Any Wine Collectors here?

[daschoo]

Personal preference is everything when it comes to drinking wine. Learning about the wines and how to pair them is great as it will teach you what works better with the food you eat with it making it bring out the flavors of both the wine and the food. I went to a wine tasting not to long ago and they gave me this one glass and a piece of dark chocolate. They said taste the wine. Rinse, then eat a piece of the dark chocolate and let it melt in your mouth. Then sip the wine. Wow! The wine was good, but after the chocolate the flavor really exploded!

As for recommendations, absolutely!

A few to try:

• Lohr's Cabernet Sauvignon ($15-$16ish)
• Noble Vines 336 ($14ish) (actually, their Chardonnay is good too!)
• As noted above, the Lindemans Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon ($7ish)

I've got a few different ones at the house now that I will try. Once I do, I will post my thoughts if you or anyone else is interested.

Speaking of Scotch. Johnny Walker Black and MacAllen 12 year were always my favorites for single malts and blends, but I recommend you trying Balvenie's 12 Year DoubleWood. That stuff is crazy delicious! They age it in two different type barrels and the range of flavor that produces is so good. It's by far my favorite scotch right now. I always have a bottle at the house.

Had a bottle of this a couple of months ago, it didn't last long. If you like Islay whisky (smoky, peaty for example Caol Ila, Laphroig, Lagavulin) you'd love this and I reckon you'd appreciate the bottle - to be honest that was why I bought it.

 

[daschoo]

As for wines I tend to always have a couple of bottles of red and a couple of bottles of white in "just in case"
Don't really know much about it though the last year or so I've been really enjoying Argentinian (or if I can get my hands on it Uruguayan) Malbec. Got married in Croatia at the beginning of last month and was drinking a lot of Croatian red wine (Dingac) which was really good although they don't export it. Honeymooned in Italy (Florence, Rome and Sardinia) and was again sticking to local wines which was thoroughly enjoyable (to the extent I've been dry this month to let my liver recover) The Chianti in particular was tremendous.
Don't know anything about what vineyards are better than others and tend to get most of my wine out the supermarket.

 

[Doc50]

As for clubs, which ones do anyone here use? I've looked at a few, the only thing close to a club that I used was Vivino which I actually got a good deal on the Doubleback bottles.

Each winery that I listed above has a club.

For Texas wines, I recommend William-Chris in Hye, TX, on Hwy 29 just east of Fredericksburg. All their wines are exclusively may with Texas-grown stock, and virtually every varietal is tops, some of the best in Texas.
The wine club is called Hye Society. BTW, Fredericksburg is a very nice weekend trip.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Cool daschoo. I too always try to drink the local fare when traveling overseas.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Each winery that I listed above has a club.

For Texas wines, I recommend William-Chris in Hye, TX, on Hwy 29 just east of Fredericksburg. All their wines are exclusively may with Texas-grown stock, and virtually every varietal is tops, some of the best in Texas.
The wine club is called Hye Society. BTW, Fredericksburg is a very nice weekend trip.

Thanks Doc, I will check them out.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

I don't collect wine because I drink it too fast.

primarily reds, mostly blended. I have found myself partial to Apothic, Menage a Trois and Noble Vines.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I don't collect wine because I drink it too fast.

primarily reds, mostly blended. I have found myself partial to Apothic, Menage a Trois and Noble Vines.

I'm a fan of Noble Vines too. Both their 337 (Cabernet Sauvignon) and the 446 (Chardonnay) I haven't tried their other wines yet, but I definitely like those two.

I opened a 2013 Mythic Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Mendoza, Argentina) tonight. It's pretty good, though it has a bite at the finish which it's okay, but not my favorite.

 

[YosemiteSam]

My three bottles of 2011 Doubleback came in!

Here is the back of the bottle. Anything familiar about it?

https://lh4.***BROKEN***/-S8YCF2lu2r0/VjPtvRi_9wI/AAAAAAAAM_Q/AbQOb0hjKS4/w1189-h889-no/15%2B-%2B1

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

Had a bottle of this a couple of months ago, it didn't last long. If you like Islay whisky (smoky, peaty for example Caol Ila, Laphroig, Lagavulin) you'd love this and I reckon you'd appreciate the bottle - to be honest that was why I bought it.

please don't make this a scotch thread...

 

[YosemiteSam]

please don't make this a scotch thread...

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

Very Good Single Malt...

My personal favorite

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

Good Bourbon

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

Had this the other night...
interesting taste

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

I would not consider myself a collector so much as an enthusiast. I have only a couple of bottles that I will be holding onto indefinitely, but I have a nice collection of very good wines waiting to be consumed over the next few years. I personally am a huge fan of Central Coast Syrah's and Grenaches.

I get most of my wines directly from the wineries as part of wine clubs or mailing lists. Much cheaper than retail. Also, the Von's in town has an insane dela where you get 30% off all of your bottles if you buy six or more and they have some very nice high end wines. So you can go and buy 5 bottles of "drinkin' wine" and add a bottle of something nice to your cart and get 30% off the whole thing.

