^^ haha hell yes zx. for some NC wines, check out these:

http://www.raylenvineyards.com/

http://www.ragapplelassie.com/

12/18/2006 9:02:58 PM

12/18/2006 9:13:46 PM

It's cool to like Duplin and all, personally though, I'd rather drink kool aid and avoid. But it's another thing to be all into it like a 'neck would be.

12/19/2006 4:46:55 AM

Quote :

"muscadine wine"

There are some good NC wines, but not really enough to satisfy a wine-lover. Yadkin county can't do it all (at least not yet).

12/19/2006 8:20:49 AM

Some of the wine snobs cant tell red from white if you put it in a black glass.

12/19/2006 2:05:34 PM

what basis do you have for that claim?

12/19/2006 2:11:03 PM

thats ridiculous theres a profound difference between white and red ^^

12/19/2006 2:17:14 PM

I hardly ever drink wine but I could tell a difference in reds and whites if they were in a black glass.. That's retarded.

12/19/2006 2:26:05 PM

Dont be sure

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/020819fa_fact?020819fa_fact

12/19/2006 2:36:30 PM

Quote :

"Taking an average of the three participants I witnessed—if Bruce's earlier guests really were from Missouri, they will understand that I can't count anything I didn't see with my own eyes—I concluded that experienced wine drinkers can tell red from white by taste about seventy per cent of the time, as long as the test is being administered by someone who isn't interested in trying to fool them."

what a highly accurate scientific study!

12/19/2006 2:41:15 PM

Im not saying that it has a statistical signifigance, im just saying that ive heard alot of shit about wines, and that alot of people just reapeat what they read off the damned bottle or the placard in the section they buy it. As far as the elitiest in wine, i think they are like every other super group, who think they are somehow special and can taste better than the rest of us (just think audiophiles who spend 1k on a power strip).

12/19/2006 2:57:04 PM

so you mock people who repeat something they read about wine....

...by repeating some article you read about wine?

12/19/2006 3:00:36 PM

lol, HA HA

Quote :

"Hanni has said for years that the matching of a particular wine with a particular food is a scam, there being "absolutely no premise historically, culturally, or biologically for drinking red wine with meat." "

How sadly mistaken. The premise of what wine to pair with which food is mostly based on the matching the taste properties of the wine with the properties of the food. Thus, highly acidic foods are often paired with acidic white wines. Food that is peppered and heavy is matched with wines that are spiced as well. Bitter foods are matched with bitter wines, like heavily tannic reds. Their is a premise to matching meat with red wine. Now, there are white wines that WILL match with meat quite nicely, but as a rule of thumb, you are more likely to strike a decent red-meat pairing than a white-meat pairing.


[Edited on December 19, 2006 at 3:16 PM. Reason : .]

12/19/2006 3:09:09 PM

Humble Pie has wine tastings every 1st and 3rd Tuesday night at 7:00 pm. I used to frequent when I lived in town. The wine rep, Mark, is very knowledgeable and does a great job introducing beginners to wine and how to taste, etc...

12/19/2006 3:12:15 PM

And working off observations of people, working in grocery stores ectra.

12/19/2006 3:12:54 PM

Robert Parker, the wine critic, rates wines on a 100 point scale which I think is pretty much bullshit. I pretty much have a 5-6 point scale that I can differentiate wine by--from Boone County to that Steven Kent Pinot I have in my cabinet. I doubt the human olfactory system really has such resolution to distinguish by taste.

But I think the white/red experiment has been done by Frederic Brochet of the University of Bordeaux.

12/19/2006 3:37:08 PM

The Point at Five Points has wine tastings on occasion. It hosted its last one for the year last night, but it'll get back into it after the New Year. Give them a call to find out when the next one is.
The host had an awesome Franc and some sparkling wines that were surprisingly tasty.

12/19/2006 3:57:01 PM

try Fetzer or Covey Run's Gewürztraminer. Similar to Riesling. It has a sweet light taste to it. It's my favorite, but too sweet for some.

12/20/2006 1:27:20 PM

the wine merchant has 2004 Oak Vineyard Merlot for $4.99...I picked up a couple bottles but haven't gotten around to trying it yet

if it's just ok, it's still a decent deal

12/22/2006 3:39:52 PM

Kendal Jackson Riesling or Chateaus St. Michelle Chardonnay are both great choices to start with.

12/22/2006 8:16:37 PM

also, HT Cameron Village is having a pretty ridiculous wine sale at the moment

12/22/2006 10:08:12 PM

i haven't gotten into red wines -- i'm too wimpy -- but i love some chilled riesling. good shit.

