Texas Fall/Winter thread!

[zonta223]

Do you make a Cabernet Sauvignon? How about Merlot? I'm also fond of the taste of the Rieslings on occasion. If you make Cabernet Sauvignon, do you import your wine barrels from US Whiskey distillers? What is your brand/variety that you say is full-bodied?

The main wine I make is Shiraz......the king of red wines.......not the bloody awful Yellowtail or Black label rubbish.....but real Shiraz unfiltered, no residual sugar, full bodied and smooth. If you can hold up your glass of red wine to the light and see something on the other side.........put the glass down you are drinking rubbish lol
I make some San Giovese which is a lighter red (the Italians make Chianti out of it.)
And Grenache a softer red.
Don't do Cab Sav or Merlot can't give the grapes away here.Wineries don't want them.
Cab Sav is locally know as the wine with the hole in the middle........meaning it tends to have great first taste and a nice lingering finish but no middle.......That"s why its the most blended red wine in Australia (normally with Merlot)
I know of no large winery (and I have worked at or for a few) that would use ex whiskey barrels. The Scotch distillers of whiskey do but wineries here no.
If you want to try an Australian Riesling the best ones come from an area called the "Clare Valley" and 2 of the best ones are made by Grosset and Pikes wineries

I am a tiny little producer that retails my wine at local community markets. I have won prizes against some of the big boys but cannot match them for advertising etc.......Had a few large retailers interested in buying my wine but I don't make enough or cheaply enough...so I am happy to go one making what I consider good hand made wines and selling directly to the public....no better feeling than when someone buys a bottle of my wine and at the next market they are first inline to buy a dozen.

Wow long post my apologies to the Texans.......did not mean to hog the thread.

 

[Western]

Your not "hogging the thread":thumbsup: General "coffee shop" discussions bring "flavor" to TBN, so post away!! Our weather has been normal/dry lately anyway.

Although I don't like wine much, I find it interesting. Maybe I snuck to much MD20/20 when I was young, so all I remember is a bottle of it, then the toilet so my memory may be a bit skewed I have had some of the "better' wines and they where far better, but I am not a connoisseur.

"If you can hold up your glass of red wine to the light and see something on the other side.........put the glass down you are drinking rubbish lol"

Never knew that either, good point, BTW, if I drink enough Crown Royal, I can see allot of stuff "that isn't there":laughing:

HEY if you see Angus Young, tell him to call me!!!!

 

[Bird]

Wow long post my apologies to the Texans.......did not mean to hog the thread.

Yeah, the rest of us would never get off topic in a thread, right?:laughing::laughing:

Where wine is concerned, I'm one of the least knowledgeable fellers you'll ever talk to. I agree with Justin Wilson "The Cajun" when, in his cooking shows, he said, "The right wine is the one you like." And I guess I'm different from most men in my tastes. I prefer a slightly sweet wine and no matter what it is, I want it cold; the colder the better.

The best white wine I ever tasted was a Gewerztraminer from the Stewart Vineyards in Washington state, and it was 1.75% residual sugar. I later tried the one at Taylor Vineyards in New York state and it wasn't as good for my taste; lower percentage of residual sugar. But unfortunately, the Stewart Vineyards no long exist.

But the only wine I routinely keep on hand is a big jug of Carlo Rossi Sangria.:laughing:

One of my wife's best friends is French and she prefers those old bitter (I guess they call it "dry") French wines at room temperature. Terrible tasting stuff.

Dennis, I've still not tasted Mad Dog 20/20. Thunderbird was the wine of choice of the winos and street people back in the '60s; a white wine that I did try once and it wasn't much worse than kerosene. But for reasons unknown to me, in the '70s, the street people changed to Mad Dog 20/20; a red wine. Is it cheaper?

 

[jinman]

The main wine I make is Shiraz......the king of red wines...

Syrah/Shiraz grapes weren't really going big in Napa Valley of California in the '70s, so I didn't have them in my brief wine education. I've heard of Shiraz wines and that they are full-bodied, but considered them closer to Port wine in taste. I do like Cabernet, both its bouquet and taste. You've convinced me to give Shiraz a try.

Vinters in California used to buy lots of old oak casks from the whiskey distillers in Kentucky and Tennessee. Whiskey has to be aged in virgin casks, but there's no limit to reusing them over and over for wine. I'm not sure if more modern techniques are used, or if they still do that.

