Wine recommendations

[Swinging Johnson]

For any of you oenophiles out there, this thread may be of interest. If you have a recommendation, please submit the name of the wine and the type (cabernet, merlot, pinot noir, chardonay, pinot grigio etc...), cost and if you're so inclined, a description and particulary good vintage year..

I'll go first. My wife and I used to drink exclusively red but then she started getting headaches and a burning sensation in her stomach from them. I recall someone said it's probably due to the phosphates that some reds have or something like that and she just stopped drinking them altogether. So we started drinking white (although I still drink reds as well) and have a truly excellent suggestion:

Conundrum. It's a hybrid white that has a nice flavor and smooth finish. In a restaurant (usually an upper class steakhouse or fine dining establishement will carry it) they'll get about $50/bottle. At a liquor store or wine shop about $30 but at Costco, if you have one near you, it's one of their best selling wines because they are selling it for $15.99! A steal.

Also, for a great pinot noir, Coppola Pinot Noir (yes the Francis Ford Coppola vineyard) has an excellent one. My wife toured their vineyard and brought back several bottles. Great stuff. At Costco they get about $17/bottle.

One of the very best reds I've ever tasted was a Penfold's red that I paid about $80 for in the liquor store. I was convinced to buy it by the owner. Australian wines are usually cheap and great value. I could not believe they were charging this much so I took the plunge. Spectacular! I wish I could remember exactly what it was but it was tremendous.

[The Prick]

swinger nothin says quality like a screw off top. partial ta the fine line of boones farm products available at yer local habib stores nationwide. fer special occasions a tip to the wise: pay the extra premium fer wine in a box, the broad involved will be duly fargin impressed i swear

[MMAchicka]

LaCrema pinot noir

[HenPrivilege]

Oak leaf merlot

Walmart 1.97

[emoney]

Clois Du Bois Merlot. About $15 a bottle. Is just as good as some $50-$100 bottles.

[DeluxeLiner]

I am going to suggest a couple of excellent California reds (I am from CA)

Let's start with...

http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=melville&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=110927760&Count2=28068184

Order their Pinot Noir. They are a smaller vineyard so you can't find them in a store like that big name mediocre Coppola you listed above (sorry I've had it before and it was not memorable)

Second...

https://shop.lambertbridge.com/SHOP.AMS?LEVEL=MID&CATCODE=AW

Order their Petite Sirah. It is one of the most delicious wines I have ever had.



Note to you Mr. Johnson. If you are going to follow my suggestions (which you should if you want quality). DO NOT have any alcohol before trying one of these wines. Both of them are pretty light (the pinot particularly), and you want to be able to enjoy the full range of flavor. Secondly you should decant the wine for about an hour before you drink them so that the wine can breathe. It wouldn't hurt to aerate the wine but that just expedites the breathing process, and most don't have an aerator at their disposal. You should also use more of an open glass to drink the wine in (don't use the same glasses you were using for white wine). Sorry but if you are going to do it, you probably want to do it right!

Both these wines are pretty moderately priced. I would suggest getting a wine from Opus One, but they are probably too expensive plus they are not easy to get.

Hope you follow my advice, and report back to me. You won't regret it. You'll probably want to send me a couple thousand points as a tip because you will like these so much.

[brxbmbers42]

Mums

[fsugolf]

only if it's in a box

[donkdown]

4 bottles of Boone's Farm should do it. 4.00 a bootle

[fsugolf]

that's a well spent 16 bucks

[Smogs]

Swinging -

At the SBR Bash, i went to Vic & Anthony's for dinner and they had a $160 bottle of Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon down to $112. I loved it and i reckon you can get the bottle for $50. It had a mellow initial texture and then had a lovely spicy aftertaste.

Couldn't recommend it enough and will hopefully see it again outside of the States or i'll just have to import it

[Swinging Johnson]

Prickster...I showed my wife this thread just so she could laugh her ass off. You truly have an authentic "voice." Your finely tuned palate is always welcome here and that Boone's Farm sounds like an elegant "boutique" *cough cough* vineyard.

Deluxe, now for you. You like what you like. I am naming only moderately priced bottles so the Coppola, although certainly not stacking up to the more expensive and delicious bottles, does quite well in my humble opinion, with those in it's price category.

As far as allowing the wines to breathe, that is something most people, who don't enjoy wine, believe to be a pretentious ritual. If you do enjoy wine you will know for a fact, this is imperative. Wines literally blossom as they open up and fulfill their potential. As for the wine glass, nothing is more enjoyable than a big beautiful bowl to drink from. I could not agree more. But never have red wine in a crystal glass as it picks up a peculiar taste FYI.

Finally Deluxe, I stopped drinking the Opus because it became so trendy that they were selling only new vintages because the old ones were running out. I found the Opus to be all sizzle and no substance compared to other bottles in the $120-$150 range at a fine dining establishment. I was not impressed. I'm sure some of the earlier bottles and perhaps even the newer vintages may be fine but I have not had it in several years as I prefer others. I will indeed check out your wines. The syrah sounds intriguing. Kamen Estates out of Sonoma has a big full bodied Cabernet (2006) that is incredible that will set you back about a C-Note in the liquor stores if you want to be in the Opus price range.