12/22/2006 10:45:13 PM

Yeah I second RagApple Lassie. My aunt and uncle are good friends with the owners, so we get free wine all the time. That stuff is good, and I don't really even like wine that much.

12/22/2006 10:48:31 PM

had my first pinot grigio tonight and hated it...like a watery chardonnay with lime juice

where can you buy this RagApple stuff?

[Edited on December 22, 2006 at 11:16 PM. Reason : l]

12/22/2006 11:14:43 PM

food lion, lowes, harris teeter, etc.

It's from western NC so it might be more common here, but I have never had trouble finding it.

12/23/2006 12:39:04 AM

i just recently bought this bottle a few weeks ago of an Italian red from World Market...Produttori del Barbaresco 2002

oh my...a must buy. this is the most i've spent on a bottle, but it's been well worth it. (around $28)

12/25/2006 10:59:29 PM

im getting back into whites. i can't believe it. got an amazing bottle of chardonnay from total wine yesterday by Gumdale Reserve. delicious.

2/11/2007 2:02:40 PM

Come to the The Grape in Cameron Village on a Tuesday or Thursday night. Ask the old guy behind the bar if he's "Crispin"? I'll let you taste wines until you find what you like (if you're 21 or better, of course).

[Edited on February 12, 2007 at 12:07 PM. Reason : to keep job]

2/12/2007 12:04:09 PM

I'm working at Total Wine in Crossroads right now, so if anyone ever wants to talk wine or come taste anything let me know.

2/12/2007 1:03:40 PM

There's always a tasting at Carolina Wine Company (take Hillsborough almost to Cary, it's on the left next to Sherwin-Williams). Totally not snobby and they are perfectly happy to educate you and to sell you cheap wine. Have been drinking wine for years but never really got into it until going there. Try to go during the week when it's not mobbed with yuppies.

[Edited on February 12, 2007 at 2:00 PM. Reason : t]

2/12/2007 1:59:30 PM

bttt

Keep an eye out for sales at retailers like Carolina Wine Co. This time of year they are starting to get in the shipments for 2007 which means they clear out existing stock at insanely good prices, you can easily find 50% off or more.

4/10/2007 1:56:57 AM

^ Just wear long pants if you go there.

4/10/2007 2:17:03 AM

Don't drink those eastern NC super-sweet wines. If you want good wine, look for some complementary reds. Sams Club even has some good selections, including the Estancia Meritage and Penfolds Bin 389.

4/10/2007 8:55:58 AM

9/10 times, I'll go for a red wine if I'm not having any food with it. Try a decent Beaujolais. It's about the closest thing to a white wine you are going to get.

I personally drink alot of pinot.

4/10/2007 9:09:20 AM

There was a video done by John Cleese on wine and in it he had a good 25-30 people blindly try wine and when asked if the wine everyone tasted was white or red, it was split down the middle 50/50. WHite and red wines are not always as different as you think. People think you need to have Syrah or Cab with a steak but you would be amazed how well a good Dry Riesling will go with a steak. Its all about complement vs. contrasting.

Oh, and don't be knocking Muscadine... they are gaining more respect around the country, especially as a dessert wine and in blending. People used to laugh off the NY wineries too but they now make some very reputable Gwertz, Riesling, Cab Franc, and of course Ice Wine.

Oh, and "good wine" is what you like, not what someone says you think should taste good. I can't tell you the number of 92+ rated $30+ wines I tried in Napa and Sonoma County that I would not choose over most house wines. You can get some awesome wines for $6-$10 and it doesn't need to be in the "hot" varietals... Merlot does not suck, Rosé/blush is not just for grandmas, and screwtops are a good thing! If a wine tastes pleasing and its in your price range then it is a "good wine" and when you want t try something new, go to a wine retailer like The Wine Merchant or Carolina Wine Co, instead of grabbing a random bottle, and try multitudes of wines that you probably wouldn't normally drink and be able to get feedback on what you might like (its easy for them to find a wine that fits your taste if you can taste one wine and say something like "this is good but I prefer more smoke flavor" or "something more juicy, this is too dry")

4/10/2007 11:09:32 PM

bttt

7/12/2007 8:56:52 AM

I can't believe I actually said this before Crimmus:

Quote :

"You bastards need to try some goddamn scuppernong or muscadine wine. Fuck all the straight California varietals and the European provincials. Get you some fuckin stompfoot, NC style."

Well, yes I can believe it. We had an under-15-bucks-a-bottle wine tasting party at some friends' house, and the two I took were something (I cannot remember to save my life) red from New Zealand and a bottle of Scuppernong from Hinnant Family Winery, which is about 6 miles from my parents' house.

