I work in the business, always like to talk the trade.

Not a "Wino" really, but I'm really disappointed with my bottle of La Crema I opened tonight. It's a bad bottle. :( Vinegar.

I'm still waiting for Ken's ultralight backpacking tour of wineries. I wish I knew more about wine to talk.......

Wino...as in being able to consume enormous quantities of any type at any price?
I'm your man.

Intelligent discussion about styles, grapes, winemakers...?
Nope.

"I could talk about wine, but I'd rather drink it" Ernest Gallo

Passionate amateur here. How's it hangin'?

We've been drinking a lot of sicilian stuff lately. Have you had the new occhipinti?

Since we are discussing wine of sorts... anyone try the Platypus wine containers? What can you tell me about them?

Living between Napa Valley and the Sierra Foothills it's pretty easy to get pulled into the whole scene. I get a kick out of dropping in to a tasting room on the drive home from a hike. Who is this scruffy character? (Actually, the foothill wineries lack the pretense one finds in Napa Valley these days.)

Skål!,

Rick

Joe, one day I fill figure one out!!

Napa and Sonoma are pretentious. Alot of my tastings of late have been in Monterey Co. and the Santa Cruz Mtns. AVA. Loads of great Pinots and Chards are produced there. Even better is the low key manor in which the tasting rooms are. Suggestions would be Figge Cellars, Paraiso, Pesagno, Talbot, David Bruce, Cinabar, and Ridge. I love Bordeaux blends, Pinots, and Chards!

Ken,

Keep going south, don't stop at Santa Cruz :-) If you're a pinot fan, I strongly recommend Lane Tanner and Fiddlehead. They can be tough to find, but they have big legs. I have a few 2005 Lane Tanner chilling out for next year.

Also, do you know edmunds st john? They mostly buy grapes, but they make some excellent wines, including a varietal Gamay - not too common here. It's cheap and drinks easy, great with turkey for that holiday in november.

If you're looking for the occhipinti, the next time you're in SF, check out Biondivino- they have a great italian selection (with prices to match, unfortunately). You can't go wrong with ANY Tenuta di Terre Nere.

http://www.biondivino.com/location/

For that matter, next time you're in SF, PM me and we'll drink one (maybe after hiking Shipwreck Walkk :-) )

but I'm partial to Zins and Syrahs

(Sacramento area)

Thanks for all the info Joe, wow....I have some homework to do here. I sell wine for a living so I have the pleasure of tasting alot of wines. I am off to check out Lane Tanner and Fiddlehead! Thanks for the heads up. Biondivino??? I will look that up too. I am always up for a wine drinking partner!

Cary, since you live in Sac. and you have a fantastic Zin region to the east. I suggest Renwood. They make some fantastic Zins! Ironstone in Murphys make some nice affordable Zins too

the youngest daughter was preparing for a pre-SAT test.

They have the original art for the wren logo on their entry wall.

Gave me a bottle of their I think 2006 Zin (whatever one around that time was an award winner, somwhere 2005-2007 anyway). It was pretty good. I actually like the Lodi Zins better.

The Clarksburg Syrahs are pretty good, too.

Lane Tanner source juice from Bien Nacido...All I need to see on a label is those two words. Automatic buy in my mind. Their Bien Nacido Pinot is reasonably priced. So I will look into a purchase. Fiddlehead sources from Fiddlestix...another automatic!!! Thanks for the heads up on those two wineries!

Yeah Lodi does very well with Zins too. Ravenswood has a Lodi Zin that is quite tasty. Great with BBQ's

I've had the Campus Oaks, but some of the others I've had and liked a lot didnt' even make this list:

http://www.zinsoflodi.com/the_wines1.htm

I know when I go to dinner and someone buys me a bottle of Duckhorn, I'm a happy camper. Wish I could find something comparable for about a 1/4 of the price.

Joe, what varietals have you had. I can give loads of suggestions

@Joe Clement - if you're talking about the cab, look for guenoc for about 1/4 the price, or a Provenance for slightly more than half the price - both wines are a similar style and offer good value.

If you're talking about the Zin, look for Rosenblum - I don't think they make a bad wine.

@Ken - where do you sell? Retail or ws?

Edited by JoeFish on 07/25/2010 14:29:58 MDT.