redwinegulper

Wine gulping at under $20, sounds good to me. Nice lists. I drink most reds, but with the whites from the Loire being great for 2002 I tasted 4 last night that I liked, all at about $20: Sancerre...P&N Reverdy SancerreDomaine du Carroir Perrin Vouvray...Francois Pinon Vouvray - Demi-sec...Le Mont For reds... Perrin Reserve Cote du Rhone...$8.50 Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre $20 Fox Creek JSM Shiraz Cab Franc...$20 Arnaldo Capri Montefalco Rosso...$18 Capri Poggio Belvedere....$15 Avignonesi Vino Nobile...$18 Fenocchio Barbera....$12 cheers...ed

I recently did a wine tasting of Bandols, the meaty red wine from Southern France. I do not see Bandols talked about often, but I really enjoyed them. Domaine Tempier 2000 was my favorite, huge but smooth as velvet. Second was Ch Pradeaux 1998. Third was DOmaine Gros Nore 2000. Anybody like Bandols, and what was your experience with them? Ed

I am no expert on Austrian wines, but there is an Austrian restaurant in NYC with a huge Austrian selection. Wallse is the name. Site is www.wallserestaurant.com Hope this helps...ed

My vote is Bellagio, and the Villa Serbelonni. The hotel has a magnificent location with great views. It is also a good spot to visit other areas, because you are at a point in the middle of the lake, equal distance to either side. ALthough they have a nice restaurant, the town is charming, several blocks of cobblestone streets with cute shops and great food. We also stayed in Tremezzo, had a great view, but if you go to walk anywhere you will get run over. I have a great place to eat in Bellagio, if you go there, email me and I will dig out the name. ciao...ed

I find it difficult to give recommendations for these two grapes. On the lower end some people have recommended RH Phillips & Zaca Mesa for Viognier. Meridian for Pinot Noir None of these are favorites of mine. What I would recommend, if practical is to go to a wine bar...fun, and you don't need to buy a bottle. After much gulping, you will find some you like. If you live in NY, email me and I can give you tons of wine bars to go to Ed

I would love some more info on Greece. Had some awful Greek red 5 years ago, and before that was Retsina...ugghh. But a lot of time has passed and I bet there are some good ones.

Thanks Craig, appreciate the insight. I was lucky enough to drink the Biondi Santi once, and it was fabulous. I do not own any, a bit out of my price range. I went to a Brunello tasting about a year ago, and my favorite was the Costanti. I must admit I was not even familiar with this Brunello before the tasting, but have purchased some to enjoy in the future.

I just did a tasting of Proseccos, the sparling wine on northeastern Italy. My favorite was the Carpene Malvolti Prosecco that I bought for $14. Aneri and Ombra were 2 other Proseccos I also liked alot, and they are in the same price range.

It can never hurt to try a bottle, but I would proceed with caution. The '97 was one of the weaker years, and sold slower than the 95, 96, 98 and 99. That being said, some retailers picked up the 97 because it was the cheapest of the bunch...and for a lesser investment they could have a decent Bordeaux on the shelf. The caution is that many of these wines have been sitting for some time, and the lower teir retailers do not properly control the store temperature.

I took the Windows on the World course about 15 years ago. It was excellent. It was a very good overview of wine. For 10 weeks, you taste 10 wines a class...with each class addressing a type of wine, for example california whites, or french reds. kevin is knowledgeable, and makes it fun. what i found helpful is that you can compare similar wines....3 calif chards for example. but it also through some very good wines into the tasting, for example Dom Perignon in a blind champagne tasting. You are right that if you already have the basics, that much of this would be repetitive. At this point it may be best to take classes that focus on specific areas you are interested in. For example, a tasting of 10 reds from tuscany One more thought is to get a friend or 2 and hit some wines bars.

I did a tasting of Proseccos this weekend, and although Champagne sets the standard for sparkling wines, these wines are fun and a great economic alternative. My three favorites were: 1. Carpene Malvolti 2. Aneri 3. Ombra If you get a chance try them! PS - I do not sell any of these wines, I was just doing it for an article in my newsletter

We are lucky in nyc because we do not need to drive. Therefore, although the concept is good, I will not be needing those doggie bags...the bottle always gets emptied!

