Wine! All things wine

[sa226]

I think my wife and I have been blessed with wide ranging palates.

We have and can appreciate the 50$ bottle in our basement given as a gift or aquired in that super secret industry wine sale.

But, full disclosure we also have that box of red in the pantry that is great for casual glasses while making dinner.

Don't get me wrong, theres some disgusting crap out there, and im sure there's some taste buds that haven't been activated yet. But I like being able to appreciate all ranges.

We might also be wino's.

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[Fuzz]

I've actually heard you can get great value in boxed wine because packaging and shipping is cheaper. Unfortunately I don't want to risk 4 litres of swill, so I haven't ventured into this. Obviously this isn't for high end wines, but anyone know of one of these good deal wines that isn't horrible?

[Flacker]

Huge fan of Napa Valley reds (Cabs primarily), stopped at a small vineyard in Walla Walla, WA while down that way for the eclipse, and discovered a new favorite, Cougar Crest. There Cab/Sav while expensive ~$50CAD, is fantastic, and if you really want a treat their reserve Cab/Sav ~$80CAD, is my new favorite red.

Only place I have been able to find it in Calgary is Zyn in Inglewood, and they are charging $50 for the 2011 Cabernet, don't think you will find the reserve anywhere in Calgary unless you got them to bring in a case.

Costco's Kirkland branded wines, can be surprisingly good, and excellent value.

[Nsd1]

Originally Posted by octothorp

Where would be my best bet in Calgary for finding it?

Doesn't look like it is stocked in Alberta. You can use liquorconnect.com to see what is available in Alberta and which stores would have it.

[undercoverbrother]

Can I whine that this ins't in the Food and Entertainment Sub-Forum.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by troutman

It's good for finding out how much your guests spent on that bottle of wine they brought over.

Scan them upon entry to see where they will be seated?

[Harry Lime]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Can I whine that this ins't in the Food and Entertainment Sub-Forum.

This is serious business, sir. I like to think of the OTF as being in the wine thread.

For costco wine, you are pretty safe if you purchase a bottle from a vineyard that hasn't altered the production levels to satisfy costco demand. Masi is a good example.

Wines like the Belle Glos Meiomi have suffered from the volume needed to sustain being a costco staple. They produce more than they should have been comfortable, and the wine tastes much different than 7 years ago.

Most things Kirkland, costco will go to a reputable producer and ask for a signature bottle. You get the benefit of a solid vineyard backing the label, but at a slightly lower quality than their own label. They won't undercut themselves. If you like a particular variety of kirkland, find out the vineyard and then try their wine, too.

[Robbob]

How easy is it to find out which winery the Kirkland bottle is from? I figure it may say bottled in California, but is there more to go on?

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by rain_e

What's the etiquette when bringing your own wine to a restaurant. I've never done this before. Do I just walk in with a bottle of wine in a paper bag and set it down on the table? lol

Just bring it in and set it on the table when they seat you. The waiter will take it from there. If it's a heavier red, ask to have it decanted if the waiter doesn't volunteer.
The other thing is glasses - having the appropriate wine glass affects the taste. So for pinot noir you want the big bulging glass with a narrower opening, and you don't decant pinot. For pretty much every other red you can use the standard bordeaux red glass. The finer establishments/experienced waiters will know this, but others you have to ask. Sounds super pretentious , but it actually makes a difference to the taste and smell.

[username]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

Just bring it in and set it on the table when they seat you. The waiter will take it from there.

I'd call ahead first as there are several restaurants that don't do it at all - Rouge and Caesars are two that I know of.

[VladtheImpaler]

For those shopping at Costco, I can tell you what I have tried and my comments regarding their offerings...

They carry 2 Amarones - Masi and Tommasi. I personally slightly prefer the Masi, but both are excellent and really well priced at $33-37. As mentioned I have tried and really liked Volver (Spain) at around $20, and the Wente (US) chardonnay at about the same price. I have had the Penfolds St. Henri Shiraz at $70 and while it is good, I think there are better options out there for a better price if you are looking Australian shiraz...
They are carrying a couple of notable Beringer offerings - the Quantum blend I believe around $40 and the Private Reserve Cab at $99, which is their top offering. The Quantum is excellent. They are carrying the 2013 Private Reserve Cab, which I purchased but have not tried. I have had the 2002 and 2010, which are superb. Speaking of 2010, Coop has it on sale for the same $99, or at least still did last week. These can sit in your cellar for 20 years.
Stag's Leap cab at $37 is excellent value. Have tried several vintages.
Their current top offering is the Joseph Phelps Insignia blend at $360 (I believe, unless it's $260). I believe they have the 2013 only right now. I drank a bottle of the 2012 in Arizona, where Costco had it for $140 US, and it's the finest wine I have had to this point in my life. The 2012 got a 100 rating. I brought one home with me as well.

