GV,

I would love for you to taste any of the following wines:

Messapicus – Salice Salentino
Wishing Tree – Shiraz
Rancho Zabaco Reserve – Zin

These are some of my favorite QPR wines and would love to know what you think about them.

Thanks!!!

BTW…Gary, I think your wrong on the Schlid for #1 WS pick 0f 2006

The most fun I’ve had at a winery was at Harvest Moon Winery in Santa Rosa, CA. I visited near the end of the day and the proprietor, vineyard caretaker, winemaker (and everything else) Randy Pitts, was setting up for a private tasting that evening. My wife and I were the only ones in the tiny tasting room. Randy was teaching a new employee how to deal with customers in the tasting room. He brought out every wine he had, including some just bottled and a few that were pretty scarce, and shared them with us. We must have gone through a dozen wines (spitting, of course) with a running commentary about how the wines were made and details about acidity, Brix at harvest, etc. He also asked our opinion about every wine and seemed genuinely interested in what we had to say. He’s a marvelous, generous host and was great fun to talk with.

Thanks for this enjoyable episode, Gary. Beaujolais Nouveau usually seems unbalanced to me, but I have enjoyed it occasionally for its newish strawberry aromas and tastes. I think my favorite winery is the Joh. Jos. Prum winery in Wehlen, Germany. Why? Because almost every wine they make, from various vineyards and must weights is an excellent example of its type. The weightless, but intensively flavored wines of the middle mosel are typified at this winery, and I enjoy the wines. Jim PS Where do you get your spit buckets from?

Another solid episode Gary

By the way, Gary, I’d like you to do a Santa Lucia Highlands/Paso Robles vs. Russian River Valley/Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir taste off. Is there really a particular type of fruit flavor that predominates in those regions? Thanks, and tell your mom from me that she did a wonderful job on that Thanksgiving feast. It looked glorious. Jim

Nice episode Gary. I ordered your Zin recommendation from yesterday for the upcoming feast, so hopefully you were right on that one;)

QOD: My favorite winery hands down is Summerwood in Paso Robles, CA. Their wines are stellar across the board, from their excellent blends (Diosa and Diosa Blanc) to their pure varietals. On top of that, everyone in the tasting room is always incredibly helpful and friendly, even when they’re packed (which they usually are). I highly recommend it!

KAZ Winery is very fun. Crazy labels, casual attitude and another small California winery that thinks outside the (Franzia) box.

“Kaz makes wines from varietals that he admires like Mourvedre, Carignane, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Barbera, Alicante Bouschet and many more.”

Yea, and the wines are BIG!

Gary, I love your honesty Re; Beaujolais Nouveau. First you say ‘we’re going to sell 500 cases….
then you go on to taste the wine and give it an 82 rating (not that I have tasted any this year but based on what I have tasted before…. I’m sure you were prob. on the high side). Not sure what the situation is in the States today, but here in Canada, 10 years ago, people used to line up for this stuff. Today, its a non issue. I was actually in one of our local ‘LCBO’ (provincial monopoly; Liquor Control Board of Ontario) store this evening and did’nt see any on the floor???. Great episode.

Favorite winery: Ridge.
Why: American wines with a european aesthetic (disregard the Japanese ownership), longish history, Cabernets that age forever and stable, reasonable pricing. Also, they’re willing to expolre unusual grapes and blends. Their name on the label guarantees interesting wine in the bottle.

Gary — thanks for saving my money on the Beau Noveau. Usually pick up a couple of bottles, but not this time!

QOD: Favorite wineries:
1) J winery – not only are the wines great, but at the tastings they do pairings with food (for a reasonable $$). Very fun and not only can you taste the wines, but see how they pair. Great wines, great concept.

2) Poggio Antico (Italy) – Wonderful farm/vinyard and restaurant. We had a memorable dinner there, and drinking the wine over there it’s dirt cheap! Food, olive oil, wine and setting made for one of my favorite experiences in all of Italy.

3) Matanzas Creek (Sonoma) – Great wines, and beautiful setting (fields of lavender). Out of the way from the wineries that sit on top of each other — a little off the beaten path which is nice.

On on that, I’d love to see you taste any of the WL offerings from Matanzas:

) Matanzas Creek Bennett Valley Merlot 2003
Type: Sonoma Merlot
Size: 750ML | Vintage: 2003 | Library Code: 7515

) Matanzas Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Type: Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon
Size: 750ML | Vintage: 2002 | Library Code: 26319

Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc 2005
Type: Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc
Size: 750ML | Vintage: 2005 | Library Code: 9799

) Matanzas Creek Sonoma Chardonnay 2005
Type: Sonoma Chardonnay
Size: 750ML | Vintage: 2005 | Library Code: 28047

Happy Thanksgiving — I’m off to SF for Thanksgiving, and will be watching this thread closely, as we’ll be spending a day up in Napa/Sonoma. So keep those QOD answers coming!

