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

Tomás Costa

Well deserved coverage, Todd. Congrats!

Tomás Costa

Based on WS results, these are Portuguese wines from different regions and styles which you can find in CA stores well within your budget (under $25): Herdade do Esporão Reserva FitaPreta Tinto Herdade do Rocim Mariana Tinto Niepoort Redoma (both colors - Tinto [red] and Branco [white]) Quinta do Va...

Tomás Costa

Douro - Tiago Sampaio (Folias de Baco), Conceito (Rita Marques), Frey Blend, Niepoort Vinho Verde - Aphros, Quinta da Palmirinha, Quinta de Covela Bairrada - Luis Pato, Filipa Pato, Vadio Dao - Antonio Madeira, Casa de Mouraz, Quinta da Boavista (Terras de Tavares/Rufia), Alvaro Castro (Quinta da P...

Tomás Costa

There was once a TN on Vivino where a user pronounced a wine so excellent, he was immediately, erm, excited into action with his female companion (a situation he described in rather more crass terms). I bought it and it really wasn't that good. your partner wasn’t happy? I'm celibate, so I suppose ...

Tomás Costa

Although I doubt most of the content will be news to me, I really look forward to this.

Tomás Costa

There was once a TN on Vivino where a user pronounced a wine so excellent, he was immediately, erm, excited into action with his female companion (a situation he described in rather more crass terms).

I bought it and it really wasn't that good.

Tomás Costa

I see several WS references in the US for Anselmo Mendes' Muros Antigos in the $8.50 to $10 range. One of my favorite whites from the Vinhos Verdes in its price range. Goes for a tad more seriousness and grip while keeping the Vinho Verde profile.

Tomás Costa

simonjwoolf wrote: ↑February 25th, 2021, 2:27 am Just a FYI - new book on Portuguese wine coming in a few months time (from myself and Ryan Opaz)

info here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/si ... ime-forgot

Amazing!

Any chance you could tell us some of the wineries you visited?

Tomás Costa

CGlescher wrote: ↑February 23rd, 2021, 12:49 pm It may be my favorite wine under $20.00.

Niepoort 'Twisted' Tinto 2019 @ $12.95

https://www.empirewine.com/wine/niepoor ... 19-i39446/

Import costs truly are a drag. That's a 5€ wine over here.

Tomás Costa

lleichtman wrote: ↑February 22nd, 2021, 10:20 pm
Tomás Costa wrote: ↑February 20th, 2021, 3:05 am
Barry L i p t o n wrote: ↑February 19th, 2021, 10:51 pm

The best part of my visit to San Sebastian. Or the best liquid part at least!
My last pre-pandemic trip. Gorgeous city.
Did you go to Rekondo?

No, sadly. I was pretty much there for work, and was joined by a friend who prefers to keep things more budget friendly.

Tomás Costa

Touriga Nacional/Portuguese red blend- Tomas can probably chime in on here with better recommendations than I can, but some great, affordable, daily drinkers coming out of the Douro, Dao and other regions There are endless seas of them, but the problem is knowing what can be sourced in the US (assu...

Tomás Costa

I have bad taste and you should too!

Tomás Costa

Rioja is a great option, but you have to pick your american oak tolerance and your producers, and also pick the era, as I think oak treatment has varied a lot over the years. And some places use french oak rather than american. Personally my sweet spot is the older stuff--older CVNE, Riojanas, and ...

Tomás Costa

Another tasty entry level champagne, the Cuvée Royále from Joseph Perrier. Very mineral and herbaceous, with just a hint of golden apples, gentle mousse and refreshing, cutting acidity. Fairly long finish. Nothing to philosophize over, but still, yum.

Tomás Costa

Rodrigo B wrote: ↑February 15th, 2021, 5:23 pm Super cool book Tomas. Didn't know it existed. Been meaning to grab a book on Portuguese wines. I'll have to track one down. I'm guessing I'm going to have better luck either in Brazil or in Europe. Thanks for sharing

Rodrigo, Richard Mayson's 'The Wines of Portugal' is excellent, and in English.

Tomás Costa

Super cool you got to have that!! They really went through a rough spot with this wine in the mid 1980’s through 1999. By 2000 they were getting it back on track with the new Quinta source for grapes. 2004 was where they hitting home runs again. As a whole,Sogrape has made vast improvements to many...

Tomás Costa

Keith Levenberg wrote: ↑February 15th, 2021, 12:54 pm Quinta do Noval Nacional 1931 is the classic example of this.

But the general rule is sound. Go with old vines if you can.

Those are ungrafted, though.

