I hope it's OK to ask this...

[pinkmomagain]

but with all talk of wine (particularly on Bitching Post), I would love to hear recommendations -- since many of us do indulge....at appropriate times and in appropriate quantities, of course.

We just opened a bottle of Tin Roof Merlot delicious and reasonably priced!

What do you enjoy?

[pastrygirl]

I've recently discovered Malbec wines from Argentina. We tried two brands, both of which I can't remember, but they were both really good. Nice hearty wine but lighter than a Cab.

[mom2binsd]

My latest find for inexpensive but wonderful tasting wine is Bohemian Chardonnay...it's about 5.99 a bottle (but the large 1.5 L is often on sale for 9.99...I also love most of the Jacobs Creek wines...very reliable taste wise...the Shiraz-Cab is a fav....if I'm feeling really spendy I'll spring for LaCrema Chard and DH and I spring for Rombauer Chard for special occasions...I'm just about to open a bottle of Bohemian right now..like to sip while I'm getting dinner ready...I also love a great Pinot Grigio in summer, and I love my whites cold, I hate going to a BBQ and wine is sitting out...so I'll be terrible and put an ice cube in it!

I do miss living in SanDiego-we'd go up to Santa Barbara wine country all the time-loved finding little wineries and meeting the winemakers!

[trales]

I am in love with Rex Goliath Pinot Noir, usually under $10.00 also. Yummy
and

Basa Ruida a Spanish white, usually under $15.00

Ummm, wine, time to open a bottle. :54:

[shilo]

i'm not a big consumer on a regular basis (and not at all right now :p) but when i do, it's usually for a special occasion - so these aren't 'one glass at night' bottles price wise. i'm more of a red wine gal, and only like sweet whites (ie. i'd drink a sauvignon blanc over a chardonnay anytime) when i drink white, so if you have a dry white preference, i'm probably not the best referral source for you.

big, full bodied reds have lots of options here locally (i'm in prime 'wine country'), so i do get a chance to taste a fair bit of smaller 'artisan/handcrafted' winemaker california wine that people bring to parties and such, particularly during the holidays. but i don't have a very 'sophisticated' palate apparently, since i like some of the mid-priced merlot's as much as a spendy cab sauv's or limited harvest pinot's. if you like a specific varietal - cab sauv, pinot noir, merlot, i can suggest a few of the smaller local wineries if you're interested in something for a special occasion.

if you want to try something new tho, i decided i really liked 'bordeaux blends' a few years back, so i've been mostly tinkering with exploring the blends from local winery's (santa cruz/ los gatos mountains and the central coast) with a little santa barbara and napa thrown in prior to getting preggo. if you are going to explore bordeaux blends, they _really_ need to breathe before you drink them... like open and decant if you can a solid 20-40 minutes before you plan on serving just as you would for a spendy merlot. i know, i know, the argument goes that swirling in the glass does more than letting it sit and aerate, but i'm just sharing my personal experience with these wines here...

so for a great blend at a great price (under $20):

Cinnabar makes a fabulous blend for the price called Mercury Rising (they make a 'blanc' version now too). the original Mercury Rising red is a cab sauv, cab franc, merlot and petite verdot blend. i think it competes easily with red blends twice it's price. the 2005 is currently very drinkable and will only get better with time. if you can find an older bottle 1999-2004, even better ;). this is the wine i keep stocked at home to grab on my way out the door to dinner with friends kinda thing.

a little more spendy would be ($25-35):

Byington Alliage, a cab sauv and merlot blend in 2005, but prior years it has also had some cab franc and syrah as well. i particularly liked 2003 and 2004 personally, but the 2005 is still young and needs some more time to really decide. this is my 'take to a dinner party' wine of choice.

or

Justin vineyards Justification, a cab franc merlot blend - if you tend to like more mellow merlots with a soft finish this cab franc/merlot blend is interesting indeed. (their Isosceles is a very nice cab sauv, cab franc, merlot blend, but for the price point, i personally prefer the next wine on my list, Choreography - altho many wine reviewers would disagree with me and would choose the Isosceles). this would be the 'take to a holiday party' wine of choice.

