California Wine

[HUGH]

Having just spent 3 weeks in California I managed some wine tasting, mostly at retailers rather than wine producers as I've had experience in France (degustation libre) upsetting the latter by not buying any wine (mainly because it wasn't up to scratch). What was offered was all good, if not cheap.

There seem to be a phenominal number of Californian wine makers and I wonder where it all goes because we only see a few brands here, these are probably the mass producers who have to compete with the European and other New World prices. Quaffable wines here start at less than 5 GBPounds.

The other noticeable thing was the age of many of the wines on sale in the liquor stores, these being at reduced prices, and I wondered if these were becoming rather tired and had been around for a while as the market was saturated?

I'm sure some biblious sages will enlighten me.

(By the way, we had a suitcase opened on returning home by US security to inspect the contents which contained wine and honey. Repacking was not carried out with expertise).

[KK4AMI]

The other noticeable thing was the age of many of the wines on sale in the liquor stores, these being at reduced prices, and I wondered if these were becoming rather tired and had been around for a while as the market was saturated?

I'm sure some biblious sages will enlighten me.

(By the way, we had a suitcase opened on returning home by US security to inspect the contents which contained wine and honey. Repacking was not carried out with expertise).

I'm sure you can find a lot of aged California wines. As most are sitting on the shelf now, Sir! The better wines from the East Coast (Virginia) have been beating California in sales! :lol::stirpot:

Never mind the fact that our leading sellers are Two Buck Chuck (Taylor) and Australian Yellowtail, Heathens!

[WX7P]

Hugh, my man!

Where were you in the Golden State? Do tell!

I hope you went to Sonoma and Napa counties, which is where I lived for a long time.

Pay no 'tention to the jaymer from Virginia.:lol: California wines are the best.

Seriously, a lot of specialty wine goes to high end restaurants. That was one of things I loved about living in Santa Rosa (Sonoma County), CA. There were many choices for restaurants and they all had different wine lists including the boutique wines from Napa and Sonoma.

As for the age of wines, you don't want to get a Chardonnay that's more than about 2 years old. It's still potable, but it loses the freshness and "bouquet" (I'm gagging saying that, but it's true). Red wines, on the other hand are different. You want your Cabernet or Merlot aged, but it really depends on the year. Some of the best wine I ever had was the 1974 vintage Cabernet. It used to be in grocery stores back in the '80's. Good luck finding it now. If you do, it will be pricey.

Mike (AMI) is right about two buck Chuck (Charles Shaw) and Yellowtail. It's everyday swill but it's drinkable and you can't beat the price. Sarah and I used to quaff a fair amount of TBC in Santa Rosa because we had a Trader Joe's nearby.

I'm really interested in what your perceptions were of California. I moved to Illinois 6 months ago and it's a whole different world here.

[KG4CGC]

Repacking was not their specialty.
Vineyards abound all over the US these days, even here in my part of South Carolina. Often they package the vineyard names with tourist brochures in order to woo your pockets dry.

Where do all the wines go? Good question. Many of the upper crusteze buyers from around the world are buying in quantity and putting them in storage. Some for investment purposes but I believe that many are preparing for the upcoming wine shortage that is sure to occur as such has occurred with nearly everything out there on the market. I imagine the shortage will be manufactured however, that is neither here nor there as far as this conversation is concerned.

In order to sell more wine to the hoi polloi, look for wine called Moscato which I believe is more of a repackaged, Boone's Farm, if you will without the stigmata attached to it. It is very sweet, cheap and even the most neophyte wine taster can pound down several glasses without a care.

[al2n]

I agree with the amount of wines available from California. Since I move back to the lower 48, I have been drinking far more wine than beer. I have a case of Two Buck Chuck (awesome Christmas gift from my sister) and usually have a few regional bottles on hand as well. I am really surprised at the number of good wines down here that are in the 4-8 dollar range. In Alaska 6 dollars would buy you some of that wino food that smelled like aftershave and tasted like vomit. Down here you can have a pleasant bottle of wine without breaking the bank.

I live just a few miles from the Cali border and have at least nine wineries within a 5 mile radius of my home. Every time I think I know about all of them, I discover another winery hiding nearby.

[WX7P]

Repacking was not their specialty.

