chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (04/01/84)
Time to start a new discussion... What are your favorite inexpensive wines
(say under $10 a bottle, under $5 for college students). I have recently
found that the Wente Brothers (bottled locally *snicker*) 1982 Gamay
Beaujileax (spelled wrong, but who cares) blanc was quite good. What I am
really looking for are good wines that can be brought home and opened,
since I simply don't have room or money (yet, this should change soon!) to
set down a cellar...
chuq (waiting eagerly... )
--
From behind the bar at Callahan's: Chuq Von Rospach
{amd70,fortune,hplabs,menlo70}!nsc!chuqui (408) 733-2600 x242
It's not easy having a good time. Even smiling makes my face ache.dlb@druca.UUCP (Dave Bauer) (04/03/84)
A recent query for inexpensive wine information reminded me of an article
that appeared in this newsgroup just about a year ago. I'm reposting it
for all the new subscribers that have joined this group since then. The
vintages listed below probably aren't generally available anymore, but
my experience with jug wines tells me that even those that are vintage dated
don't change significantly from one vintage to the next.
dave bauer (303)538-4482 AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver
ihnp4!druca!dlb 11900 N. Pecos St., Room 30J28, Denver, CO 80234
From druxt!hogpc!houti!ariel!hou5f!npoiv!alice!mhtsa!eagle!mhuxt!mhuxa!mhb5b!nlm Wed Apr 6 08:38:48 1983
Subject: tasting report of inexpensive wines
Newsgroups: net.wines
This is a tasting report of restaurant house wines conducted by
the International Wine Center in New York. This center also has
a wine bar and restaurant at 144 West 55 Street.
I apologize for any typos; "spell" doesn't work very well on wine lists.
Nancy Mintz
mhb5b!nlm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
TASTING REPORT
OF
RESTAURANT "HOUSE" WINES
As a service to the clients and students of the International Wine Center,
a tasting was conducted of over 200 wines currently promoted as restaurant
"house" wines (113 white and 107 red). With a few notable exceptions,
wholesale prices are below $25.00 per case of 1.5 liter or larger bottles.
Tasters included Rory Callahan, Edmund Osterland and Stephen Fox.
OBJECTIVE: To find a number of red and white wines suitable in terms of
price, quality and style, for use as restaurant "house" wines.
CRITERIA: It is felt that a glass of "house" wine should be dry enough to
complement food, yet sufficiently fruity or flavorful, to stand on its own,
say, at the bar or as an aperitif. Thus, in order to earn an "Acceptable"
rating a wine must exhibit sufficient fruit flavor and crispness. In
addition, it must not display an excessive degree of: oxidation or volatile
acidity, "grapeyness" or sweetness, bitterness or astringency, acidity or
other unpleasant traits.
METHOD: The evaluation was done in two phases. Phase one involved dividing
the wines into three groups according to price. Group A (least expensive)
was tasted the afternoon of October 8, 1982; Group B, the same time a week
later; and Group C (most expensive), the same time the following week. The
purpose of this phase was to screen out wines of unacceptable quality or
inappropriate style. All wines were tasted blind, whites before reds. As
each wine was sampled it was discussed, and then given a rating of either
"Good", "Acceptable" or "having faults", eliminating it from further
consideration.
Those wines that received a "Good" rating (36 white and 26 red) were retasted
to identify those felt to be superior. Again the tasting was done blind.
This time each judge made his evaluations on his own, marking those he
felt exhibited exceptional overall quality -- better flavor, balance,
aftertaste. As a result 17 whites and 15 reds were given a "Superior" rating.