I think a good place to start is Kevin Zralys' book "Windows on the World WIne Course". Yes, books go out of date, but this will give a very good foundation on regions, types of wine, and a few top producers. Courses are good. Wine tastings are super, an opportunity to compare wines. Wine bars are another place to sample a lot. Retail stores also have free wine tastings. Following the suggestions of the retails are tricky, many don't know much and are pushing what is in stock......but not all of them. SOme are very knowledgeable...now yuo need to find one that knows something AND has a similar palate to yours...we do not all like the same wines. As Fat Guy says....drink

Wow, this was a new wine that I had not heard of...it was excellent. Although it was mostly Sangiovese, it was a very big wine made in a Super Tuscan style. I'm buying some more. If anyone sees it in NYC drop me a line. Ed

Although I have found Barbera quality to vary widely depending on the producer, I have found one that I think is fabulous...Giacomo Fenocchio Barbera d'Alba. I am buying the 2000 for $14, and have found it better than most $20-25 Barberas.

Il Pozzo, what a great place.

This price spiral can be exhausting, but can also make wine tasting fun. I used to drink a lot of Californian wines, and drink few now as I feel uncomfortable shelling out for their higher prices. The exhausting part is that when we find bargins, they don't stay that way...so we must keep seeking out other wines. But that is what is fun. As California prices went through the roof as did alot of Bordeaux, it forced me to drink more wines from Italy and France...and that has been an enriching experince.

I am heading to Rome at the end of November and my travel agent suggestd the St Regis Grand. It was recently renovated, which is great, but I am unsure about the location. Any opinions?My gut says it may be good for business, but it is a pretty far walk from everything. I have always stayed a little closer to the Spanish Steps which I found to be a good location. Thanks....ed

Mark, I think you did a great job trying to do some unbiased testing. Perhaps your testing did not follow the guidelines of a research project at MIT; but it did provide sufficient, unbiased insight into the product. I think the Wine Clip would alter the taste of many wines, and it seems many times for the better. I however will not be using the Wine Clip. Parhaps I am old fashion, but my desire is to taste the product that the wine maker made, for better or for worse.

Perrin Resrve Cotes du Rhone is a good at $8.50. I have had a couple of Rossos out of Umbria in Italy that I like, but what can you find local? Most retaillers know zip, some are too busy, but there are many that love what they do. But everone has a different palate. Try someone's suggestion, if it sucks...as the barber says....next. What happens in NY is ther are some some very big shops, they push what they got a good deal on. BUT, if you do some tasting you will find some gems. gulp away.....ed

Nothing wrong with making a living. And it is a pleasure to seeing her making good money, unfortunately the wine industry pays absurdly low salaries for so many jobs. But, I love to learn, and this show is not going to give me anything worthwhile.

It's on Fine Living

I think Andrea should be congratulated for what she has achieved in the wine world. And her enthusiasm is great, she makes wine tasting fun. But I saw her new wine show on TV and was disappointed. The wines that she recommended all came from super big wineries, not that they are bad wines, but it left me with the feeling that she was highlighting wines from wineries that were paying her bills. For example, her everyday wine wa a Sauv.Blanc...ok, sounds good....but it was Robt Mondavi Fume Blanc. It is a nice wine, but couldn't you be a little more creative. The next wine was a Chadonnay....so she chooses an Estate Chard from Gallo. Then a St Francis Merlot , and for the wine of a lifetime she picks Penfolds Grange (I have seen her at 2 other wine tastings and there is always a Penfolds). I realize that for mass distribution it is helpful to suggest wines that are available worldwide. But it just seemed fishy that these were such big marketing forces.

I agree with you about not driving too far for dinner in Cortona. Il Falconiere is quite good, but as Craig said, very expensive. I would try it one night, but don't expect that feeling of home with gandma in the kitchen. One thing you must try is the Enoteca called La Saletta located on via Nazionale (main street)for a grappa, cafe or gelato after dinner. It is not that it is the best gelato in Italy; but it is the perfect spot to sit outside and experince Italian life. After dinner eveyone (or at least it seemed that way) stolls up and down this street. There are some great restaurants in the tuscan countryside, and visiting for lunch is a great way to do it. A few possiblities...Il Prato in Pienza, Il Pozzo in Monteriggioni, Locanda dell'Amorosa in Sinalunga

I'll be there, and will keep my eyes open for a chick with a stripped bass in her pocket I'm 6', brown hair. may wear jeans and a sport jacket, looks like it will be a wet afternoon. ed