OT - Wine question

Fun fact! The wine in the Silence of the Lamb was supposed to be Amarone, but was changed because they didn't think Americans would recognize it (which, agreed). But if you ever get down on liver and fava beans, do yourself a favor and don't drink a Chianti with it.

Great advice on red wine temperature. Serving a really good red wine at room temperature is almost a crime. Cooling it down kind of tightens it up. I find it takes up to 45 minutes in the refrigerator to bring it down from 72.

What I meant to say is, I don't know Round Hill as a producer, so can't speak to their reputation/ageability, etc.

I love aged Sauternes too.  But since he's focused on his bottle of cab, a discussion of tannins seems like a good simple starting point to get the idea.

It needs "helmet stickers" that say "flu", "snow", so on and so forth.

They need a bigger mug.  I’m thinking something that’s sized like an Oktoberfest beer stein - with room for at least a liter.

1) Nice, love Taurisi as a region. Now there's a steak/fireside wine to age for decades/ decant overnight! Check out Xinomavro, Sagrantino, Tannat, and Nebbiolo/Barolo/Barberesco for similiarly tannic varietals.

My favorite grape is the one in front of me, haha! So hard to choose, so I'll give several, but for sheer under the radar/value aspect (and for my palate- you might like different things!) I lean old world, crisp refreshing whites: muscadet, assyrtiko, and albarino, earthy reds: Nebbiolo, cotes du rhone/GSM blends/cabernet franc, acid driven rose: provence and loire cab francs for those hot days, and bubbles: cremant (basically sparkling wine made like champagne in france, just not from the champagne region), cava, and some pet nats (some can get too funky, but not all. YMMV).

2) That depends what style of wine you're looking for and within that what your taste preferences are. White, red, bubbly, rose, bubbly rose? Fruity vs. earthy? Oak or no oak? Sweet/dry? Acidic? Funky?

Basically, best is subjective, of course, so I'd want to know more, hence the asking a bunch of questions, before making a recommendation on what bottle $10-20 I think you would find "best" vs. what I would find to be "best", if all that makes sense?

3) Depends on the fish. But generically? Chilled (read above about wine temps) "Cru" Beaujolais (there are 10 of them: Morgon, Fleurie, Brouilly, and on. Beaujolais villages works too and will be more affordable. Just avoid Beaujolais noveau). The big thing with pairing red wine with fish is to 1) avoid tannic wines which will give the fish a metallic taste and 2) make sure it's a lighter style red wine- pinot noir, gamay, cinsault, grenache/garnacha, etc. so it doesn't overwhelm fish, which tends to be a more delicate protein.

Have never worked on the restaurant side of things, did 4 years at a curated retail liquor store, just started working at a neighborhood wine bar. Agreed on talking about the wine with other people. And love the opportunity to do blind tasting (can't blind yourself!).

And fuck most wine labels, the amount of bullshit on there that is basically fancy wine word salad that actually means nothing is astounding. Wine is like a foreign language (or at least, I didn't grow up with it) and wine labels have done very little to help customers understand the wine. Big fan of wineries that actually use real wine language to share what it will taste like rather than blowing hot air up customers' noses, but those are few and far between.

Tongue in cheek answer: don't buy it from Bordeaux. Swap it for South African Stellenbosch Merlot (I'm a big fan of Longridge which I can snag for $30 and is rockstar), a ringer for right bank BDX. Likewise some Chilean merlot is made in a right bank style and is incredibly affordable comparatively speaking. Also have had success with affordable right bank style Merlot from Lazio outside of Rome, but that's a super under the radar region that may be difficult to track down.

But if you did want a good value on a SE (and I'd typically call that $30-45 retail USD for quality), then check out chateau pipeau grand cru (I snagged it for $40), and for pure value chateau lyonnat at $20 (!!!) USD

Edit: This is a good place to add: liquor laws and distribution vary state by state. It's typically why I'll prefer to recommend regions/grape varietals rather than producers/wineries per se if I'm making an out of state recommendation, because your state may very well not have it.

I have more than 1200 bottles in my cellar, with an average cost of about $50. I agree with your comment completely.

It's definitely a big world of wine out there! Especially with climate change, new regions are becoming more viable to grow grapes, though with a higher volatility for frost/hail/drought, etc- some of the best sparkling wine in the world right now is made in southeastern England, even some champagne houses are investing in properties there to hedge their bets. Poland, Ukraine, and Russia stand to gain to grow grapes due to climate change. Is "that sure was a good Alaskan vintage!" really that far behind?

Likewise, old regions are having to rethink what grapes they plant- Bordeaux just approved Tempranillo and other warm climate grapes to be planted and slowly blended into the wines in small amounts. Burgundy is considering exploring planting Syrah. All that to say, if you think wine has become expensive now, just you wait! It may potentially be held in check by the new regions, but think those gains will offset by the loss of old ones. I just really doubt those prices are ever coming down.

In terms of keeping cost down, there's the time honored strategy of buying in bulk. Shopping at your local wine shop (please, if anyone is reading this, consider supporting your local wine shop instead of grocery store wines!), there are often half case or full case discounts. If you don't ask, the answer is always no!

Other strategies 1) buy from lesser known wine regions- Languedoc-Roussillion instead of Cotes du Rhone. Paso Robles or columbia valley instead of Napa and Sonoma. And on. 2) Look for productive vintages in regions- a surfeit of wine may very well flood the market and *ought to* bring the price down for the consumer as wineries look to unload their haul. 3) Buy different grapes outside the ones most folks know. Instead of Pinot Noir, look to Gamay, or Nerello Mascalese. Instead of Cab, try an Uruguayan Tannat. The less the average consumer recognizes the grape, the more affordable that grape tends to be. It's a fun game tracking down those bargains while exploring the world of wine all at the same time, win win!