Red Wine

[LoneAspen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Those vacuum wine stopper thingies work very very well.

I actually tried about three different bottle vacuums from different stores (BevMo, Sur la Table, and...Williams Sonoma I think?), and gave up because none of them worked well for me. I could tell a definite change in the way the wine tasted after a day or two, so gave up on the vacuums.

I've used the argon on two different bottles of wine now, and it tastes the same after a day or two as it did when I opened it, so the argon is working very well for me. It's a little more expensive solution, but well worth it for me to enjoy a bottle of wine over multiple nights.

[springnr]

I prefer micro-brew beers, but open bottle of 2012 Lorelle Pinot Noir this week.

Wine, olive oil, vinegars, are hard for one or two people to consume before quality declines.

Used in conjunction:
Welcome to the wonderful world of Corkers!

Private Preserve -- World's Best Wine Preserver -- Wine glass by glass

[Eagle43]

I drink 2 glasses of red wine each evening; usually a Cab or Merlot. It's good for your heart? Since I practice LBYM I really like Yellowtail wine. Last week the base had it on sale for $3.50, so I bought a couple of cases. I'm heading out there this am and if still on sale, will buy another case.

Sent from my AT100 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

[nash031]

Yellowtail's pretty good for the price, just a massive bottling production so they keep costs down.

[MooreBonds]

A few comments to add to this great thread:

1. Tastes change - just as your taste preferences for food changes every so often, so will your preferences for wine! Don't be afraid to sample everything now....and do again in a few years. I only used to like cloyingly sweet whites when I first started enjoying wine in my 20s, and then once I hit my 30s, I started to eventually develop an appreciation for subtle tannins that made me run the other direction before. The same for craft brew beer (20s was nothing but Bud Light/Budweiser - although I am in St. Louis, the world headquarters of former Bud

2. As another poster commented, try some wine parties with all bottles hidden to allow everyone to sample blindly. And you can find many wine stores that have free tastings (often during quarterly clearance sales, but some will do them once a month or maybe even every weekend!), many of which will let you sample without knowing the price, so you can see which wine styles/wineries you like without any influence on the price (which hopefully won't turn out to be a bad thing if you like $50+/bottle wines .

And remember - there's no 'wrong' or 'right' wine to enjoy. And your favorites will probably change over time.

3. Wine aerators - some will scoff at them, but I personally can attest that I have noticed a difference after pouring red wines through an aerator. The aerator helps to quickly, subtly 'soften' the body of the wine so it's slightly smoother when you drink it. The alternative is to open the bottle to let it 'breathe' for 30-90 minutes (or more) before you drink it. You can find expensive ones, but I stick with the $22 variety on Amazon
Amazon.com: Trudeau Aroma Aerating Pourer with Stand: Kitchen & Dining

It sticks right into the bottle. No drips, nothing to hold! (just rinse it out after using it so the wine doesn't stain it over time)

[kcowan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MooreBonds 3. Wine aerators - some will scoff at them, but I personally can attest that I have noticed a difference after pouring red wines through an aerator. The aerator helps to quickly, subtly 'soften' the body of the wine so it's slightly smoother when you drink it. The alternative is to open the bottle to let it 'breathe' for 30-90 minutes (or more) before you drink it. You can find expensive ones, but I stick with the $22 variety on Amazon Amazon.com: Trudeau Aroma Aerating Pourer with Stand: Kitchen & Dining It sticks right into the bottle. No drips, nothing to hold! (just rinse it out after using it so the wine doesn't stain it over time)

A friend who also like red wine tried the following taste test: Same wine served:
1) from the bottle after standing open for 15 minutes
2) through an aerator immediately after opening
3) from a decanter after standing 15 minutes, and
4) after a minute mixed in the blender then into the decanter.
The blind tasters all choose them in reverse order: 4) best, 1) worst.

Then he tried option 4) for differing qualities. The difference in age of the wine disappeared.

[LoneAspen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcowan A friend who also like red wine tried the following taste test: Same wine served: 1) from the bottle after standing open for 15 minutes 2) through an aerator immediately after opening 3) from a decanter after standing 15 minutes, and 4) after a minute mixed in the blender then into the decanter. The blind tasters all choose them in reverse order: 4) best, 1) worst. Then he tried option 4) for differing qualities. The difference in age of the wine disappeared.

I'd have a really hard time running a $40+ bottle of wine through a blender. Even if it did appear to taste better, I'd feel I was doing something sacrilegious to it.

