Sarge Posted May 31, 2003 Share Posted May 31, 2003 My wife and I are starting to get into drinking an occasional glass of red wine in the evenings. There is some stuff on base that I remember having in Germany that's pretty good, but I thought I'd put the question out here instead of buying 25 different bottles of wine tryng to find a good one. So, what's a decent red wine that's not too dry and not overwhelmingly fruity? And not FRENCH. Suggestions, anyone? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GritzRgreat Posted May 31, 2003 Share Posted May 31, 2003 BOONS FARM STREWBERRY HILL comes with an e-z screw-on cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riggins44 Posted May 31, 2003 Share Posted May 31, 2003 If you can find it, Two Shillings Red Wine made by the Williamsburg Winery is good. My wife and I like Merlot. Favorites are Beringer or Robert Mondavi. Berringer also makes a White Merlot that is good. To be honest, haven't had much of anything I didn't like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cskin Posted May 31, 2003 Share Posted May 31, 2003 Air Sarge, There are a couple of red wines from Virginia that are good. Riggins gave you one, Williamsburg has good red wine, but I'll offer you a couple more. Barboursville Merlot, made from grape vines descending from the original vines Thomas Jefferson brought to Virginia from France. Also, a mid to late 90 Rebec red, or Rapidan Merlot. I'm quite the Virginia wine addict. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montilar Posted May 31, 2003 Share Posted May 31, 2003 Robert Mondavi wines are almost always good. I'm partial to thier Cabernet Savignons. It is aged in oak barrels and will have an "oak" flavor. Pinot Noirs are good but not what you're looking for. That's a "stronger" wine. Usually casual drinkers don't get into the dark reds. I haven't been in Barboursville in years..... used to inspect the place, just like I did the one over in Westmoreland (Dang it, I'm getting forgetful of names, was it Engelside????...) The wine master and company at Barboursville were from Italy and learned the trade there, the last time I was down there, so their wines may have an "italian" twist. While the one over in Westmoreland county had a french wine maker back then. I've a friend that will just about buy nothing but Chianti (red). He loves his chianti and bree.... Chianti is a good red. Just don't tell me your favorite VA wine maker is Prince Michel, Cskin. I know they are (or used to be) the biggest VA winemaker. I love Chardonney's. I bought a bottle of theirs and after one sip, spit it out, poored the rest of the bottle down the sink, and sputtered " God$%&^%* SH*T tastes like deer P*SS!!! Vile stuff. :puke: I'm sure something they make has to be good......But I'M not buying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex Posted May 31, 2003 Share Posted May 31, 2003 Wife and I are on a Shale Ridge Monterey Syrah kick at the moment although it does have a touch of fruitness. Think of it as Merlot with "attitude." Forgot to add that it's under $15.00 a bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cskin Posted May 31, 2003 Share Posted May 31, 2003 Mont... Haven't had Prince in years, but I'll have to agree with you. I never thought they delivered a caliber wine. Barboursville may have an Italian background come to think of it, but I think generally they have a stable operation and produce one of the better Virginia wines. I used to love Rapidan's semi-dry Riesling, especially the 96 and 97 years when the area had a pronounced dry period.... that wine was terrific. We'll have to talk about others, it sounds you might have the "bug" too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted May 31, 2003 Share Posted May 31, 2003 Try Chilean reds, Sarge. Cousino Macul's Antiguas Reservas if you can find it. Concha y Toro has several vintages ... all quite good, very consistent. Dry. Good price and good quality. Salud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montilar Posted May 31, 2003 Share Posted May 31, 2003 Reisling.... a good wine. First had it from Morrisette (I think is the name) down near Blacksburg when going to VT. When majoring in Food science at Tech AND having your advisor be the wine expert, you almost HAVE to take the wine course (and get to make your own wine). And the first job offer/interview I had after graduating was with a Philladelphia area vineyard. sad to say I've forgotten more than I remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince62 Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 Air Sarge....since you do seem to have a decidedly CONUS pov on things: I have been on a Zinfandel run the last few years...and CA is ground zero......some good ones from