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Looking for a little advice from the wine snobs. I mean that in a good way.


Skippy
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I tried to play along with the tasting when we were doing them. However, you guys lost me pretty quickly as my wine source, PA State Stores, did not carry a few of the brands that we were going after so I drifted.

 

What I have figured out is that I am probably less than 50% at picking something that I really enjoy. I tend to stick to under $15 bottles and I know that I don’t care much for the reds but I want to try to move a little beyond where I am at.

 

Where I am at:

I enjoy domestic Riesling’s. I almost never go wrong with what I pick in the Riesling area but I know that I am sticking to some very similar stuff. What I had last night that my wife and her friend along with myself enjoyed are:

Kendal Jackson 2005 Riesling – our vote as our favorite of the night.

Chateau Ste Michelle 2006 Riesling – 2nd place by a hair.

Beringer 2006 Riesling – 3rd but still one that we enjoyed and will get again.

Beringer White Merlot – 4th overall but once again a very good 4th that I think we will have again.

 

Now if you know what I am tasting up there and know that we like those please fell free to broaden my horizon. I am thinking about a German Riesling for this Friday night but what I would really like to know is what varietals, (is that the correct word?), I go to that won’t be such a hugh change from the Riesling that would be low risk of us thinking yuck at first taste.

 

Have at it. I want to pick up three different bottles and I normally get two of one that I am pretty sure that I like but would like to have between six and eight bottles ready for our Friday lineup this week.

 

Oh and feel free to suggest some food to go with our wine. I don’t really mean dinner as we really like to do PF Changs on wine night and the Rieslings seem to go great with that but maybe some smaller foods or cheese’s to go with the wine, if you know what I mean.

 

Thanks in advance!

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Skip - it sounds like you and I are about equivalent when it comes to wine. I've dabbled in the reds but not enough to learn to appreciate them. I went from white zen to pinot grigio to reislings like you. I did pick up different souvignon blancs during the last year. As a person who enjoys white wines, I think you'll really enjoy them. I had particular luck with those from New Zealand.

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http://home.comcast.net/~schmidtpeter/Wines/riesling.html

 

i think you will enjoy some german and alsatian rieslings. rieslings and gwertz go very well with asian and spicier foods. some cheeses that go well with them: appenzeller, gruyere, jarlsberg, camembert.

 

kesseler was very good. trimbach. hugel. schlumberger.

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Try to find the Saint M riesling. Dr. Loosen is at the top of the game when it comes to german rieslings. He's made the Eroica with Chateau Ste. Michelle for years. Saint M is another collaboration but german grapes.

 

Growing up, we drank wine at home every sunday night but starting off, I only liked the rieslings. Everything else just came. From Rieslings to Pinot Gris to Sauv Blancs to some Stainless Steel Chards to oaky chards, with a few gewurtz and white burgs thrown in along the way. I did inventory at my wine locker yesterday and out of almost 1000 bottles, I have less than 50 whites now.

 

I'd definitely try some Pinot Gris / Grigio soon. If you can find some 06 Willamette Valley Pinot Gris, you should get a mouthful of fruit. (06 was a record harvest for the valley). They won't be overly dry or give you a mouthful of oak or tannins. Elk Cove or King Estate would be good bottles to look for with a strong push to the elk cove.

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For starters, you needn't be so quick to move past riesling. Some of the finest wines in the world are rieslings.

 

If you want to try German one's, here's a quick primer because the labels are really hard to decipher.

 

For starters, they're ranked in terms of sugar at harvest in the following categories:

QBA- Most QBA wines don't say it but you know it's the case because if they could say otherwise, they would. So, this is the bottom rung, but nothing to steer clear of as long as the producer is sound. It's just the lightest of their offerings.

Kabinett- Good ones tend to cost in the mid teens or so retail

Spatlese- Starting to get pretty big and possibly quite sweet depending on the style

Auslese- This is going to either be very big, very sweet, or both. Can be spectacular but good ones are pricy.

 

The other important thing to look for is style.

Troken- Dry

Halp troken- Off-Dry or barely sweet

If it doesn't say either, then assume the wine is at least relatively sweet, more so if it is Spatlese or Auslese

 

Now the hard part, the producers. It might be safest to point you towards importers because the good ones are going to be solid throughout. Just look at the back label to see who it is.

 

Michael Skurnik, Rudi Weist, Chapin Cellars, and Vin di Vino are all very solid and represent great producers. There are others to be sure.

 

In terms of bridge wines. I second the Vouvray suggestion but would go further to suggest any Chenin Blanc (that's what Vouvray is made from). South Africa makes some pretty tasty versions as does Napa. Chenin is often a pretty good value because it doesn't get much respect (but should).

 

Any wine from Alsace should appeal to those who like Riesling which would include Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewurtz, and a handful of other lesser known varietals. In fact, many producers offer a blend that is usually among their cheapest wines. Those tend to include a number of those odd-ball varieties but can be really tasty. I'd also like to point out that, while Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are the same grape, the vast majority of Pinot Grigio is much lighter in style than your average Pinot Gris. The good news about Alsace is that the big producers all do a pretty good job, so the stuff that makes it to your market should be solid.

 

I saw the Viognier suggestion and, while I find most at lower price points to be flabby and out of whack, I can understand the allure for those who are new to wine. After all, the high acid that those of us who drink a ton of wine sometimes crave can be rather off-putting to those new to the game. On the other hand, when Viognier is at it's best... off the freaking hook and undeniably delicious.

 

I also second the M riesling call. Fine juice for the money.

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had a dinner of braised sirloin tips and new baby reds. Two Widmer Drop Top Ambers went well with this. After dinner I popped a bottle of Taylor Fladgate 15 year old port and have been absolutely loving life. I seem to enjoy all wines more after dinner rather than with dinner and beers with dinner rather than after. Is that odd?

Edited by Hugh B Tool
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had a dinner of braised sirloin tips and new baby reds. Two Widmer Drop Top Ambers went well with this. After dinner I popped a bottle of Taylor Fladgate 15 year old port and have been absolutely loving life. I seem to enjoy all wines more after dinner rather than with dinner and beers with dinner rather than after. Is that odd?

Beer and food is a completely under-appreciated combo. Well, at least by those who make a point of trying to specifically pair the two. Obviously a ton of people drink beer with food but they typically don't think about what they're eating and which beer would go best (the way people typically do with wine). We do about 5 special beer dinners per year at the restaurant and they're actually much more fun for me as a chef. One thing, beer is way more versatile than wine. While certain beers make a great combo with certain foods, they're typically not going to be horrible with others. Stouts and porters being pretty much the only ones that can be problematic with certain things. With wine, that's not as much the case. If you drink a Cab with a salad of fennel, pears, and goat cheese with lemon vin, it's going to downright suck ass. At the same time, a Sauv Blanc with grilled steak and demi-glace is going to be just as bad. Meanwhile, you could drink an IPA or any number of medium weight beers with either of those dishes and be OK. There would certainly be better choices for either but plenty of options that go with both.

 

My wife enjoys drinking wine while we prepare dinner much more than she does while we're eating it. FWIW

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