[LACSTER]

Who drinks it and what's your recommendations? Here's a few that I have in my wine rack. Cakebread, Simi, Caymus just to mention a few.

[Bimmer Nerd]

1 glass of wine is good for everybody, it helps your red blood cells,improves your blood circulation and aids the lungs for breathing.

[ACZakka325i]

Cakebread is overpriced as earlier vintages were better. Don't get me wrong, I still love the stuff. But their white are especially overpriced.

Caymus - cant go wrong with, great top shelf label.

Simi is good stuff as is anything from russian river valley (white).

Im partial to italian wines. Good values to be found. Love Ornellaia, but they are pricey. My recomendation is to always try a great Winemakers second label. Instead of buying Ornellaia-Ornellaia, i get Ornellaia "le serre nuove". Its a little younger but still scores over 90 from Wine Specator (2005). Whole sale is about $35. As opposed to the top label whole sale price of near $100.

Also a fan of Gaja. Especially Gaja Ca'Marcanda Promis. Whole Sale cost of about $35 again, and also scored above 90 from WS for the 2005.

Other stuff I like are your Bordeauxs, any of the 1-5th growths if i can get my hands on them withouth spending a fortune.

If you wanna talk Cali - I love Stags Leap, Chimney Rock, Ladera, Simi, Joseph Phelps.

There are increadible values to be found in Spain. I love spanish wine, especially Rioja. For the best Rioja, look to the Ribero Del Duero region as they produce the best. You can find nice, easy drinking, light, wine (rioja) from $9/bottle wholesale. I cant get enough! The best recent vintage was 2001. Rioja is a great alternative to your Pinot Noir, Merlot, light/easy drinking wines. They arent full bodied, chewy, or toasty (as in oak). But, those wines produce great fruit aromas (cherry, rasberry) and are great in your warmer weather months.

I'd love to chat wine, but I have a feeling this forum is a little more of a liquor/beer crowd. I would say younger, but then again im only 25.

[ACZakka325i]

My trophies are (in my very young growing collection):

2000 - St. Julien, Bordeaux - Le Croix du Beaucaillou - 3rd growth - I have 1 of these

1989 - St. Julien, Bordeaux - Chateau Talbot - not sure what growth, def in top 3- only have 1

2000 - St. Julien, Bordeaux - Chateau Lagrange - 3rd growth - I have 5 of these


If you can get your hands on any 2000 Bordeaux's, Horde them!

Next would be 2005's which are just being released, but are marked up being noted as possibly one of the best vintages ever.

Im trying to buy some great Cali Cabs. Any recomendations?

[LACSTER]

You nailed in on the cali cabs. Stag's is very good! Justin's and Merryville are also great. I don't think I'm up to your level yet but I still can enjoy a nice glass. Thanks for your recommendations.

[ACZakka325i]

What are you interested in? What grapes, price range, style?

[Joekerr]

I might be a noob, but for a california cabernet sauvignon, my favourite to date is the J.Lohr "Seven Oaks" (2005).

[ACZakka325i]

Originally Posted by Joekerr

I might be a noob, but for a california cabernet sauvignon, my favourite to date is the J.Lohr "Seven Oaks" (2005).

Fragrant, spicy cedar, dill and cigar box notes mingle with currant and cherry flavors on a smooth frame, with modest intensity. Drink now through 2012. 300,000 cases made

South Coast California, Scored an 84, and should be about $23/bottle retail.
Decent stuff.

Im just pulling the above from Wine Spectator BTW. Minus the "decent stuff" haha

[Digital.James]

for the freakin life of me, no matter how much wine I drink... it all tastes the same. I can taste the difference between types of wines, like cabs, merlots, shiraz and others. But for the life of me I cant tell the difference between good ones and bad ones of the same type. what am I doing wrong?

[Joekerr]

Yeah, I've got a case of it at home, really enjoy it and its pretty affordable.

I actually just went to a premium taste & buy event in Toronto last night - what a night, absolutely amazing wines.

Of the more notable ones, I had some Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (1995), L'aventure Estate Cuvee (2005), Ornellaia (2005) - fantastic wine, still a very firm tannic structure but it is young and would definitely benefit from some aging, Chateau Montrose (2005), and a Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (2005).

Food was fantastic as well, overall, event was well worth the $95 I paid to get in!

[ACZakka325i]

Originally Posted by Joekerr

I actually just went to a premium taste & buy event in Toronto last night - what a night, absolutely amazing wines.

Of the more notable ones, I had some Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (1995), L'aventure Estate Cuvee (2005), Ornellaia (2005) - fantastic wine, still a very firm tannic structure but it is young and would definitely benefit from some aging, Chateau Montrose (2005), and a Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (2005).

