Wine
 

quick and easy, i'm 20 years old and am invited to dinner at my buddy's girlfriend's. Her and her roomate are cooking. It'll be me, them, and the roomate who she wants to hook me up with.

Dinner is pasta w/ pesto, and an unknown dessert, i said i'd bring the wine, any suggestions on a bottle?

I'm not terribly concerned about price, but i'll look like just as much of a douche if show up with a hundred dollar bottle as if i show up with franzia.

(it's tomorrow and i'm in nyc if that helps)

Re: Wine
 

I really like Rombauer Merlot, you will find some 2002 around for about $30.

Re: Wine
 

Bum Wines.

I suggest the Thunderbird, perhaps a 2005 vintage. Prices range from $3.50 to $4 a bottle.

Re: Wine
 

Are you just looking for a wine that will "pair well w/ the food?" Meh. Most people drink most of their wine before and after eating, rather than during, mitigating the "need" to pair "perfectly," if there is such a thing. It's most important that you bring a wine you like and you think your friends will like. It doesn't matter if some expert recommends a perfect pairing if you don't much care for the variety or appelation. Are there any kinds of wine you've liked before? Let's start there.

Re: Wine
 

i'm really pretty friendly to wine in general, i can't remember the last wine i had that i didn't like.

That being said, i am interseted in the "right" wine, simply because red or white doesn't make much of a difference to me. we're all in college and i certainly don't care (nor i imagine could anyone tell) if the pairing was perfect, just want it to match up semi-correctly.

i dunno some i like are pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc in whites, cabernet sauvignon, chianti, and pinot noir in red.

Re: Wine
 

If you know nothing about wine, the best way to get a good bottle is to go to a store with a good selection and ask a clerk who will then start asking you questions about price, what you like, what will be served, etc. (If they don't or seem clueless, go to another store.) In a GOOD liquor store, there's usually one or two people who know wine. And in NYC, you shouldn't have trouble finding a decent store.

Re: Wine
 

Man, choosing wine is easy - so many wine shops have a staff that know more about wine than 98% of the population. There are a hundred wines you can buy that would fit. It's really hard to go wrong unless the chick is some wine lover and is expecting some kind of uniquely flavored wine. Just spend at least $15 bucks.

Re: Wine
 

You need to find a wine with a good story. Share the story and sound excited about the wine, like you're letting them in on somthing. I'd get an Amarone - it's a wine from Italy's veneto region and they partially dry the grapes on the hillsides and rooftops before pressing. Tell them the clerk mentioned how it's "smooth yet complex, it tastes like [whisper] velvet panties." The wine has enough going on for someone who appreciates wine to enjoy it but at the same time it's got a lot of fruit and avoids the tannin smash of something like a california cabernet (so people who like wine but don't have a cultivated pallete appreciate it as well).

But really, go with whatever you feel comfortable talking about.

Re: Wine
 

With four people, and unknown tastes they may have, I'd get two different wines, one white and one red. For pasta w/ pesto I'd go with a Sav. Blanc or a light Chardonnay and probably a Pino Noir for the red. But all that matters is what you and your friends like.

Bottles priced $10-20 sound about right for this situation.

Re: Wine
 

I agree the wine store should have people HIGHLY qualified but I agree with other posters that a white and a red would be best. Tell them your deal, tell them $15-$20 a bottle and they'll help.

You can't go wrong with an Italian red (MASI Valpolicella for exampl) and a California Chardonnay (Kendall Jackson) for example. Both should be around $12-$15 a bottle and are quite decent to drink as neither is particularly "huge" in the mouth to overpower whatever else you're eating.

No need to go wine snob and drop bigger bucks on very high end wines when you're not really into it at this point in your life.

GL.

Re: Wine
 

[ QUOTE ]
Tell them the clerk mentioned how it's "smooth yet complex, it tastes like [whisper] velvet panties."

[/ QUOTE ]
If this made me laugh at work, it will definitely make the date laugh. At you. Its almost like something out of a sitcom or an Anthony Michael Hall movie.

Re: Wine
 

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I really like Rombauer Merlot, you will find some 2002 around for about $30.

[/ QUOTE ]

You should never really have to pay $30 for a good bottle of wine.

You can easily get for $15 what you'll get for $30.

Re: Wine
 

I live in DC and there is a store called something like "wine seller (cellars?)"

It specializes in good but cheapish bottles of wine.

