Wine... What's all the fuss?

[7percent]

Groupon for a tour of a "Winery"; http://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/west-london/Chiltern-Valley-Winery/16573230

 

[Park Lane James]

Red wine is the best kind of drunk. Nothing beats it. Very nice and hazy, I seem to become more loving of everything in general, a lot more relaxed, but can dance for hours on end. It's great - BUT, it has the worst fudging hangovers, unless you drink loads of water before going to sleep. And your teeth become purple too, unless you continue to "clean" them with your tongue every now and then. Enjoy, red wine is great, my favorite drink without a doubt!

Having been around my parents drinking wine for years, they always seem to go on about red wine and its notorious hangovers. Apparently my brother becomes a right grouchy and argumentative bastard when he drinks the red stuff. I'm only 22 so my palette isn't as developed yet, but I can go with a glass of white wine with some food but not enjoy it too much. I'll give it a try every now and then with the parents but nothing else

 

[rxl]

Anyone make their own?

 

[markysimmo]

Anyone make their own?

I love moonshine

 

[scaramanga]

I'm seeing a lot of blasphemy in this thread.

There are only two rules to remember about wine:

1) Red wine comes from France (pref Bordeaux or Burgundy)
2) White wine is for slags on hen nights (unless it's a dessert wine)

 

[Eriktheviking]

I'm seeing a lot of blasphemy in this thread.

There are only two rules to remember about wine:

1) Red wine comes from France (pref Bordeaux or Burgundy)
2) White wine is for slags on hen nights (unless it's a dessert wine)

For me;

Red wine comes from italy.

White, if its the only thing left comes from New Zealand

 

[Lily White]

Anyone make their own?

Yes but not from grapes and its made traditionally. I've made wine from apples, apricots, raisins, blackberries, crab-apples, damsons, dandelions, elderberries, elderflowers, gooseberries, nettles, potatoes, rose-hips, runner beans, sloes and wheat. It all depends on what fruit and veg I have at the time and its basically fruit, yeast and sugar with no chemicals added, its the chemicals that seem to give hangovers.

 

[awesome dawson]

Not sure how easy it is to get over in UK but Shiraz from Heathcote (Victoria, Australia) is liquid velvet. Barossa Valley also specializes in producing good deep Shiraz's.

 

[Golfball]

Wine is very much like cars, you get what you pay for! Occasionally you come across a good bottle at a decent price but when you consider the cost of bottle, packaging, shipping, production, profit margins etc. it makes me wonder how people can expect to drink good wine for under £10 a bottle. Once you take the other factors into account a £5 bottle of wine probably contains about 50 pence worth of liquid.

I would recommend joining Laithwaites or a similar wine club, you get to try a lot of different wines and they usually come with tasting notes to allow you to build your knowledge.

Yes good wine wont be cheap, but also I've been told by someone who is a real expert in wine that a lot of the expensive bottles are a real con and no better than the cheaper bottles (not the really cheap). They know some people will just pick the most expensive as they have to have the apparent best.

 

[Daisuk]

As some have mentioned already, my advice would be to join a good wine club. The buyer/sommelier will provide you with a few bottles every month that they have personally selected since they get to taste hundreds of different wines from across the globe every month. A lot of these clubs will focus on a different wine region each month and offer you a few differing wines (with tasting notes) that showcase the spectrum of wines available from there. Plus there are hundreds of books available to read if you want to get a bit deeper. If you go to a store, make sure to ask the wine buyer for their recommendation since they will probably have tried all the wines on the shelf and can help find a wine that fits with your personal preferences. If you just go to the supermarket on your own, you end up buying the label, not the wine inside.

