Re: The Wine Thread
 

You should be able to find 10 year Madeira for $30ish. I was buying D'Oliveira's 10 year for $25. Broadbent 10 for under $40 is a good buy.

What kind of Scotch could one buy under $35 that is worth talking about? There's no spirit that can compete with depth & length of flavors of a great Madeira, but they are just different animals.

I am gifted a lot of nice spirits, but hardly ever drink them. My girlfriend is more into them than I. Recently I added a little Arbeg Supernova to our bottle of JW Black and boy it did it transform the Black to another level. I hardly added any. I was told the Black use to use more of it like 40 years ago... Thought I'd try to recreate that blend...

Re: The Wine Thread
 

The only Scotch that's in the $35 range, worthy of mention, is JW Black. It's my go to Scotch. Nothing else I can think of.

That's interesting about adding Arberg to the JW Black. Do you think that the heavy peat is what makes the change to another level?

Do you think adding a small percentage, maybe an 80% Black to a 20% Talisker would work? I don't have any Arberg.

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Went to Total Wine tonight got- Warres 2001 LBV (unfiltered), Greek Cellars Mavrodaphne, and Sandeman Fine Rich Madiera

Moses- Thank you for your input as always when I'm more financially set I will def be trying some of your suggestions at TW I saw Broadbent Colheita Madiera but was not in my budget I bet much so enjoyed the Madiera I had the other night, are other there other Madieras (dryer kinds?) that have a little more body to them? It is a nice change of pace from Porto and yet similar I will be adding Madieras to routine!

John- also thanks for your input as well your the reason I got the Sandeman Fine Rich!

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Start with 5% Ardbeg or Lagavulin (any heavy peet Scotch) and see how that goes. Maybe 10% max. Not much is needed at all really. I served the "improved" Black blind to someone and they knew right away in a good way something was different.

Re: The Wine Thread
 

My favorite styles of Madeira Verdelho, Terrantez (everyone loves that one), and Bual. Sercial is nice (drier version). Verdelho is a good balance if you like them on the sweeter side. Malmsey is the sweetest. Since the Madeira doesn't go bad once open, consider the purchase more like a Scotch. You can buy one fancier bottle and then move on to the 5-10 year after. Always end the night with Madeira. If you start with Madeira and then go Port; the acidity in the Madeira will overwhelm the flavors you get the Port.

I like to line up a night's tasting in order of acidity (weak to strong).

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That looks to be the Madeira in your glass, no?

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Si Senior

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I don't drink a lot of wines, but this is one of my favorites. Paired so well with my steak dinner. Good thing I'm headed back to Argentina next month.

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Haven't that wine, but Catena is one of the most famous producers from the region. I'd imagine it was indeed pretty good.

Do you bring any wine back from Argentina? I have a travel wine suit case I use for such purposes. Can hold 12 bottles.

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ah love the info! wine is something i want to get more into.

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Mavrodaphne (Greek attempt at port) on the balcony of our hotel in Mykonos!
http://i1285.photobucket.com/albums/...pslketz88b.jpg

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What a view! I never had much luck with Greek wines when we vacationed there. I ended up just sticking with Metaxa. :D

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Suffering, eh Gabe?

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Stress is killing me Neil!

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There's some good wine being made in Greece actually. Your picture looks like heaven...

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http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2nvhmd2e.jpgh

A 97 botrytisized Chenin from one of the most beautiful spots on earth.
Enjoyed in downtown Toronto (no contest for the Loire) at Barberiens

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And this with a medium rare strip loin

http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/...psgzwq5mqp.jpg

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Le Mont and Cote Rotie.... Yes, with medium rare strip any night!!!

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Don't cry for me Argentina...

It's an interesting phenomenon that things transported to different climates and terroir behave so differently. Cuban seed would be a fine example, where the identical species of plant tastes completely different when cultivated outside of Cuba.

Vines transplanted in the New World do the same thing. The classic example would be the finely structured Syrah grape form the Rhone that becomes the fruit forward, jammy, almost unrecognizable Aussie Shiraz.

