which one can i add vodka to to get extra fucked up?
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In my search for reasonably priced Pinot Noir of the old world style (delicate, earthy, balanced) tried my first from Germany a couple of nights ago.
2015 Ziereisen Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) Talrain
Apparently from the second highest vineyard in Germany located just outside the Black Forest, (so you know it’s all kind of mysterious and intriguing).
I liked it quite a bit. Spices, earth and black cherry on the nose with flavors of red berries and spice. It is really nicely balanced and will likely improve with age for another 5 years or so. Not super cheap (about $30 USD) but comparable in my opinion to some $50 Oregon Pinot Noir and some $75+ Red Burgundy. I’m going to grab a few more and lay them down for a bit.
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That would probably be all of the above.
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Thanks. I’ll probably have some questions here and there. I know Australia makes some great wines, but here in the states we mostly get the super jammy over the top examples of Shiraz. Mostly because that’s what sells to the masses here.
castillo de benizar semi-dulce cosecha 2018
introduction
white airén grapes from la mancha spain, with fermentation halted earlier than normal to achieve a semi-sweet wine with good acidity, akin to the still moscato wines of italy.
materials and methods
IMP-5 in the volcano, classic tobacco in the juul, petitemarie on the tv
results
fuckin tasty. easy drinking, like spiked juice. like what i would get if i asked @zarapochka to make me a normal glass of welch’s white grape juice and she sneakily poured a shot of pear-flavored vodka into it
discussion
i’ve hated every white wine i’ve ever tried, so i wasn’t expecting anything good here, but wow, this wine rocks. as far as white wines go it’s 100/100 the best i’ve ever had, but comparing with the reds i’d give it like a 92
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Since we’re heading into the summer, I would find a wine retailer near you that stocks a decent number of half bottles who also offer curbside pickup and have an online presence so you can “browse” and make selections. Shipping wine in the summer is expensive to do it right, i.e. - overnight or second day with cold packs. Standard ground shipping may cook the wine and it will become lifeless. Most reputable wine retailers won’t ship during the summer months without a cold pack, which again is expensive.
FirstLeaf is affordable and the wines are good so far
Last night had a 2017 Wayfarer, Wayfarer Vineyard Chardonnay, which is a California Chardonnay from Sonoma, and specifically Fort Ross - Seaview AVA. I normally can’t get this because most of it goes to restaurants on the West Coast and/or is sold winery direct. But I think due to the covid-19 situation the restaurants might not be taking all of their allocations, which made this available at one of my usual retailers. Anyway, I had very high expectations and although it was good I thought it was overrated. It seemed to have too much oak and that oak is covering up aromas and flavors making it fairly one dimensional. I’m going to stash my other two bottles for about 3 more years in hopes the oak will integrate more and some other aromas and flavors can show.
Tonight another bottle of 2000 Lanson Champagne Noble Cuvée de Lanson Blanc de Blancs Brut. The last bottle we had was terrific but this one is showing more age and makes me think we need to drink the rest of these over the next 12 months rather than the next 5 years, as the last bottle led me to believe. Still a great Champagne, but I like mine still showing fruit and this bottle didn’t have too much left, particularly after being open for an hour or so.
Our second bottle tonight is 2017 Meyer-Näkel Pinot Noir Dry, Estate from the Ahr Valley, in Germany. The Ahr Valley is south of Cologne and west of Frankfurt. This is a very light bodied and delicate pinot noir. The nose is red fruit, not much in the way of spices or earth. I can taste a hint of black cherry and pomegranate with a bit of earthiness. The tannins are very fine with no puckering at all and the acid is moderate minus. This is a really nice light and refreshing wine but without too much going on to capture my interest. I would definitely be happy to drink this all summer by the pool but wouldn’t break out a bottle to share with a friend to geek out over.
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So I had a leftover egg white from a try at baking cookies (just made the dough this afternoon, have to let it chill for a day or so before baking). What to do with an extra egg white? Make a pisco sour, of course!
I know there are other drinks I could make, but we have a couple of bottles of pisco from my husband’s trip to Peru a couple of years back, so why the hell not?
I am not a bitters artist, unfortunately. I envy those people who can make designs in the foam. a few drops is fine for me.
Pisco is a unique spirit…I can’t really think of anything that it tastes like. It’s like gin and white wine had a baby, I guess? It’s brandy, so it’s made from grapes, but it’s not as sweet as other brandies.
Also, yes, I know it is 1 pm here. don’t judge me, man.
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That’s a beauty @skydiver8 . I am struggling to control my quarantine drinking just with beer and wine, if I start in on cocktails I’m going off the deep end.
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I’m a sucker for technology and the quarantine is driving me nuts so I bought one of these much to my wife’s chagrin.
It’s honestly a pretty cool little machine. Our house isn’t huge so there’s not a ton of room for a bunch of liquor bottles, and the machine lets me whip up a cocktail in like 30 seconds. It’s not bar quality, but it’s also not super sweet over-sugared nonsense like you might expect either. I’ve been pretty pleasantly surprised so far.
a long time ago in a city far far away, I did my time as a server/bartender. I’m often too lazy to make fancier stuff at home (mainly because it means washing more dishes). Like, I have to really want to make a drink with an egg white, but I was already baking and covered in flour and the sink was full of dirty utensils and bowls, so I said what the hell.
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Although I’ve tasted a fair number of poor examples, I 100% agree about the good ones.
But good ones are relatively hard to find. At least in North America.
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I’ve slowed down a bit on the wine consumption while I try to limit my calories, but today is my wife’s 50th so we celebrated with a bottle of 2007 Cristal Brut Champagne. It was really good, as almost every Cristal seems to be. A really nice bready/yeasty nose and the same opening on the taste buds and then moves to a pronounced lemony and long finish. The acid level is fairly high and balances everything perfectly.
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Jbro,
Gonna need to see some prices on these fancy-ass wines/champagnes that you’re drinking.
Also, seems you have a flat glass stovetop - do you hate it as much as I hate ours?
That particular bottle cost us $178. Which is basically right under current fair value for that vintage when looking at current auction prices, so not a great deal and not a bad deal.
Our average bottle cost over 500+ bottles has been creeping up and is now $44. We were trying to keep it to about $30, but we’ve been fortunate the last few years and that’s allowed us to splurge a little more. Plus most wines worth laying down start at $30 and go up from there.
And yes, I hate that stove. I had gas growing up and electric ever since, and I’ve always wished for a gas stove.
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I think someone who can afford expensive wine can afford a gas stove?
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