Red or White Wine?
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Marishka_20
Senior Cook
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2005
- Messages
- 124
Merlot, thats all I have to say.
Claire
Master Chef
I like just about any dry wine, but if I'm drinking it purely to enjoy the wine, prefer a red most of the time. We had a rather hot summer. My local publican knows to serve me white in the summer (around here the trendy tends to be chardonnay, and unless you're planning on drinking a whole bottle, you're smarter to drink what "everyone else" likes), red (usually around here merlot) in the winter. With a huge glass of ice water on the side (year 'round). At home, Inglenook Cabernet goes over well as a "cheap everyday wine". When decanted, I'm amazed at the number of people who ask me what that wine I'm serving is (in a very positive way).
Jikoni
Sous Chef
I know red wine is good for one, but I love white.
Constance
Master Chef
I don't know much about wine...I'm a beer drinker. But I am learning, and I can tell you the one that I DON'T like is Merlot. It tastes sour to me.
So far, I've found that I like Mateuse Rose, Lancer's Rose, chardonay, pinot grigio, and sweet marsala. Maybe some of you could advise me on a red that's light and a little bit sweet.
So far, I've found that I like Mateuse Rose, Lancer's Rose, chardonay, pinot grigio, and sweet marsala. Maybe some of you could advise me on a red that's light and a little bit sweet.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
i re-read what i posted earlier, and i have to make a correction.
i have been cooking with white wine a lot lately, and have "sampled" some of the grape juice, and surprisingly enjoyed it. mostly i have used pinot grigio delle venezie.
until now, i have only liked really expensive, buttery whites (that have gone thru malolactic fermentation, right ronjohn?
), so being a cheap-skate, i avoided whites all together. other white wines tasted kinda sour to me.
but now, pinot gri is a favorite.
i have been cooking with white wine a lot lately, and have "sampled" some of the grape juice, and surprisingly enjoyed it. mostly i have used pinot grigio delle venezie.
until now, i have only liked really expensive, buttery whites (that have gone thru malolactic fermentation, right ronjohn?
), so being a cheap-skate, i avoided whites all together. other white wines tasted kinda sour to me.but now, pinot gri is a favorite.
it really is 50 50 with me and depends on what I'm eating at the time and I do eat when I drink.
SizzlininIN
Master Chef
Okay....its been a little over a year since I first responded to this one. Back then it was red but l was testing the waters or should I say wines and now my favorite is definetely white. Seems like thats what I gravitate towards now. But that doesn't mean I've eliminated reds from my palate either as I still do enjoy them. I've come a long way in a year in regards to my wine tasting and preferences. I've had some enjoyable and regrettable experiences. The worst was some buttery tasting wine that about made me hurl ....the 2 ladies in the wine isle just bragged it up and said it flew off the shelves because everyone in the area loved the stuff........well let me tell you they don't have to worry about me getting the last bottle ever again.
There are still types of wines that I have yet to try and I'm looking forward to it.
Oh......and I don't follow the old wine rule that you have to drink a certain wine with a certain type of food.........I drink what I enjoy.
....the 2 ladies in the wine isle just bragged it up and said it flew off the shelves because everyone in the area loved the stuff........well let me tell you they don't have to worry about me getting the last bottle ever again. There are still types of wines that I have yet to try and I'm looking forward to it.
Oh......and I don't follow the old wine rule that you have to drink a certain wine with a certain type of food.........I drink what I enjoy.
DampCharcoal
Executive Chef
I'm partial to the California reds but I'll drink just about anything as long as the vintage is ready! 
Always Hungry
Cook
Give me a Australian or Chilean red wine any day. In all the years I've tried various wines, they seem to consistently be superior to California reds. Not to say there aren't any good CA reds, but I haven't come across many good ones lately.
Maybe it's just that Aussie and New Zealand wines 'travel' better, but I much prefer them to Californian wines available here.
South African wines are also very good.
I still prefer French wines, especially when we've driven through an area and bought a couple of cases from the vineyard. Mind you, we've bought some disasters too, as well as the good stuff.
South African wines are also very good.
I still prefer French wines, especially when we've driven through an area and bought a couple of cases from the vineyard. Mind you, we've bought some disasters too, as well as the good stuff.
shannon in KS
Cooking Links Contest Winner
I am a mood drinker, there is no way I could ever, ever, EVER choose!
auntdot
Head Chef
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2004
- Messages
- 2,418
If we were asked this question several months ago we would have said red, no question.
For my wife's birthday we went to a very posh restaurant and ordered the tasting menu with associated wines, their choice, each course a different glass of wine.
Most, surprisingly, were white.
