After dinner sipping

[Feedbag]

Hi there,

Never posted in this area because I'm a big ol' no-nothing nincompoop

when it comes to wine. So I'm hoping for a little recommendation

here. Having a special anniversary dinner at a restaurant, then

want to come home and sip a nice bottle of red like it was a port

or something. Don't have a lot of cash, but will spring for a bottle in

the $30 range. I also don't know all the technical terms to describe

a wine, but let me just say I like a silky smooth, rich, full bodied

red.

Any and all ideas welcomed.

Thanks very much!

[BeefCheeks]

My strong suggestion:

go to a decent wine shop, and buy yourself a bottle of Banyuls, which is a fortified dessert wine made from the oft-maligned Grenache grape; it won't set you back too far, and it is virtually miraculous when paired with anything chocolate.

[elixirofthetropics]

In addition to the above, I would recommend the following 2:

1. Whisker Blake Tawny Port (good value about $14)

2. Taylor Fladgate 20yo Tawny Port (if you can and want to spend some money)

My strong suggestion:

go to a decent wine shop, and buy yourself a bottle of Banyuls, which is a fortified dessert wine made from the oft-maligned Grenache grape; it won't set you back too far, and it is virtually miraculous when paired with anything chocolate.

←

[Chris Cognac]

I had a Sandeman (sp) 20 yr tawny last night that was great, it was 40 for the bottle.

[Brad Ballinger]

Many good "sipping" ports can be had for less than $30. Some of the proprietary ruby ports are made just for this purpose: Fonseca Bin 27, Graham's Six Grapes, Warre's Warrior.

There are some tawny wines from Australia that are also good for this, such as the Hardy's Whisker's Blake mentioned above. Also Yalumba's Galway Pipe, and Chambers.

The good thing with any of these is that you can re-cork it and it will keep for a bit.

[JohnL]

Hi there,

Never posted in this area because I'm a big ol' no-nothing nincompoop

when it comes to wine. So I'm hoping for a little recommendation

here. Having a special anniversary dinner at a restaurant, then

want to come home and sip a nice bottle of red like it was a port

or something. Don't have a lot of cash, but will spring for a bottle in

the $30 range. I also don't know all the technical terms to describe

a wine, but let me just say I like a silky smooth, rich, full bodied

red.

Any and all ideas welcomed.

Thanks very much!

←

Hi

In reading your post, I notice you indicate you are looking for a "nice bottle of red to sip "like it was a port."

I understand that to mean you are looking for a red wine-- NOT a fortified red wine?

All the recommendations here are fine (especially the Banyuls--though I would disagree that the granache grape is not IMOP "oft maligned"). These are all desert wines or fortified wines etc.

If you are looking for a red wine, and I have often come home after a dinner or night out and opened a nice red to sip by the fire, I would suggest you go to your local wine shop and engage the proprietor.

I think what you are looking for--silky smooth, rich, full bodied red--can be found in a few areas.

I would look at a nice Chateauneuf du Pape--these wines are rich and can have a soft smooth quality.--they are also nicely complex.

Also an Australian Shiraz or a California Cabernet or meritage. qalso Spain has some interesting wines that fit the flavor profile you note--Toro or Priorat as well as Rioja make some nice big rich reds--many fine ones can be had for thirty dollars or so. Italy has some good wines from Tuscany--the Terrabianco Compaccio is a favorite of mine. You probably want to avoid something that is very tannic.

A good idea would be to decant the wine before you leave for dinner if you do go for something a bit tannic.

Your wine merchant should be able to help out--he/she knows what they have in stock. The challenge here is your price level--good local wine merchants often live for this kind of challenge--it is easy enough to recommend a 1947 Cheval Blanc but a thirty dollar limit will be a welcome test of their skill and knowledge.

good luck

also

please let us know the outcome!

Edited December 5, 2005 by JohnL (log)

[Feedbag]

Thanks everyone, great suggestions, particularly yours, John.

I ended up going with, on the store's suggestion, a 2000 Chianti Classico

called Poggio Teo Valiano. It was $32 and very tannic. So much so

I likely wouldn't buy it again. I should have thought of the Chateauneuf,

had them before and you're right, they are soft and rich. Next time!

Thanks again for the advice. I've marked down your other suggestions

and will try them soon.

Cheers!

[StevenC]

Thanks everyone, great suggestions, particularly yours, John.

I ended up going with, on the store's suggestion, a 2000 Chianti Classico

called Poggio Teo Valiano. It was $32 and very tannic. So much so

I likely wouldn't buy it again. I should have thought of the Chateauneuf,

had them before and you're right, they are soft and rich. Next time!

←

I find that many examples of the 2000 vintage of Chianti Classico are still too young to drink. Hence, the tannins.

Moreover, if you were looking for a wine to sip after dinner, without food, a Chianti Classico was definitely the wrong way to go. I'm surprised the store suggested it. Chianti Classico, more than many wines, begs for food. If you had tried the same bottle with a thick steak, your impression of the wine would have been quite different.

Another post suggested Terrabianca's Campaccio. I agree. The wine, popular in the United States but difficult to find in Italy, has a richer, more rounded profile. (Frankly, I think Terrabianca's Chianti Classico is more interesting, but Campaccio is still a very good wine.)