I should probably mention that I sell wine for a living. Like most, I never really understood all the fuss until what I like to refer to as my "wine epiphany". I was in my late 20's and working in a nice restaurant in San Diego when I got the chance to taste a '97 Chateau St. Jean "Cinq Cepages" and it literally stopped me in my tracks. Now I had tasted many wines before then, and had liked some and disliked others but when I tasted this wine it instantly clicked in my mind that "ahhhh...now I get why some people are so in to wine!". I wanted to write poetry about all the flavours going on inside my mouth and the weight and delicacy of the wine. The finish lasted for a good 20 seconds and instead of polishing the glass off I nurtured it for a good hour as I didn't want it to end (and I couldn't afford to buy a bottle on my own!). Since then, I have tried to shop at reputable wine stores and explored the diverse offering of wines with help from the store specialists since it is impossible to choose a nice bottle by it's label (and price) alone.

The most important thing to remember when drinking wine is to enjoy it. If you don't like it that's fine. Try something different next time since there is such a myriad of flavour profiles for you to experiment with. Most wine is for drinking, not eulogising (as I did above ) about. Treat it the same as trying a different style of beer. There are so many wine afficianados/snobs out there who tend to cast this perception of wine as some sort of mysterious object that only they and their friends really understand. It's complete flimflam. Wine is made from grapes, it's that simple. Treat it as you would any other beverage.

oh, and to answer the OP's original question, the "fuss" is based upon the fact that a well-trained grapevine can provide juice which has move flavour compounds in it than any other fruit or vegetable, which when combined with a world-class winemaker can become the most complex drink on the planet.

Wow, this made me want to taste something extraordinary too. My favorite wine so far was one a few years back from South Africa called 'Goats In Villages', haha, funny name and a great wine. Haven't found it since then, which seems to be the case with most wines I like.

 

[Robbo]

Screw wine. Drink beer.

 

[ringo]

Thing about wine is, as Skinhead in a Suit pointed out, you wonder what all the fuss is until you have really good glass of wine - and then you realise. Recapturing that moment can be difficult and expensive, though. I also think your taste in wine is often influenced by early experiences with wine. In the early 80s I had an excellent bottle of Crozes-Hermitage - from Jaboulet - and I definitely tend to favour red wines from the Rhone over those from Bordeaux. For white wine, though, I really like Sauternes and not just with pudding. It's my favourite wine, unfortunately, as it's not cheap.

To the OP. Find a good wine merchant. Preferably a small independent. Ask lots of questions. Wine merchants are usually enthusiasts as well as business people, they will happily talk about wine for hours, and they will help point you in different directions once you begin to discover what you do and don't like.

If you are ever in Brighton -check out this place - www.butlers-winecellar.co.uk.

Robbo -drink both.

 

[jts1882]

Some wines need no description:

 

[greatwhitenorf]

Wine was a mystery until a wine bar opened down the street from my university residence. They used old pedal-powered sewing machines as tables(minus the machine) so you could play a little rythmic footsie with your companion. It proved to be an excellent preliminary venue before bringing the evening's conquest home. Ended up working part time there and earned while I learned.

Once wine's capabilities as a liquid panty remover were established, it was easy to become an enthusiast. Once you get into it, finding quality and value is a more comfortable process. There's enjoyment in different varietals from all over the world. The only suggestion I would give a newcomer would be to treat wine drinking different from beer drinking. Beer, you just get tucked into it the minute it's poured. White wine can be like that. But good red wine, which you really want to get into, you almost have to plan ahead to get the best out of it. Crack it open, pour a bit into a glass and give it a swirl to let it breathe and open up and sip away. Most reds are best enjoyed after they've had 15-40 minutes to breathe. Those tight, tart tannins release and the flavours open up.

Current faves would be the great reds coming out of Mencia in Spain. Monastrell is another great choice. Argentina is also a rising star, with fabulous reds coming out of the Mendoza region. Very consistent in quality. California produces some wonderful stuff, too, but tends to be unjustifiably pricey. I've found their Zinfandels easy to enjoy. A lot less serious and stuffy than the Cabernets or Pinot Noirs. If unavailable or unaffordable, try the Italian version, Primitivo. Same grape, same bright, lively taste at a better price.