Gary-
Another fabulous episode!
I like to see all of your energy!
I give this one – #129- a 97.
Hopscotch!
I never thought you could like wine and
hopscotch!
Keep up the good work!
🙂

QOD- Rosenblum is my favorite winery. I love the variety of the zins, which are reasonably priced and always of good quality. Also makes excellent syrahs and viognier. Usually easy to find also. Gary, I love amarones, but not always willing to pay the price. Many times I settle for a ripasso. Could you taste the Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre 2003? code#9231. I still have sev. bottles of the 2000 in my cellar Denise[#15], drinking wine won’t bother the shingles.

Please taste
1) Calvet Thunevin Cuvee Constance 2004
Type: Languedoc-roussillon
Size: 750ML | Vintage: 2004 | Library Code: 8314

I have had it and really think its a very good wine at a great price. I want to know your opinion?

I have to appologise about the Thanksgiving dinner, it looked so good I thought it was fake. Your Mom must be a fantastic cook.

Best winery: Dry Creek Vineyards for lunch. Oakville Grocery for supplies and Dry Creek for a 1/2 bottle of fume blanc and the outdoors.

My favorite vineyard is a small producer in the Loire Valley called Catherine and Pierre Breton. Its not because they are the
highest end or most sophisicated wines, but the purity of thier fruit and the incredible sense of place that
you can taste through the wine. The Nuits d’iveresse is especially interesting. The fruit comes right at you and
envelopes you.
jason carey

Gary, I would like you to taste the Benton Lane 2004 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, I had this last night and loved it, you can read my SEXY review on the forum.

If you do the Calvet Thunevin, how about adding these to make for a South of France tasting:

D’aupilhac Lou Maset Rouge 2004
Library Code: 28446

Chateau D’aussieres Corbieres 2003
Library Code: 3848

Domaine De Fontsainte Corbieres Rouge 2004
Library Code: 9236

Coturri Estate Zinfandel 2003 Library Code: 7768
Acacia A Pinot Noir 2005 Library Code: 9087

Thanks for yet another interesting episode!
QOTD: Sadly, I do not have a particular favorite winery. I have not had the good fortune to visit one to form a personal bond so I am evaluating via wine only and there is not one that stands out among the others.

Gary: Do you like beets? What wine would you select to drink with pickled beets?

Nice show Gary. I’m 😀 because it seems like the Duboeuf Beaujolais is always stacked 8 cases high near the door in every wine shop. I don’t know if it’s to push the wine or serve as a door stop. I never see anyone buy it, but clearly it sells.

QOTD: Given that I would be considered a second semester freshmam at Wine U., it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I don’t have extensive experience visiting vineyards. Aside from St. Julians in Michigan (yikes!), I have visited several vineyards in Virginia. By far it has to be Linden Vineyard. (www.lindenvineyards.com). I had a great time there with my wife. It’s a small vineyard. The tours were small and informative. The wine, particularly the Claret, were pretty pretty good. The have a nice patio where you can enjoy a wide variety of cheeses, venison sausage and breads, while overlooking the valley leading up to the vineyard. Naked Mountain vineyard was also pretty nice. Oasis Vineyard was about as nice as one of the Roy Rogers on the NJ Turnpike.

Gary,
You had me rollin on that pitch fork comment!! I mean honestly the funniest line i’ve heard in a while. Great show! I haven’t commented for a bit, but that doesn’t mean i’m not watching. You’ve been tearing it up lately guy, and I’m feeling where you’re taking this whole thing!! Kudos Buddy!! Well i’ll se you on Saturday need some help with some vino for my wife’s B-day. Top winery has got to be…….. I don’t have one wine changes too much from year to year (plus I’m new kind of new to this wine game), but Mollydooker is a new winery (TO ME!!) that i’m impressed with!!

E-ROCK

My favorite winery is Windwalker in Eldorado County, CA. For two reasons:
1. They have some of the best wine in the region.
2. They’re great friendly people, and it’s always a joy to go there.

So great to see GV trash the Beaujolais since one of the vintages (I can’t remember which) was my answer to a prior QOD of which wine did you hate the most. For me it’s this wine. Gary described perfectly why I don’t like it; bitter flavors that try to be covered by sugar. I know supposedly there are some great vintages of this wine. And when one happens again I’ll suppose I’ll try it, and then when I don’t like it I’ll never have it again!

Favorite Winery is Melville. Beautiful property, nice people, family owned and there is almost always a family member around. Took my wife and I for a private tour without us asking for it when we visited on what was a slow day. Plus they make very good (and I think continuing to get better) wine

Hi Gary — your mom is amazing, that feast yesterday was unimaginable. I don’t know how you sat in front of all that and were able to concentrate on the wine!

I am sorry today’s episode didn’t offer you as many fireworks as yesterday’s, but you were as entertaining as ever. You have come a long way since your first episode and you seem very, very comfortable in front of the camera now. I will try to stop by on Saturday if I can.

Thanks, stewart l (comment 38). BTW, like yourself, I also love Amarones but am often not willing to pay the price. I haven’t heard of ripasso. Thanks for the tip.

QOD.

I love the Eberle winery in Paso Robles, CA. Let me tell you why. The DOGS! They have large black poodles running around the place. It’s fantastic. Oh yeah, and they serve Eberle wine. Are you kidding me? Their Cabs are awesome. Beautiful vineyard. Classy old school tasting room. Excellent wine. Cute dogs. Friendly people who KNOW THE WINE. This is my favorite winery.