White Zinfandel ftw

despite the name it's actually pink in color, there's some wine snob reason for that but I'm not sure what it is

1/16/2006 4:47:09 PM

one of my favorites

1/16/2006 10:19:44 PM

i like reds
love pinot noirs
Steel pinot is my favorite

i recommend going to Total Wine. the people who work there are pretty helpful. i tell them what i like and they recommend.
or there is a wine store by Whole Foods off wade ave
they're cool too

1/16/2006 10:24:15 PM

the best red ive had so far is the Beaujolais Nouveau

1/16/2006 10:25:28 PM

go to world market
get the toasted head meritage
drink gleefully

it is the best red i have ever had, and i've had some damn expensive bottles...for $10, i can't find a better red

1/16/2006 10:32:29 PM

ive had the steel pinot noir, it was alright
i liked the robert mondavi pinot noir better though.

1/16/2006 11:24:56 PM

agreed, r. mondavi wines are good, i like to buy them for parties

1/16/2006 11:27:32 PM

beringer white zinfandel.

it's pink. it tastes like you'd think pink wine would taste. sweet enough for new wine drinkers to get used to wine taste.

once you're used to that, get some yellow tail chardonnay or merlot.

1/16/2006 11:47:06 PM

ok, my advice for real: Don't listen to anything on here. Go to any wine place, find someone, and start talking to them. Tell them what you want, they should ask you some good questions, and you'll go home happy. I promise.

1/17/2006 12:08:13 AM

Screw Kappa Nappa is a surprisingly good wine for low $$$. Snobs will not like it on account of it having a screw top.

I also like a cheap wine that I've only seen at Wine Merchant next to Whole Foods... Has a gray label with three award medals printed on it. Don't remember the brand, but I think it was a blend.

I've tried Yellow Tail, but IMO its just another cheap grocery store wine and has given me a headache before.

[Edited on January 17, 2006 at 12:26 AM. Reason : s]

1/17/2006 12:14:58 AM

so what i had ended up getting that night was ernest and julio gallo white merlot, but didn't drink any til tonight b/c we had no clue where the corkscrew was

...terrible

i'm planning on finding some wine tastings and going, b/c i really want to find a wine i enjoy...but that's not going to happen for another two or three weeks.

yall gave a good number of suggestions, and posted a lot of info. thank you

1/17/2006 1:34:37 AM

Quote :

"the best red ive had so far is the Beaujolais Nouveau"

Beaujolais Nouveau is realeased every November. Its literally the "new" wine for the vintage. It really only keeps its taste for a couple months so you aren't going to find it throughout the year, or at least you shouldn't. It is almost the perfect wien for Thanksgiving with the timing of its release and the fact that its about as close to a white wine that reds get. It is incredibly easy drinking and generally liked by most everyone. However, its not something you are going to be able to drink year round so not one to buy in quantities or anything.

Quote :

"Snobs will not like it on account of it having a screw top."

This is starting to change though. Screw caps are the only consistent method for limiting "corking." Even the synthetic corks have a good amount of spoilage. I never knew that the rate could be aw high as 20% in standard bottles. Makes you wonder how many horrible wines you had were simply starting to spoil so you didn't get a fair taste.

Quote :

"i'm planning on finding some wine tastings and going, b/c i really want to find a wine i enjoy...but that's not going to happen for another two or three weeks."

These are the vendors I can think of off the top of my head with regular tastings:

Great Grapes (Cary @ Saltbox Village)
Usually free tastings every Friday 4:30-7:30 and Saturday Noon-4:00
http://greatgrapesonline.com/thisweeks.htm (hasn't been updated since Christmas though)

The Wine Merchant (Raleigh on Wade)
Usually on Saturdays they have free tastings. They do more in depth wine tastings that have a cover charge.
http://www.thewinemerchantinc.com/

Wine 'n Things (Raleigh on Creedmor)
Saturday, January 21st, from 1 to 5 PM. There is no charge to attend and sample 10 wines.
http://www.winenthings.com/

Carolina Wine Co. (Raleigh on Hillsborough near Cary)
They have wine open pretty much all the time but definitely on weekends. All of their wine is kept in one huge climate controlled room so its a bit chilly when picking out your wines but they are preserved at optimum temperatures.
http://carolinawine.biz

I recommend signing up for each vendors newsletter. You'll get regular emails on sales, tastings, specials, etc. This is how I get good wine at great prices. CarolinaWineCo sends more email than the others but they also have the most wine and the best prices. Its worth it.
http://greatgrapesonline.com/joinmail.asp
http://www.carolinawinecompany.com/phplist/lists/?p=subscribe
http://www.winenthings.com/newsletter_subcribe.htm

Also, this is coming up...
http://www.trianglewineexperience.org/
A bunch of local restaurants pair up with a vineyard for a full course meal with paired wines. Its a good chance for a good Valentine's Day alternative with great food and wine.

