The Vineyard

[Night Hides Not]

I think we need to get off the schneid and start drinking more wine, @Night Hides Not !
 

@mountaineer

Couldn't agree with you more!  I fixed up a batch of chili last week, from a recipe that earned me 4th place in the office chili contest. My wife was impressed, until I told her there were FIVE entries...lol.  I'll say this, I fixed a double batch that filled up a large crockpot, and there was nothing left to take home. I was also asked for the recipe by a few women in the office, and I was told later that I missed winning the bronze by 13 cents.  lol

My secret ingredient was a large jar of chopped Hatch chiles. The label said "medium hot", and it had a nice kick to it. I have learned that Riesling pairs very nicely with spicy foods, and I wasn't disappointed.

We'll be heading down to Lost Oak in a couple of weeks, to pick up the latest wine club installment. The two wines in my pickup will be tempranillo and orange muscat. Tempranillo pairs extremely well with BBQ and burgers, while orange muscat is said to pair well with spicy (Thai) seafood.

My daughter and I have been very pleased with the variety of wines we've been getting with each bimonthly installment. Lost Oak's prices have increased over the past couple of years, though not excessively. It's a matter of supply and demand, but more importantly their wine is very, very good.

[Night Hides Not]

I've enjoyed a number of wines that are simply great when talking with family and friends, even if it gets into politics. Since tastes vary from person to person, I look for wines that aren't too dry or too sweet, something that everyone can enjoy.

The possibilities are endless, here's just a few...I've chosen a few of my favorites, feel free to augment.

1. Mosel (German) wines: a Kabinett will be less sweet than a Spatlese, and they're easy to find at most large retailers. Depending upon the group, I might be tempted to break out an Auslese, which is considered a dessert wine. My strategy here is if no one joins me, I get the whole bottle to myself. Let me tell you, that's NOT going to happen, though I can dream about it. The beauty of these wines is their low alcohol content, usually 8-9%. That's why I didn't feel any "buzz" at winefests until I was well into my third bottle.

Varietal: Riesling

Llano Estacado (Lubbock) has an excellent Riesling.



2. Rosa Blanca:


Varietals: 90% Muscat & 10 % Merlot

A beautiful bright berry color starts off this wine. Wild raspberry flowers on the nose and a taste that is reminiscent of sweet summertime memories of lemonade and popsicle stands.

One of my wife's favorites.

3. Sauvignon Blanc



Varietal: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

A bright crisp wine that is perfect for the summer months! Subtle aromas of pear begin this wine. Flavors of pear and pumelo with a delicate minerality on the finish.

This is a wine my daughter and I share when we make a trip to Lost Oak. She prefers dry, I prefer semi-sweet to sweet. Add in a cheese board, and everything's right with the world.

[txradioguy]

My wife and I became fans of the sweet wines produced in Germany.

I've also become a real fan of the Italian reds made at the Banfi Winery.

[mystery-ak]

My wife and I became fans of the sweet wines produced in Germany.

I've also become a real fan of the Italian reds made at the Banfi Winery.

I love Rieslings too......

I used to really like Merlots but now prefer a sweeter wine.

[Night Hides Not]

The gracious @mystery-ak has authorized me to expand The Vineyard's capabilities. Before I start, I'd appreciate input on threads within our oenophile community.

As a start, I'm considering separate threads for:

Varietals: Riesling, merlot, cabernet, etc.

Favorite wineries, with the caveat that only positive comments are allowed. That attitude comes from my experience with wine producers. They're one of the last bastions of capitalism in the world, and it takes a ton of blood, sweat, and tears to make good wine. Besides, what matters most about wine is do you like it or not? If you don't like somebody's wine, find one that does please your palette. 

Wine news from various states and regions of the world.

Thanks in advance for your input, my fellow "terroirists"!

[Sanguine]

I love Rieslings too......

I used to really like Merlots but now prefer a sweeter wine.

Merlot is my favorite.

[mountaineer]

The gracious mystery-ak has authorized me to expand The Vineyard's capabilities. Before I start, I'd appreciate input on threads within our oenophile community.

As a start, I'm considering separate threads for:

Varietals: Riesling, merlot, cabernet, etc.

Favorite wineries, with the caveat that only positive comments are allowed. That attitude comes from my experience with wine producers. They're one of the last bastions of capitalism in the world, and it takes a ton of blood, sweat, and tears to make good wine. Besides, what matters most about wine is do you like it or not? If you don't like somebody's wine, find one that does please your palette. 

Wine news from various states and regions of the world.

Thanks in advance for your input, my fellow "terroirists"!

Excellent!

[Night Hides Not]

Still mulling over options, spent some time looking at news, other wine blogs.

