Josh D.
12.11.25 | Whites from the Loire Valley are my jam, as is Beaujolais. At the moment I have another white from Graves, Chianti Classico, a Greek wine that blends Mavrodaphne and Agiorgitiko (never had them), an Austrian Blaufrankisch, and a Vouvray. |
bighubbabuddha
12.11.25 | Alas I'm tee total but I'm glad you get joy from wine :) |
rabidfish
12.11.25 | i love wine! Been drinking some great ones from Argentina. Malbec, Criollo, and red blends are all good quality and cheap in price. White wine you have the torrontés, very good stuff, much personality.
Also drink a lot of spanish local whine, of course. If anyone happens to be around andalucía, never miss the chance to try jerez and manzanilla. Some of the best spanish wines, imo. |
Josh D.
12.11.25 | I tried to find a white Tempranillo at the shop yesterday, no luck :( |
budgie
12.11.25 | when i lived near toulouse i drank a looot of madiran, when i lived near the loire i drank a looot of loire reds which were super good at those prices of like 3.5 euro a bottle. saumur, anjou etc. in california i dont drink wine at all bc its nasty unless i outrageously overpay like $40 for a chateauneuf du pape or tempranillo. i miss wine |
AlkemestRedux
12.11.25 | I do indeed like wine but I'm also cheap so it's usually whatever is localish in Washington or Apothic lol
On our honeymoon my wife and I went to Cinque Terre. I'd never liked white wine before but holy fuck the wine from there is incredible. They use different grapes than the usual big three or four that almost all US white wines are made from. |
Egarran
12.11.25 | Sparkly whites for me, esp Riesling and Champagne, I'll accept a Chardonnay too and yes p much the more expensive the better, if I ever become rich and single this is where my money will go. |
RVAHC13
12.11.25 | Despite my mother having a cellar full of wine I never really enjoyed it outside of cooking. Occasionally a glass of Umeshu is nice but that’s about it for me |
JWT155
12.11.25 | I’ve been blessed to try great wine in France, Napa, all over the world… and it does nothing for me.
Personally I like sweet wine, if it’s Welch’s grape juice and it gets you drunk I’ll drink it.
I’ll still try and drink various wines but I’d rather have a beer or bourbon if I’m out. |
RVAHC13
12.11.25 | Cisco is more my price range nowadays |
AlkemestRedux
12.11.25 | Kosher wine is actually pretty dank, agreed, JWT155 |
Josh D.
12.11.25 | About the sweetest I go are like sauvignon blancs from New Zealand. That's one reason I like a lot of Loire whites, they're dry and the salinity a lot of them have from the soil is very pleasing to me. Vouvray, Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume, give them to me. |
artificialbox
12.11.25 | I don’t fancy the taste of rotten vinegar piss myself but I also drink natural coffees that tastes like cow manure so I can’t talk shit |
Josh D.
12.11.25 | If you think wine tastes like vinegar, I think you've got other problems! |
budgie
12.11.25 | bad wine definitely tastes like vinegar. good wine tastes smoooooooooth |
Josh D.
12.11.25 | Luckily never had a corked bottle. |
RVAHC13
12.11.25 | I love drinking vinegar though |
botb
12.11.25 | Been working in wine for 10 years, can’t get my wife into it to save my life |
combustion07
12.11.25 | Y’all should try Boonesfarm |
unclereich
12.11.25 | Napa valley silver oak is a go to. It’s one I gift the most that and Frank family reserve. |
arthropod
12.12.25 | Vinegar is good. Oxymel even better, it has good taste, antibiotic properties, is applicable in case of overt uric acid levels in body, works against pests in agriculture, full package. |
Demon of the Fall
12.12.25 | "Been working in wine for 10 years, can’t get my wife into it to save my life"
I'm no expert but isn't the simple solution to consider getting a bigger vat? |
zakalwe
12.12.25 | The wife loves a drop of red.
I’m not really into it, a glass with me Sunday roast is nice though. |
evilford
12.12.25 | Red wine is absolutely goated. Blacked out on it a number of times, shit is delicious. |
rabidfish
12.12.25 | white, red, rossé. They are all goated. Never liked sweet wines, tho... Except when used on desserts, that shit deliciouso. |
Josh D.
