Headed to Houston for another wine run tomorrow. Have to pick up some more Austrian wines for a "Christmas in Vienna" party.

I will be adding in more bottles of St. Emilion as well. We are going to the Specs near downtown.

I wanted to eat at Uchi but they don't open until 5. Where should we eat lunch?

Ours was a 2013 that we got at an enoteca in Spello, but it was still great. Can't imagjne how awesome bottle like that would've been!

We had dinner with Roy Piper the other night and tasted his 2012 and 2013 bottlings. What a treat! Roy is an open book so it's always entertaining to hear his thoughts on the wine markets. And the wine is just phenomenal. If y'all will remember, his 2013 and MacDonald's 2013 were my favorites of the vintage in Napa. The Piper held up and is still amazing. (haven't revisited MacDonald yet)

Does anyone have a recommendation for a wine fridge that will hold around 100 bottles? I need to upgrade (the wine room looks like Imelda Marcos' shoe closet). I have a Danby 30 bottle fridge that I like, but I'm wondering if anyone has a brand they can recommend.

Also, the 30 bottle Danby fridge will be for sale once I get the bigger one up and running, in case someone is looking for one.

We bought this one and have been happy with it...however I didn't listen to the advise of "however big you think you need, double it." We've outgrown it, and have had to get off-site storage in addition to this.

https://www.nfm.com/danby-75-bottle-capacity-wine-cooler

Bought this about a year ago. So far so good. Only word of caution is that with all the oversized bottles these days, the 172 is misleading. Figure it'll hold about 130-40.

https://www.allavino.com/flexcount/172-bottle-dual-zone-wine-refrigerator-with-left-hinge/

We have a slightly bigger version of this one (not available anymore I think) in the mancave

https://www.wineenthusiast.com/wine-enthusiast-silent-48-bottle-double-door-dual-zone-wine-refrigerator-(stainless-steel-trim-door)-(wood-front-shelves).asp

And this one in the kitchen

https://www.vinotemp.com/appliances/wine-coolers/butler-series/vinotemp-32-bottle-single-zone-wine-cooler

And an 8-bottle fridge in the laundry room for whites.

We only run out of space during this wino-lanche time when everybody is sending club shipments.

This one is great, though it doesn't hold 300 (unless you double stack and remove some of the racks). Holds 150 with no stacking, though the bottom 3 rows are set up for easy stacking if you want. Bought it a couple of months ago. Buy from Costco, not WIne Enthusiast much better price. Great hint it has the side-view racks in the middle to showcase bottles. I like it so much I/m about to buy another with the door flipped so it will be side-by-side:

https://www.costco.com/.product.100378590.html


Also, don't worry about dual zone. Store it all at 55, and you can just pull the whites/roses/champagne to chill in the refrigerator before serving.

Does anyone have a viognier they recommend in the ~$20 range? I am generally more of a cab guy but the last 2 years I have had a viognier in Napa that I have really enjoyed (Freemark and Whetstone). I believe they are both from Sonoma grapes though.

fishag04 said:

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Does anyone have a viognier they recommend in the ~$20 range? I am generally more of a cab guy but the last 2 years I have had a viognier in Napa that I have really enjoyed (Freemark and Whetstone). I believe they are both from Sonoma grapes though.

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Cecil, calling Cecil, for recs on Texas Voigniers

Chateau de Trignon makes a really nice Viognier for around $17. I prefer the rhone wines because California Viognier can get a little flabby if it's picked too ripe.

Htown is a much better source for this than I, but I'll ask around...

Who has brought wine home by checking it as baggage. With free checked bags I was considering this vs. Conventional shipping which always costs a fortune. Is there any chance bag guys dont drop it on the tarmac?

East Dallas Ag said:

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Who has brought wine home by checking it as baggage. With free checked bags I was considering this vs. Conventional shipping which always costs a fortune. Is there any chance bag guys dont drop it on the tarmac?

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I have done this numerous, numerous times with no issues at all. The styrofoam shippers really protect the wine.

We've done it before and have friends that have done it many times w/o incident

I do it all the time domestic and international. The cardboard insert in the wine check is way more durable than styrofoam in my opinion.

I bought a really cheap wine suitcase. It's basically a canvas cover for a case shipping box on wheels. I've used it multiple times and loaned it out as well. No problems.

East Dallas Ag said:

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Who has brought wine home by checking it as baggage. With free checked bags I was considering this vs. Conventional shipping which always costs a fortune. Is there any chance bag guys dont drop it on the tarmac?

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I use a WInecheck and have never had an issue

I've used a wine check and it's great, just unwieldy. Coming back from France we brought 14 bottles just using the bubble wrap individual bottle bags. Stuffed into our suitcases and cushioned with clothes. Worked just fine.

East Dallas Ag said:

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Who has brought wine home by checking it as baggage. With free checked bags I was considering this vs. Conventional shipping which always costs a fortune. Is there any chance bag guys dont drop it on the tarmac?

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Based on your username I assume you're in Dallas? If in houston, you're welcome to borrow our wine carrier bag.

JCA1 said:

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I was Bought this about a year ago. So far so good. Only word of caution is that with all the oversized bottles these days, the 172 is misleading. Figure it'll hold about 130-40.

https://www.allavino.com/flexcount/172-bottle-dual-zone-wine-refrigerator-with-left-hinge/

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Question about the Allvino, do the Flexcount shelves allow you to fit all the fat glass wineries are using these days? My bottles are clanging the shelf above when I pull them out. The Syrah bottles don't fit at all.