There will be a lot of post-worthy material over the next couple of months, as the first reviews will be coming in on the 2016 vintage year.

[Night Hides Not]

Last night, I was watching a show on Smithsonian, "Hitler's Last Day". What caught my eye was the bottle of wine on his dinner table, so I hit the DVR and played it back. Lo and behold, clearly readable was "Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese."



Obviously, this label is much more recent, and reflects the more stringent German laws of today. For example, for a label to contain the name of a varietal grape such as Riesling, it must have 85% or more of Riesling in the wine.

I've been unable to verify that this was the actual vintage drunk by Hitler at that meal, but I'll keep checking.

[Night Hides Not]

http://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/319540-stores-around-washington-selling-out-of-trump-wine

There’s a run on Trump Wine, with stores in the Washington region selling out of bottles bearing the president’s name.

Mike Mackie, co-owner of The Wine Cabinet in Reston, Va., says the brand is flying off his store shelves quicker than he can restock it for multiple reasons.

You’ve got supporters who are buying the wine because of [President Trump’s] election victory,” Mackie tells ITK.
“You’ve got people who are buying the wine just to have something to talk about. Some are buying the wine just as a joke on somebody else who didn’t vote for Trump,” he adds. “And then you’ve got people who’ve once they’ve tried the wine, realize it’s a well-made wine. So you’ve got quite a bit of demand.”

I always enjoy a happy story!

[musiclady]

I need to check in on this thread more often. 

It's fascinating!

[Sanguine]

I need to check in on this thread more often. 

It's fascinating!

And, you thought it was just a bunch of winos!

 

[Night Hides Not]

I need to check in on this thread more often. 

It's fascinating!

@musiclady - it would undoubtedly help if the moderator got off his rear...lol.  I admit it, and my wife will agree that I've been greatly distracted by the success enjoyed by the Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball team.

Thanks for stopping by!

[Night Hides Not]

And, you thought it was just a bunch of winos!

 

One really has to work at it to get drunk on a fine Riesling. The sweeter vintages, such as a Spatlese or Auslese, are usually less than 10% alcohol by volume.

If you're looking to get snockered, then a fortified wine is more up your alley. Those usually contain at least 20% alcohol by volume.

I recall one crazy evening at a weinfest near where I lived. For some reason, my friend and his wife issued a challenge to me to try each of 25 wines being presented (the glasses hold .1 liter, i.e. a shot glass). They decided to join in the fun. I distinctly recall stopping at #7...they did too. We were comparing notes, and we agreed it was one of the best Spatleses we had ever sampled, and we had both been in country over 4 years (his wife was a local girl).

I think I got home about 4 am, it was a Monday night. If you ever go to Germany, Monday night is THE night to attend a weinfest. The tourists are gone, and the townfolk let their hair down. Friday-Sunday are fine, too, I just came to love those Monday nights.

Next morning was brutal, though...my buddy had a heckuva time getting me up (he commuted to work with me), Oma (Grandma) next door thought I was dead, and the sun was just coming over the eastern ridge of the Mosel, like a white laser drilling into your retina. What the heck, I was 26 and indestructible. I wouldn't dare try such a thing today.

[Sanguine]

I wasn't saying being a wino is a bad thing!

[Night Hides Not]

Excellent job of describing "structure" as it relates to wine.

https://www.winecurmudgeon.com/wine-terms-structure/

Excerpt:

Keep these points in mind when thinking about structure:

• Think well-made wine and poorly-made wine instead of good and bad. Good and bad are relative; what one person thinks is good – dry, rough, and with very little fruit – could be someone else’s idea of bad.

• A well-made wine, regardless of anything else, is balanced. The alcohol, fruitiness, sweetness, tannins, and acidity play off each other, and one doesn’t dominate the others. A cheap wine can be balanced; an expensive wine can be woefully out of whack.

• A well-made wine should have three components – a sensation in the front of the mouth, in the middle, and in the back. You might get fruit in the front, some sweetness in the middle, and tannins in the back. The point is that a poorly made wine doesn’t have more than one or two components, and you usually only taste it in the front. Think of New Zealand sauvignon blanc with too much grapefruit and little else and you get the idea.

[mountaineer]

I recall one crazy evening at a weinfest near where I lived. ...   

Ugh, your anecdote reminded me of a trip to Wien, Austria, when my sister was there as a Fulbright scholar. We all went to a weinstube to try the "new wine." Never got so sick on wine in my life. 

