Whats your favorite wine? Commercial or homeade.

[dessertmaker]

I know this is winemakingtalk. But with all the wine snobbery there has GOT to be some amazing knowledge of great commercial wines here as well.

Maybe this is the wrong place for this thread, maybe one already exists. If I'm out of line then hey I'm out of line. But I am really excited about my wife's birthday present tonight. And I intend to share my excitement.



THIS is her favorite wine of all time. It was the first wine I ever found that she actually enjoyed drinking. She loved it. I never found the bottle again except at Olive Garden which is an hours drive from our house. Then this year it popped up at albertsons.



And this is a very close second. Neither one is a ritzy $100 bottle. 1 is $10 the other is $12. But man do they make her smile!

And tonight I'm coming home with BOTH!

Either one is guaranteed to make those panties drop. Together, the effect should be scary! Muahahaha!

I intend to write a short review on each of them and post it here. In the meantime, what's your favorite commercial wine? And why? What's your favorite home creation? Brewed by you or someone else?

 

[seth8530]

The best made wine I have ever had was a 2009 vintage Ramey Chardonnay from Sonoma Coast. Chard is not my favorite of all wine in the world, but drinking that wine made me a believer and even inspired me to make 12 gallons of chard this fall.

 

[GreginND]

I like Ramey also. But asking what my favorite wine is is like asking me which is my favorite child. I love wine and learn something from every single one I taste.

 

[sour_grapes]

The best wine I have ever had in my life was a Zenato Amarone. It was incredible -- a different experience than I had ever had before. (I won the $75 bottle in a charity event!) I actually took up kit winemaking in order to get an affordable supply of Amarone!

My favorite wine for essentially every day consumption is Seven Deadly Zins.

 

[dessertmaker]

Anybody ever try either of these?

Ice wines... For $40.... From Canada?!

 

[cpfan]

I believe that the Inniskillin ice wine was the first ice wine that I ever tasted (probably about 18-20 years ago). I think the Vidal, but back then there was only one version so I don't think the variety was labelled. The first ice wine kit that I ever made was tried beside an Inniskillin ice wine. My recollection is that we felt that the Inniskillin one was better but not by much. The kit made about 11,000 ml (11 litres) and the Inniskillin was 375ml, making the kit much more cost effective.

 

[Dugger]

I've had the Inniskillin Riesling ice wine and it was very good; a decadent way to finish off a special meal dessert!

 

[JohnT]

A 1995 Opus One. I had to sit down after my first sip.
The body, the complexity, the balance, it was simply incredible!

 

[Boatboy24]

I was given a bottle of Purple Angel (Carmenere/Petite Verdot) several months back. That's the last commercial wine that really made me say "Wow!". I also had my first Chateaneuf du Pape recently and was very pleased with it. Just picked 4 up from WTSO last week, so I'm looking forward to trying more of them.

Homemade stuff? Most of mine is really too young yet, but my Red Mountain Cabernet and Eclipse Sauv Blanc are probably my two favorites so far.

 

[dessertmaker]

I believe that the Inniskillin ice wine was the first ice wine that I ever tasted (probably about 18-20 years ago). I think the Vidal, but back then there was only one version so I don't think the variety was labelled. The first ice wine kit that I ever made was tried beside an Inniskillin ice wine. My recollection is that we felt that the Inniskillin one was better but not by much. The kit made about 11,000 ml (11 litres) and the Inniskillin was 375ml, making the kit much more cost effective.

What are they like? Semi sweet? Smooth?

 

[Rocky]

That is a tough one. Without naming a Vineyard, I would have to ago with a 1997 or 2007 Brunello di Montalcino as my commercial favorite. For the wines that I have made, my 2010 Ricetta di Stefano (3:1 blend of Zinfandel to Muscat) would be high on my list. My "Gourmet Select" from 2011 (a 2:1 blend of Sangiovese to Nebbiolo) would be a close second.

 

[Elmer]

I am not that picky and will drink my way through almost anything, but Malbec (last bottle I had tasted like DIRT).

I like Jacobs Creek Shiraz, which was recommended to my by a buddy who bartended at the Brooklyn Yacht club (fancy expensive place). The wine itself no so expensive.

But then again I dont really drink store bought. If I dont drink my own, I drink beer!

My wife is the wine drinker, currently drinking:
Mark West Pinot Noir.
Smoking Look Pinot Noir
Williamette Pinot Noir

(sense a pattern?)

 

[jswordy]

Southern Oak Wines Norton, produced by White Oak Vineyards

Here's a big reason why...



This is Randal Wilson. He is UC-Davis trained, and he puts his name on the back label of every bottle along with a phone number. I like a man who backs up his product. Nuff said. I have never met Randal except through his wines, but emails have been exchanged and I intend to.

 

[olusteebus]

My go to commercial wine.

Yes, I am cheap. $2.97 per bottle. I could buy better wine but I like it a lot

My own

 

[bakervinyard]

My favorite commercial wine has to be Justin Vinyard, it's a blend. My everyday commercial is Smith and Son, Pinot Noir. My favorite wine made by myself is probably Red Zinfindel from a juice bucket. Bakervinyard

 

[dangerdave]

I gave up commercial wines when I started making my own. I discovered I could make the wines I love, just how I like them! I have to admit, I have never spent more than $15 on a bottle of wine, either from a store or a vinyard, so my experience with commercial wines is limited.

I am my own biggest fan! <sorry, honey>

However, the most delightful wine I have ever had the privilege to sample was joeswine's Coffee Port. Absolutely exquisite!

 

[ou8amaus]

Last weekend I tried Greg Norman's Petit Syrah. Wow. Hands down my new favorite. As for my own wines, I need another year for aging to properly answer that.

 

[LoneStarLori]

A 1995 Opus One. I had to sit down after my first sip.
The body, the complexity, the balance, it was simply incredible!

i was trying to remember the name and you reminded me. It was a 1997 Opus One. We were in a restaurant in Maui and like john, it knocked our socks off. it was so complex. We had 2 bottles at around $100. It was splurge night.

 

[seth8530]

I wish I could have splurge nights ) :

 

[LoveTheWine]

'Luce' is my favorite.
http://www.lucedellavite.com/

A friend of mine was a wine supplier and was doing a wine tasting show. She introduced me to this amazing wine.
The bottle retailed for about $100 though so I haven't had it since (Canada prices)