WHITE (SUPERIOR)
Parducci Vintage White 1980
Sebastiani Mountain Chablis
Concha Y Toro Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 1981
Almaden Mountain Chablis
L'Epayrie Blanc de Blanc
Petternella Soave
Klosterkeller Siegendorf Gruner Veltliner 1980
Cuvee Saint Pierre Blanc
Los Hermanos Chablis
Paul Masson chablis
Gallo Sauvignon Blanc
Boucheron Blanc de Blanc
Villa Carasol Bianco Fino
Della Scala Soave
Gallo Chablis Blanc
Sommeliere Blanc de Blanc
Alexis Lichine White Table Wine of France
RED (SUPERIOR)
L'Epayrie Rouge
Monterey Vineyard Classic Red 1979
Robert Mondavi Red 1980
Jean Boulaine Cuvee Rouge
Partager Vin Roug
Concannon Burgundy 1979
Beaudet Rouge
Sebastiani Mountain Burgundy
Villa Banfi Roman Red
Louis Martini Burgundy
Parducci Vintage Red 1978
Moreau Rouge
Sebastiani Country Cabernet
San Martin Burgundy 1977
WHITE (GOOD)
Monterey Vineyard Classic White
Torres Vina Sol 1981
Kremser Gruner Veltliner
Capri Chablis
Folonari Soave
Villa Banfi Roman White
Villa Banfi Prima Vera
Cribari Pinot Chardonnay
Moreau Blanc
Concannon Chablis
Christian brothers Mountain Chablis
Barbella Soave
Garibaldi Soave
Robert Mondavi White 1980
Partager Vin Blanc
Franz Joseph Liebfraumilch 1977
Cresta Blanca Chablis 1981
Principato Bianco
Folonari Verona White
Colli Albani Trebbiano
Taylor California Cellars Chablis
RED (GOOD)
Colony Classic Cabernet Sauvignon
Cribari Zinfandel
Rive del Garda Valpolicella
Almaden Monterey Burgundy
Almaden Mountain Burgundy
Gallo Hearty Burgundy
Le Sable Cabernet Sauvignon 1979
Frescobaldi Chianti 1980
Paul Masson Burgundy
Christian Brothers Mountain Burgundy
Cribari Cabernet Sauvignon
WHITE (ACCEPTABLE)
Maufoux Blanc de Blanc
Visan Cotes du Rhone 1981
Sebastiani Country Chardonnay
Draceno Bianco 1981
Le Pappillon Blanc de Blanc
Folonari Verdicchio
Dirks White
Castellini Soave 1980
Soldani Bianco
Gino Monte Chablis
Rive del Garda Soave 1981
Taylor California Cellars Dry White
Biscardo Pinot Grigio
Claude Mercier Blanc de Blanc
RED (ACCEPTABLE)
Botticelli Valpolicella
Tre Castella Red
Folonari Verona Red
Musette Rouge
Carboj Rosso 1979
Boucheron Rouge
Taylor California Cellars Dry Red
La Rovere Chianti 1981
Folonari Bardolino
Folonari Valpolicella
CK Mondavi Zinfandel
Toso Mendoza Red 1980
Rainoldi Valtellina 1978
Le Pappillon Rouge
Pedroncelli Sonoma Red
Belle Fleur Red
Maufoux Red
Belval Red
Beavignot Red
Fetzer Premium Red
Visan Cotes du Rhone 1980
Concha Y Toro Cabernet/Merlot
Pere Patriarch Rouge
Castellino Valpolicella
--
dave bauer (303)538-4482 AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver
ihnp4!druca!dlb 11900 N. Pecos St., Room 30J28, Denver, CO 80234cmi@dartvax.UUCP (Theo Pozzy/R. Green) (04/03/84)
Folonari and Bolla both make average quality Soaves for a reasonable price, but I recently was introduced to a Soave that is even cheaper, and as good or better quality. The name is "BARBELLA", and I bought a 1.5 liter bottle for $3.95 in Vermont. I've heard you can get it for less elsewhere. -Theo Pozzy (decvax!dartvax!cmi)
ishizaki@saturn.UUCP (Audrey Ishizaki) (04/03/84)
I really like beaujolais wines; they are inexpensive (relatively) and must be drunk within ~ 2 years. I've found my favorite french beaujolais from the Fleurie region to be ~$6.00 in the SF bay area. audrey ishizaki ..hplabs!ishizaki
fish@ihu1g.UUCP (Bob Fishell) (04/05/84)
I prefer to stay away from the inexpensive variety myself, that is,
the VERY inexpensive variety. I think I remember drinking some
gawdawful swill called "Annie Green Springs" at one time and lived
to regret it. Nothing wrong with cheap California wines, as long
as they stick to the traditional variety, Rhine, Burgundy, Chablis,
etc. But that "pop" stuff is toxic. Anybody else around the country
heard of Boone's Farm Apple Wine? I don't know whether it was local to
Ohio or a national brand. Low, really low.
--
Bob Fishell
ihnp4!ihu1g!fishwetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler) (04/05/84)
]] If I recall correctly, Boone's Farm Apple Wine contains no apple, no wine, no nothing. It is, if I remember, a completely chemical drink. Much like those breakfast drinks that immitate real jucies. There are several of these "wines?" available. Boone's Farm is not too bad if you practically freeze it, drink it only on a hot day when there is no beer available, and have only a small glass. Otherwise, it is pure poison. T. C. Wheeler
djb@cbosgd.UUCP (David J. Bryant) (04/05/84)
If you are interested in a good, inexpensive wine, try Trakia Merlot.
It's from Bulgaria, and is suprisingly good, considering the $2.99 price
tag. In fact, it has won several gold medals at various wine tastings,
beating out many more expensive wines. We can get it here in Ohio,
so I imagine it is available in most areas.
