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What Wine

Nate1977 said:
Thanks all we are going threw these putting on paper and see whats available at the state store and/or online
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I found this site (just heads up, I've not purchased from them...yet. And no, I have no affiliation.) because I was searching for Croatian wines and they were one of the extreme few that imported wines from Croatia. If you have a chance to taste Croatian wines, give it a try. They are very underrated from what I've heard/experienced. I only tried a handful of wines while in Croatia last year but I remember them being very good.

http://www.klwines.com/
 
If you're just starting out, don't bother laying anything down because you'd be better off spending that money on trying different things. There are very few whites that are meant to be aged and most of the reds you find on the shelf at the grocery or liquor store aren't either. However, that doesn't mean you can't get some great wines there. Find the shelf in your price range and work your way down it. A great place to pick up wine flights and reasonably priced bottles is woot.wine. I am lucky enough to have a world class wine shop within a mile of me, but I've picked up some great steals there.

Definitely keep a list. I've found the best way to organize it is by location, from state down to the individual vineyards that many winery's own. Don't spend too much either. Just like cigars, it takes time to learn and appreciate the nuances of wine and paying $250 for a bottle of Robert Caldwell Platinum (definitely worth $250 dollars) is a waste. If you want to splurge on a bottle from a more celebrated small winery, look for their proprietary blends. Stag's Leap Artemis is a great bottle of wine, but for half the price they may a blend called Left Hand. The aforementioned Caldwell also makes a less expensive blend called Rocket Science. Both are a fraction of the price and you get to experience great wine from great makers.

Black Cloud made a great point about finding wines from less popular areas. Spanish wines are incredible but underrated in the States and the prices reflect that. If your wife likes the sweeter whites try an Albariño. They are sweet, but not dessert wine sweet. If you want reds that will stand up to the heavy weight California cabs try any of the tempranillos from the Rioja region although they are more peppery.

And definitely keep an eye on the reviews. Wine drinkers are not shy about reviewing anything.
 
Corneighdo said:
Port is great
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Glad someone said this. It's very hard to go wrong with a good port, and you don't need to spend a ridiculous amount of cash on it unless you get into the older vintages. My favorite isn't a "real" port because it's Australian, but Hardy's Whisker's Blake Classic Tawny really satisfies that sweet tooth and only about $15 a bottle. Added bonus-- tawny ports pair really well with cigars!
 
Solvang is nice. Unless you're diabetic. ;)

Cute town. I spent a wonderful afternoon there with my girlfriend at the time, talking to an artist---John St. John---at his studio there. And eating way too many pastries! :oops:

~Boar
 
The Black Cloud said:
I found this site (just heads up, I've not purchased from them...yet. And no, I have no affiliation.) because I was searching for Croatian wines and they were one of the extreme few that imported wines from Croatia. If you have a chance to taste Croatian wines, give it a try. They are very underrated from what I've heard/experienced. I only tried a handful of wines while in Croatia last year but I remember them being very good.

http://www.klwines.com/
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This is where I shop for wines almost exclusively outside of the winery direct. They are a five minute drive from my office and home. Best wine shop I've been to. And they ship! Extremely good prices- sign up for their mailing list.
 
Corneighdo said:
This is where I shop for wines almost exclusively outside of the winery direct. They are a five minute drive from my office and home. Best wine shop I've been to. And they ship! Extremely good prices- sign up for their mailing list.
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They do not ship to my PA :(
 
Nate1977 said:
They do not ship to my PA :(
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Yeah PA is strict with rules. I think you used to be able to not get any wine shipped out of state, but recently they changed that.
Here is what you do- shop on K & L's sight, then buy on wine.com what you can find on both... definitely sign up for their newsletter to learn.
 
Nate,

You generally don't lay down white wines for periods of time. Most inexpensive white wines will go bad in a few years. As far as red wines to store for a while, you'd want to look at mid-priced to expensive French Bordeauxs and Burgundies.

The best years for mid-priced French red Bordeauxs are:

2014
2010
2009
2005
2000
1995

The Burgundies are all over the lot depending on the area and the producer.

