Our favorite non-homemade wine thread:

[UBB]

Since I like to drink wine even more then make it, let's talk about our favorite store bought stuff. I'm always looking for new wines to try.

 

[arcticsid]

UBB, right to the corner with you!!!!

 

[UBB]

UBB, right to the corner with you!!!!

Is it blasphemous to talk about store bought? My apologies if it is.

 

[Runningwolf]

No it is not and that might actually be a good topic. Myself I make a lot and drink little. It's the obsession of making it I like. As time goes on I am liking more and more different wines.

 

[arcticsid]

If you made cars, would you start a thread bragging about the cars the neighbor made? Of course not!

10 minutes in the corner, and then we can talk about it. LMFAO!

 

[arcticsid]

I really have no room to talk actually. I am sucking down Pabst Blue Ribbon and have no wine working at all.

Guess I'll see you in the corner!

LMFAO again!

 

[Julie]

Well it has been a very long time since I have bought a commercial wine. One of my favorites thou when I did buy was St. Margarita's Pinot Grigio

 

[tonyt]

I'll bite, great topic.
I have tons of favorite commercial wines. I keep a notebook of labels going back ab out 15 years of favorites. For the purpose of this thread I'll pick one that is reasonably priced and reasonably available. Three cheers for Milton Park Shiraz, South Australia. It's 14.5%, thick, rich and fruit forward with a little coconut on the nose. ~$15.00. I try very hard to emulate this wine at home.

 

[Stefani]

This is a great topic.

I think it's important to taste commercial wines.

1. Why make 5-6 gallons of a style of wine that you don't like?
2. If one doesn't know what a style of wine taste like how can one know how to copy it or even make one better?
3. Isn't buying a bottle and drinking it here and there allow you to increase the number of bottles you have.

I recently bought a bottle of Matthew Fox White Zin. It was too sweet. To practice a little cellar craft, I mixed it 50%/50% with a Fish Eye Pinot Grigio. It turned out great! Both bottles were under $5.

 

[cpfan]

This is a great topic.

I think it's important to taste commercial wines.

1. Why make 5-6 gallons of a style of wine that you don't like?
2. If one doesn't know what a style of wine taste like how can one know how to copy it or even make one better?
3. Isn't buying a bottle and drinking it here and there allow you to increase the number of bottles you have.

1. Good q, but liking a specific commercial wine doesn't mean that your wine will be the same. Similar hopefully.
2. This kit maker tends to prefer my kit wines to the commercial wines.
3. For me, 12 new bottles cost under $14 (last time I bought which may be a year ago). One bottle of decent wine in Ontario Canada $10 or more likely more. And many commercial wines have screw caps.

I live near a wine growing area, and very rarely visit the wineries or the beer/wine stores.

Steve

 

[rob]

Aldi German Riesling is very good and only 4.99

 

[deboard]

I agree with Stefani, being fairly new to even drinking wine, much less making it, I had to familiarize myself with all the different styles and varieties to figure out what I liked.

I have found a few that I end up buying more frequently than others:

Bolla Valpolicella - cheap but good italian red
Gabbiano Chianti - decent chianti
Rosemount Cabernet/Shiraz - decent heavy red.

All of those are under $10, with the added benefit that their labels slide off magically when soaked in hot water for 15 minutes or so. The first two will usually come off by themselves, while the rosemount slides off in one piece with a little push.

Coppola Rosso - nice italian red under $10, without the easy label removal though.

 

[arcticsid]

Feline Firaz. Cats seem to like it.

 

[Arne]

Feline Firaz. Cats seem to like it.

Troy, since he turned white while drinkin the white cat, does he do a magic act and turn black with the black cat?? Arne.

 

[arcticsid]

You would have to ask the cat, but it probably doesn't remember.

 

[Rocky]

I agree with Julie on the Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio but, wow, is that stuff expensive. We pay about $26-28 per bottle here in Ohio. What is it in PA? I have found some nice reds at Trader Joe's, bottled under their own label. They sell for under $5 and their Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon are not bad.

 

[Dougxox]

favorites: Consintino Cigar Zin, anything by BV. Moet Nectre Imperial for sparkling.
Everyday drinking: Anything by Rosemont, Eyzaguirre Cab and Syrah ( cool bottle wraped in burlap). Korbel Brut or Rose for " Champagne Sundays". so many other to even list...lol

 

[BMac]

Way up here in Canada, the prices are ridiculous for wine, hence making my own. And the selection in my province is very limited.

I don't buy wine from stores very often, but some I really like are:

Bolla Amarone $44
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc $20
Voga Pinot Grigio $18
Wolf Blass Cabernet Sauvignon Yellow Label $20
and a few around the $12-15 range that I can't recall right now

 

[Midwest Vintner]

Endless Summer Winery - Pecan $16 and Blueberry $12. I may be biased.

 

[Dougxox]

Endless Summer Winery - Pecan $16 and Blueberry $12. I may be biased.

Ya think?