- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Foreign Red Wines
Posted on 1/4/13 at 11:24 pm
Posted on 1/4/13 at 11:24 pm
So my wife and I have become quite the wine drinkers over the past few years. What once was a 1 bottle a week household now seems to be 2 or 3 bottles a week. She will occasionally drink a white wine but when it comes to buying a bottle for us to share we almost always choose a Cab. I have always tried to expand my horizons with beer, but when it comes to wine I find myself getting lost with all the different varieties of grapes and from different parts of the world. What are some suggestions for some new types of wine for us to try?
This post was edited on 1/4/13 at 11:25 pm
4
Posted on 1/5/13 at 8:15 am to dgtiger3
Pick a region, buy, research and drink. I drink a lot of California because I know the regions and the grapes so it's my comfort zone. I've gotten into Italian wines the last couple years for family reasons and am learning them. I drink very few French because I just don't know them or the regions so it's a shot in the dark. Take your time and remember you have to drink some crappy wines to appreciate the good ones. And it can become an expensive hobby as mine has but it's what myself and several of my close friends and family enjoy. My siblings all are wine students so holidays are better than usual with some great wines tasted.
I'm a big fan of California blends, cabs, Sangiovese etc...a lot of boutique wines.
Try Shypoke, David Arthur, Zacherle, Modus Operandi, Burgess, Neal, Mollydooker (Australian) Hunnicutt, Oberle, Hendry, Orrin Swift to name a few. Enjoy. It's a fun habit.
I'm a big fan of California blends, cabs, Sangiovese etc...a lot of boutique wines.
Try Shypoke, David Arthur, Zacherle, Modus Operandi, Burgess, Neal, Mollydooker (Australian) Hunnicutt, Oberle, Hendry, Orrin Swift to name a few. Enjoy. It's a fun habit.
Posted on 1/5/13 at 8:29 am to Martini
Buy a few things as well. A set of good glasses with plenty of head space, a nice decanter for those that need decanting, a filter for non filtered wines and a really good corkscrew. Just a few things that make it more enjoyable.
And don't over pour. Too many fill a glass with much more than needed. A standard wine pour is 5-6 ounces. You can refill as many times as you like but give the wine room.
And don't give up on whites. They fit in as well and some great ones are out there. We started with a nice un Oakes Chardonnay last night that was really good to open with.
And eat. Put the wines with food. It's a much better way to develop a palate. They belong together.
And don't over pour. Too many fill a glass with much more than needed. A standard wine pour is 5-6 ounces. You can refill as many times as you like but give the wine room.
And don't give up on whites. They fit in as well and some great ones are out there. We started with a nice un Oakes Chardonnay last night that was really good to open with.
And eat. Put the wines with food. It's a much better way to develop a palate. They belong together.
Posted on 1/5/13 at 8:59 am to dgtiger3
I'm hardly an expert, but I do enjoy wine. Hmmmmm . . . foreign reds, eh?
Martini is right about exploring different regions. Don't look at it like a chore or serious education. Just enjoy experimenting and doing just a little reading. Find a wine merchant that you trust. You honestly do not have to spend a fortune to have a good bottle of wine.
As far as French wines are concerned, I sort of bounce around with geography, variety and style. Right now I have a couple of bottles from Chateau Saint Martin de la Garrigue: their Bronzinelle (Coteaux du Languedoc) and their "tradition" 2009 Syrah Carignon.
Domaine Montpertais makes a nice cotes du rhone.
You should also check out the Italians. Try a Barolo from the Piedmont region. Try some Chianti/Sangiovese from Tuscany.
South America also produces very nice wine. Concha y Toro produces some nice Chilean wines.
Oh, and don't forget Australia and New Zealand.
Martini is right about exploring different regions. Don't look at it like a chore or serious education. Just enjoy experimenting and doing just a little reading. Find a wine merchant that you trust. You honestly do not have to spend a fortune to have a good bottle of wine.
As far as French wines are concerned, I sort of bounce around with geography, variety and style. Right now I have a couple of bottles from Chateau Saint Martin de la Garrigue: their Bronzinelle (Coteaux du Languedoc) and their "tradition" 2009 Syrah Carignon.
Domaine Montpertais makes a nice cotes du rhone.
You should also check out the Italians. Try a Barolo from the Piedmont region. Try some Chianti/Sangiovese from Tuscany.
South America also produces very nice wine. Concha y Toro produces some nice Chilean wines.
Oh, and don't forget Australia and New Zealand.
Posted on 1/5/13 at 9:18 am to VOR
The ergions of France are in truth tiny when considering the size of the country. Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Rhone river valley, and the Loire valley most probably make up the majority of French wine on the market. I drank my way through most of them while with the French ex.