Tomás Costa

Myth camp, here. You can make great wines from brand new vines, there are too many examples to mention. Basically all of France to start with - most of their vines are much younger than CA or South American vines. Only three things that speak for old vines are (perhaps): 1. Less yield. 2. Goblet-st...

Tomás Costa

WOW! Hope the 2015 shows as well. You must mean the 2011, which was just released. Those who have tasted it have told me it is the greatest ever Barca Velha, and possibly the greatest dry Portuguese wine of all time. But 2015 was also a splendid vintage in the Douro, so let's see what happens in 20...

Tomás Costa

I couldn't be happier with the Laherte Frères Extra Brut Ultradition at this price point. Complex - a pot pourri of bruised apple, minerality, brioche, a hint of vanilla, white flowers - deliciously rich, creamy yet fresh, scratched my itch with gusto. IMG_20210211_203004.jpg In Laherte we trust! N...

Tomás Costa

I couldn't be happier with the Laherte Frères Extra Brut Ultradition at this price point. Complex - a pot pourri of bruised apple, minerality, brioche, a hint of vanilla, white flowers - deliciously rich, creamy yet fresh, scratched my itch with gusto.

Tomás Costa

larry schaffer wrote: ↑February 11th, 2021, 1:07 pm It is fascinating - I agree. One must be a bit more careful with malic - if you end up going unfiltered, it can become a nasty pre-cursor for all kinds of crazy chemical reactions that are not good for the wine.

In the past century, red vinho verde used to occasionally blow up en route...

Tomás Costa

I almost never bought bubbles, even though champagne was my first bite from the wine bug at age 16. I somehow persuaded myself, subconsciously, that these were only special occasion wines. Nowadays I'm much more likely to replace white wine with sparkling on occasion, and happy for it.

Tomás Costa

I realize that people are free to spend their money on whenever they want, but if someone buys a fancy sports car/boat/expensive home, at least they have something to show for it at the end of the day. I simply have a damaged liver. As a friend of mine likes to tell me, 'how come you spend so much ...

Tomás Costa

Great note - was this from the crazy sale you posted on a couple of months back? I bought a lot of interesting stuff in that sale, but this was a gift from a family friend (and current mayor of the city of Porto) and I suppose provenance is everything in a wine this old, as the bottle was impeccabl...

Tomás Costa

This will certainly be one of my WOTY. Rich, dark ruby. Endlessly complex and intoxicating nose of smoke, tobacco, earth, black cherries, raisins, esteva, mint, a hint of truffles and dark chocolate. Huge, enveloping, soaring acidity, long vibrant finish, poised and seductive. An astonishing monumen...

Tomás Costa

A widely distributed, good quality wine for about $15 is Antinori Toscana. I've found a local deal of 2016 Antinori, 2017 Tenuta San Guido La Difese and 2017 Torres Coronas Crianza for 30€. Have the Italians captured Catalonia? [wink.gif] At one point the Crown of Aragon did control parts of Italy!...

Tomás Costa

Michael Martin wrote: ↑February 10th, 2021, 5:15 pm A widely distributed, good quality wine for about $15 is Antinori Toscana.

I've found a local deal of 2016 Antinori, 2017 Tenuta San Guido La Difese and 2017 Torres Coronas Crianza for 30€.

Tomás Costa

Eric Ifune wrote: ↑February 9th, 2021, 2:28 pm Don't know if they're easier to find for you than LdH, but brancos from Caves Sao Joao in Portugal. Another is Pera Manca Branco from Cartuxa in the Alentejo. Not so cheap however.

I would add the Palácio do Buçaco whites, but those are hard to find anywhere outside the hotel, let alone abroad.

Tomás Costa

Richard T r i m p i wrote: ↑February 9th, 2021, 12:58 pm
Tomás Costa wrote: ↑February 8th, 2021, 6:01 pm To me Chardonnay is lactic, even in Burgundy.
There're lots of non-Malo Chards. Have you tried some?

RT

Most likely not. Chablis, for instance, remains a blind spot in my education.

Tomás Costa

I might ask you the question the other way around: what is it you find lacking in white wine compared to red?

Tomás Costa

Maybe they're just too oaked? I agree that Ridge can be on the edge. But apparently Draper very often plays tricks on wine writers when they visit - they get to taste blind and told to spot the AO barrel. Almost all pick the French as the AO sample - and they're sure of it. Some grapes are very sus...

Tomás Costa

The stereotypical coconut/dill thing in very obvious American oak truly is nauseating. For my taste, Brazilian macacaúba manages the best of both worlds by structuring a wine in a sensuous, round way while still imparting very 'classic' and even spicy wood aromas, if that makes any sense. The dill ...

