Wine

[Otsy]

Really like the wines from Gray Monk and my parents live 10 minutes from there so always stopping when we're there to stock up. For white, if you can find Pinot Aux, that's a real good one.

[Deuce Bigalow]

I'm a fan of Blasted Church... BC wine. Depending on what you get its between $25-35

[SeeBass]

More info needed

-is this with dinner or just casual drinking
-what is being served

[Ruttiger]

Originally Posted by fotze

For White, go Canadian.

Summerhill Ehrenfelser

x2 for Summerhill's Ehrenfelser - one of my favourites. And the Dry Riesling from Quail's Gate is another good white.

For red the Fuzion Shiraz Malbec is a nice choice at a very reasonable price (below $15).

[Mazder]

Okay, here is what you need to do...

You've budgeted $50, but don't spend all of that on a bottle of wine. Instead, buy a bottle of Dr. ZenZen Vino Noire ($15), which by the way is quite delicious on it's own, and take the remaining $35.00 and purchase an wine aerator.

Any red wine lover would appreciate an aerator, because it takes any normal red wine and tranforms it into something magnificent.

There are a bunch of different types of aerators on the market, and for the most part, they all work quite well.

Now the little lady has a gift, and she'll be reminded of you everytime she pops a bottle of red, because believe me, she'll use it everytime...it makes that great a difference.

FYI...

Anyone whose spending $50 on a bottle of wine, is trying too hard. I have a lot of friends who drink wine, many of which are quite successful and could afford the $50 bottle, but no one I know pays that kind of cash for one bottle of wine. Not sure the cost really outweigh the benefits. Just my opinion...YMMV.

Good Luck!

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Mazder

Okay, here is what you need to do...

You've budgeted $50, but don't spend all of that on a bottle of wine. Instead, buy a bottle of Dr. ZenZen Vino Noire ($15), which by the way is quite delicious on it's own, and take the remaining $35.00 and purchase an wine aerator.

Any red wine lover would appreciate an aerator, because it takes any normal red wine and tranforms it into something magnificent.

There are a bunch of different types of aerators on the market, and for the most part, they all work quite well.

Now the little lady has a gift, and she'll be reminded of you everytime she pops a bottle of red, because believe me, she'll use it everytime...it makes that great a difference.

FYI...

Anyone whose spending $50 on a bottle of wine, is trying too hard. I have a lot of friends who drink wine, many of which are quite successful and could afford the $50 bottle, but no one I know pays that kind of cash for one bottle of wine. Not sure the cost really outweigh the benefits. Just my opinion...YMMV.

Good Luck!

That's a pretty bizarre statement as there are many varieties that you simply aren't going to be able to drink unless you go north of $50. Good luck finding a nice brunello for less than $50.

There are certainly great $15 bottles out there, but that doesn't mean that there aren't $100+ bottles that are worth the extra money on occasion.

[squiggs96]

Seghesio Zinfandel - Sonoma, USA
$35-50 depending on the variety. You can buy it at Bin 905 on 4th Street SW and the Safeway Liquor Store in Garrison Woods. I'm sure there are other places, but I know these two have it for sure.

Burrowing Owl - Oliver, BC
$35+ depending on the grape and year. It's tough to find in liquor stores but I believe the one on 17th Ave and 10th St SW carries it from time to time.

Black Hills Nota Bene - Oliver, BC
$60 but worth every cent

[Tron_fdc]

A couple good suggestions.....and a couple really, really bad ones in here

Okanagan whites are usually pretty decent. Places like Quails gate, Summerhill are ok, but beware of the "big box" vineyards like Mission Hill or Jackson Triggs, who put more into marketing than they do winemaking. Probably 2 of THE most over rated vineyards I've ever been to.

A few good ones from the Okanagan:
- La Frenz (the best chardonnay you will ever drink)
- Le Vieux Pin (full bodied reds)
- Little Straw (If you ever find their Tapestry buy the case, it's excellent)
- See ya later Ranch (good bubbly)
- burrowing owl (more good whites, you can't go wrong here)
- Summerhill gewurtztraminer

For reds I would look at something from California, their vines are a lot more developed than the Okanagan, and for around 30 bucks you can find a pinot that kicks ass on anything found in BC. Try:
- Hitching Post (ever seen the movie Sideways? They stay there)
- Brewer Clifton (best pinot I've ever had)

- If you ever see a Skimmerhorn Autumn Tryst buy that. Sooooo good. It's a white

I'll post a few more if I remember them.

