Interesting posts, interesting stings and barbs. I think at $8.95, generally the grapes may not be optimum, often failed or rejected harvests, bad years etc. not the best. However Ceiling Cat's wine is from Chile which makes wines from mediocre to excellent and is also a developing country blessed with the soil and climate conducive to growing good wine grapes, which could justify the lower price. It should also be noted that the price that the monopolistic government owned LCBO sells the wine at is sometimes out of wack with other markets and cannot be used as a true guide for wine quality. I have recieved a lot of valuable knowledge and also some pretense recently in posts from scotch, vodka and wine drinkers and on the degree off doneness that one should enjoy a steak even. I know two people who work at the LCBO at the alcohol sampling section who cringe and complain off the record about the patrons that sometimes frequent the tasting bar in terms of their phony behaviour. If Ceiling Cat enjoys this wine then Ceiling Cat should not be afraid to express an opinion although it would be of little value to wine drinkers who may or may not be wine snobs, once they see the price. More than one sommelier has told me that the industry is in flux and that they need a second job.
Wine suggestions?
- Thread starter Perry Mason
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Interesting posts, interesting stings and barbs. I think at $8.95, generally the grapes may not be optimum, often failed or rejected harvests, bad years etc. not the best. However Ceiling Cat's wine is from Chile which makes wines from mediocre to excellent and is also a developing country blessed with the soil and climate conducive to growing good wine grapes, which could justify the lower price. It should also be noted that the price that the monopolistic government owned LCBO sells the wine at is sometimes out of wack with other markets and cannot be used as a true guide for wine quality. I have recieved a lot of valuable knowledge and also some pretense recently in posts from scotch, vodka and wine drinkers and on the degree off doneness that one should enjoy a steak even. I know two people who work at the LCBO at the alcohol sampling section who cringe and complain off the record about the patrons that sometimes frequent the tasting bar in terms of their phony behaviour. If Ceiling Cat enjoys this wine then Ceiling Cat should not be afraid to express an opinion although it would be of little value to wine drinkers who may or may not be wine snobs, once they see the price. More than one sommelier has told me that the industry is in flux and that they need a second job.
You also have to take into account supply and demand, the economy of that nation, the cost of labor and if foreign capitol is desperately needed to bolster the home economy. Sometimes there is a perfect storm of events and we in Canada can profit from the misfortune of other nations. This week a friend of mine told me that she had just returned from Cuba for the second time in 6 months. She told me she paid $700 for 10 days. Airfare, hotel and meals all included. She benefits from the US embargo on Cuba which will soon will be lifted. At this time foreign dollars are desperate needed in Cuba and vacations are cheap, when there are Americans coming in by the boatload even for day trips the prices will triple or quadruple.
You want a good bottle of red for under 30 bucks? Try something random, red, and Argentinian and you'll prolly do all right. Some surprisingly good stuff out of there the past several years running. Wanna spend a bit more but not an insane amount? Some good Italian reds that fit the bill (Amarone or however it is spelled is damned nice)
+1 for the Amarone.
When purchasing, it's simply a matter of buying the best you can within your price range - ie. under $16, 20, 25, 30 etc. (or sometimes splurging
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Perry, FWIW, I have taken out a membership on Natalie MacLean's website, www.nataliemaclean.com. Her reviews are consistent, using a 100 point number system. Once you learn and trust her descriptors, eg "This Carmenere (aka Merlot) is incredibly concentrated rich and deep with fleshy black plums that you can dive head first into. Wow. This wine is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. Another phenomenal wine from Montes". She's talking about a $19.95 Montes Alpha Carmenère 2012, scored 93/100. I'm mostly a red wine guy, so when I see words like coffee, chocolate or mocca, I'm all over it. Cost is about $25/yr, and for sure, that saves me way more at Vintages, substantially increasing the likelihood that I will enjoy any given bottle. I use other sources as well, but she's one of the principlals. Another tactic that I use is going back to buy 4 more bottles of the same wine if I really like it. I then lay it down for 2016/17/18 & 19. It takes a bit of time, space and organization, but you almost never pull a bad bottle of wine out of the basement.
Happy wine-tasting.
When purchasing, it's simply a matter of buying the best you can within your price range - ie. under $16, 20, 25, 30 etc. (or sometimes splurging
.Perry, FWIW, I have taken out a membership on Natalie MacLean's website, www.nataliemaclean.com. Her reviews are consistent, using a 100 point number system. Once you learn and trust her descriptors, eg "This Carmenere (aka Merlot) is incredibly concentrated rich and deep with fleshy black plums that you can dive head first into. Wow. This wine is aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. Another phenomenal wine from Montes". She's talking about a $19.95 Montes Alpha Carmenère 2012, scored 93/100. I'm mostly a red wine guy, so when I see words like coffee, chocolate or mocca, I'm all over it. Cost is about $25/yr, and for sure, that saves me way more at Vintages, substantially increasing the likelihood that I will enjoy any given bottle. I use other sources as well, but she's one of the principlals. Another tactic that I use is going back to buy 4 more bottles of the same wine if I really like it. I then lay it down for 2016/17/18 & 19. It takes a bit of time, space and organization, but you almost never pull a bad bottle of wine out of the basement.
Happy wine-tasting.
One wine I always recommend which continues to surprise people is Ravenswood Zinfandel from Cali.
No it isn't the pink Crap but a nice spicy red. Usually in the Vintages and a tad over 30 bucks but we'll worth it. It goes fantastic as a steak red on a hot day outside.
No it isn't the pink Crap but a nice spicy red. Usually in the Vintages and a tad over 30 bucks but we'll worth it. It goes fantastic as a steak red on a hot day outside.
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