P.S. I should add, as I mentioned further up, their Clark & Telephone pinot noir at ~$37 is excellent value - it has the distinctive red wax seal covering the neck of the bottle, so hard to miss. I would stay away from their other pinot noir - they have a French one for around $15 (it's pretty bad), a Kirkland Russian River one (not bad) and Meiomi (ok). You are much better off getting the $37 bottle than the other stuff there at $20 or so.
One thing I have realized, as I have drank more , is that the jump from $15-20 to $30-40 is very noticeable in terms of quality (obviously, there are exceptions). I cannot necessarily make the same generalization as you go further up - it's much more hit & miss, so you just have to try for yourself...

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by username

I'd call ahead first as there are several restaurants that don't do it at all - Rouge and Caesars are two that I know of.

Of course, I assumed you knew it was allowed.

[Harry Lime]

Originally Posted by Robbob

How easy is it to find out which winery the Kirkland bottle is from? I figure it may say bottled in California, but is there more to go on?

It turns out that's not an easy thing to answer. Some kirkland spirits are badly kept secrets, but wine seems to rotate the producer.

https://www.chowhound.com/post/kirkl...-641185?page=2

Interesting. The Pinot Grigio you like with this year's vintage may not be the same producer for the next vintage.

On the spirits side, the producer will make a point of distilling one less time for the kirkland brand versus their own. Wine goes through a global broker.

I guess the takeaway is pay attention to the date on the bottle.

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by troutman

It's good for finding out how much your guests spent on that bottle of wine they brought over.

And keeping track of the value of your collection for insurance purposes...

[station]

Great thread! The North Okanagan / Shuswap is an emerging wine region and we have a half a dozen small but mostly quality wineries here. Someone mentioned Edge of the Earth already. Celista Cuvée is a nice semi-sweet, fruity white and my friends at Marionette Winery make a really nice dry Riesling and a full-bodied Pulcinella that's a great pairing for Italian food. I've had the chance to participate in both their pressing and bottling processes and it was amazing.

Also since I'm sitting on nearly 40 southwest facing acres here I've started the process of planting a vineyard. So far I have a test vineyard with around 25 vines each in 6 varietals - 4 whites and 2 reds. The success of these will determine which varietals will make the cut for the full plantation.

Here are year one grapes on our Sauvignon Blanc vines!

[Parallex]

Since Y'all are talking Costco has anyone tried the Kirkland CdP or Kirkland Brunello? If so how are they?

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by Parallex

Since Y'all are talking Costco has anyone tried the Kirkland CdP or Kirkland Brunello? If so how are they?

I am interested in the answer to this question as well, being a fan of Brunello.

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by prarieboy

Let's not forget to Decant!!

Seriously, if you have a Red that is say more than four years in the bottle try this little experiment.

Open the bottle and have a small taste as a baseline. Put the rest into a decanter and wait for it about 30 minutes.

Try it again and I'd be shocked if you didn't think improved a ton.

#Vlad , Zenato Amorone is your new best friend.

zyn.ca has it, as well as their Reserve Amarone. Where else do you buy it?

[VladtheImpaler]

Another question - has anyone been able to find Bevan Cellars wines in Calgary? J Webb and Co-Op can't get it. Have not tried Willow Park yet. Had their Pentaluma Gap Pinot Noir in Vegas - $87 USD at a liquor store and took it to B & B for dinner - it was incredible. On Vivino, their wines have massive ratings.

[OMG!WTF!]

Originally Posted by station

Great thread! The North Okanagan / Shuswap is an emerging wine region and we have a half a dozen small but mostly quality wineries here. Someone mentioned Edge of the Earth already. Celista Cuvée is a nice semi-sweet, fruity white and my friends at Marionette Winery make a really nice dry Riesling and a full-bodied Pulcinella that's a great pairing for Italian food. I've had the chance to participate in both their pressing and bottling processes and it was amazing.

Also since I'm sitting on nearly 40 southwest facing acres here I've started the process of planting a vineyard. So far I have a test vineyard with around 25 vines each in 6 varietals - 4 whites and 2 reds. The success of these will determine which varietals will make the cut for the full plantation.

Here are year one grapes on our Sauvignon Blanc vines!

Best of luck on your forty acres. That would be a massive vineyard. I also really like your area. Larch Hills is great. Their Mad Angie is the best. There are a few others too.

I love love love Foreign Affair winery in Ontario. If you like heavy duty "punch in the mouth" reds, you'll love their passimiento (sp?) style of wine making. It requires about ten times as many grapes and it shows. It's super dense and rich. I think the spread it out in blends too. The 100% passimiento is about quite expensive. Most definitely worth a try if not just for the unique style.