In order to sell more wine to the hoi polloi, look for wine called Moscato which I believe is more of a repackaged, Boone's Farm, if you will without the stigmata attached to it. It is very sweet, cheap and even the most neophyte wine taster can pound down several glasses without a care.

EEWWWW. Moscato is NASTY.

I accidentally bought a couple of bottles of Sutter Home Moscato one time instead of their Chardonnay. Too sweet.

I ended up giving the second bottle to my parents. They like the sweet wines.

[KG4CGC]

EEWWWW. Moscato is NASTY.

I accidentally bought a couple of bottles of Sutter Home Moscato one time instead of their Chardonnay. Too sweet.

I ended up giving the second bottle to my parents. They like the sweet wines.
At the risk of sounding crude, it's the new Zima.

[NQ6U]

At the risk of sounding crude, it's the new Zima.

Now that's compelling. Not.

[al2n]

Moscato is a good desert wine. Some brands are better than others. I had some from Italy last year and found it quite tasty. One of those wines you have to be in the mood for. I would take a nice glass of Port first though.

[NQ6U]

Mike, there are some excellent wines coming out of the Willamette Valley these days as well. A high school friend of mine owns a small vineyard and winery in Wren and he's released some really fine Pinot Noir and Pino Gris.

[KG4CGC]

I had a good peanut greaser once.

[NQ6U]

I had a good peanut greaser once.

No, it's Peanut Gringo.

[WØTKX]

No drinky anymore, but I liked dry wines. A sturdy dry Burgundy or even better, a crisp Fume Blanc.

[KG4CGC]

I wonder what kind of wine, a guy that has bananas in his ears, would drink?

[WX7P]

I wonder what kind of wine, a guy that has bananas in his ears, would drink?

He would probably comment on the fruity bouquet of the wine, no matter what the variety, then leave in a huff when someone disagreed with him.

[WØTKX]

Not to mention it would be QRP... but NEVER served with a hamstick umbrella. ;)

[NA4BH]

Hugh, my man!

Where were you in the Golden State? Do tell!

I hope you went to Sonoma and Napa counties, which is where I lived for a long time.

Pay no 'tention to the jaymer from Virginia.:lol: California wines are the best.

Seriously, a lot of specialty wine goes to high end restaurants. That was one of things I loved about living in Santa Rosa (Sonoma County), CA. There were many choices for restaurants and they all had different wine lists including the boutique wines from Napa and Sonoma.

As for the age of wines, you don't want to get a Chardonnay that's more than about 2 years old. It's still potable, but it loses the freshness and "bouquet" (I'm gagging saying that, but it's true). Red wines, on the other hand are different. You want your Cabernet or Merlot aged, but it really depends on the year. Some of the best wine I ever had was the 1974 vintage Cabernet. It used to be in grocery stores back in the '80's. Good luck finding it now. If you do, it will be pricey.

Mike (AMI) is right about two buck Chuck (Charles Shaw) and Yellowtail. It's everyday swill but it's drinkable and you can't beat the price. Sarah and I used to quaff a fair amount of TBC in Santa Rosa because we had a Trader Joe's nearby.

I'm really interested in what your perceptions were of California. I moved to Illinois 6 months ago and it's a whole different world here.

Very true.

I was shopping at my not so local wine store and picked up some aged white wine (priced right). When I went to check out the owner pulled them out of my basket, he said "You don't want these, they are too old", "taste like shit". White wine goes bad real quick, red wine gets better with age.

[KC2UGV]

Having just spent 3 weeks in California I managed some wine tasting, mostly at retailers rather than wine producers as I've had experience in France (degustation libre) upsetting the latter by not buying any wine (mainly because it wasn't up to scratch). What was offered was all good, if not cheap.

There seem to be a phenominal number of Californian wine makers and I wonder where it all goes because we only see a few brands here, these are probably the mass producers who have to compete with the European and other New World prices. Quaffable wines here start at less than 5 GBPounds.

The other noticeable thing was the age of many of the wines on sale in the liquor stores, these being at reduced prices, and I wondered if these were becoming rather tired and had been around for a while as the market was saturated?

I'm sure some biblious sages will enlighten me.

(By the way, we had a suitcase opened on returning home by US security to inspect the contents which contained wine and honey. Repacking was not carried out with expertise).

