Wine for all you Dummies (LOTS of info)

Originally Posted by etidd01

Great write up! Really make me want to go fill up my wine cache.

dooooooo itttttttttt

honestly, if you have a decent liquor store that you frequent, gimme their website and i can suggest a few wines, providing they list them online

when I go back to Italy in a couple years, I'll have another case shipped back...

nero d'avola > *

cheap california wines don't do it for me. Instead I prefer South Australian Shiraz. Yellow Tail is one of the better brands IMO.

hey why is that sometimes people let wine lay horizontally?

Originally Posted by cngzsn

cheap california wines don't do it for me. Instead I prefer South Australian Shiraz. Yellow Tail is one of the better brands IMO.

most aussie wines shipped here are too sweet for me

i had a baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad morning because of yellowtail chardonnay before

Originally Posted by FlasHGordoN

hey why is that sometimes people let wine lay horizontally?

keeps the cork moist
if the cork dries out, your wine will be "corked" and basically be vinegar because you are allowing it to oxidize

Originally Posted by JJR4884

keeps the cork moist
if the cork dries out, your wine will be "corked" and basically be vinegar because you are allowing it to oxidize

so if the cork is moist it will absorb the air in the bottle instead of the wine?

Originally Posted by FlasHGordoN

so if the cork is moist it will absorb the air in the bottle instead of the wine?

no if the cork is kept moist, it won't dry out
when the cork dries out it lets air in the bottle

Originally Posted by JJR4884

no if the cork is kept moist, it won't dry out
when the cork dries out it lets air in the bottle

ooohhh............ thanks man! love you~

no prob

What are your suggestions for Chardonnay? Under $10, $10-$30, and $30 and up.

thanks,
djt

Originally Posted by JJR4884

keeps the cork moist
if the cork dries out, your wine will be "corked" and basically be vinegar because you are allowing it to oxidize

Corked usually relates to TCA spoilage of wine. If the cork is comprimised and there is an ingress of oxygen we usually say it's oxidized.

Putting the bottle on it's side helps the inside of the cork, the humidity of the environment the bottle is kept in also plays a big part on keeping the outside of the cork in good condition. Anything below 50% will see the cork drying out over a few years. Ideally the cellar/wine fridge/cupboard should be kept above 60% humidity. You should buy a hygrometer as part of your wine storage plans.

Nice time spent writing this up for people. Good job.
I passed my CMS Level 1 test back in '04.

Most established restaurants will decant a bottle for the reason mentioned aboved for "aeration". Meaning the decanter vessel has a removable mesh filter spout(glass or metal) that lays/sprays the wine along the walls of the decanter to give it more surface to air (and not aggitate the delicate wine) as it is poured in.

Opening a bottle and letting it "breathe" in the bottle or glass is not the same thing but similar concept. (The classic way of decanting a bottle can be done with candle light turning the bottle but no need to get into that.)

So for those reading, if you go to a restaurant don't just ask for it to be "decanted" thinking it means to let it breathe. If you ask to get it decanted you'll get the whole show and some wines don't really "need" it. Another tip for those dinning out and ordering bottles. If you know you are going to have a "big red" with your entree' go ahead and have it opened and left to breathe during your first courses. Start with something else before.

A tip for any novice thinking of buying a wine decanter. Understand that to get the wine out with a style like this, you have to turn the decanter almost completely upside down for the last 1/4. So be careful not to splash yourself or girlfriend trying to look stylish. I have three different decanters and aerators for friends and parties. I see it happen all the time on some of the designs.

Originally Posted by Alex323Ci

Nice time spent writing this up for people. Good job.
I passed my CMS Level 1 test back in '04.

Most established restaurants will decant a bottle for the reason mentioned aboved for "aeration". Meaning the decanter vessel has a removable mesh filter spout(glass or metal) that lays/sprays the wine along the walls of the decanter to give it more surface to air (and not aggitate the delicate wine) as it is poured in.

Opening a bottle and letting it "breathe" in the bottle or glass is not the same thing but similar concept. (The classic way of decanting a bottle can be done with candle light turning the bottle but no need to get into that.)

So for those reading, if you go to a restaurant don't just ask for it to be "decanted" thinking it means to let it breathe. If you ask to get it decanted you'll get the whole show and some wines don't really "need" it. Another tip for those dinning out and ordering bottles. If you know you are going to have a "big red" with your entree' go ahead and have it opened and left to breathe during your first courses. Start with something else before.

A tip for any novice thinking of buying a wine decanter. Understand that to get the wine out with a style like this, you have to turn the decanter almost completely upside down for the last 1/4. So be careful not to splash yourself or girlfriend trying to look stylish. I have three different decanters and aerators for friends and parties. I see it happen all the time on some of the designs.

good advice alex
thanks

Originally Posted by cngzsn

cheap california wines don't do it for me. Instead I prefer South Australian Shiraz. Yellow Tail is one of the better brands IMO.

my family likes that one

no comment on yellow tail

(too sweet for my pallet)

Yellowtail = McDonald's of wine. Always tastes the same no matter what year.

100 1.1 million-liter, temperature-controlled tanks and an army of smaller, quarter-million liter tanks, to the two high-speed bottling lines that fill, seal and label a staggering 60,000 bottles an hour.

Lots of terroir here

thank you for that info.... hopefully we can get some fanatics into local small cheap vineyards rather than that cool commercialized bullsh*t

blah

Originally Posted by JJR4884

thank you for that info.... hopefully we can get some fanatics into local small cheap vineyards rather than that cool commercialized bullsh*t

blah

Just stopped by a small wine shop in Livermore and tasted some local to me stuff...was surprised that John Madden has a winery and I actually enjoyed it (2006 Madden Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon). Would go great with a nice steak.

-djt

haha no sh*t... never knew he had a wine

i'll be sure to throw it as far as possible if i ever come across one because i fvcking hate him that annoying prick

but that would be fun to try... however experience has taught me that any "celebrity" wine (no offense) is usually bottom of the barrel wine that is more of a collector's wine (if that) than a wine to actually drink, rate, and enjoy.... i.e. the "i love lucy" and "marilyn monroe" wines

but the fact that he has his own winery intrigues me a bit more, since its not just a bottle of wine with a celeb's picture on it


i'll try it out if i ever come across it, thanks