Muscadine and Scuppernong are definitely NOT what you'd call wines with a traditional flavor, unless you've been used to southern-style homemade wine (and I have; extended family has made it for generations). They remind me of the grape juice we used to drink as kids, from grapes straight off the vine.

7/12/2007 9:07:29 AM

Quote :

"Zinfandel is not a white wine. For that matter, neither is White Zinfandel."

why?

7/12/2007 9:38:34 AM

Because Zinfandel is a red wine.

White Zinfandel is technically a blush.

7/12/2007 9:41:53 AM

oh, thank you

7/12/2007 9:42:16 AM

Malbec is the hot shit

7/12/2007 10:31:05 AM

for an inexpensive but still good wine I really like Duplin's. Also for a fruity light wine, I just tried some from a winery in NY called Tickle Hill that was really good. I think you have to order it online though if you're not in NY, but they ship to NC.

7/14/2007 6:30:53 PM

Best "pizza and pasta" wine:
Ruffino "Il Leo" Chianti Superiore
- Can pick this up for $8.99 on sale at HT or buy from a vendor for about $8 by the case. Its better than their standard chianti and will have much broader appeal than the Ducale (not to mention a better price).

For those looking to learn more about wine, get good recommendations, and be thoroughly entertained then watch WineLibraryTV (http://tv.winelibrary.com/). Gary Vaynerchuk is awesome! His vlogs run about 15-20 minutes and are put out every weekday. He is brutally honest and is extremely creative with his descriptions (using terms like skittles, fresh cut grass, and cat pee). I HIGHLY recommend you watch a few episodes.

7/15/2007 1:25:46 AM

Barefoot http://www.barefootwine.com/california_wine/california_wine.html at HT, FL, or Lowes for under $7.99.

Blackstone http://www.blackstonewinery.com/ at HT and Lowes, maybe FL? For under $8.99.

I won't spend more than $10 on a bottle because I know I can't taste the difference. Though, I can taste the difference from a $5 gallon jug or box wine to the $8 bottle.

I prefer reds and hate whites. My roommate prefers whites and hates reds. Just buy a bottle and see how it goes.

7/17/2007 7:00:42 PM

Gary Vaynerchuk of WineLibraryTV (http://tv.winelibrary.com/) will be on Conan O'Brien tonight. Check it out.

8/1/2007 11:06:42 PM

quite an interesting character

8/1/2007 11:08:57 PM

Seriously...to everyone in this thread...

1. Go to any wine store and tell any employee there that you're new to wine and want to get a few bottles to get started
2. ...
3. Profit!

It really is that easy. No recommendations made here is worth taking because no one here really knows each other's preferences. A good wine is what is good to you. The people at total wine, wine merchant, hell even the wine person at most world markets will be able to match your tastes with two bottles you will love and a third that will expand your pallet. So don't listen to recommendations...go talk to people.

8/2/2007 7:32:47 AM

Quote :

"No recommendations made here is worth taking because no one here really knows each other's preferences. A good wine is what is good to you. The people at total wine, wine merchant, hell even the wine person at most world markets will be able to match your tastes with two bottles you will love and a third that will expand your pallet. So don't listen to recommendations...go talk to people."

A recommendation form a person who drinks a lot of wine is just as valid as a recommendation from a sales associate at Total Wine, or wherever. Neither know your preferences any better than the other. I think people who are new to wine are pretty good sources for wines that someone who is new to wine might like.

What really matters in the early stages is variety. If you see a varietal/style of wine that you have never heard of, let alone pronounce, that is in your price range then give it a try. Also, don't judge a varietal/style purely on a bottle or two of high volume labels that you picked up for $6 at Food Lion.

8/2/2007 9:54:18 AM

I'm new to wine...got a couple questions.

I've tasted scuppernong and it =
Also tasted pinot grigio and riesling. Pinot grigio tastes a lil better, but it seems pretty similar to riesling.
Do all white wines taste somewhat similar?
Cause if they do then I'm not wasting my money on them anymore. Gonna try some reds...or maybe just stick with the white zinfandel. white zinfandel = alcoholic candy

[Edited on August 2, 2007 at 10:33 PM. Reason : ]

8/2/2007 10:31:58 PM

typically pinot grigio and riesling are completely different with pg being a dry white and riesling being a sweet white - i've never tasted a pg that could have been mistaken with a riesling and vice versa

just go to total wine and talk to someone there

8/2/2007 10:34:03 PM