The best meal we ever had in our lives, which was amazing because before that every time we went out for a 'special' meal something always went wrong. Usually nothing to do with the restaurant, it just seemed our special outings were doomed to failure.
Have started to take a serious second look at white wines, but generally will still pick the red.
For my wife's birthday we went to a very posh restaurant and ordered the tasting menu with associated wines, their choice, each course a different glass of wine.
Most, surprisingly, were white.
The best meal we ever had in our lives, which was amazing because before that every time we went out for a 'special' meal something always went wrong. Usually nothing to do with the restaurant, it just seemed our special outings were doomed to failure.
Have started to take a serious second look at white wines, but generally will still pick the red.
DampCharcoal
Executive Chef
I've tried a few Australian reds and I thoroughly enjoyed them. The truth of the matter is, I'm pretty familiar with California vintages but I really haven't taken the time to educate myself on international wines. I'm always open to suggestions!
fireweaver
Senior Cook
it all leans on what i'm cooking at the time...am i in a red or a white mood? the only reason i lean towards red is that it doesn't have to chill, it's all ready to go when i finally get home from work. and i do have to admit, old vine zinfandel is my kryptonite...
that being said, 2 things to keep in mind: for the guys who are "just dabbling" into the big ol wine pool, go find a decent wine bar and check out the menu of tasting flights. this is a series of between 3 and 5 small pours of wine, usually with some theme. sometimes, it'll be a comparison of all the wines of the same type on the menu, or a comparison of several types from the same winery or country. great way to figure out what you like and don't like, and to see what tastes good on its own as a sipping wine vs what's best with food. the other thing to ponder is the world of pink wine. now, i'm not a fan at all of white zin, i think it's a bit reminiscent of kool-aid, but there are a whole world of possibilities in dry blushes.
and i do have to admit, old vine zinfandel is my kryptonite...that being said, 2 things to keep in mind: for the guys who are "just dabbling" into the big ol wine pool, go find a decent wine bar and check out the menu of tasting flights. this is a series of between 3 and 5 small pours of wine, usually with some theme. sometimes, it'll be a comparison of all the wines of the same type on the menu, or a comparison of several types from the same winery or country. great way to figure out what you like and don't like, and to see what tastes good on its own as a sipping wine vs what's best with food. the other thing to ponder is the world of pink wine. now, i'm not a fan at all of white zin, i think it's a bit reminiscent of kool-aid, but there are a whole world of possibilities in dry blushes.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
firedude,
you must be from a wine country, like cali or even posh eastern l.i..
where is b'mode?
your advice is sound , so long as the wine "flight" isn't from a crappy-local-vineyard-wine-wanna-be areas, like nj or ny state.
every year i see (and have been guilty of) people buying wine from a local vineyard at a festival (sponsored by the vineyard) at full retail prices. i'm talking 8 to 15 dollars a bottle, not too bad, but for stuff not far from what my neighbor makes from wine store bought grapes. should be 5 bucks a bottle, just to save both faces.
seperately: there are local traditions and regional practices that will affect consumption of wine. in my neighborhood, italian americans drink chilled red wines, especially the deeper bodied reds like chianti. there is a debate over why it is that way. some say that in order to make poorly made wine taste better, chill it. the other reasoning is that wine cellars are cool, so room temp is normally in the low 50's, or slightly chilled.
so ya gotta trust your sommelier, understand the local peculiarities, or at least be wary of the sales pitch.
you must be from a wine country, like cali or even posh eastern l.i..
where is b'mode?
your advice is sound , so long as the wine "flight" isn't from a crappy-local-vineyard-wine-wanna-be areas, like nj or ny state.
every year i see (and have been guilty of) people buying wine from a local vineyard at a festival (sponsored by the vineyard) at full retail prices. i'm talking 8 to 15 dollars a bottle, not too bad, but for stuff not far from what my neighbor makes from wine store bought grapes. should be 5 bucks a bottle, just to save both faces.
seperately: there are local traditions and regional practices that will affect consumption of wine. in my neighborhood, italian americans drink chilled red wines, especially the deeper bodied reds like chianti. there is a debate over why it is that way. some say that in order to make poorly made wine taste better, chill it. the other reasoning is that wine cellars are cool, so room temp is normally in the low 50's, or slightly chilled.
so ya gotta trust your sommelier, understand the local peculiarities, or at least be wary of the sales pitch.
cara
Master Chef
I prefer the medium dry - dry reds...
best to me:
Germany: A Wuerttemberger Trollinger or Lemberger or a Pfaelzer Dornfelder
Italian: Montepulciano, Merlot, Veneto-wine
Spain: Cabernet Sauvignon
South Africa: Cabernet Sauvignon
just something about drinking temperatures
and... decanting...
best to me:
Germany: A Wuerttemberger Trollinger or Lemberger or a Pfaelzer Dornfelder
Italian: Montepulciano, Merlot, Veneto-wine
Spain: Cabernet Sauvignon
South Africa: Cabernet Sauvignon
just something about drinking temperatures
and... decanting...
