Wine Berserkers - international wine social media, online community, and discussion

John S

Lonnie, Right now I have a mini split system in a 10x15 room which runs off 220V. I have had (300+ bottle) wine fridges not on a dedicated circuits and have not had issues. But those were pretty always on low use circuits. So I guess it depends. If I had two on one circuit I'd expect to be triggerin...

John S

I'm not sure of the issue with the litter box and wine storage. If it is odors then you have nothing to be worried about wine wise. A basement is an ideal place as there is ample space, wine coolers are not generally pretty things, and it is cooler down there so the work the wine cooler will have to...

John S

I think I get at least 4 bottles per cartridge with the Pungo. I do gently pull and release the trigger as instructed. I also usually pull the pungo out when I am down to my last glass and just pull the cork out and go old school.

John S

On the Pungo I have had mine for probably 5 years so I have opened maybe a thousand bottles. I do open mainly older bottles so many are 15+ years or older. So that means I do get the occasional leakage (old corks) that maybe is what Jay describes. In those few cases wine can slip up around a weak co...

John S

I have always had split systems so am of no help on the single unit and noise. I would think where you mount a single unit and the proximity to the media room is key and if it can vent outside. I will say we have a cellar with a ductless mini split system which is super quiet. The old school split s...

John S

I do not know any exact specifics here but until the PE investment wind down (IPO etc) I have zero confidence in the interim returns. They make hedge fund marks look like Treasury Bond valuations by comparison.

John S

FWIW the images of returns I saw for 1 week would never fly in any compliance group I know for sales materials. Cherry picking is the term. Illustrative is the compliant benchmark.

John S

Weird that I saw it showed the Climens as per 12 bottles. But I looked again and it also says per bottles. Anyhow much of the stuff they have in their sales pitch would never have passed my compliance dept for a hedge fund sales materials and certainly a not for a more regulated mutual fund. Many, m...

John S

HenryB, The Climens "price" on their website is for 12 bottles so seems fine. On the Chateaus and infrastructure improvements that has been pretty steady for the last 15 years and seems directly correlated with increased wine pricing which of course goes directly to their bottom line. I'm not smart ...

John S

Unfortunately many people call things like this Funds. I see no way this could be a 40 act (ie mutual fund) just due to the lack of liquidity in the assets. I just looked over the web site again which is quite unimpressive group of folks in terms of wine and running commingled products. Only the adv...

John S

Wine is a very poor candidate for this type of investment. I've run mutual funds and hedge funds as the primary portfolio manager so know a little about the business. I did not find that FAQ and am not goign to give my email out. But wien is illiquid and imagine the liquidy is poor, maybe monthly. I...

John S

I think many people stir it for exactly that reason. All quality coffee makers have their pros and cons but this was the main reason I purchased the Bonavita. While it is not made nearly as well as the Moccamaster and likely will not last as long the shower head on it is pretty much spot on for qual...

John S

Brandon, I remember contacting that place when I was looking around the area. They had none when I called but one did come up within a month when they rang me back. They were too small for my needs but may work for yours. Again check out the Bee Safe locations which are reasonably close and know the...

John S

I would never store wine I care at all about in one of those units. Often they are "climate controlled" but still way too hot for wine especially here in NC. Bee Safe storage has wine lockers and while not in the Triangle proper is your best bet for offsite relatively close to Raleigh. My friend sto...

John S

What I heard back at the time (and after) is the same as what Brad and others have mentioned above. Andy you will never see anything more concrete that what you have found. I have not tried the wine in eons. It was very good but not at the level of the regular Chave Rouge nor should it be expected t...

John S

I do not mind any residual when I get it. But use the “Hoffman method” to get a clean cup from a French press. Just google and learn. It takes extra time but does make a great cup.

John S

When I first started into the Land of Burgundy I gravitated to more Northern climes in the "heart of red burgundy as mentioned by the OP. But I had really not tried many NSG. To make things simple I'd just try a few Chevillion. If that does not float your boat then I would move on and maybe try agai...

John S

I can't compare but if it makes this list then I at least think it is worth looking into. And it is.

https://sca.coffee/certified-home-brewer

John S

Two quick ideas. The internal thermometer probe and yours are in different spots and may both be accurate. You may simple need to adjust the internal one to match your desires. Probe into liquid is the best and not too hard to manage. Have you tried speaking with their customer service? Given the co...

John S

Yaacov, Yeah, I use simple old 50% vinegar solution for the machine. I do two cycles of that then a few cycles with straight water. That does little for inside the carafe but some dishwasher detergent + hot water left for a few hours does the trick on the latter. There are other methods/ingredients ...

John S

I have the predecessor to the Bonavita Connoisseur and have been very happy. Not the build quality of the Technivorm but very reliable and makes an excellent cup of coffee. Super easy to use. The Thermal carafe does need deep cleaning every now and again to get the coffee stains out. Pouring the las...

John S

Mark, The LaLas are idiosyncratic so while not everyone's cup of tea, there are not substitutes IMHO. There are other modern and oaked Cote Roties out there and maybe you can try those along side. Ogier Belle Helene and others are out there as the LaLas are what many producers aspire to given the pr...

John S

How many people? If 6 or less I would just open these and try them all together at the same time. It is a great way to learn the clear differences between each of the bottlings (note I did not say vineyards). If you have a lot of people and really small pours then I would add other 2009 Cote Roties ...

John S

This TN brought back old memories. I had a couple of verticals of Dominus back that went up thru maybe 1997 vintage or so. Their tannin management changed a lot from theri very early days in Calif and there was a big change in quality of the tannics around 1990/1991. They continued to get more polis...

John S

I am clearly in the minority here. For something like this I understand wanting to have a great wine pairing and a excellent wine to serve. But all too often sometimes I find letting the food be the focus and having a "simple" and forward wine fits the bill perfectly. Beer would be what I would drin...