 

[CowboyRon]

The main wine I make is Shiraz......the king of red wines.......not the bloody awful Yellowtail or Black label rubbish.....but real Shiraz unfiltered, no residual sugar, full bodied and smooth. If you can hold up your glass of red wine to the light and see something on the other side.........put the glass down you are drinking rubbish lol
I make some San Giovese which is a lighter red (the Italians make Chianti out of it.)
And Grenache a softer red.
Don't do Cab Sav or Merlot can't give the grapes away here.Wineries don't want them.
Cab Sav is locally know as the wine with the hole in the middle........meaning it tends to have great first taste and a nice lingering finish but no middle.......That"s why its the most blended red wine in Australia (normally with Merlot)
I know of no large winery (and I have worked at or for a few) that would use ex whiskey barrels. The Scotch distillers of whiskey do but wineries here no.
If you want to try an Australian Riesling the best ones come from an area called the "Clare Valley" and 2 of the best ones are made by Grosset and Pikes wineries

I am a tiny little producer that retails my wine at local community markets. I have won prizes against some of the big boys but cannot match them for advertising etc.......Had a few large retailers interested in buying my wine but I don't make enough or cheaply enough...so I am happy to go one making what I consider good hand made wines and selling directly to the public....no better feeling than when someone buys a bottle of my wine and at the next market they are first inline to buy a dozen.

Wow long post my apologies to the Texans.......did not mean to hog the thread.

I guess my wine is good, I like dewberry wine in a Dixie cup. I can't see through. Haha

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm not a wine drinker, but I've dated plenty of girls that are. My go to to wine is Woodbrige. Seems like all their wines are very good.

I've seen Yellowtail, but haven't bought any or tried it.
Eddie

 

[Bird]

I'm not a wine drinker, but I've dated plenty of girls that are. My go to to wine is Woodbrige. Seems like all their wines are very good.

I've seen Yellowtail, but haven't bought any or tried it.
Eddie

Actually, I'm guessing Yellowtail must be pretty good if it's the #1 imported wine in sales now.

 

[Western]

Dennis, I've still not tasted Mad Dog 20/20. Thunderbird was the wine of choice of the winos and street people back in the '60s; a white wine that I did try once and it wasn't much worse than kerosene. But for reasons unknown to me, in the '70s, the street people changed to Mad Dog 20/20; a red wine. Is it cheaper?

I tried Thunderbird I'm pretty sure, sounds familiar, but I don't no If MD 20/20 is/was cheaper. I know it was the cheapest we could get without gett'n caught!! Worst night I ever had, was a party including MD 20/20 ( after we ran out of Jack Daniels) If I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure I met some "saint's", some movie stars and a porcelain plate that had a hole in it:laughing: Kerosene BIRD!! I know it taste worse the second time around

 

[zonta223]

Thanks everyone for your kind comments and allowing a non Texan to post.

Bird
Gewerztraminer ....Gewerztraminer is German for Spicy Traminer. Normally sold in Australia as Gewerztraminer Riesling.I am not a huge fan preferring normal Rieslings. Can I suggest you try an Australian Fronti...Beautiful fruit driven wine. Smooth tasting. Great on its own or with seafood or salad etc. Just the smell of it being pored into the glass brings back the memory of summer fruits. And the ladies love it. If you can find it at a reasonable price try for one from the Grant Burge winery or any Barossa valley winery.

Jinman
Shiraz comes in all tastes and price ranges. If you want a good one and an Australian one as opposed to average one choose it by its GI (geographical Indicator). If is says Product of South Eastern Australia it is normally produced in the hot irrigated Murray River regions they produce huge volumes of grapes per acre. In my opinion they only produce mainly average wines (which tend to be cheaper).
If you choose something from the (in my order of preference) Barossa Valley, MClaren Vale, Limestone Coast, Padthaway or Coonawarra you will generally get a better quality drink.
And Shiraz tastes nothing like Port. (But I have won prizes for my Shiraz Port in fact its one of my best sellers)
BTW Mclaren Vale is famous for its Cab Sav.supposed to be the best in the world.

A persons taste in wine is a very personal thing. No one can tell you that you have to like wine "a" or "b" etc. I give free wine tastings at every market. I get told my wine tastes of this or that even had customers argue about what they taste. The truth is your tongue/ mouth can only really taste 4 things. Sweet, sour, bitter and salty. (there is new evidence that you can also taste fat)...Every other identifier you get as to the "real" taste of anything is supplied by the nose and brain. If you have a well tuned nose you can find lots of different flavors etc. So your choice of likes and dislikes in food/wine is really determined by your nose not your mouth

Best regards everyone

Bob

 

[wcampbell47]

I have not been a big wine drinker, that is until lately. My VA doc wants me to work on lowering my cholesterol level. I was reading about how to do that and discovered that a Pinot Noir has the best qualities for doing that, plus having a glass of red wine in the evening is just plain good for you. My local liquor store carries Wild Horse which is a Central California Coast wine. Very delightful wine.

Got to try some of those Texas wines like Llano Estacado.