Malbec was widely cultivated in France prior to phylloxera, and following the decimation of Bordeaux in the 19th century, was only modestly replanted and became overshadowed by Merlot and the Cabernets. A little to the South East, close to Bergerac is the Cahors region, Malbec remains king in the old world. Heavy, structured, tannic reds to have with your steak. Once in the New World, the same vines become fruit forward and less tannic. Argentine Malbec from Mendoza is all the rage.

Well I have a thing about Old World wines, especially with food. The Cahors I had last night would be a fine example of a wine for a meat dish. Now the assemblage of this particular wine has a dose of Tannat in it too (a brutally tannic grape), so we can't blame all of the backbone on Malbec.

If you haven't had a decent Cahors, I would suggest trying some. (The caveat being - only with food - some juicy steak, a hearty stew or duck confit.) Where the Bordelais have largely given up on Malbec, in Cahors they have persisted, and it really pays off.

Not big in North America - overshadowed by Mendoza - too bad really....

http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4xwxu0ea.jpg

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Cahors is the only region for Malbec IMO. I do not like South America Malbec at all.

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Ah Moses! A kindred spirit! I challenged our local wine boutique to find a good Malbec from Mendoza. Turns out I'm a hard lad to please!

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My girlfriend can't stand Malbec, only having S. American bottles. Served her a Cahors and she loved it.

I find the same with Pinot and Syrah; Burgundy and N. Rhone are the best example and that's it.

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While I do prefer old world wines, I find that many new world wines are very well made. It's often a case of terroir versus deliciousness and accessibility. Argentine Malbec does serve its purpose and is certainly a crowd pleaser though it may not measure up to your refined palates.

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Couldn't agree more. You only have to look at any wine list to see what sells. Crowd pleaser, especially as a "stand alone" without food, is quite a different thing to pairing up a wine of structure with a meal.

Makes it fun! I find it sad that folks stick to 3 or 4 favourites, instead of trying what the world has to offer.

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Bud Light is number one, but is that a good beer? I do not like virtually any new world wines. Wines start in the vineyard and making wine is a time tested tradition that should not be messed around too much.

He had a nice Michele Chiarlo 2008 Barolo last night. Great buy at $28 at NH Liquor Store. Worth picking up a case if you are in that locale.

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An ice cold Bud Light is perfectly fine for me as a refreshment on a blazing hot summer day. Vinho Verde, a classic style of Portuguese wine, is light, fresh, and not terribly complex but perfect for quaffing as well.

I agree that good wine starts in the vineyard. You can't make good wine without good grapes. But winemaking tradition has given way to technology. Some technology is good and some bad. I would guess there are probably less than 10% of traditional wine producers left in the world.

Good pick up on the 2008 Chiarlo Barolo! $28 is a great price. Much better than their overpriced Cannubi.

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Picked up a case of 1979 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde & 1988 Guigal Gigondas! Can't wait to start drinking them. These wines can really age well. :noon

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Wow - nice. The Brune et Blonde is hard to find here. Wonderful stuff. Proper Syrah!

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Celebrating with my brother who is visiting from Johannesburg. Called for something special....

http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/...psrfhlpcox.jpg

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^^ How was the it? ^^

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I plan to pick them up this week. Will report back after trying one. :noon

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http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/...psgaff9zpj.jpg

Sublime. A fine King James Stilton with preserved ginger and a 30yr old vintage port.
We killed the entire bottle, no problem.
Amazing balance, intense flavours with decent fruit and silky aged tannins. Brilliant.

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Nice! '85 Warre is a great vintage. We had a '63 Warre on Thursday at a restaurant and it was a little on the tawny side, but the '80 Graham made up for that with its youth.

Great line up to celebrate our Independence.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...pso9ntewyu.jpg

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Couple of nice a Burgundies there. How was the Les Malconsorts?

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Was solid. Lovely nose, but the finish was on the short side. Group was split on which Burgundy they like more. The Jadot had a better nose, but not as complex flavor. There was no clear front runner for WOTN.

The whole line up was for 4 people in total. I was feeling it the next day. I don't binge drink as much as I use to...

