johnl@ima.UUCP (05/22/85)
Re: Wines for quaffing You might look for some of the Argentinian whites, which are pretty good. I got some Trapiche for $30/per case, which is hard to beat. John Levine, ima!johnl
jerem@tekgvs.UUCP (Jere Marrs) (05/26/85)
A good possibility for Summer Quaffing Wines (SQWs, as we say) is white Zinfandel. Since the white-wine babies (note humor) never quite graduated to red wines, the industry has been reacting to the unexpected white-wine demand (from Volvo owners, among others) by making 'blush' wines from red grapes. They say 'blush' because of the social stigma associated with (ahem) rose wines (note again, humor). Some of these wines are outstanding. The best I have tasted is the DeLoach white Zinfandel. It has a very aromatic finish to it and a richness of body (complex, do you suppose?). Another good one is from Grand Cru vineyards, a surprising entry. When Zinfandel is mentioned, one immediately thinks of Sutter Home which has championed Zinfandel back when it was a red wine. They were the first, to my knowledge, to make a Zin white. Unfortunately, their white Zin is a rather simple wine, and I don't believe it would satisfy under quaffing conditions. I am open to disagreement. White Pinot Noir is also a good possibility for a SQW. The Northwest wineries produce these under a number of clever names (Coastal Mist, Eye of the Turkey, etc.). That reminds me of a Yellow Plum wine a fellow net.wino made which he referred to as "Eye of the Chicken." The white-wine demand alluded to above has resulted in a number of wineries grafting white wine vines on red wine vines (not to the AXR root- stocks). As a person partial to red wines, I find this worrisome. I would much prefer they make 'blush' wines until the red wines are in vogue again. I suppose, though, the reds could be grafted back on, but I wonder if there's a penalty on quality? Jere M. Marrs Tektronix, Inc. Beaverton, Oregon tektronix!tekgvs!jerem
rws@gypsy.UUCP (05/30/85)
If your summers get as hot as ours, you should consider making spritzers. A spritzer is a mixture of Rhine wine and seltzer water (or club soda, or ...), over ice. The wine should be not entirely dry. My favorite wine anecdote I read in the NYT wine column several years ago. Seems the author and a friend were sitting on a hotel veranda somewhere in Switzerland, sipping spritzers. They tasted so good that another round was ordered. That round also being good, they ordered again. The third round proved to be quite ordinary spritzers. Intrigued, they called for the bartender. Turns out that the night before, a dinner party had ordered a bottle of Schloss Johannisberg Trockenbeerenauslese, from a good year; had tasted it; and had sent it back because it was too sweet! Now, for the uninitiated, a Trock...ese is a wine made from very late-picked grapes, where the workers go down the rows selecting individual grapes that are ready for picking, leaving the others to ripen for another day or two. Schloss Johannisberg is THE top producer of this nectar. So naturally, the bartender couldn't bear to throw it out. Instead, he saved it for spritzers. Anyway, spritzers are a terrific summer cooler, but they should never be made with Trockenbeerenauslese, and especially not with Schloss Johannisberg! Bob Schwanke Siemens Research Princeton, NJ 08540-6668 seismo!princeton!siemens!rws
fritz@hpfclp.UUCP (06/18/85)
SPRITZERS made with a SCHLOSS JOHANNESBERG TBA!!??!? AAIIIEEE!!!
Egad. Sending something like that BACK boggles the mind enough, but
to mix it with club soda!? That reminds me of a friend who, a few months
ago, came back from Germany, and brought his brother a present of a bottle
of Remy-Martin XO Cognac. The brother, not being quite as much an epicure
as my friend, didn't fully appreciate the expensive nectar ($35 duty-free
in Germany, about $80 in US liquor stores). The brother's girlfriend told
my friend, "We tried some of that 'lightning' of yours, and it was NASTY!
But it gives you a pretty good buzz if you mix it with Coke..."
Needless to say, HE gets no more XO!!
Gary Fritz
Hewlett Packard
Ft Collins, CO
{ihnp4,hplabs}!hpfcla!fritz