Wine,

[LTDHO]

I thought it appropriate to ask this in the Bar.

I know nothing about wine other than it tastes terrible. What I would like to know, what is good wine? And What does it cost? Now I know it costs between $5.00 and $500 for the stuff.

Any advice would be great on both red’s and white’s.

Also is there ‘social’ or ‘meal only’ wine?

Cheers

[SunDrifter]

Being young a stupid (now), i've only just taken up drinking wine occasionalaly. It really depends on what your tastes are like as to what you drink. I like the sweet reds, like a Merlot or a Cab Savignon. If your just starting to drink reds, you should try some "table" (yeah i don't really know what i'm talking about here...) reds, like a Brown Brothers "dolchetta and syrah". Its very nice. If you can get your hands on a "Wine Works Australia - Campfire red" i'd recommend that too.

[4.9 EF Futura]

All the rules and bullsh!t that goes on around wine... ? Forget all of it. A lot of people will say "you cant drink that with pasta!!" etc. etc... it's rubbish. Some wines go well with some foods but if someone has a go at you for ordering a white with your T-bone, tell em to f. off...

Good rule of thumb - any bottle that costs more than $20 should be "nice". $50 should be REALLY nice... $500 shouldnt be stored and not drunk! lol. Probably a little biased here, but most australian wines are pretty damn good.

For a non-wino, white is proabably your best option. A sweet reisling, most people can stomach em.... Cab Sav is a good one for serving with cheese and crackers but merlots are a bit weaker on the taste and better for a mid day **** up IMO.

But seriously, just try em until you find one you like. And dont get too caught up in wine etiquette... just use the right glasses, lol.

[mcflux]

Even cask wine is a nice accompaniment (sp?) for any good meal. White lambrusco seems to go with pretty much everything, from pastas & salads to red meats & roast vegies :

[EA2BA]

Good rule of thumb - any bottle that costs more than $20 should be "nice". $50 should be REALLY nice... $500 shouldnt be stored and not drunk! lol. Probably a little biased here, but most australian wines are pretty damn good.

If its a restaurant, then double the prices, they have ridicolous mark ups.

[Hardtopxb]

Originally Posted by LTDHO

I thought it appropriate to ask this in the Bar.

I know nothing about wine other than it tastes terrible. What I would like to know, what is good wine? And What does it cost? Now I know it costs between $5.00 and $500 for the stuff.

Any advice would be great on both red’s and white’s.

Also is there ‘social’ or ‘meal only’ wine?

Cheers

Lambrusco, either White or Red, bottle or cask, are excellent for the average table wine. they are not too sweet nor too dry , enjoy..

[Sagerian]

Originally Posted by LTDHO

I thought it appropriate to ask this in the Bar.

I know nothing about wine other than it tastes terrible. What I would like to know, what is good wine? And What does it cost? Now I know it costs between $5.00 and $500 for the stuff.

Any advice would be great on both red’s and white’s.

Also is there ‘social’ or ‘meal only’ wine?

Cheers

Lies! Slander!

I'm a red wine fan (love Cab merlot and Shiraz). The only white I'll drink is Verdelho, so I'm no expert with white... Chardy all tastes the same to me.

I've had an '81 grange before which was comparable to a good $50 wine.

Basically all I can suggest is try a few and see what you like. There's good $15 bottles, and there's crap $75 bottles. I stay away from cask wine, but again it's about personal preference.

As others have said, there's no hard and fast rules about what wine goes with what. People's palettes are different.

There's an art to drinking wine, but I'm not going to get all ****ery on you, I still quoff my wine sometimes.

[Mrs347stroker]

I worked in hospitality for 3 years and even managed my own bottleshop for a year and know a little about wines (I don't drink wine, more of a beer drinker myself).

I noticed that most wine drinkers (especially the cheap drunks) go for the cask wine which ranges from around $10 and upwards, as they must think they get more for their dollar. Their are a few nice wines in casks eg. DeBortoli and Yalumba (whites and reds).

For bottles it varies on your own taste, with wine sometimes cheap bottles can just be as nice as expensive ones. The best thing to do is go to your local when they have wine tasting on. This will give you an idea if you like a dry, medium, heavy or sweet wine in the reds and the same in the whites.

From there you can make up your mind and go wild on trying all different brands of wine. If all else fails ask one of the bottleshop attendants what is a good one and they will be able to advise you.

Happy drinking!!

[Penelope Pitstop]

You just can’t go past a classy bottle of Riccadonna if you are looking for the go anywhere, go with anything style of Champy.