I might see if a store like that exists.

Re: Wine
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I really like Rombauer Merlot, you will find some 2002 around for about $30.

[/ QUOTE ]

You should never really have to pay $30 for a good bottle of wine.

You can easily get for $15 what you'll get for $30.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is wrong. I want a good french bordeaux, point me to a $15 bottle.

Re: Wine
 

chicks like white generally...so that's what i'd take.....It all depends on what you want to spend.

I wouldn't take sauvignon blanc for pasta...i'd probably take a pinot grigio or a chardonnay. Belvedere Russian River Valley Chardonnay is like liquid butter and it's only about $17 a bottle...try that.

Re: Wine
 

With Pesto you need a lighter wine, some American chardonnays will be way too heavy, too much oak, with big buttery taste. Try a dry Riesling, should go very well. Some of the best from a price-quality perspective are made in Australia, in the Clare Valley. If you really must have Chardonnay, look for an un-oaked one - wine merchant will point you in the right direction.

And to the poster who asked for a good Bordeaux around $15, look for a 2000 Chateau Grossombre, should be in that range.

Re: Wine
 

[ QUOTE ]
Dinner is pasta w/ pesto

[/ QUOTE ]

Looks like you need a white. Just go to your local wine shop, tell him what you are having, and tell him your price range, and he should be able to help you out.

Re: Wine
 

If you are having pasta it is a good idea to get a light italian wine. Try a Chianti Reserve. Antinori is one of the most popular Chianti makers, but there are plenty of others.

Francis Ford Coppola also makes an excellent red wine out of California. The price is ridiculously low but the quality is very good. Try that.

If you can't find any of these bottles (which is hard to imagine), go with something from Chile or Argentina.

Concha Y Toro makes some fabulous low cost Chilean wines.
And the Shiraz wines out of Australia are excellent.

Re: Wine
 

Trust me:

Silvio Jermann, Collio, Italy


Pinot Bianco IGT Venezia Giulia
Pinot Grigio IGT Venezia Giulia

Next level and worth it:

Vintage Tunina IGT Venezia Giulia

All of the Jermann wines are excellent and those first two will work really well with pesto. The Tunina is simply a great wine.

And if it means anything to you, I'm a former wine director.

Re: Wine
 

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You can easily get for $15 what you'll get for $30.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is clearly false. You can definitely get some excellent wines for under $15, but you have to be really picky. Go to winespectator.com and see what % of 90+ wines are $15 or less. It's not high.

Re: Wine
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

You can easily get for $15 what you'll get for $30.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is clearly false. You can definitely get some excellent wines for under $15, but you have to be really picky. Go to winespectator.com and see what % of 90+ wines are $15 or less. It's not high.

[/ QUOTE ]

clark is right. facts:

-there are some crappy 30$ wines that are as good as a 15$ ones

-there are some 15$ wines which are quite good and are better than most 30$ wines

-said 15$ wines are hard to find

Re: Wine
 

There are some in the 20s.

And he's not entirely wrong. Marketing, buzz and reputation really inflate prices for certain wines.

For example:

Plumpjack Reserve Cab Sauv Oakville 2002 - $160
Garguilo Vineyards Money Road Ranch Cab Sauv Oakville 2002 - $55

Re: Wine
 

[ QUOTE ]
There are some in the 20s.

And he's not entirely wrong. Marketing, buzz and reputation really inflate prices for certain wines.

For example:

Plumpjack Reserve Cab Sauv Oakville 2002 - $160
Garguilo Vineyards Money Road Ranch Cab Sauv Oakville 2002 - $55

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes he is entirely wrong. He made two statements of fact:

"You should never really have to pay $30 for a good bottle of wine."

and

"You can easily get for $15 what you'll get for $30. "

Both are false and show the poster knows [censored] all about wine.

Re: Wine
 

Wines with pesto.

Re: Wine
 

You are all wrong from the start. If he's trying to hook you up with this chick, you need some 100 proof to get her wasted. Roofies are also a fine choice, or a combination of the two if you don't want to leave anything to chance. Good luck

Re: Wine
 

Go to Sherry Lehman wine store. Huge selection.

Re: Wine
 

[ QUOTE ]
Go to Sherry Lehman wine store. Huge selection.

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Agreed. Best wine shop in the city, but usually expensive.