The decanting process should be reserved for wines with sediment and young immature wines whose bouquet must be drawn by exposure to oxygen at time of decantation.
Decantation is the delicate process of carefully pouring wine from a bottle to fill a carafe without undue disturbance of the sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Decanting is undertaken by candlelight, visible through the neck of the bottle and should cease as soon as the sediment shows sings of joining the flow of wine.
If a wine is left standing on a dining table for longer than recommended, it should be put into a guarantor of temperature, which keeps the wine at the correct temperature by insulating the bottle from warm outside air.
All wines with sediment - including white wines with tartar crystals - after being removed from the guarantor of temperature should be immediately laid in a wine basket for an appropriate time to permit the sediment to settle in the smallest possible area at the bottom of the bottle.
Caution! Old wines which contain sediment can be so sensitive that decanting can "kill" them. It is therefore important to know the right moment for decanting a given wine, namely:
- Very fragile sensitive wines, at the very last moment prior to serving
- Strong wines, prior to commencement of dining
- Very old vintage wines (for example 1945, 1957), several hours before dining, since this procedure enhances their full body and softness.
The decanted wine breathes best and retains its ideal drinking temperature if stored in the guarantor of temperature by the waiter until ready to serve.
http://www.wine-care.co.uk/learning-zone.htm
Decantation is the delicate process of carefully pouring wine from a bottle to fill a carafe without undue disturbance of the sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Decanting is undertaken by candlelight, visible through the neck of the bottle and should cease as soon as the sediment shows sings of joining the flow of wine.
If a wine is left standing on a dining table for longer than recommended, it should be put into a guarantor of temperature, which keeps the wine at the correct temperature by insulating the bottle from warm outside air.
All wines with sediment - including white wines with tartar crystals - after being removed from the guarantor of temperature should be immediately laid in a wine basket for an appropriate time to permit the sediment to settle in the smallest possible area at the bottom of the bottle.
Caution! Old wines which contain sediment can be so sensitive that decanting can "kill" them. It is therefore important to know the right moment for decanting a given wine, namely:
- Very fragile sensitive wines, at the very last moment prior to serving
- Strong wines, prior to commencement of dining
- Very old vintage wines (for example 1945, 1957), several hours before dining, since this procedure enhances their full body and softness.
The decanted wine breathes best and retains its ideal drinking temperature if stored in the guarantor of temperature by the waiter until ready to serve.
http://www.wine-care.co.uk/learning-zone.htm
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fireweaver
Senior Cook
haha, bucky, nope, i'm not from anyplace too posh. originally from TX, but the big b'more is baltimore. you do have to watch out for things like crappy local wines unless you're in one of those nice posh places that have nice local wines, but that's why you go to a decent wine bar where people know what the heck they are talking about. i'm big on de-mystifying the whole wine-snob experience for people: wine shouldn't be intimidating or scary (which all the big lingo tends to do), it's just way tasty booze!
so, to that end, if there are any people here around the baltimore area, go check out grand cru, they ROCK! very nice, knowledgeable people, and always a wonderful selection of tasting flights for when you just can't decide.
so, to that end, if there are any people here around the baltimore area, go check out grand cru, they ROCK! very nice, knowledgeable people, and always a wonderful selection of tasting flights for when you just can't decide.
college_cook
Head Chef
There's actually a winery in town called Oliver, and I doubt many of you have had their wines because the bottles are marked for sale only in Indiana. I was definitely skeptical at first, but they do have some very good wines. They have a Gewurtztraminer that I'm just nuts about, and they also make a mead that is much too sweet for me, but my g/f loves it.
I'm definitely more of a white wine person, though now I'll have a much much easier time exploring more wines since I've hit the big 21. There's an Australian Shiraz that I've been drinking lately that I enjoy very much. It's not as heavy as I find most reds, but it does finish a little bit hot. All in all its probably the red wine I've most enjoyed so far.
I'm definitely more of a white wine person, though now I'll have a much much easier time exploring more wines since I've hit the big 21. There's an Australian Shiraz that I've been drinking lately that I enjoy very much. It's not as heavy as I find most reds, but it does finish a little bit hot. All in all its probably the red wine I've most enjoyed so far.