Food was fantastic as well, overall, event was well worth the $95 I paid to get in!

Yea with those wines AND dinner, I'd say so!

[Ennio335i]

Those are all great, but nothing beats homemade.

[ACZakka325i]

Originally Posted by Ennio335i

Those are all great, but nothing beats homemade.

Everything "homemade" I've had tastes like vinegar.

[karliejai]

last cali cab i had was Francis Coppola Director's Cut '06
it was very nice.

[ukthunderace]

Tommasi, Ornellaia, Antinori, Frescobaldi, Recchia, Bertani, Masi, and Quintarelli.
Some of the best wine in the world comes from the Veneto and the Tuscany regions of Italy. Amarone...the best. Brunello di Montalcino...also fantastic.
My best is probably my Masseto...will be opening a bottle next week for my 40th. Next are my Amarones. Tonight was straight up Valpolicella Classico Superiore.
Sicilian wines are great too. Nero d'Avola is a spicy wine. There are so many to try over here.

['Cane]

Originally Posted by ukthunderace

Tommasi, Ornellaia, Antinori, Frescobaldi, Recchia, Bertani, Masi, and Quintarelli.
Some of the best wine in the world comes from the Veneto and the Tuscany regions of Italy. Amarone...the best. Brunello di Montalcino...also fantastic.
My best is probably my Masseto...will be opening a bottle next week for my 40th. Next are my Amarones. Tonight was straight up Valpolicella Classico Superiore.
Sicilian wines are great too. Nero d'Avola is a spicy wine. There are so many to try over here.

Another big fan of the Italian reds here.

[Tondtar]

I am not a big wine connoisseur but had my share of great Australian Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet for the past few years

[Back in a Subie]

Just read this post, and then the very next thing I read on the news is about how some wines are potentially very bad for us:

Some Wines Contain Dangerous Metals

(Nov. 5) - Wine is known to have some health benefits. But some wines carry levels of metal so high that just one glass a day may raise the risk of serious health problems like Parkinson's disease or cancer, a study found.

British scientists measured the metal content of red and white wines from 15 countries: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Italy, Jordan, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia and Spain. Only wines from Argentina, Brazil and Italy were safe.

The researchers measured the wines' "target hazard quotients," or THQs, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency safety exposure measurement. Anything listed at less than 1 THQ is considered safe. Some seafoods that have caused concern have had between 1 and 5 THQs.

Scientists in the wine study found that typical wines have THQs ranging from 50 to 200 per glass. Red and white wines from Hungary and Slovakia were the most alarming, reaching THQ levels of 300. Only wines from Argentina, Brazil and Italy were safe.

The levels of vanadium, copper and manganese had the highest impact on THQ measures, researchers said. Excess intake of metal ions has been linked to neurological problems like Parkinson's disease. It is also thought to boost oxidative damage, a key factor in chronic inflammatory disease -- which can lead to cancer.

The report was published by Declan Naughton and Andrea Petróczi from London's Kingston University, in the Oct. 30 edition of Chemistry Central Journal.

SOURCE

[Bimmer330i]

Ahhh... I love this post... and I love red wines.

Some very reasonably-priced reds that I enjoy on a regular basis are:

Dutschke "Willow Blend" Red 2004, 90 pts. RP, Australia (about $24)
Dashe Zinfandel 2006, 91 pts. RP, California (about $25)
Earthquake Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 (about $25)
Carr Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Napa Valley (about $21)

There are so many more to list too, but these are nice ones. I really enjoy Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Zinfandels... as well as some blends.

Best thing to do is experiment and as you try them, keep a log. Once you do it for awhile, you will realize that you like a certain region, or a certain varietal. It really becomes lots of fun.

I just wish I didn't drop hundreds and hundreds of dollars each time I swing into the local wine shoppe. No... I don't have a problem.

ENJOY!!!

[MTV]

Red wine ftw

[Couch]

Originally Posted by Mi330xi

Just read this post, and then the very next thing I read on the news is about how some wines are potentially very bad for us:



SOURCE

They failed to include California wines in their study.

I love red wine. Merlot and Cabernet Souvignon are my favorite.

When I graduated college, one of the gifts my parents gave me were 12 different types of wines from different countries.

I drink on a budget and it's not the best by any means, but Yellow Tail does the trick.

I've been having to stay away from wine at weddings. As I tend to drink 2+ bottles.

[montreal_bimmer]

Peter Franus is one of the best wine producers in Cali... definatly a MUST try

Jordan Cabernet is good...

and you cant go wrong with a bottle of dominus or screaming eagle(very pricey)...

Viader is an excellent choice....


my bread and butter are Bordeaux wines....

Chateau Margaux is #1 for me