Who sips the vino?

[BeastMan]

We've had tons of liquor discussions but what about the grapes? My faves:

Cabernet Sauvignon- My fav for sipping and with steak. Love the Cali's

Merlot- same as the Cab Sav's but it's my close 2nd

Pinot Noir- If I'm having a hearty seafood like Salmon or a Steak and Shrimp/Scallop/Lobster, I go Pinot Noir every single time. One of the only reds that can pair with seafood. I like drier to sipp but I love the versatility of the Pinot Noirs. The varieties from Oregon are my favorite.

Sauvignon Blanc- My favorite white if I'm eating seafood or chicken. Not my favorite for sipping but goes great with citrus seafood dishes (and since lemon gets used with so much...). When I drink white I go opposite of the reds. I really enjoy the earthy Austrailian and New Zealands.


Red Blends- there are a lot of red blends I love. One inexpensive table blend I particularly like is Apothic.

[BeastMan]

When I worked in fine dinning years ago, they required everyone to do multiple classes and wine tastings with sommelier (sp?) and it was awesome. I learned so much about pairing and wine complexity. If you aren't big into wine, I highly suggest doing a tasting with a pro. Learn a ton and can change your mind.

[Coach34]

Give me Napa wine and I'm happy. Tobin James makes some great stuff.

Outside of Napa-An excellent Cab is Silver Oak. A little pricey but well worth it for those special times

[Political Hack]

if you're going with Pinot noir, target the Russian river valley in California. best Pinot grapes come from that region. Oregon also has some nice ones. I drink Ponot Noir almost exclusively if I'm ordering or picking the wine. doesn't matter what I'm eating. light enough for anything and it's a red so still goes fine with steaks IMO.

[Bullmutt]

Totally agree C34- Silver Oak is probably the best value among the Cali elite Cabs. At $60+ it's not cheap, but it compares favorably with Cabs that are more than twice the price. Long a favorite of mine. The nose is unmistakable! You might try buying futures to save a few bucks. It is consistently good year-in and year-out!. Another consistently good performer for the money is Chateau Montelena.

Agree with Hack, too, on the RR Pinots. Another good source is the Carneros VA in south Napa. That VA is also a great choice for Chards- nice lush mouthfeel with just the right amount of minerality.

Beastman, if you ever want an alternative to Pinot when having scallops or lobster (especially if you're using a cream-based sauce) try the Rosemount Chard. It's not cheap ($28-32), but it's a match made in heaven for such dishes. Maybe for a special occassion- like a football Sat.

A couple of other current tastes of mine are good, full-bodied and lush Cali Syrahs (more affordable than Cabs of comparable quality) and, for dishes with alot of spice (Szechuan, Thai, Cajun) a good Alsatian Gewurstraminer (Trimbach is widely available- about $20). It is among the most unique of wines and is at once earthy, spicy, minerally and floral.

Would love to hear about other favorites from you guys. I guess it's pretty obvious by now that I'm a wino- in addition to a single malt addict.

[BeastMan]

@Bullmut

I really like the Cali Sryrah's and most of the red blends I like, including the Apothic I mentioned, have Sryah as one of the wines in the blend.

Even though I mentioned the Oregon Pinot's, I'd be wrong to not include La Crema among my favorites. Also didn't mention that I like a nice Malbec with a New York strip.

[FISHDAWG]

I have been known to partake if it's a very dry Merlot ..... but only when chasing Marlin down in Cabo

[Barking 13]

y'all are gonna laugh, but I prefer Franzia chillable red, in the box....

[fishwater99]

I like a few different types of Reds..

Red Zinfandel's are my favorite. I also really like Zin Blends.

Ridge, Ghost Pines, and Bogle make some great ones.
http://www.ridgewine.com/
http://www.ghostpines.com/red_blend.asp
http://www.boglewinery.com/ourwines_phantom.php

A good California Cabernet is a solid choice.

I'll drink a Pinot Noir too. A to Z and La Crema are solid
http://www.atozwineworks.com/pnoir
http://www.lacrema.com/index.cfm?met...1-7c8d4854938a

[Political Hack]

y'all are gonna laugh, but I prefer Franzia chillable red, in the box....

I don't know about the specific brands but box wines are becoming more attractive and used by some premier wine makers. Also, some growler stores are starting to offer good wines.

[BeastMan]

I don't know about the specific brands but box wines are becoming more attractive and used by some premier wine makers. Also, some growler stores are starting to offer good wines.

Franzia became college football famous when UT frat guys did a "Tour de Franzia" by chugging it in their ass. I'm sure Barking13 ingest it normally lol

[BeastMan]

I have been known to partake if it's a very dry Merlot ..... but only when chasing Marlin down in Cabo

sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen, DOES NOT USE SUNSCREEN

[Political Hack]

I remember the but chugger references but didn't know it was wine. wow.

[Barking 13]

Franzia became college football famous when UT frat guys did a "Tour de Franzia" by chugging it in their ass. I'm sure Barking13 ingest it normally lol

Yeah, I'm pretty normal... Exit only!

[BeastMan]

Haha. Just remember, if any UT fans wanna drink Franzia with you, be careful!!

[FISHDAWG]

you're right ... that's my fishing buddy and also my roof deck foreman ... he spends a lot of time on roofs under the hot Florida sun and does not wear any type of sunscreen ... I know it's painfully obvious

[Coach34]

Is it me or does the fish look like he is looking at the camera also?

[BeastMan]

Is it me or does the fish look like he is looking at the camera also?

Holy hell it does! lolololol

[Bullmutt]

For all you guys who like Zin, fw99 mentioned a great one in Ridge. They have several vineyard designated zins, my favorite of which is Lytton Springs, which started out as an independent producer of the same name before Ridge bought them out. great stuff! Ravenswood also used to have some great vineyard designated zins as well, though I haven't seen any lately. Could be they don't sell them in Alabama anymore, or it could be the Ravenswood, like so many other great independents, was bought out by one of the booze comglomerates and lost rights to those grapes.

The zins from the Sierra foothills or Amador County also offer some really good options.