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

It might all be the power of suggestion and response expectancy....but wines taste fresher at the winery. No doubt there's more enjoyment (i.e.: point inflation) when your mood is good and the tasting environment/experience enhances the experience. I'm not sure how often wines are mishandled between...

Sarah is correct about the big brother State monopoly. There are some tiny glimmers of change with small bottle shops starting to get in to the game. https://www.phillymag.com/foobooz/2018/07/31/bottle-shops-to-go-wine-philadelphia/ None are "destinations" yet, IMHO. DiBruno's (Rittenhouse) is alway...

Todd, as a lad (age 8 or 9) I was spoiled by a week at the Hotel Negresco with the family...including Bastille Day. Quite the experience. I'll never forget the dining, the cheese cart, the multi-course meals, the wait staff choreography....the waiter carefully peeling a peach like a surgeon, etc.. I...

Only ever visited once but enjoyed the vibe. The food was decent too. Seems like roach, mouse, temperature issues that can be resolved...with a little effort. From the article: "Randi Hutter Epstein, 56, a doctor who lives on the Upper West Side, said she has been placing a takeout order with Barney...

My wife wants to visit Brittany, which seems to a dreary, gray, rainy, cold mess still at that time of year. True or not? True. With exceptions here and there. Good friends live in Nevez. We really wanted to visit in early October...which didn't pan out. November is a possibility...but we were wave...

I seem to remember one. IIRC, it was hanging up in a tasting area at Montevertine. They had some extra labels from previous years that my wife brought home.

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Elk Cove and Bergstrom, just to add a couple. Plenty of good suggestions. Sometimes Archery Summit.

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Guess where the world's largest McDonald's is?

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Christopher- Great thread! I’d be interested in joining. I’m down to 19 bottles of 2008 Oregon Pinots but would be happy to pony them up for an East Coast tasting. (If we’re doing pairs ala Post-IPNC I’ve only got 4 pairs left.) Rich - 85? That is some Serious delayed gratification going on there! ...

Here's another 2008 Oregon I found in my cellar. 2008 Sineann Pinot Noir Schindler Vineyard. Clocks in at 14.8% which is certainly higher than I like it, but it is getting favorable reviews. https://www.cellartracker.com/classic/wine.asp?iWine=723198 I don't think I have ever had a wine from this p...

Todd, somehow I missed the bad "half". I'll take your word for it since you were there sweating out the vintage and up to your elbows 24/7. I can rattle off 20 producers that made 2007s that I found quite enjoyable.

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Frank Murray III wrote: ↑
October 2nd, 2019, 4:44 pm
Richard, cool avatar. Inspired me to change mine, thank you.

Cheers Frank. Nothing like a happy dog to distract you from the sting of a pending 25% wine & cheese tariff.

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Gordon. Please speak for yourself regarding OR 2007. Your sweeping statements border on buffoonery. The vintage was trashed early by a number of pundits...and quite a few recanted. It's certainly not a "great vintage" but there was plenty to like and quite a number of mine continue to drink well. 12...

Here's the official list of products . The tariffs are not across the board, I suppose because the WTO ruling only allows retaliation up to $7.5 billion. They seem targeted to put pressure on particular countries (e.g., lots of German industrial products). Products that may be of concern to Berserk...

The later date works better for me. 12 ounce Riedels should be fine for this type of tasting. Happy to contribute some wine. I have 85 bottles of 2008 OR Pinot from 14 different producers. All purchased at release.

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Winter Park is only marginally terrible as compared to the rest of Orlando--which I firmly believe firebombing would be a vast improvement. In Winter Park, I visited a friend's parents and they took us to The Ravenous Pig. It was fine. I chuckle when I hear stuff like this. Quality of life in Orlan...

"And it's known around these parts as 'Domaine Obscene'." ~Bob Wood, October 4, 2010

Still got your back Wood man.

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They're in the NE corner of Cecil County and will likely spread. Saw quite a few dozen today bike riding in the Lehigh Valley about 7 - 10 miles north of the epicenter (Rolling Rock Stone near Landis Store, PA). Still very few near/on my property. There's a good sized hole in the distribution. But w...

