BHwine

I couldn't agree more with Craig. Though I'm relatively new to enjoying wine "seriously," (if that's not too serious sounding itself), the truth is I long relied on lists and ratings to choose wine. Now that I've moved beyond that, it's true, I am discovering a world of lovely wines to enjoy, many of which are not marketed heavily or otherwise widely touted. It's fun to be free of the Tyranny of THE LIST!

Pardon my ignorance on this subject, but what is the current, educated thought on sediment? I seem to notice two kinds: - "particulate," I guess I'd call it (where there are small solid particulars, of varying size, which could be cork-like matter); this I've noticed equally in reds and whites (though more immediately apparent in whites, of course) - "gunky," for lack of a better term -- or should I say, more appealing term -- where the sediment kicks up into filmy clouds (large and small) when the bottle is disturbed; this I've only been able to see in white wine, of course, but I suppose it must happen in red too. Unless a bottle has been obviously corked, I haven't really been able to tell if this stuff affects the taste much, though it certainly makes the drinking experience much less pleasant. Also, any knowledgeable thoughts on what causes this (other than a disintegrated cork)? Thanks!

LOL. God help me -- I used to (a decade ago; seems like a millenium ago) write ads for software and video technology. I was kind of excited so I guess the ol' hyperbole engine kicked in. Apologies. Allow me to put it back in idle. ;-) Since perhaps I didn't make it clear, the site definitely isn't for everyone. The selection is pretty whimpy. It sucks, actually, if what you really want is a big selection -- for online shopping, I've also bought at Wine.com, who seem to have tons to choose from and they do a fine job too in the delivery end etc., though most prices are nothing special. And I live in San Francisco, so my in-person choices aren't shabby either (my new fave for vibe and friendliness is the Wine Merchant in the new Ferry Building marketplace). Also, when I called Winebuys.com's 800 number to try to place a phone order, I got a friendly but absolutely clueless answering drone who told me they don't do phone orders. So why the number?!? Still, what stuff I did find was quite interesting, and I got what I ordered in good condition and faster than I expected. And like I said, the discounts and free shipping deal seem pretty amazing, so it's fun to be able to buy better wine than I can normally afford. If anyone else finds that fun, too, I'm uber-eager to hear about other recommendations for places that'll let me do the same. (Trying to think of a snappy closing line, but mercifully failing.) ;-) PS: Thanks for the link. Looks like I might be the only guinea pig so far...

If you're looking for some nice wine-diversions while your wife is at her conference in SF, there's a beautiful, small new shop in the Ferry Building (on the Embarcadero near the water). It's called the Wine Merchant (http://www.fpwm.com/), and the staff there is really great. I don't know a ton about wine but I'm learning, and this is a nice, low-pressure place to hang out a bit and learn. Also check out the new mayor's wine shop, PlumpJack (http://www.plumpjack.com/pjwines/index.html). Also, K&L (http://www.klwines.com/), big players but nice and pleasant. And THE place for champagne, D&M (http://www.dandm.com/) not so far from PlumpJack. Just some of a bunch of good places in SF where you can learn a little more and pick ujp some nice choice wines.

Has anyone else here checked out Winebuys.com? On the downside, they have a pretty small selection of stuff, and a few (but not all) of the vintages aren't *the* most desirable. But some of the deals are phreakin' amazing. And they're running a free shipping deal right now if you buy 99 bucks or more. I ended up ordering a mixed case, with a 99 Pensees des Lafleur (list price $165, and I paid just $66!), a 97 Chapoutier Cote Rotie (list $60, pd $36), a 99 Newton Epic unfiltered merlot (list $52, paid $30), and a 99 Jadot Batard-Montrachet (list $160, pd $68). I checked around and no one else came close. Some sites even charged more than what Winebuys said was the list. My order came two days after I placed it -- nice clean packaging, with some unexpected freebies (tasting notes on each wine, some Post-Its, even a couple of gift bags at no charge). And everything looks in good condition, except the Chapoutier had a small tear on the label (but as my grandfather used to say, you can't drink the label!). LOL. I tried the a bottle of the Newton, and it was just dandy. Anyone else check out Winebuys.com? These guys seem totally legit, but I'm wondering if anyone else had a similar good or otherwise experience. They claim, BTW, to offer a 100% money-back guarantee including shipping. (Now that's a smooth-talkin' offer, considering my shipping was free ;-).