Sure, it was from Bingham Family Winery. They had several good wines; whites and reds. I went to three wineries a year and a half ago and one of them was about what I expected. the wines were drinkable but not particularly good. The other two, of which Bingham was one, were very good across the board. I was talked into doing it by two South African friends that were coming over. I did my best to talk them out of it, convinced there couldn't be any good wine there. I mean, I haven't ever seen any in distribution. I was wrong. The experience in the tasting rooms was superior to Napa which has become overrun and costly. I was west of Austin, near Fredricksburg. They have a second wine region up near Lubbock I think.
90 Minute Thread: White Wine?
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Sure, it was from Bingham Family Winery. They had several good wines; whites and reds. I went to three wineries a year and a half ago and one of them was about what I expected. the wines were drinkable but not particularly good. The other two, of which Bingham was one, were very good across the board. I was talked into doing it by two South African friends that were coming over. I did my best to talk them out of it, convinced there couldn't be any good wine there. I mean, I haven't ever seen any in distribution. I was wrong. The experience in the tasting rooms was superior to Napa which has become overrun and costly. I was west of Austin, near Fredricksburg. They have a second wine region up near Lubbock I think.
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The Grey Moss Inn, outside San Antonio, has one of the best wine lists I've ever seen. A former colleague of mine who used to be a sommelier moved to Texas in the early 2000s and I asked for his recommendations of good places to go when we were there for the NCAAs in 2004. He recommended this place and we had an epic meal there.
The bottom line is that in blind tastings of regular people, there is no correlation between the wines they like and the price of the wine. In fact, the paper found a slightly negative correlation, suggesting that regular people actually prefer cheaper wines."
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I'm going to weigh in on this argument and kind of play both sides. Someone else in this thread indicated they were from the Charlotte area; I go to a store here called The Winestore. There is one in Blakeney and one in South Park. Anyway, they have tasting machines so you can try before you buy which is nice. They hold many blind tastings throughout the year and the wines in the lineup range from $10 or $12 up to $80 and there are typically eight of them. There are a good 100-200 people that participate and the winners are routinely in the $15-$20 range, occasionally $20-$25 range. The big boys never win and I will admit that while I often choose a $30-$40 bottle, I have never chosen a $50+ bottle and have sometimes chosen a $15-$20 bottle.
There is a caveat however. I feel that the more expensive bottles have more structure but are still too tannic and are not yet drinking well. The $15-$25 bottles are ready to drink and not built to age. I've experienced this in some barrel tastings I've done. I'm sure the wines were ultimately going to be awesome but at that stage of the process they tasted terrible and I don't have a good enough palette to recognize the potential. I only know what I taste in the moment. So I guess what I'm saying is that it might not be a fair comparison. The $80 bottle might need to be 5-10 years old versus a $15 recent vintage. I think I might be able to tell then but who knows.
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I'm going to weigh in on this argument and kind of play both sides. Someone else in this thread indicated they were from the Charlotte area; I go to a store here called The Winestore. There is one in Blakeney and one in South Park. Anyway, they have tasting machines so you can try before you buy which is nice. They hold many blind tastings throughout the year and the wines in the lineup range from $10 or $12 up to $80 and there are typically eight of them. There are a good 100-200 people that participate and the winners are routinely in the $15-$20 range, occasionally $20-$25 range. The big boys never win and I will admit that while I often choose a $30-$40 bottle, I have never chosen a $50+ bottle and have sometimes chosen a $15-$20 bottle.
There is a caveat however. I feel that the more expensive bottles have more structure but are still too tannic and are not yet drinking well. The $15-$25 bottles are ready to drink and not built to age. I've experienced this in some barrel tastings I've done. I'm sure the wines were ultimately going to be awesome but at that stage of the process they tasted terrible and I don't have a good enough palette to recognize the potential. I only know what I taste in the moment. So I guess what I'm saying is that it might not be a fair comparison. The $80 bottle might need to be 5-10 years old versus a $15 recent vintage. I think I might be able to tell then but who knows.
Check out Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa. The wine list is longer than the Bible. They supposedly have 100,000 bottles in the restaurant and hundreds of thousands more in a warehouse nearby.
