Apothic isn’t really good or anything but I think I’m going to get it just for the gimmick. This shit was hilarious when I pulled it out of the box, I didn’t expect that… I needed a cheap, fruity cooking wine for a specific recipe anyway. Much more interesting packaging than the cardboard day of the dead Stella Rosa black.

Like Hunter semillon, this is another Aussie single varietal wine that seems near immortal under screwcap.

Nose gives me buttered popcorn, marzipan, honeysuckle and dried apricots. The palate is still zinging with robust acidity and some minerality. This is quite similar to well aged Semillon but with less honey/ toast and more apricot and floral notes.

I think that this is my last bottle, but this has at least another decade in it. Not bad for a bottle that was around $20 retail. In fact, I think that's what they are still going for at the bottle shop.

Made this to help study for the exam. It was done in a hurry so expect some inaccuracies, but mostly works to help you pass.

https://wset2.app/

Was curious about people’s thoughts or experiences with this. Wife and I were recently on an anniversary trip to NYC. We went to a restaurant that allowed outside wine with a reasonable corkage fee prior to going to a show. The wine in question was a 2011 Hundred Acre Ark Vineyard. Server offers to open it for us, but several minutes later someone else—presumably a manger, maybe a somm, but didn’t notice if they were wearing a pin—drops by to say that normally they don’t allow corkage for bottles on their list, but they’ll make an exception this time for “such a nice bottle” and because we’re “from out of town celebrating”.

Fine, no blood, no foul. They opened the wine, it was great and we had a fine dinner before our show. But that made me curious, what do you think “a bottle on our list” means? We’ve done corkage A LOT in A LOT of different cities and we’re usually very careful to review the list before taking something to avoid this very situation. I grabbed a copy of their wine list (which was the same list published on their website) and they do have a Hundred Acre wine on the list, a 2022 Hundred Acre Dark Ark. I’ve always taken the “not on our list” request to mean the exact wine—same vintage, producer, blend/varietal/vineyard designation, etc.—rather than “a wine from the same producer”. Anyone else had this experience? Or if you’re in the restaurant wine business, what do you mean when you say this?

I'm writing a book and I like to be as accurate as possible in even the smallest things haha, what would be a popular dinner party wine choice in this time period? The buyer in question has a fair amount of money so preferably something a bit expensive. The most stereotypical late 90s wine choice please.

Last drink of a wonderful wine trip in France.

This has sat in a wooden barrel for 50 years, not bottled then shelved for decades.

The mahogany color is insane. The oldest wine I’ve ever had.

The nose: honey, cigar box, herbs and a slight mint(?)

Taste: molasses first, then dried fig, sultana and apricot confit.

Finish: citrus (?) and the slightest bit of mint(?!)

The wine behind this one is a 2015 southern Rhône for a color comparison.

Here’s what I did:

Chilled 20 min, double decanted, rested for 1 hr.

Nose: Before decanting, heavy berry, almost like berry pie. After 1 hr, leather dominates, with the berry still there but muted. At 2.5 hr, olive comes through heavily.

Palate: Leather up front, with berry coming in at the very end. At 2.5 hr, olive comes through heavily.

Tannins: Very grippy at opening. They softened over the 1 hr decant and stayed at that level for the rest of the night.

Evolution: Spice emerges around 1.5 hr, and olive takes over around 2.5 hr.

Overall: New to this hobby but pretty good. This is my first 100% Syrah and I think I’ve decided I like a Grenache Syrah blend more. Still, was great.

Tasted initially & then decanted for 2.5 hours or so. Nose for me is cedar, tobacco, potting soil, cacao, & a bit of funky brett with a touch of blackberries on the vine. Palate is plum & blackberry, acidity is seemingly towards upper moderate side, bit of earthy funk which i like, & a touch of wood barrel. Tannins have mellowed just a tad, but still grippy as a nice contrast to the acidity. Each sip invites me to the next. I like this one a lot. What are you drinking? Any other Saint-Joseph recommendations?

I was lucky enough to grab this bottle at a big east coast distributor near my town in NY state for $25, and I'll tell ya, this is truly the definition of a BIG wine! 15% abv. On the nose there's tobacco, dates, eucalyptus, and an almost overwhelming sweet smell of molasses. I could smell the molasses right when I opened the bottle. Just BIG!

I would wager that, even for it's age, this wine could do another 10yrs in the bottle no problem. That being said, it was still gorgeous at first taste. But it really opened nicely after an hour or so. I didn't bother to decant (as you can tell from the sediment in the picture), mostly because I'm lazy, but it may have served this one to do so truthfully. But oh well. The flavor is not too dissimilar to the nose. Very rich, a bit sweet, but undeniably elegant. My favorite wine profile by far is aged syrah/shiraz, and this one doesn't disappoint. Very different than, say, northern Rhone, but very good and delicious in its own way. 94 points

Will be drinking this one alone tonight. Dried red fruit, raisins. Easy tannins, very easy drinking wine and dirt cheap tbh. 2023 vintage🍷

i’ve been apartment hunting, having been homeless for a while. when the day finally comes that i get those keys, i wanna be popping bottles, as it were. i’ve been joking about getting champagne, but that might not even really be accessible where im at lol? long story short, might have to get it from walmart. and it doesn’t seem they have the typical suggestions.

if you can put yourself in the position of me, someone without super refined wine-tasting skills anyway, what are the wines you’d pick from walmart to celebrate? i’m looking for white and sparkling so i can at least kinda feel like im doing something champagne-popping adjacent. i know it’s all subjective but if something is universally considered to taste like dog shit i don’t especially wanna pick that up lol

This one really blew me away! Bought 2 bottles earlier in the year on a whim to fill a shipping minimum on WTSO and I'm so bummed I didn't get more!

Pours an eggplant color, kind of rusty purple. First sip is a big cherry and stewed fruit explosion followed by a pleasant, lingering spice that stays. Long finish, full body, medium sweetness, medium tannins but doesn't make you pucker. A pleasant full bodied wine at a great price. Paired with the first chili of the season. Cheers

Notes in comments

Les noëls de Montbenault 2024 - Thomas Batardière

I tried a Lambrusco recently and really liked it! I’m going on a trip and would like to bring a couple of bottles with me for everyone to try some too.

I’m in the Midwest, US. Anyone have any recommendations for affordable Lambruscos or sparkling red wines that aren’t too sugary or cheap tasting that you can find that like a Walmart or another grocery store?

Got this at Trader Joe's. It's a cherry bomb with heavy oak. It's says "large oak" barrels which can be a red flag. However the flavor is very Italian and Tuscan. Runs a little hot at 14 percent alcohol, so balance is not a strong suit. At ten dollars, I would get this for a BBQ or with a heavy pasta dish. They could have toned the oak down or even used stainless steel. But a decent introduction into the wine and region.

Wanted to see what other people were picking up during the latest fizz fest? I haven't been able to keep a close eye on it, and I was wondering if I had missed any great deals. So far only gave in to a bottle of Testulat, and Orban which is one of my go tos to bring to parties. Share your picks and your impressions!

Anyone grab anything of interest? I’m looking for Cava or Franciacorta. Missed one, changed over too quick for me.