Oenophiles?

[ERD50]

... And of course, when I drink Yellowtail nearly all the time, what can I say about this subject, other than I often add ice cubes to my wine when it is hot. It's 115F outside, man. Can I call it a wine cooler and get away with it?

What's THAT? Why are you bringing out a noose? AARGH!


PS. I do not add ice cubes to wine all the time. Only when I am very thirsty, and feel like it. And I do not do it in public places.

Sure, just call it a wine cooler, no problem. You are taking an admittedly "cheap wine", and adding ice on a hot (very hot, crazy hot!) day, because that's what you like. IMO, no one should raise eyebrows over that. IMO, that's different from someone saying they really like a specific, expensive Cabernet, from a specific vineyard and vintage, for specific subtle qualities, and then say they add ice cubes to it. That will raise eyebrows (but again, if that's how they like it, I guess that's all that counts).

...

Glass shape does indeed make a difference, as was established by Riedel long ago:
...

No need to make things complicated though: you can simply pour any good wine into a tulip-shaped wine glass the curves towards the top and compare it to the same wine in, say, a fancy Waterford glass (or a water glass, for that matter) that doesn't curve or (worse yet - like the Waterford) flares outwards. There's just a whole lot less "there there" aromatically and flavor-wise, for the reasons that Riedel explains. ...

OK, I will watch that video later, and I'm just going to have to do this test for myself. And that's all it would be, for myself - whether I can tell a difference or not doesn't mean someone else can or cannot. I'm just very curious now.

Related, I almost never drink beer out of the bottle/can. Most beers have very perceptible aromas, some rather subtle (German lagers), others are extreme (late/dry hopped beers, or beers with specific yeast profiles, like some Belgians and Hefeweizens). And different beers have different colors/clarity.

Drinking from a bottle or can most defiantly limits the aromas you get, but that's much more extreme a difference than different glassware. And it means you can't see your beer. The sight and small is part of the enjoyment, so I want a glass.

-ERD50

 

[Dalmore]

No noose. Whatever you like, because you only have to please your own taste buds/ olfactory senses. It's personal, some like Brussel sprouts, others do not. Just as some find cilantro delicious in seasoning foods, others smell soap, as it is a genetic thing. Your nose is affected by allergies, environment, weather, exposure and experience, hence differences of opinion. But absolutely, no ridicule, putdowns or nooses should be perceived by either side, even if you do it publicly.

DW and I are the winos in our families. When we talk wine with my siblings and their children, I always emphasize that is isn't about the price of the wine, it is all about how it tastes to you.

 

[timo2]

the glass thing is real, for every beverage, IMO. first off, every beverage tastes terrible in a plastic or aluminum cup. even water. And the right glass matters more in beer than wine. And champagne flutes are useless and don't help the wine at all. We use white wine glasses for sparkling wine, with their more open surface.

With wine, I can sense the nuances with certain style glasses, but wines have a range of taste per variety and it's part of the adventure of different wines to use different glasses and have observe the differences. Plus finding a clean glass is as important as the exact right shape.

 

[Scuba]

I've been to two wine glass tasting sessions that Riedel puts on and I never would have believed the difference in the way wines taste in different glasses if I hadn't done this.



They have you try certain wines in "the correct glass", a plastic cup, and another lovely, but incorrectly shaped glass. The difference is dramatic. The reason I went for a second time was that my DS didn't believe me. He left the tasting as amazed as I did the first time.



This video shows what they do in the tastings:

We were given some Riedel wine glasses years ago and did a blind tasting with them using a wine we knew we liked and pouring from the same bottle into the Riedels and some other glasses we had. The Riedel glasses made a huge difference. We replaced our other glasses with Riedels and use them most of the time now.

 

[DrRoy]

Loved the water video.

 

[marko]

As for Europe always being better, well, it depends where you go. But in general, yes, you get better wines at a reasonable price. I always get the house wine and have rarely been disappointed.

We lived in France for a number of years. Yes, you go into a bistro/brasserie and order a 'pitcher' of red or white for under 10 Euros. You get a small pitcher (half a liter) of some really, really good house wine; what you might pay $40 for a bottle in the US.

As for the glasses, I do believe in the glass making a difference, however, I've seen a lot of French and Italians at home drinking wine from a juice glass, so...go figure.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

This all seems so complicated. I'm glad I am a beer drinker.

 

[USGrant1962]

...

Personally I like to keep things simple, minimalist and low-cost on the glassware side so I have more money to spend on wine. Riedel and others make generic stemless (thus dishwasher-safe) red and white glasses that work well for everyday.

Reidel stemmed glasses are perfectly dishwasher safe - the stems have nothing to do with it. We've used them for a decade or more and all thee or four breaks came in/around the sink with the thin rims. I don't think I've ever had a wineglass of any kind break at the stem.

