Dating - Wine - Lady

[Christian Gentleman]

Dear Gentlemen, please help me with this problem that I have about what wine. Which wine is good and which one is a knock off of the real thing. I understand that white wine goes with chicken, shrimp, fish,etc. Red wine goes with red meat. But what is a good wine? Do the French have the best or is the Californian wine just as good.

[Man at C&A]

A topic worthy of it's own chat forum....

In general terms good wine will be considerably more expensive than poor wine. However there are bargins to be had and the law of dimishing returns applies; the exact point this kicks in will depend on your palate and level of experience. New World/Old World is a question of style, not quality. A roast chicken calls for (IMHO) a Marlborough or Ortago Pinot Noir, I'd never reach for anything but a Bandol rosé with a tuna steak.

There's plenty of people in most of the major cities in the world offering educational tastings. Where abouts are you on the planet?

[Christian Gentleman]

In the state of Georgia, USA

[Berwick]

There are excellent wines from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, California, Washington State, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, England (white and sparkling). I am not convinced about Greece and Argentina but that is probably down to my lack of knowledge. I also know little about wines from Portugal.

In the UK I would expect to pay at least 8 GBP for a nice wine, but one can spend a lot more.

[aston]

Wow, what a question!

Where to start. Price will be driven by two things, quality (and thus partially scarcity) and tax/duty. But you can get good wines relatively cheaply, and not so good wines which cost plenty. Then there is preference; whites go from bone dry to very sweet, and reds from light and fruity to blockbuster. Then there is grape; a Chardonnay, for example, from Burgundy, will be very different from one grown in Australia, which will differ from California, which will differ from Chile, which will differ from South Africa.

Wine, for me, is one of the most fascinating creations on the planet. If I had the time, and the money, I would dedicate myself to its discovery.

Get slurping. Enjoy the journey.

[Man at C&A]

Ah! Argentinian Malbec is a favourite in our household and a must on steak nights. I recommend London's Gaucho chain of restaurants to anyone looking for a wine list that explores the possibilities of a single grape.

In the UK £8 is a fair guide price, I'd be disappointed if I paid that for a dud but you can get lucky and find an £8 bottle for £5 or even less. Tesco’s is a favourite hunting ground, and last year I was able to pick up a wonderful Rioja up from Aldi of all places (for those lofty Lounge members who quite possibly aren't aware of Aldi, it's Fortnum & Mason for the social-security classes)

As for the OP, I regret I have no contacts to point you towards. My address book is full of names of useful people in London and across Scandinavia but the US is a blank on the map.

I'd recommend finding wine clubs and tutored tastings locally. Wine drinkers tend to be very social creatures and welcome newcomers readily.

[Christian Gentleman]

Thanks for the wonderful information gentlemen!

[Costi]

Gents, the name of this thread reads "Dating - Wine - Lady".
I see everyone agree that "wine in general", vast as it may be as a subject, is the easier one to tackle

What about the power of seduction of a good bottle - before and beyond the (occasionally pleasurable) vulgarity of getting drunk, of course...

[NJS]

Gents, the name of this thread reads "Dating - Wine - Lady".
I see everyone agree that "wine in general", vast as it may be as a subject, is the easier one to tackle

What about the power of seduction of a good bottle - before and beyond the (occasionally pleasurable) vulgarity of getting drunk, of course...

I think that we have heard before that absinthe makes the heart grown fonder... ... but what girl doesn't like pink champagne; the great merit of which is that you can drink it with just about anything.

NJS

[couch]

I agree with NJS--champagne, pink or blanc, is always festive, should make the girl feel a bit special, and solves the food pairing problem. If by chance this is the Austrian girl (or even if not), at least get real French champagne for a first date. There are some excellent sparkling wines now from California or other European regions to share later if your budget is modest, but only champagne is champagne (and if she's Austrian she'll know it) so let it be your introduction. There are good threads in the Lounge on the choice smaller producers, but if you have a decent wine shop nearby just consult them about the best bottle you can afford. Or if you're planning to order at a restaurant, you might call ahead and get the advice of their wine steward, maitre d'hotel, or head waiter.

[Christian Gentleman]

Wow, Couch she is Austrian. Now that's amazing. Thanks gents. And I agree with NJS also that absinthe does make the heart grow fonder. Great information about the pink champagne; I had heard about it but did not have that much info.

(champagne, pink or blanc, is always festive, should make the girl feel a bit special, and solves the food pairing problem) - I did not know this.

(What about the power of seduction of a good bottle - before and beyond the (occasionally pleasurable) vulgarity of getting drunk, of course...) - please explain further.

[MRJ]

Unfortunately this is such an open ended question that it is almost impossible to answer. My starting point with wine is the food flavours I will be eating. There are classic matches here eg smoked salmon and Chablis( French), Malbec and steak as has already been suggested, chicken and white burgundy for me, although red Pinot noir does match etc. However I am not clear about the food you are having and f you are wanting an apperitif then champagne is an excellent and impressive choice. In the Uk we are very spoilt for wine choice as we only have a small and young home grown wines. We therefore buy from all over the world- hence the variety of selections suggested in this forum- and the supermarket buying power keeps pricing very competitive ( I have often paid more at wine farms than my local Waitrose for example) . However you are in the US and are likely to get best value from US wines. You, and She may actually prefer the US style as you have become accustomed to it. I drink wine from all round the world- I never pay less than £10 per bottle and often more but not above £30. The taste you get at higher pricing is well worth the extra. This weekend we have had a big family gathering and we have drunk wines in this range all of which went down well. However increasingly I drink French by choice because of the subtle flavours which are often missing in New World. However California has some excellent wine and I have a case of Rudd still to open. Good luck

[MRJ]

Ps I always seek maitre d advice despite having a very good wine knowledge myself

[Costi]

(What about the power of seduction of a good bottle - before and beyond the (occasionally pleasurable) vulgarity of getting drunk, of course...) - please explain further.

Christian, take a couple of hours to watch a great movie: it will help you grasp everything I can't explain here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f_dFZj-1tI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBBxoJVVA1o

[NJS]

Costi - I watched Babette again today and it is a great film. Something of it is lost on me because, apart from the 'puritan work ethic' which used to be hammered into young Britons, I do not really understand the puritan 'take'

NJS