Three Blind Moose, and Bored Doe from the Goats Do Roam Vineyard in South Africa.

Do not buy Bully Hill, which is a New York State Wine that tastes like the goat pictured on all of their labels peed straight into the bottle.

Heh...I've been to that winery...have a fridge magnet and a couple bumper stickers that have never been stuck. "Wine without guilt" and "Wine without sin." There were cool labels; years ago when I was there the original dude poured our wine.

Ex's sis and brother in law have a nice place on Seneca Lake, which is how we happened upon the winery.

I'm no connoisseur; a mid priced Pinot Noir is good for me.

Undertoad · 02-02-2009, 11:33 AM

Other finger lakes wineries are excellent, I've been there a few times.

One of the Bully Hill reds is the worst wine I've ever had. I doubt they're available in the middle of the country.

Shawnee123 · 02-02-2009, 11:36 AM

We went to one winery, no idea which one, that had some music thing going on. The cool part was we got bored and walked train tracks back to the cabin. Saw a wild turkey and heard some large critter crashing around in the woods.

barefoot serpent · 02-02-2009, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

I'm no connoisseur; a mid priced Pinot Noir is good for me.

HobNob Pinot Noir $10 4 rank on Snooth.com

excellent deal

Jaydaan · 02-02-2009, 12:30 PM

Ask around for some wine tasting events, go to those! The reps are there to explain what you are tasting and I recommend you take a note book with you, after 10 different wines you might not remember what a Riesling tastes like or what a pinot blanc is.

We have several wine tasting events a year, and I am sure other cities do as well. Another option would be to take a tour of a local winery... they will most likely have many varietals for you to try.

A fun way to experience wine is have your own tasting. Invite several friends over, and have them each bring a bottle and an appy that goes with the wine. Co-ordinate it a bit so everyone brings something different. Then everyone gets to try 6 or 8 different wines, and make a meal out of the appetizers!

wolf · 02-02-2009, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

Ex's sis and brother in law have a nice place on Seneca Lake, which is how we happened upon the winery.

Friends of mine used to have a house on Van Cleef Lake, just above the locks in Seneca Falls. We would do the Wine Tour up there, but only make it through tastings at three or four wineries before we were no longer safe to drive.

I still have a bottle of port from one of those expeditions.

glatt · 02-02-2009, 12:42 PM

Start from the cheap end before you go spending any real money on wine. Go to the grocery store and buy a box of wine. Any brand. You may be surprised at how good it tastes. And it's not expensive. $10-$15 for 3 bottles worth of wine. Drink the cheap stuff for a little while so you have something to compare the more expensive bottles to. You may decide the more moderately priced bottles aren't worth double to triple the price of the box wine. If you decide you may want to move up in price, there's really no reason to ever pay more than $10 per bottle. There is a very large variety of very good wine for under $10/bottle.

I've had $100 bottles before that were gifts (well, once anyway), and it really wasn't much better than an $8 bottle.

Katkeeper · 02-02-2009, 04:43 PM

One more example that the price of a wine is not, repeat not, an indication of its quality.

HungLikeJesus · 02-04-2009, 09:18 PM

Does anybody have a suggestion for a wine to go with Hamburger Helper (tm)?

Aliantha · 02-04-2009, 09:41 PM

If I were having hamburgers, I'd be having a nice fruity rose. Over here a good one is Banrock Station. It goes for under $10/bottle and is really quite good.

02-02-2009, 01:03 AM	#1
freshnesschronic Professor Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,555	Wine Connoisseurs Hey all. I miss reading posts and threads and all like I used to when I was a freshman and didn't have anything to do in college. Now I'm a grown junior with many more responsibilities and leadership positions and things to do and grades to keep up and internships to apply to and interviews to prepare for and damn. I am a helluva lot busier than I was when I logged into the Cellar at age 18, December 2006. But that comes with the territory of college, getting involved and growing up. But enough of the feel good story bullshit. So I walked to this liquor store a couple blocks away from me tonite (I left at 12 hah) and it was closed so I went to the Mobil gas station a block south and they don't sell alcohol after midnite. I walked four blocks east to the campus pantry and they don't either so I walked my ass home and I'm writing about it. Damn I feel like a loser But anyway, this year I've gained an appreciation and taste for wine. At recent parties I had my friends buy Sangria. It turned my socks purple when it spilled but it was still great. Wine connoisseurs, help a fledgling kid like me who just turned 21.

