TP Ag '87 said:

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I see Cecil's point.

And further: are we such snobs that a $50 bottle is a "bust?" Speaking for myself, absolutely not.

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I don't think that's the point.

for me personally, while there are wines at HEB i'd enjoy, it just wouldn't feel that special. Most of what is on their shelves is very large production, wine conglomerate brands.

Now, maybe go to a boutique wine store, like Houston Wine Merchant or Houston French Country Wines and talk to them about a special wine for someone in the $50 range. You will more likely get something a bit harder to find and something more professionally curated. They will likely be able to tell you something about the winemaker or property that makes it unique and more limited in production. Bingo, now you have a meaningful gift.

Just my take, I'm sure many will disagree. And if anyone here is looking to buy me a bottle from HEB, I'll take a Merry Edwards Sauv. Blanc

Thanks BSD. Unfortunately I can't do the $900 this year as I have pretty much used my wine budget for the year. I was only wanting to get one bottle but I can potentially wait until this year.

Different strokes.

I'm particular about my wine, but not that particular!

And HEB actually has quite a bit of small production stuff.

Speaking of HEB. Crazy eights sale. At case volume all wines ending in "8" are 20% off.

2012 Roy Estate nets to $140

2013 Martin Ray Diamond Mountain nets to $48

Awww, I wanted to hear more about the Winstrol and its effects on wine consumption.

i hear putting Winstrol in your wine gives it a extra layer of depth and complexity...with the added benefit of impressing the ladies with your massive bulging biceps as you curl the glass towards your mouth.

Speaking of Kelly White (the poster's name whose wine/steroid post in broken English was deleted), she is the author of Napa:Then and Now and the somm at Press in St Helena. Here was an article she wrote about wine at home that may help some of us: Not steroid spam

This is relevant to me because my wine had been tasting funny and I narrowed it down to the detergent we used. Now it's just hot water for cleaning. Thus, I'm in the market for new glassware and I'm ditching the old stuff.

I missed that post!

As to my preferences:

Stemware:
Ravenscroft. Unleaded and reasonbly priced. eg. Ravenscroft Amplifier
I've been through the Riedel varietal stemware demos several times, including with George Riedel. I don't really buy into the fine edge they put on varietally specific stemware.

Cleaning:
1) First rule above all others: NEVER wash fine stemware at night.

2) Fat from food and womens lipstick is problematic. I use very hot water and one tiny drop of liquid dish detergent for an entire batch of glasses. I've not had acceptable results on the fatty deposits with hot water only. But I also rinse the glass completely full of water several times.

3) For me rims and stems are the break points. Rims by pressing too hard on those fatty deposits and stems by drying the bowl whilst holding the base.

Corkscrews:
Any vertical pull variety works fine as do most all corkscrews really.

Everyday:
Vacu Vin Single Pull I really like this one.

Showoff:
Durand Necessary for really old bottles or very fragile corks. Really screams "I'm a wine quy!"

cecil77 said:

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1) First rule above all others: NEVER wash fine stemware at night.

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Why is this?

htxag09 said:

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cecil77 said:

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1) First rule above all others: NEVER wash fine stemware at night.

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Why is this?

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breakage. always.

Yup. You've been drinking, and you will be much more likely to break them. A quick rinse at most.

It's sad because I haven't even been close to drunk in three years and I still broke 2 Riedel stems this year alone while washing late.

...and I SWEAR nothing pisses me off at myself more than breaking a glass.

TP Ag '87 said:

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...and I SWEAR nothing pisses me off at myself more than breaking a glass.

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Especially if said wine glass is full of wine at the time!

OK, THAT pisses me off more than just a broken glass. Great point!

cecil, I was told my someone in the business that any wine at HEB with price ending in 8 is a product made just for HEB. almost private label. just an FYI

Now I want a Durand

Thanks, I'll ask and verify. Wine.com seemed to have the identical bottles I bought. I know the 1L Caymus is made for them. They are the number seven wine retailer in the country!

well, it wouldn't be the first time I was wrong. I was told that a few years ago by a guy who works for one of the largest distributors.

BSD said:

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It's sad because I haven't even been close to drunk in three years and I still broke 2 Riedel stems this year alone while washing late.

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i only have cheap stems at my house. just can't talk myself into spending $50+ for something I'm likely to break in the short term.

I have plenty of Hundred Acre 2014 Ark allocation if anyone is looking. I only bought the Kayli Morgan this time around after loading up on the 100 point 2012 Ark. Parker has scored it 98-100. $400 a pop

Stagecoach said:

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I have plenty of Hundred Acre 2014 Ark allocation if anyone is looking. I only bought the Kayli Morgan this time around after loading up on the 100 point 2012 Ark. Parker has scored it 98-100. $400 a pop

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That's the problem. $400 a pop!

