New to Wine

[Keza_G]

Scott an I recently decided to have a go at the wine thing as we are getting a bit tired of walking into a bottlo and going straight to the beer or burbon isle. :wink: :wink:

Last night we had a T-Bone with Mushooms and steamed potatoes with a green salad and a bottle of Merlot. It was quite nice, but at $5.99 I suspect that we were trying something a little on the crappy side. :roll:

So with that in mind, are there any recommendations out there for a decent drop of red (white is out of the question for both of us) within a decent price range.... ie under $20...

Lets here some :mrgreen:

[AndyP]

You could try some cleanskins.

[Jarro]

Never knock the crappy cheap wines Keza ... they can lead to wonderful events ;)

[AndyP]

....and terrible hangovers.

[Jarro]

I thought the best way to appraise a bottle of wine was by how bad the hangover was the next day ????

[Keza_G]

There was no $5.99 hangover so we either didnt drink enough or it was a good one ?

[markTHEblake]

Peter Lehmann and Rockford is a very popular wine with a freind of mine who has hundreds of bottles in his cellar. They are around $20 a bottle.

He gives me the odd one here and there, and they have all been good.

You could also check out Grant Dodd's website http://www.thewiningpro.com/

he writes articles about wine but relates it to golf, and makes some good receommendations.

[Grunt]

I am a member of Hungerford Hill wines, I would not say I am an expert. I just drink a wine and if its crap we never have it again. If it is good it gets a repeat chance. Don't write the whites off entirely, there are some good one that go down quite well during summer. The Swan Valley in WA has some good ones.

[kwantfm]

I'm going to suggest something that is in the low $20 region.

Torbreck the Juveniles. Torbreck is one of the very best Barossa producers with wines that range up to the $300 per bottle mark. The Juveniles is apparently a fantastic UK restaurant that specifically asks Torbreck to produce their house wine, which they also sell to the public.

This is a great wine that I think compares favourably to many bottles in the $40-50 range.

[Fishman Dan]

I thought the best way to appraise a bottle of wine was by how bad the hangover was the next day ????

That's not a bad way of looking at it Jarro. Then again, have enough good bottles of wine and the hangover is unavoidable ;)

Keza - you'll soon learn that the different wine regions have a big impact on wine. My own favourite is the Clare Valley or McLaren Vale (SA). I'm not a big fan of Victorian wines at all, though I recently had a nice one from around the Ballarat area.

It's a very personal thing. I don't drink whites at all (fruity, crappy stuff), and in the reds I drink Shiraz, Cab Sav and Merlot only (listed in order of preference).

Reds to completely MISS - Wolf Blass, Rosemount, Wyndham Estate... etc etc.. anything that's mass marketed is done so because it's crap.

[peter_rs]

The other thing you will learn is wine is a VERY personal taste.

Rosemount and Wyndham do nice budget wines.

[Fishman Dan]

The other thing you will learn is wine is a VERY personal taste.

Rosemount and Wyndham do nice budget wines.

Case in point!! :lol:

[peter_rs]

Case in point!! :lol:

indeed. :)

Have you tried both "Wyndham Estates" Labels

[Fishman Dan]

Pete - yep, and they're not on my usual wish-list while in the Hunter. The best part about the Wyndham Estate site is the cheese shop - although there is an even better "Stinky Cheese Shop" at the Pokolbin Village shops near Tempus Two.

In the Hunter Valley we make stops at Allandale, Audrey Wilkinson, Saddlers Creek and Peterson's - all crushed and produced locally but generally using fruit from other regions (Orange/Mudgee and SA). Out of that lot I think Peterson's are the only ones to use their own grapes.

[peter_rs]

there you go there may be 3 wyndham labels as I did not think one was sold outside qld

[Webster]

Keza,

As a self confessed red wine drunk of more than 20 years, I have some expertise here. I must recommend my friend and fellow golf course and wine lover titheridge, who know posts his wine bargains on www.thegolfforum.com .

tithers works for Dan Murphy's and has tipped many of us into some excellent wine bargains, both red and white. I wont post a direct link to his thread as that may be poor form but if you have any difficulty finding it please pm me.

tithers has put us into some excellent cleanskin wines which are made by some top quality producers but do not carry their brand for a variety of reasons. he has not tipped me a bad win yet.

Jack.

[amanda]

and remember - only cook with wine good enough that you would drink :)

of course - if you try a wine and don't like it enough to drink the rest of the bottle, use the rest of a red for lamb shanks or spag bol, use the rest of the white for steamed white wine mussels :)

[Keza_G]

I am too a wine gumby kez.

