Gussie Finknottle's Profile
How to measure wine temperature?
There's no rule that fits all situations, its just commonsense. Pick up the bottle of wine, if it feels cold then don't fridge it, if its a hot day and the bottle doesn't feel cool, fridge it.
In the heat of summer I always fridge red wines. Red shouldn't taste warm to the mouth.
Its not a matter of life or death, after opeining a few bottles you soon work out what suit syou and your house.
Another factor is the temperature of your fridge!
How to measure wine temperature?
Loosen up. It is very simple and doesn't require worrying about.
White and sweet wines are better chilled. Put the bottle in the fridge before serving
Red wines whould be just a bit cool to the tongue, not warm -- forget 'room temperature' which referred to unheated rooms.
Your tongue is the best guide. If the wine is too warm, chill it. If the wine is too cold, cup the glass in your hands.
You'll know when you open the first red bottle from your kitchen whether it needs any chilling, and in future you can pop it in the fridge a while.
Forget wasting money on thermometers: get a freezer sleeve. Its a plastic tube filled with some jelly like material which you keep in your freezer. Any time you quiickly need to chill a wine pull it over the bottle.
Forget temperature guides -- all that matters is whether the wine is at a temperature that you find pleasant.
Hoping for recommendation for non-reference books
I've recently enjoyed Wild Vine: A Forgotten Grape and the Untold Story of American Wine by Todd Kliman http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Vine-Forgotten-Untold-American/dp/0307409368/
When the Rivers Ran Red: An Amazing Story of Courage and Triumph in America's Wine Country by Vivienne Sosnowski - http://www.amazon.com/When-Rivers-Ran-Red-Americas/dp/0230103375
The Ripening Sun: One Woman and the Creation of a Vineyard by Patricia Atkinson - http://www.amazon.com/Ripening-Sun-Woman-Creation-Vineyard/dp/0099443163
I didn't think Billionaires Vinegar was an easy read....
Help with a newbie on Prosecco..
The best Proseccos will come from the appellation Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. Look for either or both words on the label.
Is the "recommended" daily limit (of wine) the same in Europe as in N. America?
Just referring to an amount of wine takes no account of the alcoholic content -- which is what its supposed to be about. A 4oz glass of a light German wine could contain half the alcohol of a big California zinfandel.
I think in miles, yards, feet and inches, and pound and ounces for weight, but I learned about liquid volumes through wine and that comes in 750mL bottles and or divisions/multiples of that. And in UK wine by the glass is sold by law in 125mL or 175mL measures or multiples of.
I can't get my head around ounces, here in UK a standard glass is 125mL which is exactly one-sixth of a bottle. I had to use Google to find what 4oz is and it equates to 118mL - a very small glass of wine!
In UK they recommend allowances by 'units' which equate to alcohol content. All the details are at www.drinkaware.co.uk but the recommended allowance is 2-3 units a day for women or 3-4 units for men .
A 125mL glass of 12% abv wine works out at 1.5 units, so 2-3 glasses for a woman. Two glasses works out at one third of a bottle and 3 glasses would be half a bottle (375mL)
BUT -- the chairman of the committee that advised the government on these safe drinking limits is on record as saying that the committee couldn't find firm evidence to make an informed decision and so when pressed by the government to come up with figures, they guessed.
Thomas Jefferson was a wino?
Someone told me he copied the design from the back of the 5 cent coin.
:)
Thomas Jefferson was a wino?
Ho Ho!
They weren't buying ' a bottle of wine', the high price was because it was supposed to be a rare item of historical significance. And no doubt as an investment.
Same reasons why paintings by Van Gogh fetch high prices: if you want a painting of sunflowers you can get them cheaply but if you want an original Van Gogh then you're bidding against other investors.
Thomas Jefferson was a wino?
Depends what you mean by wino, but I'd say he deifinietly was. he was a great wine enthusiast, wanted to grow vinifera and spend many years trying to get vines to survive without success. He scoured the winelands of Europe for wines to ship back home and maintained an excellent cellar.
See John Hailman's book 'Thomas Jefferson on Wine'
Do French people drink foreign wines?
" 5.5Mhl was imported from other countries, primarily Italy, Spain, and Portugal. So that represents about 12% of wines consumed in France."
Not necessarily consumed in France. Wine shipped in bulk from other countried is bottled in France and exported to UK , Ireland and maybe other countries. Also a lot of New World wine exported to France was destined for the channel port booze cruise shops.
Icewine
To add to what others have said:
When you thank your BiL remember that icewine is very expensive, the bottle may be small but it costs more than you think :)
The Peller website has more information on icewines and a video about how it's made -- http://www.pellericewine.com/index.html
Wine Cellar Tracking
Yes. That is the problem.
Its not a new version, its quite different thats why it has a new (stupid) name.
Help with Savvy B.
Different regions make diff wines and if you like NZSB why go elsewhere.
I too love NZSB. The only region that can match it for that zingy grassy gooseberry acidity I have found is South AFrica..
Mulderbosch does have a reputation for its SB but I think it is not as much in a NZ style as others such as my favorite Springfield Estate, or the ones from the Constanta region.