[Tron_fdc]

Oh, and all the wines I mentioned are under 50 bucks. Except for a few of the Le Vieux Pin wines, I would say average price is $35.

[troutman]

Every vintage of every wine differs in quality, so I would resist recommending a winery generally.

When you find wines you like, note the label - wine and year.

Many excellent wines can be had for $20.00.

[Northendzone]

just remember,if you are at the wine store and decide you need some mix for your harder spirits - you can save yourself a trip by buying mix at the liquor store, but it will be way more expensive than it would be at your local grocerateria - for those of you in the 1% - who cares.......

[rubecube]

Malbecs and Barolos are my wines of choice. Barolo tends to get a bit pricey, but you can find decent ones in the $30-$35 range.

[Flacker]

Had good experiences with Wala Wala Valley reds out of Washington State.

Cougar Crest $50ish
Pepperbridge Cab Sav $75ish

Not wine I would recommend for daily consumption, but they are nice for a special occasion.

These are both spectacular and should be treated with the respect they deserve (decanter, aerator).

I have yet to find a Canadian red that can compete with the Washington State vineyards.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

Seghesio Zinfandel - Sonoma, USA
$35-50 depending on the variety. You can buy it at Bin 905 on 4th Street SW and the Safeway Liquor Store in Garrison Woods. I'm sure there are other places, but I know these two have it for sure.

Burrowing Owl - Oliver, BC
$35+ depending on the grape and year. It's tough to find in liquor stores but I believe the one on 17th Ave and 10th St SW carries it from time to time.

Black Hills Nota Bene - Oliver, BC
$60 but worth every cent

Love Burrowing Owl, you can rarely get it outside of resteraunts though.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

Love Burrowing Owl, you can rarely get it outside of resteraunts though.

Try Zyn in Inglewood or Downtown. Cork! also sells quite a bit of Burrowing Owl. Or just do what I do and visit the winery or order your favorites online every year!

[Ashartus]

It really depends on whether you're buying for a casual wine drinker or someone who at least likes to think they know wine. For most people some of the common wines like Wolf Blass are fine. If there are any wine connoisseurs (or connoisseur wannabes) in the family you might want to go with something a bit less mass-market. If you go to a good store like Willow Park or J. Webb the staff are quite knowledgeable and can recommend some good wines at a reasonable price (you don't have to pay a fortune - there are plenty of really good wines at about $16 to $25 a bottle).

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

Black Hills Nota Bene - Oliver, BC
$60 but worth every cent

Beauty of a wine, but I have a hard time finding it.

Tinhorn Creek - Cabernet Franc is a personally favorite in the $20-$25 range for BC reds.

For $40-$50 a good Amarone is hard to go wrong with. Great gift wine.

[squiggs96]

At one point you could only get Burrowing Owl in restaurants. Now it's in limited release in liquor stores, but it's not easy to find. I picked up two cases at the winery in September of various bottles.

Excellent call on Tinhorn Creek. I joined the wine club there and picked up a case of six different reds. I liked it so much I order another case last month. There's great stuff from the $16 Merlot to the $35 Oilfield Series wines. Their winery is fantastic and the Miradoro restaurant is one of the best I've been to. The food is great, service is better and the view is excellent. It was done by the same people who did La Gavroche in Vancouver.

I like Road 13 Rockpile at $25 a bottle. They also sell the Jackpot line only at the winery and I bought the Syrah and Merlot at $40 a bottle. I haven't tried either of them yet, but they are in my wine fridge waiting for a good day. What's great about Road 13 and Tinhorn Creek is they use Stelvins instead of corks. No longer do I have to worry about wine leaking out if I don't drink it all in one sitting or about bringing a wine opener if I'm away from the house. The caps are an excellent idea and save the environment.

La Stella and Le Vieux Pin are sibling wineries and are delicious. I highly recommend a decanter and/or aerator for them as the bottle contain huge amounts of sediment. Without one the last bit of the last glass is awful.

I also went to Quinta Ferreria. They are a relatively new winery specializing in reds. I bought a couple of the Cab Merlot and the Syrah I think. For four bottles it was under $100 and they provide huge value.

[Otto-matic]

Thanks guys!

Gonna go check some out, she's a pretty casual wine drinker. Its just us sitting around drinking wine and spending time with eachother so I thankfully don't need to match it to food.

[CarlW]

You could get a bottle 10 year Port for under $50 if they like that?