Dr. Debs's Profile
Help me escape convention in NW
Have reservation at Dino for Friday night--thank you. Palena cafe not an option, can't go early and need reservation. Any other thoughts?
Help me escape convention in NW
We'll be eating at 6:30 Friday 7:00 on Saturday. Does that qualify as early? Thanks so much for the suggestions.
Help me escape convention in NW
Hello 'Hounders. I'm in DC for dinner Friday and Saturday,at a convention in NW on Woodley Road near the zoo. I want to take two small groups to dinner (
Suggestions Please
Rhone wine, no question, will be excellent. There's a Rhone for every pocketbook, and I would guess any with grenache in it (most will also have syrah) would be excellent.
Spicy Thai Food
It's excellent. I get it every year. The Hook and Ladder is almost as good, not quite as distinctive though.
Spicy Thai Food
Even old Navarro is pretty damn good. If you can't get your hands on it, the Hook and Ladder is not unlike it in terms of fruit and spice. Also, the Navarro Edelzwicker, though a little more impression of sweetness, is also quite good with spicy food.
Origin of best QPR Wines
Mission Wines had 1 bottle of Portuguese wine. I bought it. Yes, K&L had some Portuguese wine in Hollywood, but most of it was up north or in the warehouse. Orange County is not in LA. Just FYI
Origin of best QPR Wines
Nice list, but I went to 10 wine stores in LA before finding 2 bottles of Portuguese wine at Beverages and More. They were not inspiring. Hit 2 more stores and found 1 bottle of white. domaine547 is right about the wine being hard to find in SoCal.
The Portuguese wine I have had (limited) has been much better QPR than the Spanish wines (a lot) that I've been drinking lately. Portuguese distributors and importers have a real opportunity on their hands to reach a wider market. I was actively looking to buy Portuguese table wine and couldn't find it.
2005 75 Wine Co. Cabernet Sauvignon Amber Knolls
I've got a bottle of the 2004 that I haven't touched yet. Reviews on CellarTracker seem pretty positive for it: http://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=358922. Nothing yet on the 05
Are there any good wine review sites out there?
Vino Vinci, do you want sites where you look up wines and then see reviews by lots of people on the same wine? If so, I concur with Monkuboy and the rest: Cellar Tracker.
And then there are blogs, which are written like dedicated amateurs like me and Monkuboy, but if you can find a wine blog written by someone who lives in your area then you often find you are buying your wine where they are--so the wine reviews are quite useful.
Please help me choose wine for wedding reception
Jean, let me add my congrats. You may want to check out this earlier thread, which has a lot of budget-friendly suggestions: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/374417
In general, steer clear of the PLCB and buy in DC where the reception is. And steer clear of Estrella.
Spicy Thai Food
For what it's worth after such a long series of responses, I like gewurztraminer with Thai food. Maybe I don't know what I'm doing, but there it is. Sunday, I had a 2006 Hook and Ladder Gewurz with green thai curry and vegetable spring rolls and it was excellent. To each their own.
Wine tasting travel
I'm with Maria Lorraine on this. Robert, I lived for 7 years in Davis and for 6 years around Healdsburg. I also lived on the east coast for 22. For anyone on the east coast in November, both areas will seem warm and dry. Trust me.
Yes, on the Sonoma or Mendocino Coast you may have a 25% chance of rain. 75% dry is, as I said, mostly dry. Anyway, there's a 25% chance of rain today on the Sonoma Coast, where I have a fire lit, am wearing a polartec jacket, and fogged in. But that's the extreme coast, 1 mile from the ocean, and neither Healdsburg nor Davis were, last time I checked, on the coast.
Also, what is wrong with Davis and Sacramento? Davis will be slow and sleepy and far, far cheaper than the Napa Valley at the holidays. There are good restaurants, great wine in the markets, and beautiful farm country between Napa and you. They're going to be touring wine country, not sitting in their hotel room. There's no 4 Seasons in either city, but I think you're being too dismissive of the range of options.
Wine tasting travel
Hi, SLOLindsay. I would do one of two things.
Stay in Healdsburg, and taste wonderful wines at wine-tasting rooms and shops in town. Great restaurants. Then, drive to Dry Creek Valley (about 3 minutes), Anderson Valley and towards Mendocino (Jason gives a good rundown here, but Chef June is right: call and make appointments cause those folks aren't hanging around tasting rooms in November!), south to Santa Rosa and Olivet Lane section of Russian River Valley.
OR
Stay in Sacramento or Davis, if you want more college town life. Both have good restaurants, hotels, etc. Davis, for obvious reasons, is particularly good for folks on budgets. Then you are 45-90 minutes from Napa and within easy reach of Clarkbsurg (Vinum), Lodi (Zin), Murphys (Twisted Oak), Sierra Foothills, etc. But watch for snow if you go too far up!
The weather in either place (barring the Sierras) will likely be warm and mostly dry.
Have fun.
Pinotage
I had a stunning 2006 Diemersfontein Pinotage in the UK this winter--it was like drinking an espresso coffee wine. It needed more time in the bottle, but I'm not sorry I had it! Only 7.99 sterling, and one of the most memorable wines I've had in a long time. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find it over here. It's available in Cyprus, Switzerland, the UK, Ireland, Germany--but not the US.
Closer to home, and much easier to find, the 2003 Fort Ross Pinotage at around $30 is stunning, too. Aromas and flavors of espresso, blackberry, and bittersweet chocolate.