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

Good Bourbon

Start the evening with some wine, end it with cigars and scotch or bourbon. No need to choose either or!!!

 

[YosemiteSam]

Three new wines have arrived that are supposed to be top shelf! I'm excited to try them.

• Penfolds 2013 Bin 9 Cabernet Sauvignon
• Sbragia 2013 Andolsen Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
• Wynns 2010 Black Label Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

https://lh6.***BROKEN***/-6He-2qD6BgM/Vj4Y-FyHOWI/AAAAAAAANE0/miwUXWGk70U/w1127-h845-no/IMG_20151107_102920.jpg

 

[YosemiteSam]

I attended a Wine Tasting fund raiser for an Animal Welfaire Scoiety near my house today. So far, I had only been to wineries wine tasting and they usually have maybe five or six wines. This place had thirty! (and three Bourbons!) It was at a local Wine and Spirits store that opened a few months ago. Wow, it's a really nice one too, I had no idea it was there. It's definitely my new goto brick and mortor store!

Anyway, I tasted may be 25 of the 30 wines. I found several good ones.

Whites

• Murrieta's Well The Whip 2012 ($19) This was very good and something that could easily be a standard table wine for almost any occasion. I thought it was very good with fruits, honey and even a buterscotch flavors to it. It's a full bodied wine and a blend of I believe Chardonnay with Saubignon Blanc and some sweeter Muscat and Riesling in it. Definitely not a dry Chardonnay. So if you don't like Chardonnay for being dry, I would still give this one a try. I definitely give this a big thumbs up.
• Privilege de Drouet 2014 ($9) This was a Sauvignon Blanc that was very citrusy with tropical fruits and a good finish. I enjoyed this one too.
• Primary Chardonnay 2013 ($16) I'm not a big fan of peach, but this one had a peach flavor and some melon and carried a slight oak finish. It definitely had more of a creamy texture to it also. I preferred the The Whip over this one, but it too was very good. Something that I would definitely purchase.

Reds

• Banknote Counterfeit Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 ($23) I'm a Cab Sauv fan and this one was my clear favorite of everything I tried. It's 96% Cab 2% Zinfandel, and 2% Petite Sirah. It had all kinds of flavors popping out of it. From plums and vannilla to sweet berries, chocolate, and carmel with a sweet oak finish. I've bought way too much wine recently and had no intention on buying anything today. Just taking notes. Well, I grabbed one of these on my way out.
• Jack Hammer Pinot Noir 2013 ($17) There were actually two Pinot Noir of note the other one being Patton Valley Pinot Noir 2012. Personally my palette preferred the Jack Hammer (California), but the sommelier said that the Patton Valley Pinor Noir (Oregon) was what put American Pinot Noirs on the map. I felt that had kind of a bland finish compared to the Jack Hammer. Everyone has an opinion. They were both good, I just preferred the Jack Hammer Pinot.

Desert Wines (or sweet wines)

• Stella Rosa Stella Biano ($13) I don't drink sweet wines all that much as I'm not a sweets type of guy, but I wanted to try as many as I could. This one was very good. My ex-wife doesn't like wines, but I have no doubt she would drink this until she face planeted. (hah) So if you know someone who doesn't like wine and has a sweet tooth, but you wanted to include them in wine drinking. This is the ticket.
• Stella Rosa Stella Rosso ($13) This one was good also. Not quite the Sella Biano, but good non-the less.

So there was another very sweet wine there. It was Pinord Moscatel ($15). Dear lord! I have no idea who thought it was a good idea to make and bottle this stuff. It was like drinking pure sugar syrup! I did not enjoy tasting that at all! Though, I did very much enjoy watching the hoards of people come by and try it. It was the same thing everytime! They take a sip and then recoil like someone just poured sewage in their mouth! I stood there for 15 minutes because it was so comical. Sip, RECOIL!


With my dinner tonight, I'm trying:

• Irony Small Lot Reserve I Cabernet Sauvignon North Coast 2013 ($12) This is a what I believe to be a full bodied wine with kind of a mix of berries and black cherry with a woody finsih that doesn't quite taste like oak. May be with time I will be able to better define that taste. It reminds me a bit of Lindeman's Bin 45, but definitely not the same. As I've said before, I'm a big fan of Lindeman's Cab/Sauv. I'm definitely going to be a fan of this wine too.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I drank the Banknote Counterfeit Cabernet Sauvignon last night I bought from the tasting that I thought was so good. Wow, if you like Cabernet Sauvignon. You really should try it. At about $23, it is definitely worth it. I picked up a case this morning online. ($18/each with free shipping) That is definitely a wine I'm going to keep on hand at the house.

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

I drank the Banknote Counterfeit Cabernet Sauvignon last night I bought from the tasting that I thought was so good. Wow, if you like Cabernet Sauvignon. You really should try it. At about $23, it is definitely worth it. I picked up a case this morning online. ($18/each with free shipping) That is definitely a wine I'm going to keep on hand at the house.

You may appreciate this... or at least have a nice chuckle.

 

[YosemiteSam]

You may appreciate this... or at least have a nice chuckle.

Where can I buy some? Though I actually don't care much for Burger King burgers.