[Edited on January 17, 2006 at 10:13 AM. Reason : .]

1/17/2006 10:10:42 AM

i had some of the best wine ive tasted last week while in Tuscany

i think my favorite was the Chianti Classico

1/17/2006 12:32:30 PM

Quote :

"Snobs will not like it on account of it having a screw top."

Wines sealed with a screw top are better sealed than those with a cork. Cork sealed wines have a much higher rate of going bad as compared to screw top wines.

Did you know that cork has become pretty scarce? This is the main reason some bottlers are switching to screw tops. The only reason that current wine producers stick with corks is the tradition behind it. People that don't drink wine from a screw top bottle just because it has a screw top are stupid.

1/17/2006 1:37:06 PM

its also been shown that bagged wine keeps better then bottled wine.

1/17/2006 1:38:16 PM

eww i hate red wines.... much prefer dry whites

1/17/2006 1:59:24 PM

hahaha mon char
mon blanc
mon cab

lol

1/17/2006 11:54:04 PM

all aboard the night train to nowhere. or thunderbird.

1/17/2006 11:57:04 PM

White wines are training wines.....




My Fav's for the $$:

$9 Bogle Petite Syrah
$17 St Francis Zin

1/18/2006 12:01:06 AM

you all make way too many assumptions of wines...

Quote :

"White wines are training wines..... "

is ridiculous chardonnays are not as light as reislings or white zins... As for corks vs screw tops they are called stelvin(sp) closures and they are great for the first 5 years but they tend to start letting wine become corked more after those 5 years. in other words great unless you want to age your wines

1/24/2006 9:39:51 AM

yeah wtf.

a good chardonnay is hard to beat

1/24/2006 9:58:29 AM

^^ Eh, that isn't quite what I had heard on Stelvin. Stelvin closures all but eliminate the traditional "corking" problems. Though wines aren't becoming corked in the traditional sense they are experiencing a different side effect fromt he closure. Basically, Stelvin closures are too airtight and the lack of oxygen getting in is causing problems. Wines are held in stasis so there is little to no aging of the wine (can be good and bad). Here is a good article on it from Wine Spectator...

http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Archives/Show_Article/0,1275,4861,00.html

I also have to agree that knocking white wines is retarded... pop open a white burgundy and you'll change your mind.

1/24/2006 1:02:09 PM

fortified

1/24/2006 1:38:08 PM

Quote :

"People that don't drink wine from a screw top bottle just because it has a screw top are stupid. "

I agree 100%. I understand that if you're ordering a nice bottle at a rest. that it might "take away" from the whole wine presentation.. but there are so many good wines that have screw tops now.. people are really going to miss out if they don't drink the screw tops.

My fav screw top.. A to Z Pinot Noir MMMMmmm, hooray for good Oregon wines!

1/24/2006 2:03:18 PM

Quote :

" I also have to agree that knocking white wines is retarded... pop open a white burgundy and you'll change your mind."

If you think I haven't tried them, you're kidding yourself. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and that happens to be mine. Not really concerned with whether you agree with it or not.

I usually keep about 30 bottles at any given time, and keep about 5 of those whites or roses just to serve guests and be hospitable. I personally do not care for them.

1/24/2006 3:49:38 PM

you have 30 bottles lying around? party at your place!

1/24/2006 4:15:33 PM

That's why I have 30+.... I don't throw wild parties and let everyone drink all the good stuff for the sake of saying they did. No thanks.

BTW... If I were theoretically going to pick a favorite white, it'd be a white merlot.

1/24/2006 4:30:44 PM

my favs are either fetzer or covey run gewurtztraminer... good white wine that is slightly sweet, yet crisp and light. under $10... other brands are pretty decent as well.

Quote :

"go to world market get the toasted head meritage drink gleefully"

i don't really like red wines... in fact, i downright dislike them.... but my boyfriend got toasted head Cabernet Sauvignon the other weekend and i actually really really liked it.

[Edited on January 24, 2006 at 4:36 PM. Reason : .]

1/24/2006 4:30:48 PM

yeah i was kind of kidding about the party, but okay. if you guys want to try some fantastic, award-winning local whites, go to the Chatham Hill winery (that i've advertised on this very thread already). it's 10 minutes from campus.

1/24/2006 4:35:44 PM

I have not had it myself, but have been told that sangiovese is the shit, hands down.

It's $10-$16 a bottle at Total Wine.

1/24/2006 6:45:39 PM