Cabernet, Pinot, or Malbec?

[HFWR]

Pinot, cab, malbec

 

[Hermit]

Happy hour red = winner, winner, chicken dinner!

IMO, this question needs to be calibrated by price. Generally, Malbec is cheaper than the other two and is considered to be a better bang for the buck at the low end. In the table wine realm, I've been impressed by the cheapish Pinot Noirs. For example, if you want really cheap - Black Box and Bota Box Pinot Noirs are more inoffensive than their cabs/merlots/malbecs. But in the mid-to-expensive realm I think Cali Cabs are where it is at...

High end Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are some of the best varietal wines in the world, and Malbec has a way to go to catch up.

I just bought a Bota Box Pinot Noir because I heard it was not too bad. It gave me a raging headache... BTW, I like the Black Box Pinot Noir. One of the few red wines I can drink without causing GERD issues. Glass bottles are hard to dispose of up here in the hinterland so its mostly boxes for wine and cans for beer.

 

[COcheesehead]

If you are really into wine and like to post with others about it, check out this forum.

https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/search.php?search_id=active_topics

 

[marko]

Cab for dinner. Slurge on a big, heavy Cain Five blend sometimes.

Rioja, Pinot or Sangiovese for "Family Cocktail Hour" each early evening. (but more likely martinis or negronis)

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Malbec on the cheap; a good zinfandel on a splurge.

 

[folivier]

Does Strawberry Hill count as a red?

 

[ronin]

Picking up some old vine zin today in Amador, Shenandoah Valley later today. Yesterday got some nice local Barbera, Petite Syrah and Primitivo.

 

[GravitySucks]

Zin.

 

[Spock]

Tempranillo and Sangiovese. Barbera or Garnacha sometimes. Occasionally even spring for a Barolo.

what do you have against Nebbiolo?!?!?

 

[Red Badger]

Does Strawberry Hill count as a red?

I hate shopping, but I love wandering around Total Wine looking for great $10-$25 bottles of reds from around the world. I limit my spending per trip to no more than a single Benjamin.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Malbec is more fun to say.

 

[audreyh1]

what do you have against Nebbiolo?!?!?

Nothing. We don't see less expensive Barolo wines often and I'm not willing to buy high $$ ones. And they are designed for long aging, something that we don't usually do.

If I were in Italy that would be a different story.

 

[audreyh1]

We do have quite a few very nice Cabs from the Columbia River Valley. They go great with beef. The problem is that we don't have beef that often, but when we do it's usually a Spanish recipe and somehow the Spanish wines are selected instead.

 

[DayDreaming]

Whichever box is cheapest.

 

[Alectoris]

Cabernet for the original question.

Petite Syrah is number one right now, but as a wine neophyte I'm also digging Nebbiolo and Sangiovese.

 

[W2R]

Café au lait? Or diet Coke.

 

[Sojourner]

Malbec, then Cabernet, then way down the list, Pinot. I usually only drink Pinot if it's the only wine offered, say at a friend's house or at some social event.

My favorites are Tempranillo, Zinfandel (and blends, like Zin/Cab), and Grenache/Syrah blends. I've tried Pinot many times and have yet to taste one I truly enjoyed as much as a high-quality Tempranillo or other big, oaky, dark-fruit reds. My single favorite wine right now is a Tempranillo/Merlot blend from the Ribera del Duero region of Spain.

 

[Starsky]

Argentinian Malbec is my fav

 

[Chuckanut]

Malbec.

 

[Aerides]

I generally like to say:
Red: Pinot Noir
White: Pinot Grigio

Keeps life simple, and that way people know what I like if they are wondering on a bottle to bring to dinner as a guest.

 

[brett]

Duplicate

 

[brett]

Our local wine store brings in Chilean and Argentine mid priced wines by the container. Usually cabs, Merlots,and malbecs. Then they blow it out at sale prices. We were in Chile and in Argentina last year. We checked the pricing of a few labels that we were familiar with. All labels were less expensive at home than in their countries of origin. The duty free airport prices were even worse in Santiago.

If we know the product we buy a case. If not, we buy a bottle. If we like it we go back for a case or a case and a half.

 

[marko]

what do you have against Nebbiolo?!?!?

Barbera!

Funny story: Over the past 30 years we had developed a pretty good wine palate courtesy of corporate. (oh, for the days of a couple of $400 bottles!)

SIL brought over a bottle of Barbera last year (we hadn't heard of it before). We loved it and decided that, she's such a cheapskate someone gave her the bottle; there's no way she'd spring for such a good wine.

Found out it goes for about $20.

A nice alternative is Tormaresca Neprica for $15.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

Speaking of Spanish wines, I have enjoyed some nice verdejos lately.

 

[audreyh1]

You Spanish, Italian wine connoisseur!

Some of these varietals we enjoy are actually wines from the Columbia River Valley, but yes we also really like the Spanish Tempranillo dominant blends such as Rioja Riserva and Ribera del Duero and the Italian Sangiovese dominant blends like Chianti Riserva.