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

John S

As John K mentions I always simply put myself in the Somm’s hands there. I have been going since they soft opened many moons ago and never even open the wine list. The wine folks there generally know my palate but if there is someone someone I do not know I just say I would like something with chara...

John S

That is a great story Tom. I'll share one as well. We used to live in the foothills above Boulder CO at 8,000ft elevation. We bordered National Forest on two sides on the property and had lots of "wild" wildlife in that the critters that came around were generally not very used to humans. Anyhow at ...

John S

Not familiar with LAX but anytime I brought in cheese or similar food items I had to go thru that secondary line. I'd always assume that is the case when travelling with that stuff thru US customs. I got where I would not bring it back as it was a PITA to wait that extra time but I am not the most p...

John S

They are strikingly beautiful and majestic creatures to see in person. Super rare to see them in person and I've been in the right place and time 3 times in my life and always consider myself amazingly lucky. I keep it quiet for fear someone will try to find them and kill them. And yeah, they may be...

John S

On the temps noted above you will get differing opinions. But if me and I had a good slug of expensive wine I would not want them to get that hot over 10/20/30 years. That's why I went active even though I had pretty good year round conditions in that cellar at 8k elevation. A cost effective solutio...

John S

Mold in my experience does not start until the relative humidity is 75% and higher. I would target 70% in COand never any mold. Here in NC I have seen a bit but the cellar has gotten over 80% occasionally in the summer. So bingo. And of course mold poses no issues for the wine, just labels and resal...

John S

Mark, an evaporative humidifier does not add heat and actually cools a tiny bit. Just like a swamp cooler in principle. But I just assume no added heat in a passive cellar. If active any style humidifier is fine. Keep 8n mind adding moisture is not generally needed. In NC I need to remove humidity.

John S

I had a passive cellar at 8k elevation in CO for many years. It was well insulated (batting not foamed) and with a proper vapor barrier. It reached the lower 60s in peak summer heat. So that is probably a little better than one can do down in the flatlands with a perfect setup. I did eventually put ...

John S

Welcome.

The track record of the same wine/producer over history is the best gauge. This plays into all the points mentioned above.

John S

It has been a while since I have done this. Simple answer it is complicated especially if just a case or few bottles. If so it is really not worth it unless you carry them with you on a plane. There are quite a few US importers who do this and bring wines to the East and West Coast of the US from a ...

John S

Maybe too simple but is there any chance OP is tasting wines at a cooler temp from the wine fridge and warmer from the store? While this would not explain any vinegar flavors I'm just tossing out a super basic thing that would make a dramatic tasting difference.

John S

The Monopol the easily the best. Most others are pretty poor and priced accordingly.

John S

Seems like I have a contrary opinion in that we used to have a dual fuel 60" wolf. Something like one of the ones in the below link. It was the best kitchen appliance we ever owned. Yes, one needs to bend over to use the oven. We had the griddle which was quite nice. We sold that house or we would s...

John S

For me no on VT. My serious CdP tasting info generally refers to vintages 2007 and before.

John S

Yep, well made but riper in style and some have more new oak. But my experience with these is a bit dated.

John S

The list above is a good one. But I would not look for acidity or minerality in CdP. Charvin, Vieux Telegraphe, and Pegau being my regular priced go to ones. Rayas is the most distinctive and pricey. Oh, Henri Bonneau is great but quite different and pricey.

John S

Constructing these indices is super tough to do in any reasonably cohesive manner. Hats off to Dan and I know many assumptions and other data issues are tough to deal with when constructing a specific bucket of wines to track over time. The. You have to deal with some wines being added and some bein...

John S

FWIW, on weighting the index, marketvalue is the standard for things like this. Marketvalue is what defines the size of auction market and is the most common with equities as well (like the S&P 500). Knowing Nathan I'm guessing he would posit that the bottle value * #bottles traded to be an appropri...

John S

I saw this chart in a link I got from the economist yesterday. Nice data and I've never seen it broken down so well by regions. Yes, you can see a few articles free a month if you sign up at the Economist. That is what I do. I view this as simply data and any conclusions or interpretations are up to...

John S

I have read the hand grinders can do a nice job grinding but are very slow to grind much. So I would read up on that. Once you retire you chopper you won’t look back.

John S

Everyone's palate changes as they explore all the world of wine has to offer. And while it is a PITA, when/if that happens and if one has excess it is fairly straightforward to sell those and move on. This assumes it is not absolute swill and can not be sold. One needs to be willing to take a loss o...

John S

I just hit the under 1k for the first time in 15 years. I would never give advice on this as it all depends on your drinking consumption, $$ availability, interests etc. I drink less than I used to and my spouse no longer drinks. Plus I am moving in 2 years so slugging that stuff is a PITA and stora...

John S

I have no dog in the fight but do find it pretty interesting that quite a few people who like the wines and/or people involved quickly overlook these issues or point fingers elsewhere on environmental regulations as being too much. Anyone who has done any development in Calif know you need a permit ...

John S

I live in Chapel Hill and have done quite a few cellars. Unfortunately going passive here in NC is a dream. The good news is you have the correct setup to add cooling now. I did the exact same thing all closed cell and put in a mini split cooler which has worked great. You may be able to keep it und...