Also, I wonder which vintage you tried as I see a lot of old SAf wines in US wine shops, and to get the zingyness you want a young SB
Boutique
I like the idea of a wine shop selling only wines that the owners think are good.
If your tastes don't align with them then go elsewhere. Those followers of wines from places that other stores don't offer much choice on will no doubt find this place perfect.
Wine Cellar Tracking
Cellar Tracker.
Try it for free, use it for free. So rich in functionality.
CT has another flavor -- same database but different front end that is supposed to be more user friendly and has 'social networking' aspect - see http://www.grapestories.com/
See what takes your fancy.
(Personally I think Grapestories sucks big time but CT is a thing of beauty.)
Wine Spectator Ratings.......
we all read the WS ??
Other wine forums are full of people who have stopped.
Orlwine's first sentence says it all.
Todd Kliman's "The Wild Vine"
Fair point, Steve.
I would have bought the book but for its raggedy pages. I found another copy last week in a different shop and that has the same edging. Looks like a faulty print run.
PET plastic bottles: anyone tried them?
Yes, I've had them.
The bottles are quite good, lightweight and unbreakable and very useful for events where glass isn't allowed or when camping etc.
They have a shelf life of 2 years (tho' prob last for longer) but remember something like 90% of all wines are consumed iwthing 24 hours of purchase.
And so far no wines meant for anything other than immediate drinking have been bottled in PET
Todd Kliman's "The Wild Vine"
There's a thread about Norton here http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/365176?tag=footer_recommendation%3bboard_discussion_module_small
I don't understand the title of Klimans book, its not a 'wild vine'.
I read the first few pages in a book shop but it put me off being terrible wordy about the smalled detail of where he was going etc.
Chrysalis claims the largest plantings of Norton and makes it their speciality.
I have had about half--a-dozen Nortons and liked them. Big beefy reds
Finger Lakes Rieslings...
Chateau Lafayette Reneau Dry Riesling 2009 (Seneca Lake) -- the most enjoyable Riesling I can recall evey having. Beautiful!
Dessert to pair with Pedro Ximenez?
Why pair??
Why not make the wine part of the dessert?
Vanilla icecream, pour over the PX
best sparkling wine for a bellini?
Odd thoughts
The name Bellini was bestowed on a drink made of the juice/pulp of white peaches with Prosecco..
If you don't use Prosecco is it still a Bellini?
If you don't use white peaches is it still a Bellini?
If the drink is sparkling wine but not Prosecco and the fruit is not white peach, is it a Bellini?
At what point does the drink stop being a Bellini?
Norton?
FWIW (since this old thread seems to have risen from its grave)
There is a book about Norton published in May 2010
The Wild Vine: A Forgotten Grape and the Untold Story of American Wine by Todd Kliman
I have not read it myself -- I was put off by the very wordy first few pages and will wait for the paperback - but you can read the first pages for yourself on Amazon
Swiss Wine
There are several varieties grown in Switzerland that you won't find elsewhere so I'd suggest you try anything with a name you don't recognise.
In the southern Rhone style look out for local variety Humagne Rouge and for white lookout for Arvine.
Pinot Noir tends to dominate restaurant local wine lists and you'll find Syrah -- but since you can get these varieties anywhere it'd be foolish for a winelover to miss a chance to try the rare Swiss varieties -- IMO
Marilyn Merlot 1988 ($2,000.00 ARE YOU SERIOUS)
People collect them. There cabnnot be many 1988's left now. If someone is willing to pay $2K then it is worth $2K.
But you won'tget $2K for it: someone willing to pay that much would buy direct from Marilyn Merlot. But they may be keen to pay you $1,800.00 :)
Suggest you keep good car of it, especially the label
General wine question. I should know this but give me a break I'm 19
If the cork isn't pushed up out the neck of the bottle it may be OK
You'll lose nothing by opening it and drinking it. If it tastes good, then carry on, if it doesn't ...
Wine is a lot more robust than people think, and experiments with leaving wine in very hot cars have shown no noticeable damage.
But... its your mother's wine so you should return it to her.
Carlo Rossi Burgundy California Table Wine
No reason why a cheap wine can't be an honest, clean and enjoyable drink.
But why call it 'burgundy'? That's not honest.
where to find icewine in toronto?
Sorry if I upset you by using the term state instead of province to refer to government of Ontario; but I doubt anyone was confused.
The important part is that Ontario operates a monopoly on the sale of wine, and the choice and supply of wine is in the hands of civil servants.
As such, the questionner Julia has no choice in Toronto. If she was expecting hints about the best shop or place to get best prices she can forget it. It is the lousy LCBO or nothing, because there is no competition.
The only alternative is to drive up to the winelands and buy direct from a winery.
where to find icewine in toronto?
As others have said, there is only one game in town, and that is the state monopoly store LCBO whose website currently list about 75 ice wines -- see http://www.lcbo.ca/lcbo-ear/lcbo/product/searchResults.do?ITEM_NAME=icewine&ITEM_NUMBER=l