Posted on 1/5/13 at 10:11 am to dgtiger3
Find a wine shop with educated employees that are interested in helping you better understand the product you're drinking rather than selling you the most expensive and overly ripe products. The biggest thing is finding products in your price point.
France: If you like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay drink Burgundy as that is what they are at the root (minus soil variations). Bordeaux wines are Cabernet or Merlot based wines for the most part. Northern Rhone wines are Syrah while Southern Rhone wines are typically Grenache dominant.
Spain: Wines from Toro, Priorat, Costers del Segre, Bierzo, Jumilla, and Ribera del Duero tend to fit the american palate because of their fruit forward styles and low old world influence.
Italy: My least favorite of old world/European countries. Really have a rustic style to what they make (more of an acquired taste, I appreciate and understand the country as a whole but wont go out and buy most Italian wines). Top regions are Tuscany (Maremma, Bolgheri, Chianti Classico, Chianti Rufina, Morellino di Scansano) and Piedmont (Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera and Dolcetto wines from Alba).
Australia: I personally find the region makes overly ripe and overly alcoholic wines that are horrible food pairings, however if you're into drinking jammy fruit bombs this is the way to go. There was a heavy craze drawn to Australian wines about 8-10 years ago but it really has died down terribly in the wine world.
Hope this helps on starting out!
France: If you like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay drink Burgundy as that is what they are at the root (minus soil variations). Bordeaux wines are Cabernet or Merlot based wines for the most part. Northern Rhone wines are Syrah while Southern Rhone wines are typically Grenache dominant.
Spain: Wines from Toro, Priorat, Costers del Segre, Bierzo, Jumilla, and Ribera del Duero tend to fit the american palate because of their fruit forward styles and low old world influence.
Italy: My least favorite of old world/European countries. Really have a rustic style to what they make (more of an acquired taste, I appreciate and understand the country as a whole but wont go out and buy most Italian wines). Top regions are Tuscany (Maremma, Bolgheri, Chianti Classico, Chianti Rufina, Morellino di Scansano) and Piedmont (Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera and Dolcetto wines from Alba).
Australia: I personally find the region makes overly ripe and overly alcoholic wines that are horrible food pairings, however if you're into drinking jammy fruit bombs this is the way to go. There was a heavy craze drawn to Australian wines about 8-10 years ago but it really has died down terribly in the wine world.
Hope this helps on starting out!
Posted on 1/5/13 at 10:20 am to lilwineman
You should be able to find Crios wines, they are really good for the price. If you can get this one, it is one of my favorite go to wines.
This post was edited on 1/5/13 at 10:21 am
Posted on 1/5/13 at 10:39 am to lilwineman
quote:
Find a wine shop with educated employees that are interested in helping you better understand the product you're drinking rather than selling you the most expensive and overly ripe products. The biggest thing is finding products in your price point.
France: If you like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay drink Burgundy as that is what they are at the root (minus soil variations). Bordeaux wines are Cabernet or Merlot based wines for the most part. Northern Rhone wines are Syrah while Southern Rhone wines are typically Grenache dominant.
Spain: Wines from Toro, Priorat, Costers del Segre, Bierzo, Jumilla, and Ribera del Duero tend to fit the american palate because of their fruit forward styles and low old world influence.
Italy: My least favorite of old world/European countries. Really have a rustic style to what they make (more of an acquired taste, I appreciate and understand the country as a whole but wont go out and buy most Italian wines). Top regions are Tuscany (Maremma, Bolgheri, Chianti Classico, Chianti Rufina, Morellino di Scansano) and Piedmont (Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera and Dolcetto wines from Alba).
Australia: I personally find the region makes overly ripe and overly alcoholic wines that are horrible food pairings, however if you're into drinking jammy fruit bombs this is the way to go. There was a heavy craze drawn to Australian wines about 8-10 years ago but it really has died down terribly in the wine world.
Hope this helps on starting out!
Ya damn right, except about Italy!
Posted on 1/5/13 at 2:05 pm to ruzil
Thanks for all your well thought out responses guys, I'm going to use this thread for suggestions the next time I head to the market.
Posted on 1/5/13 at 2:06 pm to dgtiger3
Malbecs from Argentina can be a good value.
Posted on 1/5/13 at 2:10 pm to ruzil
Hey it's just me. I mean I like my sassicaia, gaja, ornellaia, etc. however, as a whole, it is my least favorite of the Spain, France, Italy grouping. I'm a Francophile at heart and love the reemergence of Spain as a dominant wine making country.
Page 1 of 1
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News