Wine Appreciation
 

The Beer appreciation thread made me think of starting one for all you wine drinkers out there. I personally cannot stand the taste of beer, but I am a big wine fan. Are there any wines that you enjoy?

I am currently a fan of Citiplano which is a red blend from Uruguay.

I will drink any merlot that comes in my direction lol

As far as lower-priced affordable wines, I like anything from Chateau Ste. Michelle and the Coppola Diamond Collection.

Living right here in the Carolinas has caused me to discover Muscadine wine. I'm usually a dry Red [Merlot, Beaujolis, Pinot Noir] person (and I can't stand Port), but I make the exception for this.

I also love the Vinho Verdi that I get from Trader Joe's as an exception to the dry reds. It's dry, and it's got the slightest bit of sparkle to it.

House Jam Red wine.

Blackstone merlot

I love Justin Vineyards, Torbreck Woodcutter Shiraz and Reislings (if I'm in the mood for white.) And I just remembered, I'm also a huge fan of South American Malbecs.

Being from NY State, I'm a big fan of Finger Lakes wines - Bully Hill, etc.

My favorites are Red Newt and Hazlitt's Red Cat. I especially like the chant that goes with Red Cat if you go to the winery - "Red Cat! Red Cat! It's an aphrodisiac! Red Cat! Red Cat! It'll get you in the sack!"

I just went to a wine and chocolate tasting party the other evening and discovered Reislings. I absolutely loved it. I tend toward whites.. Chardonnay, Piesporter, and, for a really cheap semi-sweet white wine, Liebfraumilch

Rodney Strong.

A few years back, DH and I spent a weekend on Cape Cod. We went out to dinner one night, and we were the only customers in the restaurant's dining room (it was the off season), so we had a waiter to ourselves. We ordered steaks and asked him for a wine recommendation. He suggested Rodney Strong Cabernet. We loved it!

Since then, we've tried their merlot, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc, and we've loved them all. I find most American chardonnays to be too sweet, but Rodney Strong is an exception.

Then there's vinho verde. It's a lovely wine for a warm summer evening, and it doesn't break the bank.

And I tried this AMAZING chocolate port last year while doing the Connecticut Wine Trail. It's from Taylor Brooke Winery in Woodstock, CT (northeast corner of the state). Trouble is, you pretty much have to go to the winery to buy it.

I love Chardonnay from Cakebread! Yummy for my tummy!

Finger Lakes, NY - Ventosa Vineyard. We got 4 bottles as a wedding gift - red & whites all very good wines.

Long Island, NY - Pindar, Laurel Lake, Osprey's Dominion and Shinn Estate. Shinn also has a B&B on the property. People tend to hype up the South Fork wines I think bc of the Hamptons but I like these on the North Fork.

Had a bottle of von Strasser, from Cali, at Valentine's Day dinner and it was awesome.

Random fact I just learned from reading The Widow Clicquot, bottles were first identified by the corks as labeling came later on in the history of wine/champagne.

With 600 wineries in Washington, I don't even know where to start! I'd guess that 90% of the wine I drink is from Washington, mostly small labels. I really only drink reds - cabernet sauv, cabernet franc, syrah, zin, don't care for merlot much. I also really like red table wines (blends). And recently I discovered a grenache by Chatter Creek that's awesome. Chateau Ste. Michelle is what got me liking wine back in college, but nowadays I don't drink as much of it. My go-to wine for a dinner party is House Wine by the Magnificent Wine Company (by K Vintners).

Anything Francis Ford Coppolla. I am currently obsessed with the idea of the Sophia Coppolla Blanc de Blancs minis (each one comes with its own straw! And they're pink...so cute).

I like the epitome of each varietal. For example, sometimes I want a really sweet wine or a really dry full-bodied red. So I like to pick brands that really exemplify what that varietal is "supposed" to taste like (i.e. a nice oaky buttery Chardonnay or a crisp, sweet White Zinfandel). Wino's FTW!

I must not have read thoroughly enough because I can't believe no one's mentioned Moscato! It's so sweet like a dessert, it's amazing. It's great for those who don't like the bitter dryness of some wines. As far as "grocery store" wines go, I think Sutter Home Moscato is the best, Barefoot not so much.