Wine

[Amazing Matheja]

...
Cneers Al the wine connisuer.

You meant "konichiwa", no ? Or is it another world we all know ?

[Samael]

Lol, you f....g pussies. Red wine the favorite among ITST members... Didn't know we have so many pussies in here. Rose ftw!

[Amazing Matheja]

Lol
Rosée is for low cost alcoholic... A bit like "bad hasch" is for low cost "weed-smocker"...

[Samael]

Did you get the impression im Bill Gates? I live in Romania! That s the European equivalent of Sudan!

[Tamthewasp]

Rose tastes awesome. If I want 2 get drunk i'll drink whiskey.

ROSE FTW.

[Amazing Matheja]

LOL !!!
I found Rosée has no taste at all, it makes me sick quick... I'd rather buy beer, or even cheap whisky !...

[Puttu puttuu]

arf there is nothing worse than cheap Whisky... As for drinking I'm a huge fan of Japanese whisky at the moment. If you guys can find some it's well worth it!

As for wine, I can't pretend that I know much about it but I know when I'm drinking something foul.

[Cro Morgan]

People who pair certain types of wine with certain types of food aren't thinking enough for themselves, mostly, yep, brainwashed by advertising/marketers.

Like most things in life, wine isn't as complicated as one leads you to believe.

Hmm....not even close. You are talking about your average snob that thinks he "knows".


I have been tasting wines and paring them with food for some time now. No one tells me anything, no one markets to me. I usually go to winery directly and taste the wine there, then buy if I like. When forced to go to the store (quite often lately) I certainly don't pick my wines via Beautiful Labels or prices. I look at region first, verity second, alcohol content, who made the wine (if it was made by the same winery that tries to sell it).

It is rather easy to spot when buying wine, look on the back for the following:

- Bottled by "Blah, Blah Winery"
Usually this winery buys the wine ready from either local small wineries or wholesale from a reputable winery that didn't get desired results that year. I suggest to stay away from such wine, unless you tried it and it is good, even then make sure to keep your vintage the same. Next year the wine might change as they may get a deal elsewhere.

- Aged/Cellared by "Blah, Blah Winery"
Means almost the same as "Bottled", but in this case they actually bought young wine and aged it for some time. These wines tend to be better then above. Certain wines simply don't benefit from aging, so the selection process here is a bit better.

- Made by/Produced by "Blah, Blah Winery"
This is what you looking for. This means that the winery bottling and selling you the wine actually made it. The wine still can be bad, sometimes awful, but at least you know that the winery either grew the grapes themselves or purchased the right for them grapes, rather then buy a lot of ready wine. Then they (winemakers) actually applied their in house wine making skills creating a product. Wineries work on reputation. So chances are they will put their best foot forward on this one.

- Estate Bottled by "Blah, Blah Winery"
This means that the winery grew grapes local, made the wine and bottled it themselves. Grapes must be within a certain proximity to the actually wine making winery. Depending on the regions - rules may vary, but these are usually grown really close near by to the winery and represent the top line of the wine maker. This category can be both, a wallet buster and a great find. The smaller wineries and less known will be rather inexpensive, while the more reputable ones will capitalize on their name. The middle ground is the sweet spot.

- Estate bottled, "Name of the vineyard" by "Blah, Blah Winery"
These are wineries best efforts from proven vineyards (usually mature vineyards, 20+ years). Expensive wines, over the top. But these will be the best ones. Same principle, you want to go with a less known winery as the the bigger names tend to overcharge grossly. Yes, it is excellent wine, but not worth the money, that is for sure. But again, you can find some great ones that are not that expensive and come from the new wineries or winemakers. These best purchased at the winery. If it made it to the store - it is big and will be expensive.


Here is an example of a few bottles of the last category from my cellar. I bought the 2002 for $28 and the 2005 for $31. 2002 was this wineries first effort. Now the bottle easily goes for over $60 for current vintage. My bottles are worth about tipple now.





