Wine - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

t0rrent98 · 12-15-2013, 04:53 PM

My family and I are doing secret santa this year just between us young adults. We have a $60 limit and have given a likes and dislikes list amongst the group.

I happen to get my Cousin's gf for my secret santa and I hear she loves to drink wine and I wanted to see what the best tasting RED/WHITE wines are out there that you guys like.

I had two suggestions given to me and they are Apothic Red and Conundrum White. Have any of you tried any of the two and are they good? I myself am not much of a Wine drinker so I wouldn't know if they were good or not. I have already bought the Apothic Red and am looking to get the Conundrum White when and if Costco restocks it.

Any other Wine suggestions would be appreciated, thanks.

prarieboy · 12-15-2013, 05:09 PM

I don't have much to say about White wines as I never drink them.

Red Wine, that's another story.

One of my favorites is from Tinhorn Creek Winery. If you can find the Cabernet Franc they sell it's out of this world.

http://www.tinhorn.com/product/Cabernet-Franc-2011

The website has it listed at $21.99 so it's in your budget.

As far as the Apothic goes it's a drinkable wine at a lower price point. It's tasty and good for parties where the wine is going fast but I wouldn't gift that wine to someone who loves to drink wine.

Another Red Wine I like is from Fetzer

http://www.fetzer.com/Cabernet-Sauvignon

Incidentally some of the most expensive bottles of wine I have received I enjoyed the least.

Good Luck! I love to receive a good bottle of wine as a gift!

AcGold · 12-15-2013, 05:09 PM

Apothic Red's are nasty, at least in my opinion. It's just a mix of a bunch of wines and tastes like mud. Depends what kind of wines she likes. I would always recommend an Australian from the Victoria region, a very popular choice currently. Stay away from wines that are mix of a bunch of different kinds. I drink a lot of wine and here are the best ones I've had recently.

Cortez · 12-15-2013, 05:10 PM

Apothic red is a very easy drinking red wine. The wife loves it and she is generally not a red wine drinker. You can get it for just over 10 bucks a bottle so you might have to get her a few.
I haven't tried the Conundrum white though

Cortez · 12-15-2013, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcGold

Apothic Red's are nasty, at least in my opinion. It's just a mix of a bunch of wines and tastes like mud. Depends what kind of wines she likes. I would always recommend an Australian Shiraz from the Victoria region, a very popular choice currently.

Yes I would say Apothic red is more for people that don't really like red wine. I'm not sure how many real red wine drinkers would actually like it

AcGold · 12-15-2013, 05:17 PM

Interesting perspective because I can't stand the taste, it almost tastes sweet but underneath is a strong taste of chemicals which is even worse for Barefoot wine.

bossy22 · 12-15-2013, 05:19 PM

My wife likes Amarones. I think you can buy a Masi Amarone at costco.

AcGold · 12-15-2013, 05:20 PM

for a white wine I recommend this Moscato

prarieboy · 12-15-2013, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcGold

Interesting perspective because I can't stand the taste, it almost tastes sweet but underneath is a strong taste of chemicals which is even worse for Barefoot wine.

I don't know how they can get away with calling that wine! LOL!

AcGold · 12-15-2013, 05:38 PM

I have no idea, more chemical additives than grapes. Tastes like terpentine, antifreeze with a hint of grape soda.

Flabbibulin · 12-15-2013, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcGold

Apothic Red's are nasty, at least in my opinion. It's just a mix of a bunch of wines and tastes like mud. Depends what kind of wines she likes. I would always recommend an Australian from the Victoria region, a very popular choice currently. Stay away from wines that are mix of a bunch of different kinds. I drink a lot of wine and here are the best ones I've had recently.

No offense intended, but this is just wrong advice. How can you say stay away from blended wines? Blended wines are far more complex and probably make up a majority of the great wine in the world. Certainly a newby in wine should become familiar with all of the main varietals and get an idea of what they like, but blended wines are part of every wine collection and restaurant selection in the world and are intentionally produced by the best vineyards.