John S

I think what John says above is right. Gerhard comes across like that in the above conversation. But I try to just assume it may be a language or cultural thing and respond that is not the way it was intended. Onto wine, above I noticed that Gerhard says the '99 Rostaing Cote Blonde is to die for. I...

John S

For me, and I think I said this before, I'd take high end Guigals, Jamet, and Ogier over Rostaing. I also quite like, at times, Gallet (the Henri made wines so pre 2002 or something) and maybe even Jasmin but they are much more spotty quality wise but distinctive. I just don't find the Rostaing wine...

John S

I am not looking to join a fight. But asking for other producers who have been making CR for 40 years in kindof silly. Many small independent producers that we know today made no or very little own branded CR prior to the 80s or 90s. Guigal used to buy up most of that fruit to go into his more gener...

John S

I agree the '01s from CR are good to very good but it is not a great overall vintage like 1999. Better than 2000 and 2004. Never been much of a fan of the Rostaing style and have tried so many it is clear they just do not do it for me. Not unlike Chapoutier. Not that I dislike either producer, just ...

John S

Also not sure of your location but the Austin Wine Merchant is excellent.

John S

This is pretty awesome!!

John S

Marcato here as well. In fact pretty much everyone I know who does this at home uses one of these.

John S

Sorry about this. As others have said, NEVER ship wine in the summer. It is really not the retailers fault if customer asks them to ship in heat but some don't know any better. Unfortunately you learned this with a large and expensive order. The only solution if you are dry is to find something loca...

John S

I am late but know a decent amt on the topic. I may have missed it but what temp range is your goal here. If under 65 maybe. I would not bank on staying below that. I have a passive cellar on North side at 8,000 elevation in CO where soil year round temp was 52. Floor was 10 ft under grade. Part of ...

John S

Chris and I are on the exact same wavelength. Just had those 2 days ago and they are so much better than any other waffle. But gotta plan and mix the night before. There are same day recipes which are still quite good but the overnight yeasted ones are the best.

John S

We have an all clad belgian wafffle maker. Very nice device and often on sale.

John S

Venting outside is always far superior. Second best is a downdraft setup if that works in the space. They aren't great but much better than nothing i.e. recirculating vent.

John S

You'll get a variety of answers. If quantity, auction is by far the easiest. Think over 100 bottles. They will often pick up and ship free if the value is enough. If just scattered bottles of SQN one could probably work to find private buyer but that takes time.

John S

I am not a brandy guy but wanted to say thanks for posting such an educational piece. I've enjoyed the entire process and learned a lot.

John S

In a passive cellar if the floor is adding too much heat then you are toast. You'll simply need to add active cooling in that scenario. Insulating the floor in a passive cellar is the opposite of what you want to do. The floor is your cooling so if that is too warm you simply must add active cooling...

John S

For sure go with the camera before doing anything. A game camera will work fine if no place to plug in. They can be found for $50 or less and just need a micro SD card and batteries. Also I would go with the simple theory that it is likely not a wine person. Likely the thief simply tried one of the ...

John S

Going on 4 years here with a CoolBot and mini-split system. Absolutely zero issue or maintenance required.

John S

Know many people who ended up with more than they later figured they needed to cellar. This happens with may wines but German Rieslings are generally a tough sell so I've seen many who still have much more than they can drink. Probably the greatest value out there and I limit purchases as it is so e...

John S

To be honest, none. I have stopped buying so many wines and producers it really is not a huge deal anymore. I always find stuff I enjoy and variety is the spice of life.

John S

Check this site linked below for what i would term the best for serious coffee people who want drip. I have the Bonavita and have used the Techivorm as well. Both seem to perform pretty similarly, maybe a slight edge to the Bonavita for home roaster like myself who often has very freshly roasted bea...

John S

I'll weigh but not saying much new. Really just two primary options I can see. If the blade type (I call them choppers) are fine then go ahead. They simply obliterate and chop the beans and leave the grind quite uneven. But if that works for you then by all means. I used to have one but have not use...

John S

Yeah, for sure prioritize the expensive stuff and put in the car with you. Take inside the hotel at night and live regular hours. EZ PZ really. Done this many, many times. Not sure where beer comes into all this but overnight in the car I would not worry if. In fact if cool when you park for the day...

John S

Sad to hear about the Mike Moriarty story at Chelsea. Met him a few times and a nice guy. Seems like no possible good ending here.

I met George Osumi 25 years ago when far as I knew he was just a wine collector like me. What a scum bag he ended up really being.

John S

I'd really try to work backwards from what you really want to drink in the future. Like how many of each producers do you drink or expect to in a year. do the math on current purchases. My guess if you are like me and many others you are still accumulating which is not really the end goal. I am redu...

John S

I would put them in a wine diaper (look it up) and check it in your regular luggage. Once in a wine diaper it will likely not fit in a shipper but maybe it will as that would be ideal. Otherwise I would probably pass. I have never had a bottle leak in a wine diaper but use them often as I typically ...

John S

This seems like a nice outcome for buyers. Yet a few still seem to complain. Most people (I include myself) who have had a decent slug of various La Las agree they can be and often are great. They may not be "typical" and certainly not cheap but really are IMHO great wines. Some of my favorite wines...

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