Red Burgundies are 100% Pinot Noir, Red Bordeauxs are Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blends. The ones from the left bank of the Gironde River are generally mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and the ones from the right bank are mostly if not all Merlot. White Burgundies are 100% Chardonnay.

I personally think that the best wines in the world come from France and my favorites are the left bank Bordeauxs because I like Cabernet Sauvignon more than Merlot.

Another major area in France is the Rhone Valley which are mostly reds. The primary grapes are Syrah (Northern Rhone) and Grenache (Southern Rhone). In general, these are not as light as Burgundies but lighter than Bordeauxs.

PA has state run liquor stores, don't they? That kinda blows because your selection is probably much more limited than states that don't operate state run liquor stores.

You need to get down to Delaware or Maryland an find a Total Wine & More store, they have over 150 stores nationwide and the largest one is in Claymont, DE. Their selection of wine's is unbelievable including an awesome selection of French wines.
 
Not A Nice Person said:
I like Becker Vineyard's Iconoclast wines, especially the "Celebration," which is a cab/merlot blend. It's a Texas vineyard, so it may be a bit harder to find in PA than here. o_O

If you're just starting in wines, as with cigars, try lots of different things and keep a list of what you liked and what you liked about them. If you can find a local wine shop or wine tasting room, all the better. One of my friends is a serious collector, and his wine shop's sommelier keeps a list of his purchases and CALLS him when something hits its peak aging potential!

I'm not super knowledgeable myself, but when I first started with wine, Kendall-Jackson was my benchmark for comparison---they're big, classic California style wines, instantly drinkable and really hard not to like.

~Boar
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Oh man, I'm sorry but even though KJ Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay is one of the most popular wines around, I can't stomach it.....:eek: Too many California Chardonnays are overly oaked and "buttery" which don't do it for me. French Chardonnays are either lightly oaked or not oaked at all and French oak is not as pronounced as American oak so I find those much more appealing than the California Chards.
 
I like oaky and buttery myself, but frankly, I'm more of a Cabernet guy. KJ's cab is like a big juicy steak. Even nowadays, it's what I get if I want to be absolutely sure of my choice. My house wine is Low Hanging Fruit, though. It's a gem at the price point.

~Boar
 
Not A Nice Person said:
I like oaky and buttery myself, but frankly, I'm more of a Cabernet guy. KJ's cab is like a big juicy steak. Even nowadays, it's what I get if I want to be absolutely sure of my choice. My house wine is Low Hanging Fruit, though. It's a gem at the price point.

~Boar
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LOL, Low Hanging Fruit, you must be near a Total Wine, lots of 'em in the Lone Star State!
 
Not A Nice Person said:
Nope. HEB carries it. We do have a Spec's here, though . . . couple years now!

~Boar
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Wow, HEB looks like a pretty cool place! I had never heard of them before and just goooglead them. We don't have these up here in the anal retentive northeast. You can only get some beer in grocery stores, wine and liquor can only be sold in liquor stores and the liquor stores can pretty much only sell liquor. I have a sister and brother in law who live in the Dallas area and they love it down there.

How 'bout them Astros?
 
CoventryCat86 said:
Wow, HEB looks like a pretty cool place! I had never heard of them before and
How 'bout them Astros?
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What sport do they play again? o_O

I'm not from here, though after twenty years it's starting to seem more permanent than I intended it to be. But yeah, HEB is a cool Texas native grocery chain---includes big box high end "HEB Plus" and organic "Central Market" variations, too. We've got a Plus here but not a Central Market yet.

~Boar
 
Alamo Drafthouse is another good Texas innovation. I understand they've gone more nationwide than HEB.

And don't forget Whataburger! I live in their first location's hometown.

~Boar
 
Nate,

You're not very far from Virginia wine country. Plan a weekend at a B&B and hit a handful of nearby wineries -- do a tasting everywhere you stop and buy what you like. Most of my local wineries don't have food service, but they encourage you to bring a picnic. After you have a tasting course, buy a glass of what you liked the best, sit outside overlooking the vineyard and enjoy your glass (bottle) along with your picnic. Tons of great wines for every palate.
 
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