My sister was in Australia for this Christmas but we got gifts from her and one in particular that made me smile. I got this book from her called "The really useful guide to wine" and a bottle of Australia's finest. Now there is a story behind this...
I gave my sister a glass of some Merlot last summer that had been sitting out for a few months..sorry and my sister said it tasted like pure vinegar. I defended my 10$ bottle from Winco saying she didn't know what good wine tasted like. So that was the reason for the book and the bottle. BTW, the bottle she sent was excellent. Blew my cheapy stuff out the window. I guess wine can't be cheaper then milk.
I started reading it and boy I had no idea how many categories of wine there are! and brands and types of grapes! Unfortunately this book references many brands that are made in Europe like German Riesling, French Grand cru, or some northern Italy wine that I can't pronounce. Bummer. Do you think I could find any of those at our local cheap grocery store? probably not.
My husband was browsing through the book and pointed out a paragraph to me:
"With all light dry whites, try to track down a winemaker who uses low-yielding vines (for more concentration in the grapes) rather then fertile high-cropping ones." HMMMM I know I've heard that before, particularly this last fall :)
17 comments:
World Market has an incredible selection of wines from all over... & the Cellar Wine Co. (Sparks) does pretty well also.
Thanks Louie. I'll have to check it out.It will be nice to branch out of my usual selections
Oh my gosh Erica, I was laughing so hard... because we are too much alike with this. I am the only one who drinks wine in my house, so I usually nurse a bottle for a long time, and by the end, it is well fermented... I had a sip of my slowly aging cabernet this evening as a matter of fact! I know what good wines are, and where to get them, I am just down right cheap sometimes!
Yeah, with me a bottle of wine doesn't last long enough to get that vinegar taste... Mind you, I usually only open a bottle if I have friends over, so that might be the reason! ;)
I was going to suggest World Market also. And I was surprised to hear that you liked your Australian wine. The only Australian I've ever tasted was the worst wine I've had in my life!
To me one of the most enjoyable experiences with wine is finding a great tasting wine for a great price. I prefer red, but chilled whites are great in the summer.
Laura-sounds like we are 2 peas in a pod when it comes to wine. I'm just lazy when it comes to educating myself.
Jeni-whenever you want to share some wine, keep me in mind ;) I will have to check out World Market as that makes 2 recommendations. I think the brand of wine makes a difference. This bottle is very good :)
Tim-I always go for the Merlot but after this book, I'll expand to the whites and pinks
I very much prefer whites and pinks to reds most of the time, but occasionally, I will have a red.
I will also keep you in mind when I want to share a bottle of wine! :)
With the book her sister also gave us an Australian Bottle of wine with... wait for it... a metal twist cap. I'm no expert wither but in my college days I learned that's one step up from boxed wine. Figure that one out! ;)
He he he! Twist cap wine! The funny thing is, some of the twist cap wines taste pretty darn good. But I would never cook with them! :)
I remember a few years ago at a party I served a really cheap wine. Everyone was buzzing about it, how great it was, where did I get it. I just told them it was Charles Shaw from Trader Joe's. Anyone familiar with this knows its nick-name "2 buck Chuck" though now I believe it has gone up to $3. So as plucky said, I do think it is possible to find good, cheap wine! And your guests usually can't tell the difference!
i don't believe in ingesting anything that is this difficult to research.
hooray beer!
destro-I like my boxed wine ;)
Jeni- I don't think I will cook with it
Laura- ahh another cheap wine I can get. Trader Joes is a step up from Winco though. have to check it out
I actually had a REALLY good three buck chuck wine from Trader Joe's on New Year's Eve. I am also amused by all of the comments on this post. It's been quite a while since there have been this many comments on a single blog post. Good job. Keep it coming.
wow, erica i think we should go for a record here on the comments i mean not on how many advisements you have now been given on where and what to get.
THE BEST WINE I HAVE EVER HAD(to date that is)is from a winery called Frog's Leap , they are based right in our own back yard in Napa Valley and thier wine is fabuloso. Expensive but not on the extreme end. I think more that $50 a bottle is outragoues for wine although I know some go for crazy money I think more than 50 is a rip off. Frog's Leap goes for about20-30 and is worth every penny.
Okay I will be back over later to add another comment , the record to beat is I think over 30 comments. Who is the blog comments record holder, I wonder? Brent or Ben??
okay so i left a comment AND some advise on the best wine, where to get it other than Napa Valley.... I am still looking.
This could turn in to a small group "Blog Wars". What could we give the winner????
I love World Market...and you get get pretty good stuff without breaking your $10/bottle limit :)
You know, that wine book sounds like a good housewarming gift (hint intended)...!
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