Why is white wine out of the question ?

scott hates fruity stuff and he thinks it is a bit sour, I personally just dont do well with it... I have found that wth all wine I get really pissed really quickly (faster than normal, which is quick anyway)

[kpac]

scott hates fruity stuff and he thinks it is a bit sour, I personally just dont do well with it... I have found that wth all wine I get really pissed really quickly (faster than normal, which is quick anyway)

I too am a red wine junky - love the stuff - however i recon the white cops a bit of stick just for being 'white'. There are a lot of very very nice white wines out there, and for seafood and chicken or light lunch / pre dinner meals white is far more suited.
Try Brookland Valley Sav Blanc <- my favourite white wine (but i'm still looking for better :D as yet this one is becoming hard to beat)

In the red department - [ i am in NO WAY an expert but i do love the stuff ] a suggestion for a good drop - Barnadown Run Heathcote Shiraz almost half way through a case of this fella and i'm going to put the last few away to warm up a bit.

and if you can track a bottle down (i was lucky enough to split one with a friend) give the Bremerton Old Adam Shiraz a go, from what i can remember ;) it was very nice and getting rave reviews around the world, i think most of it is being exported these days though, so ebay may be your only chance $40+

But as the people above have suggested it has a lot to do with where the vino comes from - i like the margret river wines, find them more flavour-full than the spice of the hunter valley wines <- again that is just a stereotype, and each area have very very good wines!!

It's a marveous world of wine (i've only been convinced 4 years) and it's a lot of fun discovering really good wines.

I like to set myself a budget though (so i compare wines of equal value) so so 6 months i'll try different wines of $10 mark, next 6months $20 and then $15 so far i have not bought many over $20 as i find plenty of good ones up to that value, and i've got a lot to get through yet.... (mind you i don't complain when others bring big$ bottles :lol:

[Courty]

Any votes for Passion Pop?

[Jarro]

Any votes for Passion Pop?

:smt023
Used to be the weapon of choice for the young lasses back in my day :mrgreen:

[shazza_rs]

Tired of walking into a bottlo and going straight to the beer or burbon isle.

They are the only two isles worth visiting.....

Wine is for toffs!

[Jarro]

You're a classy chick Shazza :mrgreen:

[shazza_rs]

You're a classy chick Shazza :mrgreen:

I know

[gazgolf1]

Graysonline is good for bargain plonk.

[kpac]

currently well on my way due to a bottle of Brumby Canyon Jillaroo red, can not reccomend it highly enough as a wine to share with friends and get proper shite faced off! lovely flavour and way too easy to drink, and you know a good drop when it goes this quick! at $10 a bottle it is a give away. two sitting on the dining table, one down and one to go... tata





Ps: if you are interested and you can find it at that price pm me.

[goughy]

Rob drinks Brown Brother Crouchon Reisling or Muskat; both sweet white wines.

I haven't been able to drink wine since some uni altercations with it. But even back then I wouldn't spend less than $20 a bottle (1990) so I guess I'd be looking at $30 a bottle now. I also used to drink barcardi straight from the bottle back then.

[kpac]

all the $20+ vino's i've drank i have enjoyed - but i still enjoy (often just as much, and sometimes more) bottles around the $15 mark, untill i exhaust this price range i shant be increasing the budget.

[leighthebee]

Currently we're in a Pinot craze.

Ninth Island from Tassie. Should be around 20-25. Very good drop.

[Chris32]

my mum and dad have a small vineyard, they get about 1500 bottles of pinot noir and merlot out of it.

Thats all I ever drink :D

[Andrew]

Keza,

I don’t know if there is anything near to you, but the best way to find something you like is to go wine tasting. I’ve just come back from one of my fairly regular tasting weekends in the Hunter. Similar to Dan, I’m a bit of a Shiraz man (although, I don’t drink Merlots), picking up some nice bottles, although nothing under $20.

As long as you don’t go on one of those ghastly bus tours, a day or two tasting will give you a fair idea of what you like & what you don’t.

Of course, if you end up liking a CDO you’re screwed, unless you can get back there regularly.

[Fishman Dan]

Problems with those wine tours are;

* They take you to the popular joints, not necessarily the good winemakers or quality 'boutique' joints.
* You end up pissed as a parrot and they all taste the same by 11:30am ;)

[amanda]

Andrew - I've found a lot of places that mainly make money from CDO will often ship wine to regular customers.

[Andrew]

Reds to completely MISS - Wolf Blass, Rosemount, Wyndham Estate... etc etc.. anything that's mass marketed is done so because it's crap.

I have a Rosemount shirt somewhere. I'll wear it to Magenta just for you.

[Andrew]

Andrew - I've found a lot of places that mainly make money from CDO will often ship wine to regular customers.

Yes, I know, but it was more a warning to Keza to check availability before making too many decisions.

[Fishman Dan]

I have a Rosemount shirt somewhere. I'll wear it to Magenta just for you.

I don't mind because;


It's their wine I dislike
I won't be at Magenta


:p

[Andrew]

I don't mind because;


It's their wine I dislike
I won't be at Magenta


:p

Yeah, I think their shirts are better than their wine. I've only been in there once & that was to have a look at their old 'church' building.

[Grunt]

I've only been in there once & that was to have a look at their old 'church' building.
Is that the old Church that Hungerford Hill used to be in?