Wines - Your Recommendations (liquor, best, tastes like, grape)

[ontheroad]

I've always loved wine. Once upon a midnight I collected it and understood which year/vintner was predicting a real smooth red.

I seem to have lost the touch and recently bought some highly touted red at Trader Joe's that tastes like bad vinegar.

Any good suggestions? I prefer red over white; robust over mellow.

(For the record the wine I disliked is Chateau Latour-Laguens, a Bordeaux, 2003 (Gironde); controlee."

[BlueWillowPlate]

Okay, I have a rec that I am just crazy about.
It was a zinfandel.
Sobon Estate, Amador County, "Old Vines."
I guess the big thing in California is those primitivo vines, the ones which originally came from Italy. But apparently primitivo and zinfandel, while sharing the same genetic traits, are not identical. Whatever. These old vines are supposed to be, well, very old. Much of Sobon vineyards are dry-farmed, so that makes for smaller but very flavorful grapes.
Zins usually are a bit on the harsh side for me, but this one had been hanging around the house for awhile, it was a 2003.
It was like drinking deep red, nuanced velvet: very assertive, but oh so smooth.
And it was also organic!
Look up Sobon on the internet, they have a site.
Also that Wine Searcher search engine tells you places that have it.
I definitely will make it my business to buy Sobon wines again. This one came along with us from Colorado, and I have not seen any place that has it that ships, but I did notice that liquor stores in Jacksonville carry it.
We just had the one bottle, but one day Sobon shall be mine again.

[ontheroad]

Thanks, cil.

I've been such a terrible, and not in a good way, wine snob and have avoided the California wines. It may be that when I was trying to learn it was only French, now of course the field is wide open.

Going to PA will be a challenge, if I decide to stay, as they only have State Stores and apparently not very good wine selections.

I'll be checking your recommendation out! And I'll see about that site you mention. I haven't looked online for wine at all.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Actually, I am like you--I tend to avoid California wines myself. That's probably why that lonely little Sobon had been hanging around the house so long.
I am a huge Aussie fan, also Argentina and Chile. French wines can be rather austere for me, but one of my favorite table wines is French, from my favorite Languedoc region:
L'Orangerie de Pennautier Rouge. As I said, it's just a simple table wine, but it was quite yummy and when I bought it by the case, it was maybe $6 a bottle.
I see it online now for $12, gimme a break.

[ontheroad]

Yes, table wine was generally around $6-10 and not too long ago. About 20 years ago I socialized with a Tuscan friend; she introduced me to Italian reds. When we were in Italy two years ago, the reds I paid $10-25/bottle here were about $5.00 for a liter and a half at table.

I think the Chilean and Argentinian wines are great--trouble is I always forget the names and can't find them a second time.

Here's a wine that is generally good, Marques de Caceres, Crianza, Rioja, Espana. I have one unopened bottle of 2002. It can be pricey, but here in NM was quite reasonable--<15.00 is considered inexpensive here!

Originally Posted by cil

Actually, I am like you--I tend to avoid California wines myself. That's probably why that lonely little Sobon had been hanging around the house so long.
I am a huge Aussie fan, also Argentina and Chile. French wines can be rather austere for me, but one of my favorite table wines is French, from my favorite Languedoc region:
L'Orangerie de Pennautier Rouge. As I said, it's just a simple table wine, but it was quite yummy and when I bought it by the case, it was maybe $6 a bottle.
I see it online now for $12, gimme a break.

[poprocksncoke]

I am no wine expert.
I love the brand Relax
Their Reisling is the best!
I also liked Yellowglen had a sparkling wine called "Pink" and it was good as well. But they clearenced that out

[MoMark]

If you like Cabernet Sauvignon, a rich, deep, throaty red, then I recommend Kendall Jackson Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 vintage. I'm going to be looking for more of it.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by ontheroad

Here's a wine that is generally good, Marques de Caceres, Crianza, Rioja, Espana. I have one unopened bottle of 2002. It can be pricey, but here in NM was quite reasonable--<15.00 is considered inexpensive here!

I like Rioja, I will look for it. Temperanillo is another Spanish grape I like.
I think maybe I am kind of a skinflint when it comes to wine. For special occasions, I will certainly throw down the cash. But for table wines I don't like to spend much more than $10.
I don't know how much that Sobon originally cost me because the price was no longer on it, but online it looked to be about $15.

[ssg II]

You guys might want to give these a try: Cline & Rosenblum, both California wineries known for their zins. Unfortunately, most of the good stuff is limited in production and doesn't make it out of the state.

Some other good reds: PETS from Vinum Cellars and damn near anything red from Sebastiani. On the less expensive side: Cline "Red Truck."

I love barberas, but can't find anything under $40 around here. Any recommendations from you Italian wine lovers?

[ontheroad]

In Italian wines, I generally gravitate to regions not vintners. Piedmont and Liguria are my 2 favourites.

Here's some info that I found useful:

http://www.thewinedoctor.com/regionalguides/italy.shtml