Austrailia as well one particular favorite of mine, after visiting the vineyards and meeting the vintners, is Elyse (Napa Valley). Be sure to buy the Morisoli Vineyard vintages - strong bouquet, good/lingering after taste. Marketing restrictions prevent the distribution of the wine in VA, so I direct order a case every year. Es muy bueno......:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poidog22 Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 Originally posted by Montilar Reisling.... a good wine. First had it from Morrisette (I think is the name) down near Blacksburg when going to VT. Yup, it's Chateau Morisette down near VT, (about an hour away from campus). My girlfriend was a Hopsitality & Tourism major and had to take a tour of the winery for a "field trip". I could think of worse ways to spend the day, so I went with her. Came upon some very nice wines to include their Merlot, a table wine called "The Black Dog", a great semi-sweet Riesling called "Our Dog Blue". My girlfriend was a big fan of their dessert wine "Sweet Mountain Laurel", but like all dessert wines it's very sweet and fruity. You can usually get bottles of any of their wines for less than $15.00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilmer17 Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 Try Black Opal. It's an Aussie wine. Fair price (6-9 bucks a bottle) and very consistent. I like their Shiraz alot. A peppery finish. They have a straight Cab that's pretty good and a MErlot/Cab blend that's very good. If you want to splurge and buy American, check out the wines from the Biltmore in NC. Their Claret is in my top 10 of all wines. It'll run about 30 plus a bottle, but it's worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 Might be a little flowery for what you are looking for...but you might want to try a nice Gewürztraminer. Personally, its my favorite German type of wine. I guess a German Riesling could be an option too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 I wasn't gonna do this, because I suspect most folks who drink red wine know it and live it already, but, it's important enough to make sounding like a snob (me?) worthwhile to those who might not. Please ... open your red and let it "breath" for at least 20 minutes before you plan to inbibe. Half an hour is better, but 20 will take the edge off in case you just can't wait. The difference between a freshly opened red and one that's caught its breath is real. But you knew that already. * Oh yeah ... and this winter, while your bottle breaths, try setting it about 4 or 5 feet from the crackling fire in your hearth to warm a bit. Not a lot, just enough to give it a subtle glow. 15 minutes oughta do. Your foresight and patience will be rewarded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilmer17 Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 I disagree about warming it. Red wine should be a bit chilly. The standard "room temperature" is true if taken literally. And came about when rooms were typically not heated by central furnaces and tended to be in the 50s. Right on regarding "breathing" better still would be to invest in a decent decanter and let it really flourish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 Have you tried mildly warming, say, a hearty burgundy, my friend? It's definitely not an everyday thing ... more of a once in a while deal. Not saying it's for everybody, but man, it surely worked for her/me/us a few times. By the way, if anyone tries this, do NOT use the microwave or your oven. Not because anything bad will necessarily happen to your vino, but because about a million vintners around the world will all double over in horrible paroxysms of empathetic agony. It would be almost like, please forgive me for saying this, but ... putting ICE in your red. Shudder. Shoulda mentioned the decanter thing, by the way. Good advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sisko Posted June 3, 2003 Share Posted June 3, 2003 When Mrs. 06 and I drink red wines we really like the Shiraz/Cab blend by Rosemount Estates. It has a really good mix of spice/fruitiness and not too dry. The Yellowtail Shiraz isn't bad either. I always thought I wasn't a wine person until Mrs. 06 introduced me to Hogue Late Harvest Riesling. Now that's a good squishy!! We also enjoy the Hogue Johannesburg Riesling and Gewerstraminer as well. German wines are by far our favorites but we tasted some really really good red and white wines when we were in Spain recently. Probably the best was the NOE Pedro Ximenez Muy Viejo. It was so good we had no choice but to bring home a couple of bottles. Good luck.:alcoholic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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