Wine you Don't Care to Drink

[Elissa]

A friend came over yesterday who sensibly (I suppose) drinks Scotch before dinner, wine with food and (otherwise I'm guessing) beer. He knows I prefer Bubbles to Bud in the Afternoon and thoughtfully brought a bottle of champagne. He had a Scotch. I did my best to be gracious about White Star, but in fact I don't see much point to drinking the stuff.

This morning I used it to poach eggs, which worked okay. What do you do with bad wines?

Edited July 15, 2003 by lissome (log)

[Stone]

Drink 'em fast. They still contain alcohol, and therefore should be honored and respected. Then move on to the good stuff.

By the way -- I believe that common wisdom, as I've read it here, provides that one should not drink scotch or other hard spirits before eating because they numb the tongue.

[Fat Guy]

If the bottle isn't open yet, give it to someone else.

If it is open, pour the contents into a Zip-Loc bag, freeze, and use in cooking whenever.

[Fat Guy]

I believe that common wisdom, as I've read it here, provides that one should not drink scotch or other hard spirits before eating because they numb the tongue.

Have we done a thread on that? If not let's.

[MatthewB]

I believe that common wisdom, as I've read it here, provides that one should not drink scotch or other hard spirits before eating because they numb the tongue.

Have we done a thread on that? If not let's.

A "What's the Best Thing to Do with a Numb Tongue?" thread?

[ctgm]

If the bottle isn't open yet, give it to someone else.

depends if they know anything about wine and whether they are likely to open it when you are there.

sometimes has to be kept for a larger gathering when many a bottle is open, thus giving you a chance to distance yourself from it.

[tommy]

What do you do with bad wine?

i bring it to your house.

[StephenT]

Keep it until you've already had a few and you know that if you open a good bottle then it'll be wasted. Of course, that requires the presence of mind not to get into the "I've got shome good shtuff *hic* we should have becaush *hic* you're my besht friendsh" mindset.

[John W.]

Keep it until you've already had a few and you know that if you open a good bottle then it'll be wasted.  Of course, that requires the presence of mind not to get into the "I've got shome good shtuff *hic* we should have becaush *hic* you're my besht friendsh" mindset.

Happen to you too?

[ctgm]

If its red, put it in a very cold fridge

If its white put it in the freezer and then drown it with cassis

[tammylc]

I have a wine geek friend who has a collection of "decoy" wines. Whenever he gets a random bottle as a gift, he stocks it away until he has one of his big house parties. The he'll put out several decoy bottles and a few good bottles. People who don't care what they're drinking gravitate towards the decoy bottles because they recognize them, and the people who do care know to look for the better stuff.

[Fat Guy]

Save all poor-quality wine and, when you've accumulated 50 or so bottles, blend them into a special cuvee.

[NeroW]

I regularly drink Gallo, Masson, etc., which may be considered "bad wines."

But I pay no mind, and very little money.

I can't think of a wine that was so bad I gave it away ( ) or poured it out ( ).

You all can donate your bad wines to the NeroW Scholarship Fund.

[beans]

Moët & Chandon's White Star is considered bad? I certainly don't consider it to be the best by any stretch, but I like it.

[Carema]

Oh beans. for the exact same money or maybe a few dollars more you could have Aubry NV. You might float around your room like a butterfly, or fall in love with the next person that comes your way (even if it were a cat). In any event, I cannot anticipate such reaction from sugary old White Star. I am a dumper. I dump dump dump bad wine. However I do enjoy FG's suggestion about freezing zip locks of undesirable wine, but with the voracity of my 82 year old father's freezer cleaning ( and we all reside together) I cannot fathom such a method lasting in my house. Sometimes he throws away perfectly good meat, yet hangs onto the moldiest of tomatoes. I do not get any of it. I suppose I have cast the fear of God in my friends; most are terrified to buy wine for me and know I will bring it anyway, better & cheaper. My friends provide other nuances and pleasures such as poetry & feminist treatises. My dear friend saves bottles in his fridge for weeks on end then finally dumps in one big purge. Vodka is alcohol that is consistent and resistant to the trials of time. Wine is something else. I would never dump vodka.

[beans]

Oh beans. for the exact same money or maybe a few dollars more you could have Aubry NV.

Doubt that is available within the draconian, stuffy liquor laws of Ohio for purchase. Understand now why I enjoy White Star as an economical choice in champagne?

[Andre]

If its red, put it in a very cold fridge

If its white put it in the freezer and then drown it with cassis

You can try to improve your red with cassis as well or with any other fruit Snaps.

[ctgm]

You can try to improve your red with cassis as well or with any other fruit Snaps.

I am not sure if there is any truth in it (but I am sure someone knows) that certain European wine producers used to rinse their casks with cassis to add a bit of flavo(u)r

[Andre]

You can try to improve your red with cassis as well or with any other fruit Snaps.

I am not sure if there is any truth in it (but I am sure someone knows) that certain European wine producers used to rinse their casks with cassis to add a bit of flavo(u)r

Drowing a confession about that would be a neat trick.

"Fixing" the wine is gaining popularity.

Merlot wines appear with ananas aromas [ oak chips ] and Cabernet feels amazingly sweet yet considered a dry in the lab.

[Craig Camp]

Oh beans. for the exact same money or maybe a few dollars more you could have Aubry NV.

Doubt that is available within the draconian, stuffy liquor laws of Ohio for purchase. Understand now why I enjoy White Star as an economical choice in champagne?

Actually no. Why drink bad Champagne when there are perfectly good sparking wines available from a long list of locations? Most of them are cheaper and better than White Star.

[Craig Camp]

Merlot wines appear with ananas aromas [ oak chips ]

You associate ananas (pineapple) with wood chips? Interesting and very possible. I will have to look for it.

[Craig Camp]

You can try to improve your red with cassis as well or with any other fruit Snaps.

I am not sure if there is any truth in it (but I am sure someone knows) that certain European wine producers used to rinse their casks with cassis to add a bit of flavo(u)r

A sad but true story. I have heard stories from Burgundy of adding it right to the wine.

[beans]

Actually no. Why drink bad Champagne when there are perfectly good sparking wines available from a long list of locations? Most of them are cheaper and better than White Star.

Taste is subjective. I like White Star. The times we have opened a bottle of champagne and it usually isn't White Star, but I don't agree that it is classified as "bad." As I know many that may never actually purchase or enjoy real champagne beyond Tott's/Korbel. Now sparkling wine, well, those are different occasions -- we tend to purchase Argyle or J.

[melkor]

Actually no. Why drink bad Champagne when there are perfectly good sparking wines available from a long list of locations? Most of them are cheaper and better than White Star.

Egly-Ouriet, Turgy, hell Billecart-Salmon, as well as countless others make better champagne for less money than white star.

[beans]

Egly-Ouriet, Turgy, hell Billecart-Salmon, as well as countless others make better champagne for less money than white star.

I don't doubt it, however all the yummy stuff is not for sale in ol oHIo. Can't drive over to Pittsburgh either, their laws are even more restrictive in selection, particularlly anything French. [boo!]