Tomás Costa

I’m not anti-sweetness, I drink plenty of off-dry Mosel and Nahe wines but the 20% abv of Port is too much for me. I never have more than a small glass, usually replacing dessert or just with a bit of cheese on the side, because yeah, it's booze-y. The problem is finishing the bottle, which is why ...

Tomás Costa

To me Chardonnay is lactic, even in Burgundy. It could just be that the majority of Chardonnay wines go through Malo and I'm associating that with a trait that isn't inherently there, but I've had poor Chardonnays where the overall impression specifically came across as spoiled milk. I guess I need ...

Tomás Costa

Full disclosure: I had a 15% alcohol wine last night. I didn't even think to look at the ABV on the label, because I didn't notice from taste that it was at all "alcoholic." Since I sipped at it all through the Super Bowl, it never really hit me. Happens to me a lot. I've even had decided...

Tomás Costa

Full disclosure: I had a 15% alcohol wine last night. I didn't even think to look at the ABV on the label, because I didn't notice from taste that it was at all "alcoholic." Since I sipped at it all through the Super Bowl, it never really hit me. Happens to me a lot. I've even had decided...

Tomás Costa

Full disclosure: I had a 15% alcohol wine last night. I didn't even think to look at the ABV on the label, because I didn't notice from taste that it was at all "alcoholic." Since I sipped at it all through the Super Bowl, it never really hit me. Happens to me a lot. I've even had decided...

Tomás Costa

Richard Mayson's 'The Wines of Portugal' is worth grabbing, both as a comprehensive guide to each of the country's regions and as a summary of the huge viticultural/winemaking revolution which has been going in the last 20 years.

Tomás Costa

I love this wine but have not had as much success aging for the long-term. The last vintage I let age was '05 and at about 10 yrs of age was definitely on the downhill side. Maybe I have just been unlucky? I think the Reserva version of this wine (which Eric alluded to) would be able to withstand t...

Tomás Costa

Thirty years ago everyone thought the prices on old Italian stringed instruments had gone bananas. Nothing compared to today, though. Some markets have nowhere to go but up.

Tomás Costa

Kirk.Grant wrote: ↑February 6th, 2021, 3:45 pm This sounds cool, where did you buy it?

I got this online from onwine, a Vila Nova de Gaia retailer, but this is ubiquitous in stores large and small throughout the country. Niepoort's dry wines are usually available in the US, though.

Tomás Costa

Another fine vintage for this wine. Lovely nose of tangerine, jasmine, mineral, discernable yet subtle oak, and medium plus acidity with a dry finish and lingering aftertaste that gives it structure (no malo, I believe). An age worthy yet unpretentious wine, and justifiable hit for Niepoort. IMG_202...

Tomás Costa

I agree with those above, but in the spirit of answering I will say 12-13%. This. Most often for sure. I’m sitting here with my third Loire Cabernet Franc in the last 7-10 days, from the 2018 and 2019 vintages, all over 14%. This current 2019 is at 14.5%. While that may be great for a Chateauneuf d...

Tomás Costa

I agree with the majority opinion expressed so far, and in blind tastings I often find myself surprised by a high ABV from a wine which seemed quite fresh and seamless to me. Also, as John Morris pointed out, the labels are not necessarily accurate.

Tomás Costa

So much of value depends on (1) how much you like the wines from a region and (2) how well you know the region, to where you can select the wines most to your liking at the most favorable prices. I think you have a point, but there's a limit to this argument. For example, I can get Baudry's Croix B...

Tomás Costa

As someone with a wine critic in the family I would like to play devil's advocate to some of Mark's points: 1) I've found that the person is question will never give a wine its final grade without revisiting it at least once. First impression is not good enough. 2) I don't see the fault behind trans...

Tomás Costa

This sounds really excellent. One of my goals this year is to explore wines of the Iberian peninsula. COVID has restrained my ability to swing by a wine shop and browse, but hopefully soon... That's certainly a lot of ground to cover! Ironically, I've found that my wine explorations have increased ...

Tomás Costa

2. Dao- makes very impressive dry red wines. I have found a few with 30+ years of age on them that sell for less that $50 and taste wonderful, kind of like a cross between aged Bordeaux and Barolo. The varietals are sometimes indigenous and sometimes Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon especially). I thin...

Tomás Costa

Jan Janas wrote: ↑February 2nd, 2021, 1:19 pm Tomas, what else will you be opening from Laherte?

I didn't order any recently, but the same importer also has their BdB, Rosé de Meunier and Les 7.

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