Author Topic: WINE - the Gift of Dionysus, Bacchus and other gods (Read 20664 times)

CeeDub · « **Reply #48 on:** 09-14-2007, 01:13pm »

'Tis nigh we arranged a tasting - we need to pick a date, a venue, a (light) menu, a theme, get the glassware, plan it out? Who wants to help?

skwirrlking · « **Reply #47 on:** 09-11-2007, 08:25am »

Any zinfandel enthusiasts interested in some 2005 Turleys? I am on their mailing list and got a larger than expected allocation for this fall's release. PM me if interested.

bdlaw · « **Reply #46 on:** 09-09-2007, 09:16am »

Quote from: CeeDub on 09-08-2007, 03:13pm

whatcha chewin' on wid dat grape juice?

As it turned out, virtually nothing appropriate to the wine- couple of cheeses, some crackers, a few mixed nuts, some olives and some pate.

By the time I was done buying the wine and the decanter I was pretty much done with NYC for the day and booked it home- only to realize we had nothing to match up with it.

Naturally, last night we made something that would've been great with it- Bucatini with sausage and peas in a creamy parma. reggiano marinara.

CeeDub · « **Reply #45 on:** 09-08-2007, 03:13pm »

whatcha chewin' on wid dat grape juice?

bdlaw · « **Reply #44 on:** 09-08-2007, 11:40am »

Finally went out and bought our first decanter on Thursday. In honor of the occasion, and to slip out of a bad work week state of mind, spent more than I normally would on a bottle of 1999 Solaria Brunello di Montalcino ($54.99 at Maiden Lane Wine and Liquor, NYC).

Decanted the wine for about 1 3/4 hours.

I read up a little on Brunello before trying the wine, in both Oldman's "Guide to Outsmarting Wine" and MacNeil's excellent "The Wine Bible".

Wow. Simply, wow. Intense, super-concentrated fruit (though I thought more grapey than blackberry, which apparently is what Brunello is all about) and tanned leather. Smooth tannens but still a bit of bite. Extremely dry on the finish (especially toward the end of the bottle)- the best I could come up with is that it tastes the way quartz looks.

bdlaw · « **Reply #43 on:** 08-30-2007, 07:11pm »

As long as it's laid back, I'm down, Neeners. Don't know enough about wine to talk good about it.

Beaujolais Nouveau party- my house- November- be there.

Neeners · « **Reply #42 on:** 08-29-2007, 09:58pm »

Quote from: MCA on 08-28-2007, 01:05pm

A "wine school" (i.e., a six-week course) is opening in September at the Hyatt at Exchange Place. From NJ.com's Wine Goddess blog:

New Wine School in Jersey City
Posted by Debbie Miller Nelson, C.S.W. August 28, 2007 10:40AM

I want to tell you about a new wine school opening Spetember 24th in Jersey City. It is being run by my friend and colleague, Zita Keeley. Zita has been passionate about bringing education to NJ through a regular classroom setting for the past few years. She has finally contracted a space with the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City (2 Exchange Place on the Hudson). Her first six week course will take place every Monday night from 7-9pm beginning September 24th and the cost is $350.

Zita is currently the President of the NJ Chapter of Women for Winesense and studied at the Cordon Bleu in London. For more information or to register, please visit her website, http://www.allidoiswine.com.

Wow, that really sounds interesting. I wish there was more information about the class itself...not that I want to take it, I'm just curious

.

Speaking of wine, I think we should form our own WiredJC Wine Club. Someone suggested meeting at BYOBs or we could do a potluck sort of thing.

MCA™ · « **Reply #41 on:** 08-28-2007, 01:05pm »

A "wine school" (i.e., a six-week course) is opening in September at the Hyatt at Exchange Place. From NJ.com's Wine Goddess blog:

New Wine School in Jersey City
Posted by Debbie Miller Nelson, C.S.W. August 28, 2007 10:40AM

I want to tell you about a new wine school opening Spetember 24th in Jersey City. It is being run by my friend and colleague, Zita Keeley. Zita has been passionate about bringing education to NJ through a regular classroom setting for the past few years. She has finally contracted a space with the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City (2 Exchange Place on the Hudson). Her first six week course will take place every Monday night from 7-9pm beginning September 24th and the cost is $350.

Zita is currently the President of the NJ Chapter of Women for Winesense and studied at the Cordon Bleu in London. For more information or to register, please visit her website, http://www.allidoiswine.com.

CeeDub · « **Reply #40 on:** 08-21-2007, 10:31pm »

Bru, there are plenty of 2002 Crianza (aged in oak) Rioja s avilable for $10-12 . . .last night, some mixed Spanish olives, walnuts and Old Chatham Sheepherding Hudson Valley Camembert was "dinner."

bdlaw · « **Reply #39 on:** 08-21-2007, 04:45pm »

Any suggestions for a rainy night wine? Feels like a nice night to go home and eat bad things and drink nice wine.

bdlaw · « **Reply #38 on:** 08-20-2007, 11:42am »

Highlights of the weekend (drank a lot of wine but these are the standouts; have to double check the vintages tho)-

Chalone Chardonnay (2004?) Excellent. Not overly oaky, darn tasty, eminantly drinkable, and fantastic with a white clam sauced pasta.

Took CeeDub's idea and ran with it and bought a bottle of 2005 (?) Conundrum. Thought it was very good but a little too sweet for food. I am also not a huge fan of the amount of Sauv. Blanc in this wine. However- it *was* excellent on its own- just didn't care for it with the various foods we tried it with this weekend.