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I have a hard time justifying a grand cru Cote de Nuits, so wondered about the Malconsorts as a decent premier cru.

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Malconsorts is the vineyard next to La Tache and it's quality can approach Grand Cru level with pricing to match. Montille, Dujac, and Cathiard are the best.

I like the Les Suchots 1er cru for its value.

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I haven't had Dujac in a while :dr.

The importer for Malconsorts is down the road from me. I think we paid $35 for the bottle at the restaurant; I'll take it -(P.

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Here's a picture of some wines we are having today. 1988 Guigal Gigondas. Beautiful wine with great nose, tea leaves and roses on the palette. Mature, but not over the hill. 2nd wine is 1985 Delas CdP. Just opened this one earlier, but so far is pretty good. Funky, earthy nose, great color. Should go well with dinner tonight.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...psnh0u2v73.jpg

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I'm a sucker for white CdP - can't say I've tried a 20yr old though.
Tonight a simple Zinck Alsatian Gewurtz - we're having curry !

The best wine for curry is beer.
Gewurtz might work - except my brother just chucked another chilli in the pot!

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$35! I can't buy Malbec or Carminere plonk out of a box for that here in town!

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You mean 30yr old... I hardly drink anything under 20 years old...

Light crisp beer is good with Indian food. For SE Asian beer I like Tiger beer. Has to be hot outside.

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Here's tonight's line up:
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...pss2v1hthl.jpg

I was moving a few things around the cellar and noticed this 1983 Ramos Pinto Vintag Port was the only leaker out of the bunch and it's been some time since I have this vintage. I am about to start on it. I had some sample glasses a few hours ago and it was quite rich and little spirity. Ramos VP's tend to be on the rich side. The 1979 Moillard Fixin was fun. Nose was inticing at first, and as I type this am about to finish the bottle. Burnt sugar notes and some fading flavors. Very mature Burgundy. Some floral notes. Went well enough with the grass fed eye roast we had for dinner. Leftover meat will make good sandwiches for work. Bought a small piece of Mahon cheese to have with the port. Not sure what cigar I will pair.

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Waiting for Elys to get from work. She said she'll cook tonight. I do virtually most of the cooking. Why not a white wine? I don't drink as much of it as I should.

Here's fun a one; 1988 Ch. Couhins-Lurton - Graves. The nose honeysuckle and chalk, with dry light buttery finish. Liqueur quality to wine and have had the bottle open just 30 minutes. I opened a bottle of this the other week and cork pushed right in. The wine was oxidized and down the drain... This one is showing as expected.

Oh ya... she is making turkey burgers...

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/h...ps51yrh2cv.jpg

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Dinner at 529 Wellington. The best wine list in Western Canada...

http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/...psvtijdpur.jpg
http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/...psw7kjrpzf.jpg

http://i1369.photobucket.com/albums/...psmd9a8zsq.jpg

The Barsac was very good, but the Bordeaux was sublime. It is really peaking now, and was a first rate compliment to my tenderloin.....

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No kidding on the 2000 Paulliac; they are rocking right now for sure. How much were the bottles on their list if you don't mind?

We had a 2012 Dujac Morey St. Denis the other night at David Burke Steakhouse at Foxwoods. The bottle was only $112!!! :dr

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The Pauilac was the last of an odd bin and I paid $160 - the invoice showing $120 discount.
I don't know the Barsac.

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That's an attractive price for that wine at a nice restaurant; good pick.

If a restaurant has a sommelier you can haggle a wine price down. Takes some chutzpah to do so, but you'd be surprised at the results.

Another good wine list tip is to search for wines that not typical for the kind of restaurant it is. Like ordering American wine at an Italian restaurant or French wine at a steak house.

Also, the cheapest wines on the list are solely there as sommelier pick as being a value. Mid priced or big names have to be on the list, but the bottom end is purely on what they liked at that price point.

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It helps to know the som. He has helped me a lot over the years, as I pursued sommelier certification as an enthusiast not in the hospitality industry. He gave me lots of tips and blind tastings.

It's often "who you know" in this world....