really spendy (in my book a 'young' wine which is over $50)

finally, i'll suggest the 2005 Fleming Jenkins Choreography (as in peggy flemming the olympic skater). it's a true meritage blend that is truly lovely for a really special occasion and will only get better with age. it's primarily a cab sauv with merlot, cab franc and malbec. the 2004 is nice too, but once it breathes, i think the 2005 will have an edge over time if you have the time to age it a bit. i first tried this wine at my mom's 60th birthday party when it was the meritage selection by a master sommelier at a michelin rated restaurant, so even tho it doesn't seem to get as much critical acclaim as the isosceles, apparently, i'm not the only one who likes it ;).

enjoy! lori

[StantonHyde]

Dancing Bull Zinfandel
Mirrasou Pinot
For quaffing wine--Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay

There are tons more, I just have to be able to think!

[tnrnchick74]

current fave "cheap" wine is Ménage Ã* trois brand. Their table wines are good for cheap...plus the name makes me smile

[bubbaray]

Bolla Soave is pretty much my favorite white. I also like their Valpolicella.

However, I've just come back from a trip to one of Canada's wine regions (Okanagan in BC) and came back with 12 bottles from 4 vineyards. So, if you have Canadian wines in your local wine store, you might try them out. They wine (ETA WIN -- obviously not enough wine tonight) international awards, kinda up and coming. Nichol Valley makes my favorite reds, La Frenz makes wonderful whites, Therapy has the best names for their wines (I could drink their Pink Freud like koolaid).

http://www.lafrenzwinery.com/vineyards -- Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc are my faves, DH likes their gewurz
http://www.nicholvineyard.com/index.htm -- love their Pinot Noir, its sold out.
http://www.therapyvineyards.com/ - Freudian Sip and Pink Freud are lovely

[kijip]

We had recently enjoyed before baby was made:

Gobelsberger Gruner Veltliner

and

Pillar Box Red (but it's not in a box, it is just named box)

While I know pregnant women who do drink a little wine, the very thought of pouring a glass right now is icky...not because of the AG warning but because alcohol, even just the smell on someone else's breath is a trigger for my nausea right now. :)

In hindsight the Gobelsberger may have been the general time of conception, LOL. Someone brought it to our house and we liked it so much we went out and bought a couple more bottles. :p

I like the Tin Roof Merlot too.

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

I'm mostly a red drinker but don't like so much tannin that it puckers my mouth. Many of the argentinian reds are good but best with a meal. For just sipping I really like barefoot cabernet. Luna de luna is good. Last week fil opened a bottle of jacobs creek for dinner at his place and I had my nose so deep in dh's glass he told me to just go ahead and have a sip for pete's sake. Probobly no more than I get a communion so what the heck. Boy that was one tasty thimblefull:boogie: mmmmmm.

If you're looking for white rec's I'm really not the person to ask.

[traumarn]

2-buck chuck.

(for those few who may not know: the Charles Shaw- at trader joe's- freq on sale for $2.one of the highest rated wines around- wins lots of awards.it is said he could easily sell- and get- $8-10/bottle- he just wants people to enjoy the wine)

[dcmom2b3]

So many great ideas for new things to try!

DH was born in the France's Champagne-producing region, had family members who worked in the caves, etc., etc., so we're big into bubbly chez nous. Our best find was Costco's Kirkland brand champagne, which met DH's tough standards. It's a bargain, but can be inconsistent. Don't know whether it's due to supplier changes or diff vintages.

My favorite non-sparkling white wines are Torrontes, Greuner Vertleiner (DH is sitting beside me and said yuk to Greuner -- he hates it) and Sancerre. Santa Julia Torrontes is a bargain -- under 10 bucks a bottle, but I haven't been able to find it for a while.

It's so hot here now I can't think of drinking reds, but DH adds Petite Syrah (his favorite grape) and Malbec from the Mendoza Valley of Argentina.

[elizabethkott]

DH and I regularly drink the Clos du Bois cabernet. We love love loved the 2004 vintage, but now all the stores are carrying is the 2005. :( While it's still very good, it's not *as* good as the 2004.
We also like the Coppola cabernet and claret, Simi, and for a really special occasion like our anniversary, we'll splurge and get the Silverado (YUMMY!).
My favorite summer wine is the Banfi Rosa Regale. It's sparkling, and served cold... it's rather pricey at $20 a bottle, but it is a great summer alternative to champagne or proscecco, and so freakin' tasty!!! It's actually rather dangerous. :D