[kcowan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoneAspen I'd have a really hard time running a $40+ bottle of wine through a blender. Even if it did appear to taste better, I'd feel I was doing something sacrilegious to it.

I agree. That probably assures the industry that the $40 price point will not be replaced by $25 and a blender! But the success of aerators seems to indicate there is some hope. Plus once the whole bottle has been blended, you pretty much have to drink it all...

[nash031]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MooreBonds 3. Wine aerators - some will scoff at them, but I personally can attest that I have noticed a difference after pouring red wines through an aerator. The aerator helps to quickly, subtly 'soften' the body of the wine so it's slightly smoother when you drink it. The alternative is to open the bottle to let it 'breathe' for 30-90 minutes (or more) before you drink it. You can find expensive ones, but I stick with the $22 variety on Amazon Amazon.com: Trudeau Aroma Aerating Pourer with Stand: Kitchen & Dining It sticks right into the bottle. No drips, nothing to hold! (just rinse it out after using it so the wine doesn't stain it over time)

Agree that aerating pourers and aerators are useful and make a difference. In addition, decanting for 15 minutes to a couple of hours accomplishes the same. We do a little of both, with decanting being a bit more noticable difference, but far more difficult to clean!

[nwsteve]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Our favorite winery area to visit is the Columbia River Valley in Washington state, from near Yakima all the way to Walla Walla. Amazing big reds. Better value than CA in general.

+1.
We live 2 hours from Walla Walla. We are seeing this area starting a Napazation. Definitely not a word but the combination of Wash State U having a legit Viticulture program as well as being one of the top 10 in the world hospitality schools is driving some great things in this wine country.
Wash is unique in having over 90% of its production in premium quality varieties.
Totally agree that quality/value relationship beats Cal premiums.
Nwsteve

[robnplunder]

Up until last year, the most expensive wine we drink were in $20 range. Recently, we had chance to drink $30 - $70 wines from one winery. Other than a few, they weren't whole lot different than $15 wine from Costco. As one of the posters noted, there seems to be a diminishing return at around $20. The best wine we enjoy from the same winery is one of their cheapest at $12.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nwsteve +1. We live 2 hours from Walla Walla. We are seeing this area starting a Napazation. Definitely not a word but the combination of Wash State U having a legit Viticulture program as well as being one of the top 10 in the world hospitality schools is driving some great things in this wine country. Wash is unique in having over 90% of its production in premium quality varieties. Totally agree that quality/value relationship beats Cal premiums. Nwsteve

They have a huge price advantage in that land prices are so much cheaper in WA than CA. We appreciate the resulting value!

The failry stable weather, using mainly irrigation, etc., also makes it much easier for them to maintain consistency.

[splitwdw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by inquisitive I know virtually nothing about red wine; every study I have seen has found that experts, who have lots of interest and experience in tasting wine, are unable to distinguish red wines from each other and even cannot distinguish white from red wines. I would like to learn about red wine if there is something to learn, but it seems that there isn't. The question is, is liking red wine an acquired taste and should I look into learning about it? How do I go about tasting wines, should I buy a red wine at random and drink a little each day and do this for a few months?

Why do you want to learn? I'm a nondrinker and always have people shoving glasses of wine at me "that I'll enjoy". Sorry, they taste like vinegar to me but I'm always a blogged to take a few sips. I can get down a glass of sangria......don't think that really counts as wine, more like fruit juice.

As far as wine tasting, around here, we have quite a few wineries and they have wines to taste before you buy. There are also wine tours held at different times of the year that have wine tastings.

[Chuckanut]

Check out some Hungarian wines if you can find them.

[timo2]

As an amateur wine drinker, I like the various red blends made by the wineries. Each one is different, but they do not have some of the extremes of the specific varieties. Good for beginners. As a plus, most of them are under $12

[RetiredAndFree]

The way I would describe 'learning' about wine is that with more exposure your palate can begin to discern the many nuances that make wine so wonderfully enjoyable. I am far from being an expert, but I can now identify quite a few things when wine tasting that make the experience much funner than when I first started and had only box wine in my repertoire.

And as has been suggested, it's not about cost. It's about finding what you enjoy, which for most of us come in a variety of price points.

Wine is personal, and you like what you like, period. With exposure however, you'll find that what you like will begin to expand, and that's what makes it so much fun for so many of us.

[Rosie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by timo2 As an amateur wine drinker, I like the various red blends made by the wineries.

Likewise! My current fave is Red Velvet blend from Cupcake Vineyards (Livermore CA). Very tasty, and I can usually find it for under $10/bottle. Works for meee.