12.12.25 | A red with medium to low tannins is fine. It's when your mouth gets grippy from low acid-high tannin that I can't do it. I also just prefer the flavors of whites, like citrus, stone fruits, etc. |
PizzaBear
12.12.25 | Demonic Death Judge wrote a song about me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k68SpQI2Cag&list=RDk68SpQI2Cag&start_radio=1 |
Galbador
12.12.25 | I admit it, I like wine too much. |
Demon of the Fall
12.12.25 | cirtus and stone fruit is for beer
red wine > |
Demon of the Fall
12.12.25 | slightly more serious answer, I like to think I can pick the correct wine for myself at a restaurant based on the description / region, yet know very little about it
'soft tannins' or whatever is completely beyond my level of expertise, but my taste is unrefined enough to enjoy virtually any standard, half-decent tipple seemingly, lol
..It would be nice to know though, because there are certainly levels. I should pay more attention to the names of the better ones I've ended up ordering. |
PizzaBear
12.12.25 | Yeah I've gotten to know the wines from my region (southern Ontario - Niagara and Prince Edward County) well enough but ask me to tell you the difference between a Beaujolais and a Burgundy and I'm lost |
PizzaBear
12.12.25 | So lost I didn't realize Beaujolais was a sub region of Burgundy until I looked it up just now lmao |
Josh D.
12.12.25 | French wines are typically named after their region, and they have different classifications that have different rules (in France it's an AOC).
"cirtus and stone fruit is for beer"
Gross. Beer is for beer. |
Josh D.
12.12.25 | And soft tannins just means they aren't as heavy. Tannins can be bitter and that's what makes your mouth feel dried out and your lips stick to your gums. I'm not a fan of that, so I look for medium to low tannins, or soft tannins, for something smoother or less harsh in that regard.
It also helps to have higher acidity. Acid makes your mouth water, think of biting a lemon or lime. So having more acid counteracts tannins as well. Beaujolais is actually a great example of lower tannin and higher acid, which is why I like it a lot. If you want a good cheap one, Louis Jadot is a brand that's been around forever and their Beaujolais Villages is like $12 USD. |
Demon of the Fall
12.12.25 | hmm interesting, so would any legitimate wine drinker (won't say 'connoisseur') prefer the heavy tannins, or is it always a negative?... sounds like a negative if it means harsher bitterness and a dry mouth
It's just amusing (with this hindsight) seeing 'soft tannins' on a wine-list, as I imagine most self-respecting restaurants wouldn't want to be selling the heavier alternatives |
PizzaBear
12.12.25 | "French wines are typically named after their region, and they have different classifications that have different rules (in France it's an AOC)."
Right, I think that's part of what makes it difficult to wrap my head around. Wines in Canada and the US tend to go with the grape varietals and I have a good sense of what to expect from the more common ones here (Cabs, Merlot, Sauv Blanc, Riesling, etc) |
Josh D.
12.12.25 | Everyone has different palates, of course. I don't know about tannins, but I always hear wine professionals talking about enjoying higher acidity. My assumption would be that anyone that's dedicated their life to wine may not necessarily say they hate (or some other strong word) high tannins, but that it's more about the totality of the bottle. As in, if high tannins isn't their preference, what else does the wine offer that makes it enjoyable overall. Good flavors, good acidity, aging potential (aging usually reduces tannins and changes flavor), etc. |
Josh D.
12.12.25 | "Right, I think that's part of what makes it difficult to wrap my head around. Wines in Canada and the US tend to go with the grape varietals and I have a good sense of what to expect from the more common ones here (Cabs, Merlot, Sauv Blanc, Riesling, etc)"
It can definitely be a lot to memorize, France especially. What you listed at the end are just the grapes themselves. I think of classifications as a way to tell me where it's from, and if you have a general idea of what that town produces, you can have an expectation. Often the more localized a classification, the more criteria the wine has to meet to call itself that. For just a wine enjoyer, I think just finding a few styles you like and learning a little about them goes a long way. There's no need to learn the difference in villages across town from each other. |
zakalwe
12.12.25 | Bonjour
Je voudrais un Stella sil vous plait |
Aerisavion
12.12.25 | Yeah, red wine is delicious.
I don't care much for rose/white, but I wouldn't say no either. |
Piglet
12.12.25 | in the heart of winter I am very partial to a local cab sav or shiraz here in the barossa valley. shoutout to taylor/wakefield's jaraman blend. also any number of wines in italy you can suckle contentedly whilst nibbling on the teat of italian cuisine |
Josh D.
12.12.25 | I need to try some Aussie Syrah. |
Piglet
12.12.25 | deyve got sum great fundamentals. uncomplicated, but notes of rich velvety ripe plums nd blackberries nd shit. intensely drinkable 😎 |
Josh D.
12.12.25 | The only thing I've outright disliked was a Gewurztraminer. Luckily it wasn't expensive, I didn't know wine could taste like that. |
porcupinetheater
12.13.25 | “So having more acid counteracts tannins as well.”
This isn’t necessarily the case - high acidity frequently goes hand in hand with lower tannin grapes because acidity is generally higher in colder regions: as grapes ripen, their acidity drops and sugar levels increase, so more acidity is often found in colder regions with less ripening potential. (Same with white grapes - Riesling and Chenin Blanc are both generally cold weather grapes and rippingly high acid). Likewise, tannins are a component in grape skins to protect grapes from the sun, so are oftentimes less pronounced in cold regions that require less sun protection, and where the acidity also happens to be higher. Not always the case, though - Nebbiolo pretty famously is extremely high in both acidity and tannin, to the extent that in barolo and such, (especially old method barolo) the tannins can be so extreme that they’re basically undrinkable for several decades. Which leads to…
“so would any legitimate wine drinker (won't say 'connoisseur') prefer the heavy tannins, or is it always a negative?”