I've stayed away from certain varietals of late - Italian Chianti and Bordeaux and Burgundy from France. Sure, there's great wines still coming out of both regions, but consistency has been lacking. Merely decent wines have become pricey as a result, the poor ones a massive disappointment. Supposedly, the French have had a good season this year, so one hopes they can stop living off reputation and return to value and consistency. That's led to a search for alternatives and I've been impressed with Primitivo from Italy and a number of interesting products from France's Corbieres region.

Not a big drinker, but certainly lived a little in my youth. Just past 50 and happy to maintain a 34-inch waistline. I hardly go for beer anymore. Gin and tonic in summer is it for liquor. Mostly go for quality reds now, good for lowering cholestorol, if not ladies' unmentionables. As suggested earlier, it's a good idea to drink a glass of water or two during a session and, for the sake of your smile and your breath, brush your teeth after a night of imbibing, your tongue, too, all the way back.

Anyway, here's what's floating my boat these days. Hope it's of use:

Argentina - Alamos Malbec, Alta Vista Malbec, Finca Flichman Expresiones Shiraz/Cabernet, Catena Malbec or Cabernet, Concha y Toro Trio(3-wine blend, red or white)

France (Corbieres) - Chateau de Fontenelles, Chateau des Aladeres, Chateau des Ollieux

Italy (Primitivo) - Appollonio, Coppi Peucetico, Luccarelli (bargain),
Italy (Merlot/Cab) - Casal Thaulero(bargain)

Spain (Mencia) - Peique, Abad Dom Bueno, Descendientes Palacios Petalos, Solarde Sael
Spain (Monastrell - Olivares Altos de la Hoya

USA (Zinfandel) - Peacy Canyon, Lockwood, Liberty School
USA (Cabernet Sauvignon) - Liberty School
USA (Pinot Noir) - Mirassou(bargain)

White wines

Austria (Gruner Veltliner) (any label, haven't had a bad one yet)
New Zealand (Sauvignon Blanc) - Cloudy Bay, Kim Crawford
Canada (Riesling) - Cave Spring
Canada (Sauvignon Blanc) - Stratus

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

Screw wine. Drink beer.

This


though i can happily drink a bottle of scotch in a night, never got into wine only have it when the mother in law uses it liberally in her cooking. Of course i do the old party trick at parties if the is a box of wine i put it on the kitchen bar and crouch underneath it and see how much i can drink before spitting it out again.

 

[Skinhead in a Suit]

I'm seeing a lot of blasphemy in this thread.

There are only two rules to remember about wine:

1) Red wine comes from France (pref Bordeaux or Burgundy)
2) White wine is for slags on hen nights (unless it's a dessert wine)

1) Yes, they are the 2 most famous, and oldest, wine growing regions in France. They are also the most expensive, and as someone else mentioned, very inconsistent. Expand your horizons into Southern France and you'll find better value and better daily-drinking wines.
2) Blasphemy! The single greatest wine in the world is white burgundy. If I could drink Meursault every day I would be the happiest man alive. Then there's Vouvrays, Sancerre's or northern Italian whites with their bracing acidity.

 

[Skinhead in a Suit]

An easy method of navigating the vast world of imported wines is to find an importer who's taste you like and trust, and then buying their wines. And never buy a bottle of wine that you've seen advertised on a billboard.

 

[ringo]

1) Yes, they are the 2 most famous, and oldest, wine growing regions in France. They are also the most expensive, and as someone else mentioned, very inconsistent. Expand your horizons into Southern France and you'll find better value and better daily-drinking wines.
2) Blasphemy! The single greatest wine in the world is white burgundy. If I could drink Meursault every day I would be the happiest man alive. Then there's Vouvrays, Sancerre's or northern Italian whites with their bracing acidity.

Any tips on vineyards?

 

[southstand1882]

Pre-dinner - White wine
During dinner - Red wine
Post dinner - Port

 

[Jammy]

Post dinner - Port

Hell yeah. Love my port.