Originally posted by frenchblueC2:
Originally posted by Renee:
Originally posted by Red92784:
Wow NAPA makes wine now???


I hope you weren't serious about that question.


it was a joke
he was referring to NAPA the auto parts store.


don't drink red wine ice cold. It tastes horrible.
I've made the mistake of doing that to red wines because I'm so used to drinking chilled white zinfandel.

I still have a hard time with reds, but this thread has proven to be quite helpful. I am going to try to take some of the advice and expand my tastes.
Nothing can stop my lust for the Rosato wine at the Olive Garden though



You should try a few German wines. Check out a nice Rhinehessen Spatlese about 4 years old for a super smooth, rich flavor. There are many nice ones like Oppenheimer Krotenbrunen available for a very good price. The alcohol content of the German wines is typically low - around 9%, and that can be a benefit too. German wines, IMHO, go much better with food than ANY other kind. This was proven in a huge wine tasting at Disney World back when I worked for the Olando Wine Exchange. The margin was something like 4 to 1 over any other type of wine. ENJOY!

This brings me to make a few comments on the subject. All these posts & I have not hear anybody talk about the age of the wine. That is probably the biggest influence on wine that there is! Take a 10 year old cheap $10 Cabernet & taste it next to a 2 year old $40 Cebernet & most people will prefer the cheap wine because it has had time to mature and become smooth & "drinkable". Drinking a wine too young just takes a lot from the enjoyment IMHO because the wine is still grassy or acidic.

So, you ask, "Who the hell are you to be shooting your mouth off?!!". I was a wine consultant here in Florida for over 10 years, I did some importing for the Olando Wine Exchange wholesalers/importers, and I am a Sommelier which is a certified, registered expert in wine.

Pick your dry white wines from those that are typically 4 to 6 years old & you should always be happy with it.

Pick your red wines from those that are at least 6 years old & they'll typically be nicely aged.

Cabernets are typically most stout of the popular varietals. They have bold, strong flavor & take longer to age. These are suggested only with the richest foods with powerful, concentrated sauces.

Merlot are a bit more subtle, but still have a rich flavor & will usually be a little smoother. This is a varietal that I would generally suggest for beef & lamb.

Pinot Noir is one I like to have all by itself. They will usually have a nice velvety smooth finish and many very subtle 'layers' of flavor. I generally don't drink it with food because the pinot noir just doesn't seem to mix well with foods.

If you start with a bottle of any of the reds chilled in the fridge for 20 minutes or so, you can pick up the many different flavers easier as the wine warms up in your glass. Each sip will be a little different by bringing in more oak or berries or a softer finish, and the smoothness of the aged wine will become more & more apparent as the minutes tick by.


Must be that jumbly-wumbly thing happening again.