I've got to check to see if I can ship you a Niagara wine :) And, maybe a bottle of my own :)


EEWWWW. Moscato is NASTY.

I accidentally bought a couple of bottles of Sutter Home Moscato one time instead of their Chardonnay. Too sweet.

I ended up giving the second bottle to my parents. They like the sweet wines.


Moscato is a good desert wine. Some brands are better than others. I had some from Italy last year and found it quite tasty. One of those wines you have to be in the mood for. I would take a nice glass of Port first though.

Got to go with Mike here. You can find a good Moscat, and Sutter Home it aint (All their wines are super sweet). I'm still waiting on my moscat juice order to come in, so I can get a relatively dry (Hint of sweetness) moscat.

[KC2UGV]

Where do all the wines go? Good question. Many of the upper crusteze buyers from around the world are buying in quantity and putting them in storage. Some for investment purposes but I believe that many are preparing for the upcoming wine shortage that is sure to occur as such has occurred with nearly everything out there on the market. I imagine the shortage will be manufactured however, that is neither here nor there as far as this conversation is concerned.

The shortage will have to be a manufactured one, made out of the notion that only grapes can be turned into wine.

Also, many of the wines are stored to age, but I don't bother aging more than a couple of months. It's always a crap shoot of if you open the bottle at the right time. You can be too late, or too early. Haven't gotten the stock pile up to the point where I can sample a bottle or two each year.

[HUGH]

Starting at Santa Clarita (no, I didn't like it much, no positive centre, all roads and cars until you head out towards Fillmore), Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles, Carmel Valley, Pacific Grove & Monterey, Carmel, San Simeon, Cambria, Morro bay, Solvang (to collect beer) & back to Santa Clarita. One or two trips out led to Santa Barbara Zoo & Ventura plus hikes into the hills to meet rattlesnakes and ticks.
This involved Highways 1 & 101 and G16 through Carmel Valley, the quieter the better, only met a lone cyclist heading towards Carmel Valley.

I like all the towns with an actual centre where you can find the shops, bars, restaurants, liquor stores, museums & so on as well as interesting people who dwell there. The latter makes one's day sometimes. Not keen on the newer, "manufactured" suburbs which implies the outer Los Angeles County area.

I concur about white wines aging fast, some reds seem never to deteriorate. I wonder if any blending, rebottling and relabelling goes on with those that don't sell?

Anyway we bought some Syrah, Pinot Noir and blended reds with unusual grape varieties & I lost count of the actual tasting process.

[NQ6U]

Ah, you never really got into the heart of the California wine country, which is a couple of hundred miles further north. That would explain your experience of tastings at retailers rather than wineries.

[Bubba]

Have you guys tried Guam wine ?

[n2ize]

Best wines are the cheap fortified wines. MG 20-20 is good stuff. Wild Irish Rose red, Thunderbird. All the best. The wino's know all the good stuff

[K7SGJ]

Have you guys tried Guam wine ?

I thought the Guam wine was "I waana go home, get me off this fucking island. Waa waa waa".

[NQ6U]

Have you guys tried Guam wine ?

Have you ever tried chewing guam?

[NY4Q]

Best wines are the cheap fortified wines. MG 20-20 is good stuff. Wild Irish Rose red, Thunderbird. All the best. The wino's know all the good stuff

You forgot my personal favorite : Night Train

[Bubba]

I thought the Guam wine was "I waana go home, get me off this fucking island. Waa waa waa".

Pretty much ...

[n2ize]

You forgot my personal favorite : Night Train

Ah yes, good ol' Night Train. Never tried it. Probably never will because these days I don't drink. But back when i did drink and I had an apartment in Manhattan there was a wino who used to hang out on the streets near my building and I used to chat with him from time to time. he was a pretty intelligent guy. Sometimes he would ask me to pick up a bottle of Wild Irish red for him. One night I decided to get 2 bottles, one for him, one for me. I drank it down over the next hour or so as we talked on the street. Later I went home and dozed off. I woke up later that night with the worst hangover I ever had in my life. My head felt like a pick ax were smashed and embedded into my brain, my stomach was churning and I felt like my entire gut were about to puke up. There were times I drank several times that amount of alcohol and never experienced a hangover anywhere near what that little bottle of Wild Irish red gave me.That stuff was brutal. Never touched it again after that. Wicked stuff.