I would gladly sacrifice some bottle count for adequately spaced shelving, curoious if the Allvino flexcount fixes this issue.

I want to talk about Merlot.....

...stay with me here

Went to Napa in Oct, and scheduled a tasting at Hourglass. I've bought their Blueline Cab for a couple of years and had heard good things about their Merlot. Since I was going to be tasting the HG Merlot, I also scheduled a tasting at Duckhorn to try their famous Three Palms Merlot.

First of all, walking into Duckhorn after having some private appointments felt like I arrived at a major airport. Major tour bus stop. We tasted the '15 Three Palms, it was a nice wine, but knowing the '14 was Wine Spectators wine of the year left me a little disappointed.

The '15 Hourglass Blueline Estate Merlot, however, was a stunner. Our group expected it to be "little brother" to the Blueline Cab, but it held its own, and its $50 less. Brought a bottle home, opened it last weekend, and confirmed we love it.

My biggest thrill with wine is when I taste something new that blows me away. Since 2018 is coming to a close, I'm curious if anyone else tasted a wine that opened their eyes this past year...

brownguy81 said:

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First of all, walking into Duckhorn after having some private appointments felt like I arrived at a major ..

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A couple of years ago we stopped going to any of the larger wineries for this reason. Fortunately, we have some friends who are pretty tied in out there and are able to get to the private/small production places. The larger places have become a beat down for the most part.

brownguy81 said:

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JCA1 said:

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I was Bought this about a year ago. So far so good. Only word of caution is that with all the oversized bottles these days, the 172 is misleading. Figure it'll hold about 130-40.

https://www.allavino.com/flexcount/172-bottle-dual-zone-wine-refrigerator-with-left-hinge/

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Question about the Allvino, do the Flexcount shelves allow you to fit all the fat glass wineries are using these days? My bottles are clanging the shelf above when I pull them out. The Syrah bottles don't fit at all.

I would gladly sacrifice some bottle count for adequately spaced shelving, curoious if the Allvino flexcount fixes this issue.

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Short answer, not entirely. But it does have 3 shelves for double stacking so I use these 3 for the really big bottles. And the regular shelves can hold some slightly oversized bottles, just not the monsters. The labels can rub though so I turn them glass side up.

Thanks JC good to know

A question I've never been asked before....

If you were to customize a sparkling wine (bubbles from all regions are eligible) tasting flight, how would you go about this. Let's just say max per
Bottle would be $50 and do 6/7 bottles.

Pretend 4 people and we all want a glass to taste before moving to the next. Where would you start and let's say I'm buying at total wine Choice options

I'd start with a cava and Prosecco, both in the $25-$30 range. Then go to a domestic sparkling like a Schramsburg Mirabelle or a J Cuvee 20. Then I'd go to an easy to find French champagne like Taittinger, Moet, or Roederer. I'd finish with two grower champagnes, one with more Chardonnay and one with more Pinot Noir. If you can splurge a little, go with a premier cru and grand cru.

If you're only inviting four people, you're either going to need to make sleeping arrangements or Ubers for everyone or invite more people. Six wines for four people will result in drunkenness, and most people don't like getting initials like dwi after their names.

You should be able to find most of these at a larger total wine. The order depends on what you actually find.
Gran Cava with age, 2008-2010 should be around your price

I've never had a good Prosecco so skip that

Find an English sparkler if you can, might be too expensive

If you find a sparkling Sekt that could be fun

Schramsberg blanc de blanc

Veuve Yellow label- Dominique Demarville is making Veuve taste great again considering the volume they produce.

Grower champagne from Cote de blanc, you can find a grand cru in your price but make sure it's 100% Chardonnay, Gimmonet from Cuis is great and a blend of premier and grand cru

Grower champagne from Montagne de Reims, 100% Pinot noir. Dethune, Camille Saves, Paul Bara if you can find them

Find a champagne brut nature/non dosage. Tarlant is easy to find.

HTownAg98 said:

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I'd start with a cava and Prosecco, both in the $25-$30 range. Then go to a domestic sparkling like a Schramsburg Mirabelle or a J Cuvee 20. Then I'd go to an easy to find French champagne like Taittinger, Moet, or Roederer. I'd finish with two grower champagnes, one with more Chardonnay and one with more Pinot Noir. If you can splurge a little, go with a premier cru and grand cru.

If you're only inviting four people, you're either going to need to make sleeping arrangements or Ubers for everyone or invite more people. Six wines for four people will result in drunkenness, and most people don't like getting initials like dwi after their names.

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Pretty solid list. I'd maybe do a French cremant vs two champagnes to compare....

Depending on the people, I'd shy away from a brut nature. Some of them can strip the enamel off your teeth. If you're trying to get people into champagne, they can be a little off-putting.

If these are entry bubbly people add in the prosecco and cut the brut nature as you mentioned. I need to remember I'm quite unique on bubbles as nearly everything I drink is under 6g/L and most are brut nature. There are tons of good bottles out there but lots of my family and friends just don't like the dry stuff, luckily my wife and I have the same palate.

For the Dallas crowd, Kroger has 30% off wine for buying 6 bottles or more.

I'm in northwest Plano and the Kroger at 121/Josey Ln has a decent selection in the $30 - $100 range. I load up every time they have this sale so I'm not opening expensive club wine bottles (or two) every night ...

Great prices to add wine like Caymus, Faust, Daou, Peju, etc.

Thank you for the bubbles suggestion. I'm saving this and taking your recs to the store to buy. Thanks again.