Gimme some wine recommendations! (1 Viewer)

[Peter Kim]

While I was going to write a long tome about wine, I reconsidered since Mark Lee essentially echoed what I feel. The man really knows his wines - our HTF oenophile.
Although my palate leans heavily toward reds, I cannot emphasize enough what Mark said about German rieslings - the most underrated grape. Try a kabinett or spatlese, since it sounds like your taste runs dry. I generally dislike cloying wines, but I'm really into the ausleses and just starting to love the eisweins. I'd love to try an Inniskillin, an eiswein north of the border from Niagara.
Beware...as this interest turns into a passion, you may indeed find yourself spending a small fortune in the name of expanding your palate and your collection. My last purchase of a '95 Chateau Margaux and a '96 & '97 Opus One made me abdicate some spending from HT. I'm really looking forward to my 10th and 20th wedding anniversaries.
However, a wine that I was recently surprised with, and one that I would suggest you try, is a 2000 Armand Roux (Verdillac) - for $7.99, it was a very pleasant white bordeaux that works perfectly with food (and cooking) and is a joy to drink.
Cheers!

 

[Trey Fletcher]

Man, is their Cabernet Sauvignon excellent. Seems like it runs about $80 for a bottle about 4 years old I think.

Actually, Silver Oak produces Cabernet Sauvignon exclusively (though there are two separate estates). The Napa Valley Cab is usually released in February, and retails for around $90. The Alexander Valley is released in August (this year, August 3rd.) and retails for around $60. Both are usually excellent, with the Napa being more expensive because of the Napa Valley mystique, and the lower production volume (I think they produce 3x as much Alexander as Napa). The August 3rd release is the 1998 Alexander Valley Cabernet.

As for wine recommendations, you've received a bunch of good ones. Basically, just try a bunch of different varietals and wineries. You'll soon find what you like (or if you're like me, you'll like everything). Recently I've been gravitating to Sauvignon Blanc's and Zinfandel's (not the white zin crap!!), but not to the point that I won't drink Shiraz (Syrah), Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, etc. Each has their purpose in regards to my mood, the weather, food, etc. Like certain aspects of HT, only you can decide what is good.

Another suggestion: find a wine shop with a good selection, and a knowledgeable and unpretentious staff. Ask them questions, give them feedback on what you like, etc. Not only can you learn a lot from them, but they can help steer you to wines that you'll like, help you pair them with food, etc. Most of all, just have fun. It's what wine is all about.

 

[Gordon C Jr]

My favorite Merlot is Clos Du Bois... Nice and smooth.

Rutherford Hill is another good one, however it usually gives me a headache, even drinking moderate amounts

However, if you want a lot of bang for your buck, try Black Opal.. I've seen it recently at Costco for 6 bucks or so. It's an Austrailian wine the combines Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.. Nice taste to it for the money.

 

[Ari]

Based on your description, I think we have similar tastes in wine.

For Merlot, one particular line that I enjoy is the Chilean Montes (or Montes Alpha) Merlot. Other wines that I enjoy are Malbec (Argentina), Vacqueyras, Gigondas, Chateauneuf du Pape, Amarone, Barbera, Chianti Classico, Oregon Pinot Noir, etc. In general, these wines aren't as tannic and heavy as a Barolo or Bordeaux so you'll probably enjoy them.

I enjoy lighter whites as well and I particularly like New Zealand Sauvignons. Check out Villa Maria, Cloudy Bay and Goldwater. Nothing beats them on a hot summer day.

German Rieslings are a good deal in the US because of their relative unpopularity. The ones that I particularly enjoy are Maximin Grunhaus, Urziger Wurzgarten and Zeltingen Sonnenuhr in Kabinett or Spatlese.

Other whites to explore are Alsace Riesling and Gewurztraminer, New York Riesling, Vouvray. If you like sweet wines, check out Hungarian Tokaji.

You might want to check out some sparkling wines as well. For Champagne, I enjoy Pol Roger and Philipponat. Huet makes some good Vouvray Petillant (Loire sparkling). For domestics, I enjoy Domaine Chandon. Some New York sparklings are good too.

 

[Lance Nichols]

Pam, some of the best wines in the world come from the Niarga peninsula of Canada. I would recommend Hillebrand Vineyard. The Trius series/collection of reds are remarkable, get your hands on a '98 Chardonnay and you will know what I mean. However the price on them has started to go up, and they are starting to get rarer. The '99s are also good, and buying a case of '00 to put down would be a great way to go.

My most resent selection from them was actually a Rose, which is not common, and was actually quite light on the palette, if you don't like "heavy" wines.

 

[Peter Kim]

I would recommend Hillebrand Vineyard.

I wholeheartedly concur, Lance. Hillebrand is what got me into icewines. I'd love to try their other varietals. Problem is, for us in the lower 48, it's difficult to find retailers carrying Canadian vintners.

As far as etailers, I don't even want to attempt to wade through the red tape. Although, I was somehow able to mail-order a bottle of a '96 Cinq Cepages from Chateau St. Jean - a great Sonoma Valley vineyard, offering wonderful, low-cost wines. Pure luck, given the today's political climate governing interstate liquor sales. With all apologies to the mods (and said with a little tongue in cheek), but damn that Jessie Helms!

 

[Seth Paxton]

Actually, Silver Oak produces Cabernet Sauvignon exclusively (though there are two separate estates).

Thanks for the info. Obviously I didn't realize this. All I know is my uncle turned me on to it a few years ago, and even my naive tastes noticed the quality.

 

[Mark Lee]

For a truly unique white wine experience, you folks might want to try a bottle of Gewurztraminer. Although it's a white wine, it has one of the most idiosyncratic (some might say weird) aroma and flavor profiles of any wine anywhere. The classic descriptors of the aroma include lychee nuts and rose petals; the flavor is often reminiscent of rose water, grapefruit, and spices. Along with riesling, a classic wine match with Chinese food. Any of the Alsatian producers (Hugel, Trimbach, Brand, many others) will produce at least a couple of different bottlings of gewurz, and their lowest-level bottling will usually not run more than $10-15/bottle.

 

[Dan Galyen]

I have to second the Francis Ford Coppola vineyard. When I bought my bottle they said it was one of the top ten in the world, and around $13.00. I'm a merlot lover and it was a great wine!!