[KG4CGC]

Ah yes, good ol' Night Train. Never tried it. Probably never will because these days I don't drink. But back when i did drink and I had an apartment in Manhattan there was a wino who used to hang out on the streets near my building and I used to chat with him from time to time. he was a pretty intelligent guy. Sometimes he would ask me to pick up a bottle of Wild Irish red for him. One night I decided to get 2 bottles, one for him, one for me. I drank it down over the next hour or so as we talked on the street. Later I went home and dozed off. I woke up later that night with the worst hangover I ever had in my life. My head felt like a pick ax were smashed and embedded into my brain, my stomach was churning and I felt like my entire gut were about to puke up. There were times I drank several times that amount of alcohol and never experienced a hangover anywhere near what that little bottle of Wild Irish red gave me.That stuff was brutal. Never touched it again after that. Wicked stuff.
You should try, Champale.

[n2ize]

You should try, Champale.

I have heard of Champale. When i was a kid I think an uncle of mine brought some over to my grandpa's house. No idea of what it tasted like. My Grandpa never drank any store bought wines. All his wine was made locally by old Italian guys in the neighborhood and he would buy it off them. I think he also made his own at one time because he did have an old wine press in the back of the shop.

So, please tell me more about this "Champale".

[KG4CGC]

Fortified Champagne.

[KB3LAZ]

EEWWWW. Moscato is NASTY.

I accidentally bought a couple of bottles of Sutter Home Moscato one time instead of their Chardonnay. Too sweet.

I ended up giving the second bottle to my parents. They like the sweet wines.

I dont much care for sweet wine. Here in Spain it seems that most wine is dry which to me is a good thing. Aside from the wine you get at the end of a meal. It is so sweet that your teeth jump out of your mouth. It is given to you in a shot glass. Its called Mistela and its EWW.

[n2ize]

Fortified Champagne.

Ah, okay... basically fruit flavored soda with alcohol added to it. I would try it just for the heck of it but at present I don't take alcoholic drink, for reasons of health, i.e. diabetes medication, anti-anxiety medication. several of which can negatively interact with alcohol. Thus I avoid drink.

[KB3LAZ]

Fortified Champagne.

I like Cava. Its like champagne but its from Spain. It used to be labeled as Spanish Champagne but the EU put a stop to that. It is significantly cheaper but taste just as good IMO.

If you have never tried, you should be able to find it in a local state store for 7-14$. I prefer Freixenet, Brut. I know they sell it in Giant Eagle in PA.

[KG4CGC]

I like Cava. Its like champagne but its from Spain. It used to be labeled as Spanish Champagne but the EU put a stop to that. It is significantly cheaper but taste just as good IMO.

If you have never tried, you should be able to find it in a local state store for 7-14$. I prefer Freixenet, Brut. I know they sell it in Giant Eagle in PA.

Seen it. I'm more of a Spumante guy when it comes down to bubbly fruit fermentates.

[KB3LAZ]

Seen it. I'm more of a Spumante guy when it comes down to bubbly fruit fermentates.

I could go that route too. Another thing that is popular here is hard cider. Though, not my favorite.

[N8YX]

Gotta put in a plug for a couple local places. First, 'DSG outside our favorite Mexican joint. We often take our friends there. Prices are reasonable, food is good and the staff has our backs.

9746

[N8YX]

Next...at Red Horse Winery, south of town. They offer a number of New York wines along with several homegrown creations. Good stuff, affordable but busy on the weekends...which is fine if you're looking to meet new people or just to relax and enjoy a game of cards.

9747

http://www.redhorsewinery.com/

We like the California varieties but these little area up-and-comers are giving the big names some well-deserved competition.

[W7XF]

I dont much care for sweet wine. Here in Spain it seems that most wine is dry which to me is a good thing. Aside from the wine you get at the end of a meal. It is so sweet that your teeth jump out of your mouth. It is given to you in a shot glass. Its called Mistela and its EWW.

Stick with shots of Jaeger, Travalicious!!!!

[KB3LAZ]

Stick with shots of Jaeger, Travalicious!!!!

Naw, a mojito is about as frisky as I get. I prefer having a beer.