If your downtown, there's a good one at 8th Street and Broadway. On the Upper East, there's a good one on Lex between 86 and 87. On the Upper West, try the one on Broadway between 84 and 85. All have good but unique selections, and a very knowledgeable staff.

Re: Wine
 

Indeed the statements are untrue, but the spirit of what he said has merit. With this medium, I imagine many people fire off posts and don't intend for every word and its placement to be taken literally.

If you replace "don't" for "should never really have to" and remove "easily" from the second statement, they are valid.

Re: Wine
 

On a similar yet not so similar topic, how did all of you get into wine? I generally drink cocktails or decent beers, but I haven't gotten into wine and I feel like I'm missing out. The few wines I've tried (my family drank cheap wine when I was younger, and they never left a good impression on me) just felt weird on my palate.

Does anyone have good suggestions for a way to start enjoying wine? I'm not looking to force it onto myself - certainly, I could be a freak of nature, and just not enjoy wine - but I don't know anyone that's particular "into" wine and could thusly introduce me to it.

Apologies if this is a hijack, but hey [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Wine
 

Are you illiterate? Point me to where I said you could get a good Bordeaux for $15.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I really like Rombauer Merlot, you will find some 2002 around for about $30.

[/ QUOTE ]

You should never really have to pay $30 for a good bottle of wine.

You can easily get for $15 what you'll get for $30.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is wrong. I want a good french bordeaux, point me to a $15 bottle.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: Wine
 

At least somebody around here has the common sense to "read between the lines."

[ QUOTE ]
Indeed the statements are untrue, but the spirit of what he said has merit. With this medium, I imagine many people fire off posts and don't intend for every word and its placement to be taken literally.

If you replace "don't" for "should never really have to" and remove "easily" from the second statement, they are valid.

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: Wine
 

Are you near Union Square? There were several bottles of tasty 2003 Marcel Lapierre Morgon when I was there last week. It's about $19.

Re: Wine
 

[ QUOTE ]
Are you illiterate? Point me to where I said you could get a good Bordeaux for $15.


[/ QUOTE ]

Here:
[ QUOTE ]

You should never really have to pay $30 for a good bottle of wine.


[/ QUOTE ]

Or do you not consider Bordeaux to be a wine?

Re: Wine
 

Wow. Are you really this much of a moran? Clearly you don't get it. I won't waste my time trying any further. Carry on.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Are you illiterate? Point me to where I said you could get a good Bordeaux for $15.


[/ QUOTE ]

Here:
[ QUOTE ]

You should never really have to pay $30 for a good bottle of wine.


[/ QUOTE ]

Or do you not consider Bordeaux to be a wine?

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: Wine
 

[ QUOTE ]
Wow. Are you really this much of a moran? Clearly you don't get it. I won't waste my time trying any further. Carry on.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Are you illiterate? Point me to where I said you could get a good Bordeaux for $15.


[/ QUOTE ]

Here:
[ QUOTE ]

You should never really have to pay $30 for a good bottle of wine.


[/ QUOTE ]

Or do you not consider Bordeaux to be a wine?

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

No, you clearly know [censored] all about wine but feel the need to toss out some simplistic [censored] about wine pricing and quality. Both clarkmeister and I point out how wrong you are and you respond with insults.

You are a pathetic little twat who should leave this thread.

Re: Wine
 

heh that's where i went freshmen year to get huge tubs of vodka

Re: Wine
 

i live on 14th and 3rd, which store are we talking

Re: Wine
 

[ QUOTE ]
You are all wrong from the start. If he's trying to hook you up with this chick, you need some 100 proof to get her wasted. Roofies are also a fine choice, or a combination of the two if you don't want to leave anything to chance. Good luck

[/ QUOTE ]

You should never underestimate the power of red wine.

Re: Wine
 

[ QUOTE ]
i live on 14th and 3rd, which store are we talking

[/ QUOTE ]

He's probably talking about Union Square Wines - google it.

Re: Wine
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You are all wrong from the start. If he's trying to hook you up with this chick, you need some 100 proof to get her wasted. Roofies are also a fine choice, or a combination of the two if you don't want to leave anything to chance. Good luck

[/ QUOTE ]

You should never underestimate the power of red wine.

[/ QUOTE ]
For good measure, it wouldn't hurt to grind up a mg or so of Xanax and mix it in her wine. IMO, an uninhibited drugged girl is preferable to a slobbering drunk one who may puke on you.