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Sometimes they might need decanting to let the tannins subside, too. This has been a great tool to accelerate that process; a waiter used one for a bottle I ordered at a restaurant in L.A. around ten years ago and I went and bought one for myself the day I got home:
Amazon product ASIN B000UPOJ5W
I've not been so can't comment on the wine list, but several of our neighbors had gone in the past year and all said it's not the same as in the day and overpriced for what it is now. Living off their name was a common critique
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8893
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Ha! I was there in '99 for that Final Four! Agreed, insane wine list. Great place. We did the whole deal there: Chateaubriand, great bottle of Cab, dessert room, cigars and port.
Ah, too bad. I haven't been in probably 20 years. It was a unique experience back then.
storrsroars
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Or Alvarinho from Portgual (same grape). My go-to for any firm white fish, although excellent on its own. Our state stores don't have a wide selection of them, so it's usually Martin Codax for about $14.
I'd also take a look at some white blends, which can be very interesting. Long time fan of Conundrum, which has dropped in price significantly over the past 20 years. And some similar blends of 3-5 different varietals coming out of some excellent South African wineries, like Avondale or Vergelegen
It's rare I'll drop more than $20 on a white these days. I used to be a big Graves fan when I was flush, but I'm not that spendy these days, although I'll still pick up a bottle of Chateau Rahoul if I find it under $25 here in PA.
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I really enjoy this albarino
8893
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I've only had a couple Alvarinhos and I've liked them a lot. I don't see a lot of them here, either.
I used to really like Conundrum but haven't had it or thought about it in at least 10-15 years because I stopped spending the money for it when I started to find other interesting whites much less expensive; interesting to hear about the price drop. I will look for it again and see how it compares to my memory of it.
I'm with you on the price range. Unless it's a really special occasion, I try to keep it under $15 for whites and roses, and I'm giddy when I score closeouts for $10 or less.
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Atmosphere is similar but was told service and food quality was not what they expected for the $$$$
Thx for all the recommendations. Will make me go beyond my usual buys on my next trip. This thread has been great. Keep adding new suggestions folks.
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I fell in love with Conundrum in the 90s, when it was pushing $40/bottle. It's now in the $15-$20 range. Because of how it's made (and that Caymus always said it was "an experiment"), it always had the potential to vary significantly from year to year, but I always eagerly anticipated the next year's bottling. Caymus split it off as its own thing sometime in the 00s and I think it's not as complex or surprising as it used to be, but at the same time, in the new lower price range, I think it's still an exceptional value and very unique/drinkable/enjoyable compared to a lot of other bottles in the $15-$20 range.
I have one bottle of this left. One of the best whites I've had in a while if you can find it. I think I paid $30. Pinot Bianco from Alto Adige. Really excellent.
For US whites I tend toward Pinto Gris and Pinot Blanc from Oregon. Bethel Heights and Harper Voit are a couple of favorites.
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We must have created a run on Albariño. Went to Bistro Mediterranean in East Haven for lunch today and for the first time in the nine or so years that they’ve been open they were out of it and awaiting their delivery.
Oh well, gave me the chance to try a new-to-me Spanish white, Garnacha Blanco, from Navarra in northern Spain. Very quaffable. I like Albariño better, but this was a perfectly fine sipper for a summer day.
Apparently it is the light-skinned mutation of Granache Noir, the red grape commonly known simply as Granache.
Although it is native to northern Spain, Garnacha Blanco is reportedly best known for its role in Rhône blends—including most notably in the blend for the legendary Rhône red, Chateuneuf-du-Pape.
I love that there is always more to learn about this stuff.
Undaunted in my hunt for Albariño, I stopped at Coastal and did one better by grabbing a bottle of the only Alvarinho they had.
Also scored a liter bottle (yeah!) of Gruner Veltliner that I haven’t seen before, and a rosato from a renowned Montepulciano d’Abruzzo producer, made from the same grape.
Good head start on my vacation selections...
Oh well, gave me the chance to try a new-to-me Spanish white, Garnacha Blanco, from Navarra in northern Spain. Very quaffable. I like Albariño better, but this was a perfectly fine sipper for a summer day.
Apparently it is the light-skinned mutation of Granache Noir, the red grape commonly known simply as Granache.
Although it is native to northern Spain, Garnacha Blanco is reportedly best known for its role in Rhône blends—including most notably in the blend for the legendary Rhône red, Chateuneuf-du-Pape.
I love that there is always more to learn about this stuff.
Undaunted in my hunt for Albariño, I stopped at Coastal and did one better by grabbing a bottle of the only Alvarinho they had.
Also scored a liter bottle (yeah!) of Gruner Veltliner that I haven’t seen before, and a rosato from a renowned Montepulciano d’Abruzzo producer, made from the same grape.