[Night Hides Not]

Great article from The Wine Curmudgeon:  https://www.winecurmudgeon.com/costco-wine-lets-drink-local/

I learned about this recently when the Costco buyer for Texas approached one of the state’s wineries. The winery, its sales person told me, was flabbergasted. Why would Costco want to sell its wine? If nothing else, it didn’t make enough to fill one of Costco’s huge displays. But quantity doesn’t matter as much as quality, part of what the chain’s founder/guru Jim Sinegal told me years ago when I was lucky enough to interview him for an airline in-flight magazine. The retailer wants shopping to be like a treasure hunt, where its customers run across something they didn’t expect to find. In this case, quality local wine.

Think I'll start joining my wife on her trips to Costco, for "research purposes."  lol

I do enjoy the "treasure hunt" aspect when I visit a store or a winery. Fredericksburg, in the Hill Country of Texas" is a favorite of mine. They have several wine stores and wine bars, each with their own style and variety. One of the stores always seems to have something unusual from the Mosel River in Germany. On my last trip, I bought their last two bottles of a Hochgewächs Riesling. I endeared myself to the saleslady by teaching her the pronunciation of "Hochgewächs"...lol.

[Night Hides Not]

http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-fi-farms-immigration/

Wine prices, like other commodities, will increase, so let's blame Trump.

An informative article overall. Shifting production from vineyards to orchards, such as olives and almonds, could create problems in those industries, i.e. more supply.

[Night Hides Not]

This post could be classified as a glorified bump. 

Now that basketball season is over, and I've recovered from the Zags' valiant effort in the title game, it's time to turn my focus away from the courts to vino.

My mobility was limited due to auto issues: was rear-ended first week in December, and the other driver's insurance company drug it out over four months. Long story short, we settled last week, and my wheels have definitely been upgraded. No injuries, thankfully.

Have been looking for reviews of 2016 Mosel, but without success to date. No 2016 wines appearing on Eduard Kroth's website, either.

[Sanguine]

This post could be classified as a glorified bump. 

Now that basketball season is over, and I've recovered from the Zags' valiant effort in the title game, it's time to turn my focus away from the courts to vino.

My mobility was limited due to auto issues: was rear-ended first week in December, and the other driver's insurance company drug it out over four months. Long story short, we settled last week, and my wheels have definitely been upgraded. No injuries, thankfully.

Have been looking for reviews of 2016 Mosel, but without success to date. No 2016 wines appearing on Eduard Kroth's website, either.

Glad you're back and healthy!

Thanks, I think I'm over my bout with March Madness!  lol

My Zags have the pieces for another great season, though it would be foolhardy to expect results similar to this past year.

Ours is not a "blue blood" program, i.e. where the fans are disappointed with anything less than a title. Our coach, Mark Few, describes it as a "journey, not a destination." I concur with that opinion. I'm just hoping they have a game scheduled within a day's drive of Dallas next year, so we can make another road trip.

[Night Hides Not]

Based on this article:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/end-wine-oclock/

It turns out many women just can’t face its high alcohol content any more. Confessions came thick and fast from around the table, detailing misdemeanours committed while under the influence of a few too many glasses of white. ‘I stay off the loopy juice now unless it’s with a meal,’ said one friend.

A quick search revealed numerous articles on lower alcohol wines, here's a representative list:

•Moscato d'Asti 5.5% ABV (lightly sparkling sweet white from Italy)
•Brachetto d'Acqui 6.5% ABV (lightly sparkling sweet red from Italy)
•Kabinett Riesling 8% ABV (light sweet German Riesling)
•Spätlese Riesling 8.5% ABV (rich sweet German Riesling)
•Alsace Blanc 9%–10% ABV (France)
•Muscadet 9.5% ABV (France)

winefolly.com/tutorial/the-lightest-to-the-strongest-wine/



My cooler always will have a Mosel Riesling in it, usually Spatleses and Ausleses. Cracked open a bottle Sunday night to enjoy while viewing the season ending episode of Billions.

The first two on the list look interesting, as I'm a fan of sparkling wine and Italian prosecco.

[Frank Cannon]

Wines with lowest alcohol content

Alternate Title: Pointless Things To Drink Other Than Water

[Night Hides Not]

Wines with lowest alcohol content

Alternate Title: Pointless Things To Drink Other Than Water

LOL - I don't drink wine to get inebriated, it just seems to work out that way.

During my years in Germany, I enjoyed going to wine fests on the last night, Monday evenings. The tourists were gone, and the locals were letting down their hair. The party never ended until well after midnight.

[Gefn]

I'm bumping this thread because it's giving me some wonderful ideas for Mother's Day.

I'd like to know more about other drinks like after dinner drinks. Mom likes Baikeys.

Things of that nature,

Anyway, thanks for this gem of a thread.

Bump

 
( no wine emoji)