John S

As one who worked in healthcare I'm sure you know it is often hardest to look at yourself. And as you did today just breaking out of the rut and thinking outside the current box is key. I've certainly been there and found a good hour hike, often without music, really helps me get to that "reset" but...

John S

Hi Aaron, there is no way to answer that question as the beans and roast profile one person likes is often very different from person to person. If you seek the best and freshest beans find a local roaster and try an assortment of regions and roast profiles to see what you like. If price is the main...

John S

I generally put function over form and would simply get the "metro" type shelving which is reasonably priced and easily found. It is very sturdy, will not rust and can even have casters/wheels if desired. I'm sure a custom solution can be found for many times the price but I long since stopped makin...

John S

Never really like the Nespresso flavors but better than some. If you like that reasonably well stick with simple. If you wanna totally geek out, spend maybe 2k go for the real deal as others can point you to on a machine plus $300 grinder minimum. I had a Jura super automatic for many years and woul...

John S

Since every stem I know of can be washed in the dishwasher, this is the same as asking for the "best" stem. Usually I can only load on the bottom rack due to height. Sometimes I need to run only glasses to keep them safe and away from dirty foods. Lastly I use a cycle with lower water temp just to b...

John S

I tried maybe 5 bottles, maybe zins, in the early/mid 90s. The miss rate was probably 3/5 so I simply never bought again. The good oneS were very interesting but I have no patience for that miss rate. Maybe things have changed today.

John S

I can't see the photo but yeah it is that one. Same model number.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/toitkbrkn.html

Muchas gracias. Our Shun is flat as Yaacov noted which is a main issue with all the bread my wife makes.

John S

Thx Adam, I see for $63 elsewhere, is that about the right price?

John S

This hits home for me as well. They are both great people and soulmates. I have known them for 20yrs when we first bought some property out there. Susan was just the sweetest most caring person around. I hope to see Jonathon when we are out there in a week or two. Just incredibly sad to loose your s...

John S

FWIW, homeowners insurance is pretty poor for wine. It falls under collectibles and limits are usually super low. If it got baked not even sure you could claim. Agents are often pretty clueless on this and say yes covered but if you really dig in you will likely find the coverage if poor at best. My...

John S

I've found all deliveries these days are often quite delayed. FedEx, UPS, USPS, and Amazon. So I would not count on anything arriving close to prior expectations for times. If the terms have changed, as you note, no reason to expect them to still guarantee 1 or 2 day but pretty sure they do prioriti...

John S

This is unlikely to be the issue but one day I thought hey, I'll use the cup markers in the bowl of the rice cooker and save getting a real measuring cup out. My rice kept coming out soggy and too sticky and wet. Wife complains I deny any errors in measuring. After a few more of these poor batches I...

John S

Thx, I will check that out. One can sharpen a serrate knife using a diamond or ceramic "honing" rod. It is a PITA but makes a big difference. I can't seem to get my shun to stay sharp and my wife makes bread all the time so it is key.

John S

On the subject, does anyone have a great rec for a high quality break knife? Prefer one of high quality which can be sharpened relatively easily (yes I know how to do this reasonably well). We have a Shun bread knife which while fine is pretty awful to sharpen as that metal is super hard and general...

John S

Think you pay about what it costs to really fill your own tank at Home Depot for their approx 3/4 fill. That is their margin for propane and tank rental fee is how I would look at it.

John S

Scott, I am a lazy typist but here are some reasons https://www.thespruceeats.com/exchanging-or-refilling-your-propane-tank-tips-3971849 I doubt it makes any difference in the simple act of delivering gas to the burners. The re-used tanks are generally old tanks, purged, and then re-painted. People ...

John S

If running the line is reasonably cheap I would go that route. I would not worry about any performance difference as I have used both many time and noticed no real difference. The grill itself will make a much larger difference in grill quality than the type of gas used. If you go propane buy two em...

John S

I drank a slew of these over the years and for my palate it was best right on release and about 10-15 years post vintage. It was just flat out great for those first 10 years or so. With that said, other then JJ Prum, I generally like my German wines on the younger side.

John S

Well, I would not say all Bankruptcy claim trading is BS but certainly there are scoundrels who fish in the small retail side of things. The market is fairly opaque and the only one I was ever involved with was the huge number of Lehman BK claims. Those were large claims and the market for them was ...

John S

I can't comment on your specific offer but validated bankruptcy claims get bought and sold every day.

John S

Like you I find I don't drink as many as I used to buy. There are so many great dessert wines it is easy to buy a lot as they are fairly easy to source and not generally super expensive. Luckily I never got too heavy in them but still sold quite a few as I had more than I wanted long term. I do enjo...

John S

As mentioned French presses are not that different but grinder make a big difference. The Baratza Encore is great basic grinder for non espresso use. Fort espresso you really need to pony up on your grinder. The Baratza Encore is about $130 new and $100 for a refurb which I have. Their customer serv...

John S

Brad, The needle is to large to leave open. I use the nail like stopper they provide I pull the Pungo out. I've left bottles like that for weeks with and results were good. It comes with two stoppers. I have even used a 10 penny nail in a pinch when I had not stopper and works just fine as well. I o...

John S

I have had a pungo for over 5 years and been thru hundreds and hundreds of cartridges. I use it on old and new bottles alike. Never had anything like what is pictured above happen and have had great customer service from those guys. In fact I just bought another one for my dad who is also an enginee...

John S

So happy for this thread. Brings back many great memories. I knew Stuart in the late 80's when he kept his wine at The Wine Box in Southern Cal. He was kind enough to let me tag along to the tasting in Ampuis in 1991. And yes, he did publicly state he could make a 100 point Parker wine BEFORE he di...

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