Harsh tannins are perceived as a negative, but that is where the bottle aging process comes in - with time, the protein in tannins forms longer polymers, which decrease the sense of astringency and incorporate them more fluidly into the texture of the wine. So a wine that is super out of balance with young harsh tannins shortly after release, drinks super clean and sumptuously after decades. And most wines with that level of tannin are built for that long haul aging process, as tannin is also a preserving agent in wine. So, those harsh tannins aren’t a fault, they just require patience (and also enough money to have a space where you can store wine in the proper conditions needed to age it hip hip hooray) |
Shuyin
12.13.25 | Portuguese that works with wine here, I mostly enjoy port like LBVs, 10-20 year Tawny and Reserves, you can add Ginja and Moscatel to those
The best Tawny I've had was a 10 year old Vallado, bought it for Christmas and everyone loved it, also had the chance to try their 50 YO at an event and flavour is just sublime, far more developed and complex. For the LBV I normally pick the Offley port, just leave it in the mouth for 2-3 seconds before swallowing to prolong the taste, some dark chocolate on the side can be a good addition but ultimately optional. Lastly the reserve, we have been working with a white Rozés reserve, it has a subtle caramel flavour, very refreshing, also have one called Dalva which is not as sweet but slightly more complex, perfect after a meal
Good but also affordable wines? Hmm, I'll recommend Douros white Planalto, perfect with a salty cod, and for the red Sossego from Alentejo, grad yourself a nice steak and you're good to go, I also have to recommend Vallado and Quinta da Leda, because those are both goated. Green wine? Buy an alvarinho called Soalheiro, again, not expensive at all but very good |
porcupinetheater
12.13.25 | Yo have you had the Mira do O Grande Druida Branco? |
Tunaboy45
12.13.25 | I love red wine but more than 2 glasses and I seem to get a colossal hangover, other than weddings or Christmas I just stick to beer |
Josh D.
12.13.25 | "Nebbiolo pretty famously is extremely high in both acidity and tannin"
That's an interesting example because nebbiolo is usually the highest I'll go with tannins (Chianti as well), but the last couple I've had were not only pretty tame with them, but quite vibrant overall. Maybe my palate just isn't too sensitive to tannins. |
porcupinetheater
12.13.25 | Yeah and there def are a lot of variables at play - Barolo is generally higher tannin than most other styles of nebbiolo (Barolo has some of the least fertile soils anywhere in the Langhe, so the grape berries don’t get as large, more skin to juice ratio = more tannin; plus there’s winemaking choices you can do to increase or decrease the level of tannin: in old school Barolo they would crush the grapes a little harder so some of the seeds got crushed too, which also increases the tannic feel.
There’s also the aging process that can affect this: Older style Barolo is often aged in giant botti, so way less surface area for oxygen relative to the juice as it ages, which gives the tannin less opportunity to polymerize and be filtered out of the wine. Newer style Barolo is more commonly aged in small 228l French barriques, so way more oxygenation at play, plus a gentler crush at the beginning lessen the intensity of the tannins. Still high tannin, but not vacuum-suck-the-moisture-out-of-your-mouth high tannin, and drinkable 5 years after vintage (and Barolo legally has to age at minimum 38 months before release). They’ll still live a long time and improve with years of aging, but those old method Barolo young are actually fucking insane |
Josh D.
12.13.25 | A wine shop in town has a nicely curated selection, and any of the Italian reds I get from there are good enough for me to avoid paying for Barolo, especially with the possibility of not enjoying it. Barbera is plenty good enough for me since it doesn't need to be aged nearly as much. I'll have to get a glass of Barolo one day, although idk if restaurants would serve it by the glass. Expensive stuff often sold by the bottle. |
porcupinetheater
12.13.25 | Not sure where you’re at, but I’ve definitely been able to find Barolo BTG before; highest end producers of Barolo are crazy pricy, but I’ve also been able to find it at very manageable prices in the $30-40 range in bottle shops
Barbaresco even moreso |
porcupinetheater
12.13.25 | Although yeah it’s not the best value buy in the world, but there’s so so so many cool value buys in wine every once in awhile it’s nice to splurge on a classic |
Josh D.
12.13.25 | I'm in Austin. I just looked at the Italian restaurant across the street, the Barolos they have are in the Reserve Red section, which means bottle only (theydon't show prices online, which is annoying). At least, I'm 99% sure that's what that means, it's been a while since I've been there but it's in the same section with Grand Crus and Chateauneuf du Pape. |