Also, try and keep an eye out for a Beaujolais Nouveau. They are always
available for <$5 and are a wonderful summer wine (serve slightly chilled).
For a nice <$5 white, try a Vouvray. They're generally available for $4.00
or so, have a smooth, slightly sweet taste, and go well with a wide variety
of food.
In general, you can also find a German Kabinett for <$5, particularly
from recent vintages. The 81's and 82's are available, reasonably
priced and quite good. When the 83's come out (and that should be soon)
snap them up too (83 will be a superb year for German wines - the best since
76).
* *
David Bryant
AT&T Bell Laboratories
* Columbus, OH 43213
* (614) 860-4516
* .
: djb@cbosgd.UUCP
cbosgd!djb@Berkeley.ARPA
* *rcd@opus.UUCP (04/07/84)
<> (Excerpt from T.C. Wheeler) >...not too bad if you practically freeze it, drink it only on a hot >day when there is no beer available, and have only a small glass. Excuse me for being naive, but there's an utterly alien phrase in this - perhaps there's a peculiar regional meaning attributed to "...when there is no beer available..." This combination of words simply doesn't represent a meaningful concept in our part of the country. Was it perhaps a reference to a horror film that I missed? (In fact, the first time I tried to post this article, poor ol' opus crashed right out from under me--honest! Even computers have SOME feelings:-) Let's not make light (or lite) of serious subjects like beer. -- "Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile." {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd
mats@dual.UUCP (Mats Wichmann) (04/09/84)
I have to second the nomination of Trakia Merlot as a good, cheap wine. I
happen to like wines if this type; most folks I know like things with a
little more bite. However, this wine is really a good sample of the genre
if you are looking for a remarkably low price. I see it for $2.59 around here..
Add this to my previously mentioned Eye of the Swan and you have a pair of
excellent wines, one white and one red, each for under $3.00 (if you look
around and wait for sales). How can you beat it? (Shut up, Al J. :_) ).
Mats Wichmann
Dual Systems Corp.
...{ucbvax,amd70,ihnp4,cbosgd,decwrl,fortune}!dual!matsrlp@cbscc.UUCP (R L Platt) (04/09/84)
1983 should be a spectacular year for anyone that enjoys
quality German wines. Expect large quantities of Spatlese,
and Auslese, as well as some BA, and TBA! In Ohio, one
wine merchant expects the first 83's to arrive this month.
The quality stuff (Spatlese and higher) should begin shipping
on May 1st. With a large harvest, and the dollar way up in
the currency markets, I'm hoping for good prices.
--
+----+ R. L. Platt
/| /| AT&T Bell Laboratories
+-|--+ | Columbus, Ohio
| +--|-+
|/ |/ nscs!rlp
+----+ (614) 860-4850mats@dual.UUCP (Mats Wichmann) (04/11/84)
I ran into a wine that I rather like while in Washington, D.C., at UniForum.
On company expense, we were able to select something reasonanble from the
wine list at a rather snazzy restaurant. Our sales manager suggested
Sebastiani's `Eye of the Swan'. It was not cheap, at least by my standards
(over $10). However, I quite enjoyed it. After making it back to California,
I started searching for it, never having seen it before. Turns out many
of the better liquor stores carry the stuff for around $4.00 per bottle;
I picked up a case when I spotted it at $2.79 per!
Eye of the Swan is a Pinot Noir Blanc (it also has a companion red called
Tailfeathers, which I don't like nearly as much). I have not found a wine in
this price class that I enjoy more. A little further research turned up
several wineries producing this type of wine, which I had not noticed before.
The back label is kinda' cute:
"EYE OF THE SWAN"
This versatile white wine is made from the
noble Pinot Noir, a classic black-skinned vari-
etal grape with clear juice.
Its magnificent coppery color, so like the
eyes of the Black Australian Swan, is created
by quickly separating the flowing juice from
the color-laden skins after crushing.
This very dry white wine may be served well
chilled as a aperitif or in accompaniment to
chicken, fish, and light meats. Served at cool
room temperature, the wine's full flavor and
character also make it an excellent complement
to pasta, red meats, and heartier dishes.
Advertising or not, I do tend to agree with most of that (but not with
pasta, please....).
Question, for you experts out there....is the Pinot Noir Blanc wine a
new idea recently coined by wineries, or has it been around for a while?
Have I been missing something? Anyway, it is certainly worth trying, if
you can get it cheaply (up to you whether to risk D.C. area restaurants!!!)
Mats Wichmann
Dual Systems Corp.
...{ucbvax,amd70,ihnp4,cbosgd,decwrl,fortune}!dual!mats
They lived nearby, inside a
blue bottle, which made them
an interesting violet color
when they were at home [ Edward Gorey ]