CeeDub · « **Reply #37 on:** 07-30-2007, 06:37pm »

Quote from: bdlaw on 07-30-2007, 04:52pm

So... I have some nice pate, several cheeses including morbieur and brie, and a nice loaf of bread.

What am I to drink with it?

sancerre or muscadet, or a cru bhowzhally or Godurowan. Maybe all four and see how the different flavours change. Oughtta be able to keep it under $12/btl.

Bone appetite!!

Woodsy · « **Reply #36 on:** 07-30-2007, 05:01pm »

Quote from: bdlaw on 07-30-2007, 04:52pm

So... I have some nice pate, several cheeses including morbieur and brie, and a nice loaf of bread.

What am I to drink with it?

Scotch: http://www.wiredjc.com/index.php/topic,83.0.html

PhillyGirl · « **Reply #35 on:** 07-30-2007, 04:59pm »

Go for the Sabato I mentioned earlier. Or any dry Malbec would also be good.

bdlaw · « **Reply #34 on:** 07-30-2007, 04:52pm »

So... I have some nice pate, several cheeses including morbieur and brie, and a nice loaf of bread.

What am I to drink with it?

PhillyGirl · « **Reply #33 on:** 07-30-2007, 02:38pm »

Quote from: bdlaw on 07-28-2007, 11:28pm

Georges Deboeuf 2005 Beaujolais Villages- 10.99. Spending the past ten minutes in the fridge. Deboeuf makes a very good Beauj; and, at least last year, the nouveau was damn good.

As a general matter, I find DeBeouf's nouveaus to be reliable and as good as any in a particular year.

If you're looking for a more mineral-y wine for your next salmon florentine night, just look next door on the store shelf -- the Clois du Bois Sauvignon Blanc is quite good for an inexpensive SB. It is quite refreshing and a bit bracing without being as harsh as some *really* mineral-y SBs.

bdlaw · « **Reply #32 on:** 07-28-2007, 11:28pm »

Couple samples from today- all prices are Hoboken Shoprite. Bear in mind I'm still learning about whites- so I may be way off.

Ravenswood Vintner's Blend Chardonnay, 2005- $8.99 on special. Serviceable. Did double-duty as cooking and drinking-while-cooking wine on garlic/wine/buttered mussels. Hard to beat 9 bucks for a drinkable, un-oaked chard (sidenote, I made Tyler Florence's "Creamy Garlicky Mussels" from the Food Network's "Favorites" book, and saved the sauce / augmented with saffron and dill for the salmon florentine pinwheels mentioned below).

Clos de Bois Chardonnay, 2005 - 13.99. Floral for a chardonnay- but not over-powering. Oakier than the Ravenswood. Went well with dinner but probably needed something with more mineral to cut thru salmon pinwheels with crab florentine (aka probably not a chardonnay meal).

Georges Deboeuf 2005 Beaujolais Villages- 10.99. Spending the past ten minutes in the fridge. Deboeuf makes a very good Beauj; and, at least last year, the nouveau was damn good. Speaking of which, I have to go uncork dat shtuff...

PhillyGirl · « **Reply #31 on:** 07-27-2007, 07:02pm »

Found an excellent, very dry, medium-full bodied red a couple of months back. It's a Malbec/Cabernet/etc. blend. Not cheap, but not overly expensive either -- $19.99 a bottle at Sparrow. I'd buy a case, but drink it as the first bottle of the night -- not the last.

Sabato
Mescla
Mendoza, Argentina
2003

Sparrow's description makes it sound a little bigger than I think it is, but flavors are accurate: http://www.sparrowine.com/index.php?crn=15&rn=14417&action=show_detail

AmbushBug · « **Reply #30 on:** 07-27-2007, 09:58am »

I think my favorite cheap but great wine is La Pergola, which is very dry and unctuous but also has a lot of flavor. Twelve bucks at Astor Liquors. I'm also a big fan of Hahn Estates' cabernet, though for some reason it's hard to find (even though you can find their whites everywhere).

CeeDub · « **Reply #29 on:** 07-27-2007, 09:40am »

Conundrum

cross posted kinda from the Word of the Day thread

WookieWife · « **Reply #28 on:** 07-21-2007, 10:15pm »

Actually I get it at their distributor in the Finger Lakes. But they have mail order at http://www.pleasantvalleywine.com/pvw_order.taf

RB · « **Reply #27 on:** 07-19-2007, 05:43pm »

Quote from: WookieWife on 07-19-2007, 09:54am

But for wine I keep at home, from Finger Lakes, NY, I also like Pleasant Valley Pink Catawba (made from native grapes) and Chocolate Lab (yes wine with a hint of chocolate--definitely different).

WookieWife, where do you get the Pleasant Valley? I'd love to try a bottle.

bdlaw · « **Reply #26 on:** 07-19-2007, 12:26pm »

Speaking of Greene Grape, a couple of good well-priced standbys from there:

Pisani Prosecco, $11.00
Prinz Von Hessen Riesling, $11.00
Fair Valley Cooperative Pinotage 2004, $12.00
Bodegas Martinez Payva Tempranillo 2004, $10.00

bdlaw · « **Reply #25 on:** 07-19-2007, 12:15pm »

In the same vein, The Greene Grape can probably hook you up (further south though):

http://downtown.greenegrape.com/

Kindelan · « **Reply #24 on:** 07-19-2007, 12:11pm »

Many thanks CeeDub, their website has a lot of excellent information. I will certainly be visiting their shop soon.

Jersey City, NJ Community Forums · « **Reply #24 on:** 07-19-2007, 12:11pm »

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Author Topic: WINE - the Gift of Dionysus, Bacchus and other gods (Read 20664 times)

Jersey City, NJ Community Forums