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Americans are the new french


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If only the chardonnay wasn't always done with so much oak...

If you ever see a California wine type (various brands) called "Meritage" check it out. Instead of being the normal California single grape style of wine (Merlot/Pinot Noir/Cabernet Sauvignon/etc) it's a Bordeaux style blend. Very interesting.

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Better sun, better soil... the vines all come from European breeding and many of the craftsmen are European or of European training. I know it's overpriced and has changed ownership several times, but I'm a sucker for Opus One. You can find it quite a few places and they often sell half bottle sizes. For regular dinner, I'm a big fan of Franciscan cab, has a great flavor with only a hint of berry infused.

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One of my all time favorite reds (not the camera..) is from a vineyard called McManis, and their petite sirah (esp the 2007 one) is outstanding.

That bottle up there's from Washington state. California wines are popular here, especially Zinfandel. To me, Zinfandel is on its just a bit too much of a buttery taste and too fruity. The aforementioned petite sirah is just perfect in every single aspect.

In Sweden there's only one place that sells alcohol, and they buy huge quantities of wine so the prices are really good! I consider that a luxury...

I'll make sure to check your recommendations out, thanks!

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It's just a shame that so many of your restaurants still won't put domestic wines on their lists. I've paid outrageous prices for poor French and Italian wines in the USA, when I know there are far better domestics available. Wine snobbery is still very much alive in your country in certain places, I'm afraid. Wines from Beringer and Hess are two I've experienced and particularly enjoyed, although I'm sure that therre are many boutique wine-makers out there whose products never make it to the UK.

Regards,

John

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I just checked what the opus one would cost over here... $335

On my honeymoon I took my wife to La Tour d'Argent in Paris for a once-in-a-lifetime meal. The tab for our dinner, including wine, was a shade under $700 (and worth every penny). The table of ten near us ordered multiple (as in 8-10) bottles of $5000+ of wine with their dinner...

Yikes.

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Nothing like good food and wine Jim, my wife and I have been to three of the UKs best restaurants this week to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We could have had a couple of weeks in the sun with what we spent, but it was worth every penny!

I've had a quick Google Olle and it looks hard to find here, but I'll speak to my wine man next week.

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@Tom visser, I just checked what the opus one would cost over here... $335 :S that's ... Yeah I don't pay that much for wine...

But I bet it's a fantastic wine

It is basically an American take on the Bordeaux style of blend. Of course it can't be actually called a Bordeaux because it doesn't come from the French Bordeaux region, a bit of French snobbery or protectionism of their precious wine tradition. There are better wines and there are cheaper wines, but since you can find it it many high end U.S. dining establishments, it is a known quantity for me when the wine list otherwise confuses me. I don't spend that much money on wine either unless it is for a business dinner or special occasion.

Does anyone know of an American version of the Italian Amarone? Amarone is made from dried grapes, like raisins, has a rich flavor, and a hint of secondary fermentation, like sort of a very subtle carbonation like effect. I do like American wines, but Amarone is my absolute favorite.

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Ripasso is poor mans Amarone, made with the addition of dried grape skins left over from Amarone production. It can be very very good and comes in a lot cheaper than Amarone! We have a bottle or two of Ripasso every week, saving Amarone for treats (like last Saturday, they had a great bottle on the list in the restaurant we were in, so I thought why not!)

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Regarding oaky whites.

There are some steel aged Chardonnays that are really good. Seek more central coast stuff. Harsher conditions make more complex wines, and the central coast goes for less traditional methods. But anything under $30 or $40 for oak aged Chardonnay typically all tastes the same. So I go for more interesting varieties or methods.

Jon - Rosé is making a comeback in the US, if you like the lighter Italian/Spanish wines.

I think a drive to the Los Olivos tasting rooms is in order for me soon!!

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What? No Boones Farm? .......snobs.

I'm no snob :-)

Well not about this, anyway.

My latest great find is a Trader Joe's organic Sauvignon Blanc for $4.99.

And the Robert Hall Paso Robles Syrah is excellent and can be found cheaply on sale at your local supermarket.

But expensive wine is nice too when it happens to come my way.

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If ever I am shooting in Orange county (Buena Park area) or am up in the Bay area I stock up on good wines at Grocery Outlet. Great wines at discount prices. I think they buy up excess stock from wineries and distributors and sell at deeply discounted prices. I always look for wines around $4-5 that have been reduced from regular price $15-$30 (or more sometimes) They even give you a further 10% discount when you buy 12 or more bottles.

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The difference between $5 wine and $50 wine is obvious. The difference between $50 and $200 isn't so obvious. Anything over $200 is usually, obviously...amazing.

Of course, this analysis is based on Canadian prices, which are WAY higher than prices in the USA ;)

Can some one send me one of these swanky bottles of expensive wine? All white wines taste the same to me and all red wines taste the same to me. Maybe I've been given crap wine. All I know is I can't tell the difference.

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Can some one send me one of these swanky bottles of expensive wine? All white wines taste the same to me and all red wines taste the same to me. Maybe I've been given crap wine. All I know is I can't tell the difference.

That's what I thought until a fiend of mine gave me a bottle of really good wine (a 1982 Lafite-Rothschild that he'd bought when it came out, for about $15/bottle) in the mid 1990s. Until then I was a firm believer in the "it cannot be that much better" theory of wine drinking. That bottle changed my opinion forever. I couldn't afford another bottle of that wine now since it would now cost about $2000 but man, it was awesome...

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