No seriously I am far from a wine connoisseur but am partial to the occasional chardy – Devils Lair is good and they have quite a few different price brackets – all of which are nice, Brown Brothers are reliable, Wynn’s Coonawarra, Lindemanns etc. I tend to stay with Aussie wines as there is so much to choose from and half the fun is trying them out and deciding what taste you prefer. In saying that stick predominantly with wines from the southern states – hate to say it but the wines here in Qld are **** weak compared to the Margaret River, Barossa areas.

Personally I prefer to let the gentleman I am with do the ordering that way if the wine is terrible I can blame him!

[Sagerian]

Originally Posted by PirtekGirl76

You just can’t go past a classy bottle of Riccadonna if you are looking for the go anywhere, go with anything style of Champy.

No seriously I am far from a wine connoisseur but am partial to the occasional chardy – Devils Lair is good and they have quite a few different price brackets – all of which are nice, Brown Brothers are reliable, Wynn’s Coonawarra, Lindemanns etc. I tend to stay with Aussie wines as there is so much to choose from and half the fun is trying them out and deciding what taste you prefer. In saying that stick predominantly with wines from the southern states – hate to say it but the wines here in Qld are **** weak compared to the Margaret River, Barossa areas.

Personally I prefer to let the gentleman I am with do the ordering that way if the wine is terrible I can blame him!

Moonshine valley in QLD make a worthy verdellho. Apart from that I've not come across a decent wine from there...

You didn't mention the Hunter Valley, although Margaret River and Barossa very good. There's a briliant Cab Merlot from Margaret River called Verse 1. About $20+ but well worth it. Lindemans make very good wine for cheap, thier whole range is generally good bang for buck.

[Polyal]

pfft what ever!

there are some shockers but it just comes down to buying it and trying yourself. I think thats half the fun!

Dont really listen to what people have to say (to much), its such a personal thing.

[bindi]

Originally Posted by Hardtopxb

Lambrusco, either White or Red, bottle or cask, are excellent for the average table wine. they are not too sweet nor too dry , enjoy..

Lambrusco... :sm_drool: :sm_drool: :sm_drool: I never used to drink wine at all (the thought of joining the stuffy ****y crowd did not appeal to me), but in the past couple of years I have guzzled a bit of it and I still know nothing about it! lol

White and red lambrusco is nice, bit of sweet yet light. I've had various other bits and pieces (have a friend who is a big wine buff and brings me all manner of selections in huge wine glasses - by the end of two of those, I'm too far gone to appreciate any taste lol).

Ppl who scoff at casks should be shot lol. Nah really it's a taste test thing. I recently went into good ol' Liquorland and asked for a bottle of red for a friend (wanted to spend around $20). Got this bottle of Redmans and the friend really loved it, told me how nice it was.

So just keep tasting. Aussie wines are particularly nice, and if you ever go to Mudgee, go for Pieter Van Gent's port

[LTDHO]

I am really looking at wine for when I entertain.

So I guess $20+ sorta stuff. I will not drink it as I drink bourbon. But I'd like to offer more than coke and water!!

Also I wouldn't know what was 'too much' to spend on this sort of think.

[Penelope Pitstop]

Originally Posted by Sagerian

Moonshine valley in QLD make a worthy verdellho. Apart from that I've not come across a decent wine from there...

You didn't mention the Hunter Valley, although Margaret River and Barossa very good. There's a briliant Cab Merlot from Margaret River called Verse 1. About $20+ but well worth it. Lindemans make very good wine for cheap, thier whole range is generally good bang for buck.

Every Qld wine I have tasted has quite literally left a bad taste in my mouth, we just don’t have the right soil temp up here for the grapes is my opinion. I live approx 5 mins from Sirromet – what a disappointment (and they are Holden boys, sure sign of no taste).

Hunter Valley - How could I forget the Hunter Valley - Shame on me! I have had many a lovely night curled up with one of their finest. Mount Pleasant 2003 is lovely if you prefer a dryer chardonnay like I do.

Ooh and I don’t mind the odd Verdelho makes a nice change from the usual chard. Will check out Moonshine Valley next time I drop into the local.

Cheers, Tori

[EA2BA]

Liqourland I think it is, have little lables on the price tickets, saying what the wine is a good match too in food terms, like chicken etc, so you cant go to far wrong at around $20 a bottle.

What bindi said is right, lambrusco, easy to drink and will keep people happy.

[EA2BA]

Originally Posted by PirtekGirl76

Ooh and I don’t mind the odd Verdelho makes a nice change from the usual chard. Will check out Moonshine Valley next time I drop into the local.

Cheers, Tori

Unwooded Verdelho's seem to taste the best.

[Mrs347stroker]

If you are looking for wine to entertain with IMHO I would always choose Brown Brothers, they are reasonabley priced $13 - $30 and are very nice wines. Stick to well known names maybe that way you can't go wrong.