[Swinging Johnson]

Swinging -

At the SBR Bash, i went to Vic & Anthony's for dinner and they had a $160 bottle of Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon down to $112. I loved it and i reckon you can get the bottle for $50. It had a mellow initial texture and then had a lovely spicy aftertaste.

Couldn't recommend it enough and will hopefully see it again outside of the States or i'll just have to import it

Smogs....sounds great!

[MendozaLine]

not much of a wine drinker, however I enjoy Kir quite often.

[Cougar Bait]

Zolo Malbec 2006 about $30
Seven Deadly Zins 2007 $17
Frei Brothers Reserve Cab $25

All great bottles

[Cookie Monster]

For a moderately priced wine, IMO the best value from Mexican vineyards is the LA Cetto Nebbiolo. Here it sells for under $200 pesos, so it should be under $15 USD. Great bang for the buck.

[Swinging Johnson]

Zolo Malbec 2006 about $30
Seven Deadly Zins 2007 $17
Frei Brothers Reserve Cab $25

All great bottles

CB...I knew a lover of life like yourself would chime in. When's the next cooking video. I loved that.

[Dirty Sanchez]

Buy some Boone's Farm....you can get a 55 gallon drum for about 25.00....you can stay blasted for weeks

[odusmykal]

I've been a bartender for several years now, but wine has never been a personal favorite of mine.. Cab, Merlots, Pinots, i just don't like them.. But when the occation does occur where i need a wine glass, i found that i do like a glass of Riesling.. Its more of a sweeter desert wine, but its the only one i enjoy.. Schmitt Sohne Riesling is only about $12 a bottle.. I've tried others that were a little dryer and i enjoyed more, but for the money Schmitt Sohne is my choice..

[pronk]

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc best in the world. Only $17!!!!!

[Cougar Bait]

CB...I knew a lover of life like yourself would chime in. When's the next cooking video. I loved that.

None planned but if I get a Saturday off I will do a Swinging Johnson Italian Sausage vid or something

[Swinging Johnson]

None planned but if I get a Saturday off I will do a Swinging Johnson Italian Sausage vid or something

And I will return the favor by giving you and the lady of your choice, a shout out on my podcast. Just supply the name(s) and I will shoot you an email to let you know what day it will be.

[BadNina]

Mr. Johnson, thanks for this thread. I am not a big wine drinker and know nothing about them except that I don't seem to like red wines. So far I have enjoyed white and would love some recommendations. I had some that was delicious at a friend's house a few months back and she has no idea of the name of it, which made me sad. I am open for suggestions.

[jwbama23]

SJ, try 14 hands cab. One of the best bottles I have ever had. About 15 bucks.
Also if you like really bold reds.....Toasted Head Cab is an excellent choice. Again about 15 bucks.

Tonite I am drinking Lindemans Austraillian Cab/Merlot. Very cheap but good. About 14 bucks 1500 ml.

I have become a huge Cab drinker over the past year or so. I am also a value guy so Ive got a bunch of really good cheap wines that I like.

[Emily_Haines]

Evolution #9 is one fine bottle of wine

[Swinging Johnson]

Mr. Johnson, thanks for this thread. I am not a big wine drinker and know nothing about them except that I don't seem to like red wines. So far I have enjoyed white and would love some recommendations. I had some that was delicious at a friend's house a few months back and she has no idea of the name of it, which made me sad. I am open for suggestions.

Hey Nina, good to see you. Wines can be intimidating because it seems like you have to know them before you can purchase them. The biggest problem is that we normally start off drinking cheap bottles that someone brings for a party and they taste terrible (which incidentally doesn't mean all cheap bottles are bad). So, we stay away from them and don't understand the romance people have with them.

If you like white, I promise you, you will enjoy Conundrum. I feel like I should be repping this wine. For the price, Costco $15.99/bottle, liquor/wine store will run you about $30. Try this first. Chill it (I like my whites colder than the norm. Whites should be cool but I prefer them cold) and please don't forget this. When you uncork it, please please please do not drink your first glass until you've let it breath in your glass for about 5 minutes. After that you can drink each glass as soon as you pour it. It tastes so much better. Red wines need to breath moreso than whites and are best decanted (poured from the bottle into a decanter) for as little as 5 mins if you're in a hurry or up to an hour if you've got some really special and expensive juice.

If you don't like the Conundrum, I will buy it for you. Send me your addy and I'll mail you a check for the bottle. This offer only goes for Nina you fukkin degens. Sorry Nina, the wolves are at the door.

[Swinging Johnson]

Jwbama, have had both of those and you are right, enjoyed both of them and the price was right. Good value on both.

Emily, I completely forgot about Evolution. Yes, I truly enjoyed that. Thanks for reminding me. Good stuff people, keep it coming!

[guitarjosh]

I really like Trinity Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon, and you can get it for under $15.

[tanner40]

Drinking a bottle of 2005 Clos Du Bois cabernet sauvignon. I believe it was $15 (and well worth it)