 

[Sojourner]

Not only did they bring the wine in the wrong glass, it was chilled. And at $36 a glass. When I asked the waiter about it, he basically said, we have to keep it chilled or it goes bad, and then, what do you want me to do about it?

I felt like telling him where to put the wine, but he ended up going back, finding a room temperature bottle, and pouring it into another white wine glass. Sigh.

When I asked why they couldn't serve the wine in a red wine glass he said that the people who stayed at the hotel took them all and/or broke them. I noticed they had a 2008 Petrus for $6,295 on the menu. But they don't have red wine glasses. Really

My daughter was mad I tipped the guy at all, as he also charged us for a drink we didn't order on the final bill.

Am I being too fussy, or do you think the type of wine glass makes a difference to your enjoyment of the wine?

Committed oenophile here. I don't think you're being too fussy at all, and yes the right type of glass makes a big difference (usually), as many others have already posted.

You got terrible service. Not only would I not have tipped, I would have spoken to the manager about the bad service and given him/her some thoughtful, measured feedback about what matters to serious wine drinkers and how they should be treated.

As an aside, I have come to expect that ordering wine out at restaurants is usually not going to be as satisfying as one would hope, given the inflated pricing and lack of knowledge/training among the wait staff. Whenever we can, we take our own bottle of something we know is good and just pay the corkage fee. That way we can be sure we're getting fresh, unoxidized, properly stored and cared-for wine, at roughly the right temperature. And even if the corkage fee is $15 or $20, we end up paying less than if we bought an overpriced, inferior bottle from the wine list. I would enthusiastically recommend this to any fellow wine connoisseurs.

 

[Aerides]

I recently bought a small cabinet to house all my stemware and glassware. I had no idea how much I had with it all tucked away here and there in different places. Now it's all in one spot, and I'm embarrassingly ready to host a small wedding...

But now it seems I have to go shopping for the perfect glasses for my favorite varietals... over the the BTD thread I go!

 

[USGrant1962]

I recently bought a small cabinet to house all my stemware and glassware. I had no idea how much I had with it all tucked away here and there in different places. Now it's all in one spot, and I'm embarrassingly ready to host a small wedding...

But now it seems I have to go shopping for the perfect glasses for my favorite varietals... over the the BTD thread I go!

Here's a good start https://www.amazon.com/Riedel-Ouver...iedel+overture+set&qid=1627930938&sr=8-3&th=1

 

[bmcgonig]

To the OP I agree with you so much that I always look around to make sure that they’re serving wine in good wine glasses, otherwise I won’t order wine and will order an IPA or something like that.

This sounds to many to be sacrilegious but I learned years ago to microwave chilled red wine. Pour it in the glass and 10-15 seconds is all you need. And yes I’ve done it on good Napa Cabs. Wouldn’t trust your waiter to do it though.

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/03/dining/a-sommelier-s-little-secret-the-microwave.html

 

[audreyh1]

Can’t you just put your hands around the bowl of the glass for a bit?*

A bit of time our swirling and aerating and it’s warming up anyway.

We keep reds at about 57.5 degrees in our wine refrigerator. So they never seems chilled. I’m sure after a pour they are warming up quickly anyway. Seem to anyway.

*I was once chided by a French tour guide for holding my wine glass by the bowl rather than the stem at a fancy Chateauneuf-du-pape winery, because I would warm the wine! At home we use stemless glasses, but I’m usually not holding the glass for long.

 

[Koolau]

I'm in no way qualified to evaluate the issues associated with wine serving. Having said that, it would seem OP has a right to be irritated about the service received. I would have been tempted to ask them to rebate the cost of the wine - especially at $36/glass. YMMV

 

[Scuba]

Committed oenophile here. I don't think you're being too fussy at all, and yes the right type of glass makes a big difference (usually), as many others have already posted.



You got terrible service. Not only would I not have tipped, I would have spoken to the manager about the bad service and given him/her some thoughtful, measured feedback about what matters to serious wine drinkers and how they should be treated.



As an aside, I have come to expect that ordering wine out at restaurants is usually not going to be as satisfying as one would hope, given the inflated pricing and lack of knowledge/training among the wait staff. Whenever we can, we take our own bottle of something we know is good and just pay the corkage fee. That way we can be sure we're getting fresh, unoxidized, properly stored and cared-for wine, at roughly the right temperature. And even if the corkage fee is $15 or $20, we end up paying less than if we bought an overpriced, inferior bottle from the wine list. I would enthusiastically recommend this to any fellow wine connoisseurs.

Agree 100%. We often bring our own wine, something that is not on the restaurant wine list.