Grab a few bottles of white and red and tuff sh!t if not every body likes them you can't always please every one.

[MITCHAY]

You could always just buy a $10 Goon bag if the people your entertaining have no idea about wine. Also a bottle of Riccodonna might be alright. Other that I have no idea.

Not really a wine fan but every wine ive tasted, regardless of the cost tastes mostly the same. I wouldnt be able to tell the difference between a $500 or $10 bottle really.

[Sagerian]

Originally Posted by Mrs347stroker

If you are looking for wine to entertain with IMHO I would always choose Brown Brothers, they are reasonabley priced $13 - $30 and are very nice wines. Stick to well known names maybe that way you can't go wrong.

Grab a few bottles of white and red and tuff sh!t if not every body likes them you can't always please every one.

That's good advice. The only time I belive it comes undone is when picking cheap penfolds.

[Steffo]

Depends on what you're serving it with... a good glass of Shriaz and you're set for most any meal that has meat with it. Not sure what you'd serve with fish and stuff (not a fish person).. but yeah.

[Sourbastard]

As a brewer, cidermaker and winemaker, heres the only rule. There are no rules.

Wine and beer and cider is created to bring pleasure(It has and serves no other purpose), how you achieve it is up to you. Some people store it, some drink it, some prefer to spit it out and pretend they are wise, they are all valid uses; because its noone elses business how you get enjoyment from the wine.

Experiment and you will find what is the right wine for you, and with what meal it works well with. Ignore red with steak white with fish as its a falacy. Price alone does not equal good wine, because YOU decide what YOU like. Not anyone else. There are several 7 dollar bottles of cheap wine I would drink any day over a 100 dollar bottle of Saint Prententious' Mountain Top Merlot.

[bindi]

Oh and of course, while drinking wine you have to watch the movie Sideways. That's a given.

[Sagerian]

Originally Posted by bindi

Oh and of course, while drinking wine you have to watch the movie Sideways. That's a given.

Just don't drink Merlot while watching it.

[One Drone]

Just try wines, at first it appears they all taste fairly similiar but over time you'll develop your buds and be able to differentiate. The first thing I think you'll find that cheap wines tend to taste more like chemicals and thus tend to 'burn' your throat. Australia has the best wine in the world (IMO).. There is no real key, just drink up and enjoy the experience.

NB: Don't touch Chinese Wine.

[MO]

Well the good advice is there are no rules..you can drink red or white with whatever you like its a personal thing.

Now one thing I will say is the whites should be chilled to about 20/22 degrees,with the reds chill them in the fridge for a day then about an hour before drinking take out of fridge decant into caraffe or similar and let them breath.

As a test get yourself a bottle of red chill as above when you decant it have a small glass to taste then when the hour is up have another small glass and taste the difference.

T.E.Morris(sirromet) are making some drinkable cask merlot which is what I'm having as I post as for wines out of QLD give Dr Red a go there just south west of Brissy am waiting on an order to be delivered.

If you want a red that is of good heritage see if you can get hold of the wines that Grant Burge is making they are very good and around the $15/20 bracket.

Go and let your taste buds explore to find what suits you.

[Melz]

Ahhh yes.. my area of 'expertise', im into wine making and viticulture. If your in the market for a nice white a Balgownie Estate MG 2001 or 02 Shiraz, very nice, your looking at $30+ for a bottle. In the range of white maybe a Jasper Hill 2002 Viognier in excess of $55 a bottle. But you can never go past a good Grange.. lol

Just remember if the wine smells like wet cardboard, it is corked!! (so its bad.. for those of you who don't understand the terminology)

Other wine advice given free of charge to FF members... just PM me!

[formerly]

Originally Posted by Dellboy999

If its a restaurant, then double the prices, they have ridicolous mark ups.

can say that again, at work our mark ups are 270%.
Love my wine, spend too much on it though, my 'cellar' (make shift, just where i keep it really, nothing serious!)isnt looking to shabby at the moment.

if your starting out go for the pinot noir for red, slightly chilled on a warm day, goes down a treat!

just getting the taste for whites, tried an awesome semillon at Mt Pleasant in the hunter a few weeks back, loved it!! if only it wasnt so damn pricey i would have had a dozen~~~

may buy a bit of it, but i pay wholesale then less some depending on the discoiunts the reps give me

[Mustang Dave]

Wine is purely an individual thing.

A nice red(imho)......Penfolds Bin 389 (1986) A little pricey but worth it.

[Dave_au]

Its funny how regional wine making is too, some of the interstate vineyard names I haven't really come across. I spend a bit of time in the Hunter so I've mainly got Hunter reds - Bryar's Ridge, Irongate, Brokenwood, McWilliams Old Padock, Mt Pleasant and Phillip.