AcGold · 12-15-2013, 05:46 PM

That's one opinion, I don't like them so that's my opinion. Especially as a gift, if someone gives me blended wine as a gift I'll just want to know what they actually taste like from that winemaker. It's the easy way to make sure it appeals to more people but I would always prefer something with a unique flavor that I've never had than a mix of flavours as it starts to taste more like grape juice than wine.

Flabbibulin · 12-15-2013, 05:54 PM

Rather than recommending a specific bottle, my recommendation would be to get two very different reds and two different types of white. By getting 2 completely different reds, such as a Pinot and a Cab Sauv, and 2 different types of white, such as a chardonnay and Riesling, you are covering a lot of ground and giving variety. Any wine store can give you specific bottle recommendations in these varietals, but it is always great to get completely different types of wine when giving a gift.

The great thing with wine is you can spend $15 a bottle or $60 a bottle and still find a great wine.

Flabbibulin · 12-15-2013, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcGold

That's one opinion, I don't like them so that's my opinion. Especially as a gift, if someone gives me blended wine as a gift I'll just want to know what they actually taste like from that winemaker. It's the easy way to make sure it appeals to more people but I would always prefer something with a unique flavor that I've never had than a mix of flavours as it starts to taste more like grape juice than wine.

I definitely respect your opinion and not trying to start an argument, but I will suggest, imo, that this is the exact reason people go to blends.

flylock shox · 12-15-2013, 06:21 PM

If you're looking for a pair of wines - one red, one white - that might fit into your 60 buck budget, here are some good BC options:

Red
Noble Ridge Pinot Noir
La Stella Fortissimo
Moon Curser Dead of Night
Tinhorn Creek Cab Franc
Vieux Pin Syrah Cuvee
Desert Hills Gamay
Arrowleaf First Crush (awesome for 15 bucks)

White
Wild Goose (anything)
La Frenz (anything)
Poplar Grove Pinot Blanc
Therapy Sauvignon Blanc
Burrowing Owl Chardonnay

Not sure if you can get these where you are, but nonetheless, if you can split your budget 35-red/25-white, you should be able to pick up a real nice pair of wines.

AcGold · 12-15-2013, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

I definitely respect your opinion and not trying to start an argument, but I will suggest, imo, that this is the exact reason people go to blends.

that is true, I've just never had a blend I thought tasted good. I'm not exactly a connoisseur so you've probably got more knowledge. Just always like trying new kinds and look for that wine when it tastes just perfect after it's been opened for a couple days.

flylock shox · 12-15-2013, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcGold

that is true. I'm not exactly a connoisseur so I'm not the most knowledgeable, just always like trying new kinds and look for that wine when it tastes just perfect after it's been opened for a couple days.

If you're drinking in the cheaper end of the spectrum (under 20 bucks) then the blends you'll be tasting are often made from low end juices mixed together to make their individual skankiness less noticeable. At the higher end though (25 and up usually) blends are made from high end stuff that is specifically selected and apportioned to achieve a desired style, rather than to cover up flaws. The world's most expensive wines are blends.

Varietals do tend to be more individualistic though, all else being equal, and I'm the same in liking them for that reason: they tend to be more of a love or hate thing.

troutman · 12-15-2013, 06:54 PM

All the wine magazines and web-sites have best of 2013 lists out now. You can find plenty of wines that score over 90 for under $20.

To recommend a brand is useless without reference to the grape and vintage. A particular brand of wine can vary greatly in quality from year to year.

http://2013.top100.winespectator.com...full_list=true

http://o.canada.com/life/food-drink/...wines-of-2013/

http://www.winemag.com/PDFs/112013_BestBuys.pdf

calumniate · 12-15-2013, 07:17 PM

I like going to places like wine Ink. They have a more unique selection which imo is nice for gifts (something new for a wine drinker is always at least fun. Can pick up a wine from Bulgaria just to be sure). Plus they let you taste a whole bunch. However, I can't ever for the life of me remember the good ones I've had, so no recommendations there.

Tron_fdc · 12-15-2013, 07:29 PM

Flylock had a great list. La Frenz is one of my personal favs as far as wineries in naramata goes.

Add Hitching Post pinot to that list. It's an excellent red.