Good head start on my vacation selections...
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ColchVEGAS
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If you enjoy the Alvarinho from Portugal branch out and try some other Portuguese whites, or reds for that matter. Do not be thrown off by the usually low price tags. Portugal produces some very good wines and many are still relative steals due to them holding their native grapes close to the chest still. You probably will not recognize any of the grape varieties and most of the reds will be blends, but they are usually very good at a lower price point than that of the French, Italian, and Spanish varieties.
I do not drink many whites but in my experience they are not typically worth the higher price tag.
Adesmar123
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White wine??
Barbara Steisand
Barbara Steisand
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Had a Matthiasson Rose over the weekend, not usually a big fan of rose but it was crisp and bright, probably the best rose I've had ($30+/-). Recommendation from my daughter, a recent graduate of the CIA WIne Management master's program!
Anyone have any questions about wines, I can ask her, LMK. She introduced me to dessert wines which I thought I hated, but really like!
Anyone have any questions about wines, I can ask her, LMK. She introduced me to dessert wines which I thought I hated, but really like!
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8893
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Alright adventurous Albarino fans, this sounds like a great one...from Uruguay!
I just bought six:
Garzon Albarino Reserve 2019
I just bought six:
Garzon Albarino Reserve 2019
Lived in Napa & Sonoma for a few years, and this is the best white I've ever had: Chenin Blanc — Casa Nuestra
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People who like sours or other funky beers should be on the look out for orange wines. They're fantastic and totally different than anything you normally expect from a wine. My wife and I tried them a few years ago in Slovenia (beautiful country) and since they've started to make their way into NY and Boston (and I'm sure many other places).
Had this a couple of days ago. Nice and crisp when cold, but as it warmed up it had a beautiful walnut flavor.
Had this a couple of days ago. Nice and crisp when cold, but as it warmed up it had a beautiful walnut flavor.
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Asimov did a nice write up on them a couple months ago:
The Polarizing Power of Orange Wine (Published 2020)
The best examples of these white wines, made with red techniques, are striking and wonderful. Still some dismiss this ancient wine, now trendy once more.
I received the Paolo Bea Aboreus (Italian) as a gift last Christmas and thought it was very interesting--like a white that tasted like a red in some ways--but I didn't love it and couldn't think of anything that would pair well with it food-wise.
I had a Pinot Noir from Slovenia two weeks ago and it was really nice. I have a Chardonnay from the same producer in my fridge now. Seems like a lot of promise in Slovenian wines.
I like Chenin. Less cloying than Chardonnay makes it pleasant to me. I’ve made several trips to South Africa and they do a nice job with that grape (they call it Steen). Pine Ridge in Napa makes a very nice Chenin/Viognier blend that only runs around $15. I’m not familiar with Casa Nuestra but I’ll be on the lookout.
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Well this one went faster than most have lately; now they have a Starmont rose made from Pinot Noir. Looks like a nice deal, and I have enjoyed the Starmont chardonnay, but I am stocked with roses at this point.
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I really liked the wines I had there and from Istria.Asimov did a nice write up on them a couple months ago:
The Polarizing Power of Orange Wine (Published 2020)
The best examples of these white wines, made with red techniques, are striking and wonderful. Still some dismiss this ancient wine, now trendy once more.www.nytimes.com
I received the Paolo Bea Aboreus (Italian) as a gift last Christmas and thought it was very interesting--like a white that tasted like a red in some ways--but I didn't love it and couldn't think of anything that would pair well with it food-wise.
I had a Pinot Noir from Slovenia two weeks ago and it was really nice. I have a Chardonnay from the same producer in my fridge now. Seems like a lot of promise in Slovenian wines.
Oranges don't pair particularly well with meals, but instead with snacks. I've had a lot (since Wine Bodega in Boston specializes in "natural wine"), and they vary in taste, which I love. There were a few wine bars in Boston (one near Fenway) that were growing their selection of "natural" wines. I had a natural rosé that is the best rosé I ever had, and I had a bunch in Provence.
Drumguy
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I'm a big Starmont fan. Merryvale does a great job with their less expensive winery. We bought a bunch of the Starmont 2013 pinot noir up in NH for $19/bottle for a wedding last year - have a few bottles left and it's still drinking well - really a great wine for the price.
Had a Gitton Sancerre last night, "Les Belles Dammes" was great!
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