Organic, Certified Organic, Biodynamic and Sustainable
Jack and Joanne at Fork and Bottle have compiled a list of over 300 biodynamic producers all over the world. See the list at : http://www.forkandbottle.com/wine/biodynamic_producers.htm
Old World Wine in Sonoma
FYI, neither Peay nor Fort Ross are open to the public. Fort Ross is not open at all, and at Peay you MUST call ahead. Also, be advised that Peay is a 1 hour and 45 minute drive from Dry Creek Road, so it may be outside your driving range for th is trip.
Zinfandel Port Recs?
Ballentine makes a great Zinfandel port if you can get your hands on it. Very rich and flavorful.
Red wine cocktails? Or what to do with all this extra red??
Hi. How about a red wine slushy? I know, it sounds tacky but it's actually pretty good. It's called Sangria Ice--I know, you're sick of Sangria--but this actually makes a pretty amazing dessert on a hot night. Here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/2x9uyx
Red Wine for a Summer Wedding
Frommtron:
So glad you liked the Cremant. Pretty amazing for under $8, eh?
OK, your rose. How about a rose made with cabernet grapes? The Vinum Cellars Rose It's Okay is $11 a bottle, but you can get it for under $10 and they give you a 10% discount if you order a case: http://tinyurl.com/2sol3s. Don't know why that link won't work--it's the 2006 Rose It's Okay made with 100% cabernet sauvignon, if you want to Google it.
I reviewed it, and you can find it by looking here http://tinyurl.com/2uvjae, where all my rose reviews are parked. Another option is the Cortijo III Rose (I got if from BevMo for $9.99) which was pretty tannic for a rose and I thought at the time that it might appeal to red wine lovers.
Good luck! It looks like it's all shaping up just beautifully, and with all the thought you're putting into it, how can you guests do anything but have a great time!
Cameron Hughes wine
Glad you liked it. Worth getting a half case of it to last the whole summer. And they're selling Kim Crawford a few pallets down for $13.99. This is $8.99. A steal.
What wine with Indian?
For this menu, I'd go with Bonny Doon's Pacific Rim Dry Riesling or Columbia Estates Gewurztraminer. Both cheap, both available lots of places.
For an alternative, I'd go with Prosecco.
And for a beef curry, if you get more advanced, try a Shiraz-Viognier. The floral aromatics help to match it to the flavorful curries.
Beer is also excellent!
Cameron Hughes wine
That's where I scored mine--the Lot 29 Meritage Bordeaux-Style blend from Lake County is already sold out at the winery, so I went to Alhambra Costco to see if it was still in stock and picked up 3. Let us know what you think of the SB. I thought it was pretty good, as link above shows. I think his reds need to be decanted or aged for a bit--remember, some of the grapes go into those monster reds from Napa, so treat them as such, not like a quaffer.
Cameron Hughes wine
I just had my first experience with three of his wines (http://tinyurl.com/2m5lgx) and I was really impressed. Had the Sauvignon Blanc, the Meritage, and the Carneros sparkler. They tasted like wines that cost 2x the retail price. They weren't "mushy" like so many negociant wines can be here in the US, but really retained distinctive flavor profiles. Sign up for their email newsletter, so you can get your hands on wine when they're released because they sell out FAST.
Red Wine for a Summer Wedding
Frommtron: Following this thread with great interest. Here's what I'd do for the sparkler:
Go to Trader Joe's. Buy several cases of the Cremant de Bourgogne in the yellow label. This is $8.99 a bottle, and a Veuve Cliquot wannabe. The rose is not as good but I guarantee your guests will like it. Try a bottle first and see if it's in your style. My tasting notes are here: http://tinyurl.com/28nofq
If you want a sweet sparkler to go with the cake, Bonny Doon's Il Circo Moscato d'Asti is on sale at TJ's for $6.99 a bottle. My review of last year's is here: http://tinyurl.com/22w2p3.
It sounds like you like robust reds, but they will not go well with the food and may not be great in heat or once the wines have warmed up a bit. The James Basket press suggested above (http://tinyurl.com/25o8p2, for my tasting notes) would be a good compromise because it is ok slightly chilled. Otherwise, just go to the Wine House and tell them you want a Cru Beaujolais for under $15 and they will suggest some for you. They are very good in this respect.
If none of these sound right to you, have a surf on over to my blog. I shop where you shop, and have lots of wine reviews under $20 (http://goodwineunder20.blogspot.com)
Have a great wedding!
Summertime and the drinking's easy...
Couldn't agree more on the Naia--it's a great wine, and perfect for summer sipping. I'm liking albarinos these days for the same reason. They're not so "green" as a sauvignon blanc, and the orchard fruits and the acidity seem in better balance as a result.
Costco Local Products
Which aisle is that? I shop there every other week and I've never seen it??
Breakfast--Madison/29th area?
I'm visiting NYC for business and must achieve escape velocity from hotel. Meetings have left very little time for exploring. Any good recs for breakfast in the area between Madison Square Park and Empire state and 5th and Lexington?
LA Hound looking for Breakfast/Dinner recs.
Hi NYC hounds. I'm looking for breakfast and Monday night dinner recs. I'm staying at the Carlton at 88 Madison Avenue. Any good eateries around there? Prefer at least one sit-down breakfast place, but cafes also good.
Thanks!