02-02-2009, 01:09 AM	#2
Aliantha trying hard to be a better person Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 16,493	The most important rule to remember when you're on a budget is that cheap does not always mean nasty as far as wine goes. I don't know much about cheap local wines over there, but I'm pretty sure there'll be plenty of dwellars who can help you out. __________________ Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber

02-02-2009, 05:33 AM	#3
NoBoxes Guest Posts: n/a	In your own backyard ... There's an excellent resource for wine indoctrination in Chicago, Sam's Wines and Spirits, located at: 1720 N. Marcey St. Chicago, IL 60614 (312) 664-4394 The massive inventory of worldwide wines in this warehouse sized store may boggle your mind and humble you; but, don't let it scare you off. Just ask any rep to steer you to the $10 and under rack of recommended wines. They've made a fortune educating beginners who became repeat customers; so, they're very accommodating. Take some friends with you. Be ready to tell them what you'd like to explore first (e.g. red, white, rose); also, what you can remember about wines you've tried and liked in the past. This will help them determine what your tastes are. Ask for information about their wine club and tasting events. Actually tasting different wines is key to determining your own preferences; also, what constitutes quality and value in any category of wine. Last edited by NoBoxes; 02-02-2009 at 05:49 AM. Reason: Attach general location image to augment Google map link

02-02-2009, 09:46 AM	#4
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Buy based on the coolness of the label. Oh, and cheap. I have done very well by buying Smoking Loon, Three Blind Moose, and Bored Doe from the Goats Do Roam Vineyard in South Africa. Do not buy Bully Hill, which is a New York State Wine that tastes like the goat pictured on all of their labels peed straight into the bottle. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

02-02-2009, 11:36 AM	#8
Shawnee123 Why, you're a regular Alfred E Einstein, ain't ya? Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 21,206	We went to one winery, no idea which one, that had some music thing going on. The cool part was we got bored and walked train tracks back to the cabin. Saw a wild turkey and heard some large critter crashing around in the woods. __________________ A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones who need the advice. --Bill Cosby

02-02-2009, 10:05 AM	#5
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	It's the most expensive hobby in the world. Maybe the best, though. There is no end to the amount of stuff you can learn about wine.

02-02-2009, 11:33 AM	#7
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Other finger lakes wineries are excellent, I've been there a few times. One of the Bully Hill reds is the worst wine I've ever had. I doubt they're available in the middle of the country.

02-02-2009, 12:30 PM	#10
Jaydaan Knight of the Oval-Shaped Conference Table Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Vernon, BC, Canada Posts: 378	Ask around for some wine tasting events, go to those! The reps are there to explain what you are tasting and I recommend you take a note book with you, after 10 different wines you might not remember what a Riesling tastes like or what a pinot blanc is. We have several wine tasting events a year, and I am sure other cities do as well. Another option would be to take a tour of a local winery... they will most likely have many varietals for you to try. A fun way to experience wine is have your own tasting. Invite several friends over, and have them each bring a bottle and an appy that goes with the wine. Co-ordinate it a bit so everyone brings something different. Then everyone gets to try 6 or 8 different wines, and make a meal out of the appetizers!

02-02-2009, 12:42 PM	#12
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	Start from the cheap end before you go spending any real money on wine. Go to the grocery store and buy a box of wine. Any brand. You may be surprised at how good it tastes. And it's not expensive. $10-$15 for 3 bottles worth of wine. Drink the cheap stuff for a little while so you have something to compare the more expensive bottles to. You may decide the more moderately priced bottles aren't worth double to triple the price of the box wine. If you decide you may want to move up in price, there's really no reason to ever pay more than $10 per bottle. There is a very large variety of very good wine for under $10/bottle. I've had $100 bottles before that were gifts (well, once anyway), and it really wasn't much better than an $8 bottle.

02-02-2009, 04:43 PM	#13
Katkeeper Hoodoo Guru Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Mechanicsburg PA Posts: 296	One more example that the price of a wine is not, repeat not, an indication of its quality.

02-04-2009, 09:18 PM	#14
HungLikeJesus Only looks like a disaster tourist Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: above 7,000 feet Posts: 7,208	Does anybody have a suggestion for a wine to go with Hamburger Helper (tm)? __________________ Keep Your Bodies Off My Lawn SteveDallas's Random Thread Picker.

02-04-2009, 09:41 PM	#15
Aliantha trying hard to be a better person Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 16,493	If I were having hamburgers, I'd be having a nice fruity rose. Over here a good one is Banrock Station. It goes for under $10/bottle and is really quite good. __________________ Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber

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