For my wife's birthday last night...



A little past it's prime but still very good.

I bought this book way back in 2000 (published in 1999). I got a kick going back to see the pricing over 16 years ago.





I bought the 2013 Dalla Valle this year at $225 and the Maya at $450. Those are release prices.



Release now is something like $800.



$75??? I'm not even sure what current pricing is!

Anyways, it was fun reminiscing to times that I couldn't even afford $20 wine, but drank it anyways, always longing to someday drink the good stuff.

Bullary thanks for mentioning French Country Wines, I stopped over there this afternoon to check it out. I really enjoyed talking wine with Jean-Phillipe, he knew the bottles intimately, which has been a rare experience when wine shopping in Houston.

Here's what I picked up:
Moreau Chablis 1er Cru Les Fourneaux
Charles Baur Pinot Gris (Alsace)
Charles Baur Pinot Blanc (Alsace)
La Mascaronne Fazioli (Provance Syrah)

I hope the wines are good, I really enjoyed supporting a small family run wine shop

Screaming Eagle used to be reasonably priced if you were on the list. The problem came when those folks started selling the wine on the secondary market for those now ridiculous prices. When Phillips (I'm sure I'm spelling his name wrong) sold, that was the big jump. It went from $350 to $750.

jrweinberger said:

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There are a lot of great German Rieslings at the $25-30 price point. Stick to the dry (trocken) or half-dry (halbtrocken/feinherb) styles since it's harder to find a quality sweet Riesling at that price point. Some excellent German producers to look out for:

Karthauserhof
Jochen Beurer
Donnhoff
Kruger-Rumpf
Stein
J.B. Becker
Hofgut Falkenstein
J.J. Prum
Weiser-Kunstler
Immich-Batterieberg
Leitz
Florian Lauer
Gunther Steinmetz
Egon Muller
Koehler Ruprecht

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I am going to get a few bottles of Riesling this Weekend. That is way too expensive though.

Re Rieslings,... FWIW,...

Wine for Normal People podcast last week was all about the Pfalz wine region of Germany and the great dry Rieslings that come outta there. Anyone have first-hand knowledge/experience?

Gonna scope it out next time I'm in the market.

TP Ag '87 said:

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Re Rieslings,... FWIW,...

Wine for Normal People podcast last week was all about the Pfalz wine region of Germany and the great dry Rieslings that come outta there. Anyone have first-hand knowledge/experience?

Gonna scope it out next time I'm in the market.

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I've been there, but my knowledge of these wines is not too deep.

Check out Franken wines. They come in the funny shaped bottles.

My only experience with a Pfalz producer is Koehler-Ruprecht. If you live in Houston, I think I've seen KR before at the Smith St. location. Also, one of the US importers for KR is Louis/Dressner and Houston Wine Merchant has been able to get me stuff from Dressner when I've asked (even if they didn't currently carry said wine).

Some other Pfalz producers I've heard good things about but have not yet tried: Muller-Catoir, Pfeffingen, von Winning

Cheers!

What sweetness (i.e. alcohol level) do you drink. I've little/no experience but want to learn.

Auslese? higher than that?

Cecil--I've actually never had an Auslese Riesling. Mostly because I haven't wanted to spend the money (most Auslese bottles from producers I'm familiar with start at around $50-$60 and just go up from there). I drink mostly trocken (dry), or halbtrocken/feinherb (off-dry) and I will have Spatlese (sweet) every now and then (again, because of $$$). I don't mind some RS in my wine (i.e. Riesling or Chenin Blanc), as long as there is enough acidity to balance the sweetness.

I like seafood/shellfish with trocken Rieslings and spicy food with the halbtrocken/feinherb styles.

I would love to try some good auslese. for dry riesling there is pretty good stuff made in California, but I'd like to drink more of the "true" riesling and some that has a bit of age on it. I do know if the wine is good, the sweetness is well balance with acidity and is great with food.

per my understanding, the rise in dry riesling production is a product of the West demands. I think there is a lot more now than 5 years ago, but someone more familiar with the wine would likely know better than me.

brownguy81 said:

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Bullary thanks for mentioning French Country Wines, I stopped over there this afternoon to check it out. I really enjoyed talking wine with Jean-Phillipe, he knew the bottles intimately, which has been a rare experience when wine shopping in Houston.

Here's what I picked up:
Moreau Chablis 1er Cru Les Fourneaux
Charles Baur Pinot Gris (Alsace)
Charles Baur Pinot Blanc (Alsace)
La Mascaronne Fazioli (Provance Syrah)

I hope the wines are good, I really enjoyed supporting a small family run wine shop

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very cool. i haven't been there in over a year, I need to go back.