 

[Badger]

My senior year in college (I was 21) I got a summer job working as a bartender in an exclusive country club in NC. I had just started working there as a waiter for a couple of days when they fired the bartender who was found to be an alcoholic. I didn't like waiting on tables so I jumped at the chance to tend bar even though I had very little experience. They sent me to a day of "wine school" so I also became the club's Oenophile. My only experience with wine as a college student was Ripple and Boone's Farm.

You just never know who the "expert" is.



Cheers1

 

[Sue J]

I'm reading this topic because I have no sense of smell and very little sense of taste. Oenophiles always have such lovely descriptions of all the wine nuances and flavors that I just don't experience. I've tried a couple of wines when someone offers and except for blackberry Passover wine, which is very sweet, I just don't enjoy wines. I expect I'm missing a whole lot but then the frugal in me could never spend big bucks on something I cannot appreciate.

So the Yellow Tail 2017 that I found in the back of the closet (stored at room/closet temperature), is it any good? It says it's a merlot. Should I chill it and find a real wine glass?

 

[bmcgonig]

I'm reading this topic because I have no sense of smell and very little sense of taste. Oenophiles always have such lovely descriptions of all the wine nuances and flavors that I just don't experience. I've tried a couple of wines when someone offers and except for blackberry Passover wine, which is very sweet, I just don't enjoy wines. I expect I'm missing a whole lot but then the frugal in me could never spend big bucks on something I cannot appreciate.

So the Yellow Tail 2017 that I found in the back of the closet (stored at room/closet temperature), is it any good? It says it's a merlot. Should I chill it and find a real wine glass?

No. That’s perfectly fine drinking from the bottle [emoji23]

 

[braumeister]

No. That’s perfectly fine drinking from the bottle [emoji23]

Ideally, you would want to wrap the bottle in a paper bag, in order to appreciate the delicate bouquet of the pine forest from which it was made.

Complements the wine and enhances the overall experience tremendously, in my experience.

 

[MichaelB]

Ideally, you would want to wrap the bottle in a paper bag, in order to appreciate the delicate bouquet of the pine forest from which it was made.

Complements the wine and enhances the overall experience tremendously, in my experience.

 

[NW-Bound]

Drinking from the bottle? How are you going to add ice to it? I guess you could crush ice finely, and pour in through a funnel.

Argh, what the heck, just pour it into the nearest glass within reach, for crying out loud.

I'm reading this topic because I have no sense of smell and very little sense of taste. Oenophiles always have such lovely descriptions of all the wine nuances and flavors that I just don't experience.

Like the following:

Domaine de La Chappe's “André” Pinot Noir is a wild romp through brambles of high acid raspberry, black cherries and the orange-hued innards of early summer plums, wet from rhythmic suburban sprinklers. It has these overtones of Brett and whispers of VA that make me suspicious, and somehow make me love it more...

Or

Translucent but cloudy, red poppies on the eyes. Goji berries and cranberries tossed with white pepper & allspice on the nose. Light bodied and high acid, the palate is bright and bursting with tart, crunchy cranberries, jellied raspberry seeds, and a lasting air of salty eucalyptus and breathy tannins. There is Brett, but well-integrated. A truly joyous bottle that is easy to drink yet interesting and endlessly delicious. Good open for hours, although I dare you to not drink it all in thirty minutes flat.

Also, revisited a bottle I opened three days ago and had in the fridge corked, and I'm floored that it is still good! The Brett is more pronounced, a little VA, and there is the slightest hint of mouse, but as someone who is super sensitive to mouse, I don't think most people would notice it.

 

[Mmm Rrr]

You just never know who the "expert" is.

I remember 5 years ago, a Total Wines and More opened in my medium sized city. I was a bit overwhelmed by their selection and while I was wandering around reading labels, several of their new employees offered to help me choose wine.

OMG. They were largely in their early 20s and sounded like they'd been through a 2 hour "Intro to Wine" course and then had been sent out onto the floor to "help" people.

To be fair, through the years, the staff changed and eventually there were some extremely knowledgeable and helpful people there.

 

[audreyh1]

Gosh, I just realized that Yellow Tail was referring to wine. I thought it was referring to sushi and couldn’t get the connection in post 13.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Ideally, you would want to wrap the bottle in a paper bag, in order to appreciate the delicate bouquet of the pine forest from which it was made.

Complements the wine and enhances the overall experience tremendously, in my experience.

Definitely allowed with Boone's Farm (could be had @ the Class Six for about $1.50 back in my younger days) and MD 20/20.

 

[finnski1]

Definitely allowed with Boone's Farm (could be had @ the Class Six for about $1.50 back in my younger days) and MD 20/20.

Ahh yes mad dog. 20% alcohol and 20 oz bottles. Don't forget good old ripple as well