As for pairing with food, well, if you like to cook, you then understand the pairings and why they work. And they do work. There is nothing better in the world then a good meal with a good wine that you prepared yourself.

Well, I can certainly understand - and appreciate on some level - the nuances of wine, as well of the nuances of beer, for that matter. Still, I still can't help but laugh when I read that such and such a wine is "best served" with fish, or meat, or whatever. Everyone is different, and as they say, there is no accounting for taste - and I mean that in the literal sense of the word. What's good for the goose isn't necessarily good for the gander.

When wine was "discovered" some 8,000 years ago, I doubt said inventor was searching for a liquid complement to whitefish. Probably just jonesing for a buzz, I'm guessing.

Wine = good, yes, but overhyped to epic proportions.

[djarvik]

Wine as a product over-hyped? hmmm...maybe. But not much more then any product out there really....take anything as an example. Beer? Chocolate? I mean take anything consumable and you will see it being "over-hyped". Wine is the one of the earliest forms of "Branding", "Marketing". You can say it paved the way to some degree for branding and marketing. Our whole world, life, universe is over-hyped.

To see how wine parings make a difference, trying having a glass of Pinot Noir or Merlot with a warm chocolate cake. Then try the same cake with 20 y/o Tawny Port. Try Spatlese Riesling with a steak, then try a Cabernet with same steak. Try some Australian Shiraz with baked fish, then try Chardonnay with it. You will quickly realize how wine can either compliment or totally destroy the taste of food. These are extreme examples, to show the differences....but just like anything, the difference can be minimal and undetectable in some cases. A well developed food and wine palate though will feel them more. The key is to actually "try" different, very different foods and wines.

Not everyone's cup of tea, that's for sure. But personally, food is my biggest pleasure in life, paring it with wine takes it to the next level. And no, I am far from a food guzzling fat slob I am barely 175lbs 6'3, lean and mean.

[L Sanchez MD]

Wine as a product over-hyped? hmmm...maybe. But not much more then any product out there really....take anything as an example. Beer? Chocolate? I mean take anything consumable and you will see it being "over-hyped". Wine is the one of the earliest forms of "Branding", "Marketing". You can say it paved the way to some degree for branding and marketing. Our whole world, life, universe is over-hyped.

To see how wine parings make a difference, trying having a glass of Pinot Noir or Merlot with a warm chocolate cake. Then try the same cake with 20 y/o Tawny Port. Try Spatlese Riesling with a steak, then try a Cabernet with same steak. Try some Australian Shiraz with baked fish, then try Chardonnay with it. You will quickly realize how wine can either compliment or totally destroy the taste of food. These are extreme examples, to show the differences....but just like anything, the difference can be minimal and undetectable in some cases. A well developed food and wine palate though will feel them more. The key is to actually "try" different, very different foods and wines.

Not everyone's cup of tea, that's for sure. But personally, food is my biggest pleasure in life, paring it with wine takes it to the next level. And no, I am far from a food guzzling fat slob I am barely 175lbs 6'3, lean and mean.

Any favourite wine/cheese pairings?

Btw, 6'3'', you must have a big serve

[VillaJ100]

Optimum tennis height is between 6'1" and 6'3"!!

[djarvik]

@L Sanchez MD
What type of cheese?

Yeah, good first serve, lousy second.

[edlglide]

I'm 6'3" and I can't serve at all.

Of course I also only really started playing about 2 years ago and I've never had a lesson.

[Cro Morgan]

Wine as a product over-hyped? hmmm...maybe. But not much more then any product out there really....take anything as an example. Beer? Chocolate? I mean take anything consumable and you will see it being "over-hyped".

I'm gonna tap out by wholeheartedly agreeing with your above statement.

Absolutely nothing is as important as one (who stands to make a dollar) leads you to believe.

[VillaJ100]

I'm 6'3" and I can't serve at all.

Of course I also only really started playing about 2 years ago and I've never had a lesson.

Learning to serve is quite difficult. I find the hardest thing at first is getting a consistent toss. I spent hours just throwing the ball up with my left hand when I wasc younger