No, No, No Zweigelt is intriguing and often quite tasty. Changing the name would adversely impact producers and confuse consumers who currently buy wines made from the "most widely planted red grape" in Austria. No, I believe Robert E. Lee was a great man who fought for the wrong side. There are too...

A local friend who did consulting in Portland for a couple of years raves about Wine on Broadway. Very knowledgeable women who run it who suggest some excellent Oregon pinot noirs to try. It's a great downtown spot for a crash course in Oregon Pinots. Always a couple dozen wines ready to go in thei...

This little bugger scares me. The length of your fingernail. https://i.imgur.com/jvAptcu.jpg?1 https://phys.org/news/2019-09-ash-tree-species-survive-emerald.html A dozen 60ft+ tall trees at the road frontage of our property are now dead. The Power Company is asking to take them down. Hoping the cri...

Just chatted with the produce farmer up the road about 5 miles, slightly closer to the epicenter. They've seen maybe 10 Lanternflies all Summer. That's dumbfounding considering the thousands a couple years ago. They have orchards of apples, plums, peaches and pears. They also grow strawberries, blue...

So why is it I can't walk in my cellar? Why are things buried so deep that I couldn't get to things even if I wanted to drink them (without a mining expedition)? Walking in and around is pretty easy now...thanks to several hours of sorting, organizing and inventory. Lots of things I'd forgotten. Th...

Very much enjoyed a couple of 1988 Lambert Bridge Merlots several years ago. Original price around $10. Times have changed.

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Thanks for tips Brent. I've enjoyed some Neshaminy beers. Imprint is close to home but I've yet to try it. Hazy IPAs (apparently N.E. style) I've been seeing for a while. A friend poured one from a can last night (Brooklyn brewery, the name I didn't catch) that was quite tasty...lots of character, 6...

Decanting OR Pinots can be controversial. I've found it typically helps closed and funky wines (i.e.: Cameron). And sometimes it can push a mature Pinot past its sweet spot.

Christopher, do you regularly drink/buy Oregon Pinots? What attracted you to the 2008 vintage?

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MitchTallan wrote: ↑
September 17th, 2019, 6:39 pm
I came away convinced that Goodfellow is the real deal - bound to find a place at the very top tier of Oregon pinots and chards.

No substitute for 1st hand experience. Welcome aboard Mitch.

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Christopher, the Post-IPNC flights are usually broken out by AVA and the flights are blind. All you know is that each flight is from the same AVA. Most tasters only know the wine they contributed...leaving a couple dozen completely unknown. Harder than you think to guess the AVA. It's worked out wel...

Thumbs up for Monk's. Belgian brews, mussels and frites. It's a bit grubby and touristy...and still worth it! The Philly Microbrew scene (including the PA and NJ suburbs) is booming. I know next to nothing about it. The local options within just 10 -15 miles of home are pretty overwhelming. Don't or...

Scott. You and Rick are magnitudes more sophisticated when it comes to "beer" than either myself or the average microbrewery customer. Locally, one can definitely find quality at 6% (or less)...but you need to be choosy or just lucky (they happen to have something tasty). Guess it's not unlike winer...

That is a generous offer Christopher. I could be lured out of the deep woods for that....and would be happy to add a few 2008s.

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Frankly, I have no interest in drinking a beer that's over 7% alcohol and I'd really prefer to drinks something that's around 5% ABV. A 7% beer requires too much sipping/nursing to be worthwhile. I'm mostly with you Rick. Especially during or after a bike ride...I want something refreshing. Seems l...

Alex, no mention of IPA on the menu/board. Just "Pale Ale". Low alcohol, advertised around 5%. Their IPA (the more orange beer) was probably a NE IPA...much like your descriptors. Tasty with a listed 7%. Pleasantly bitter. Double IPAs are usually way too much for me. A little bitterness adds interes...

Craig G wrote: ↑
September 19th, 2019, 10:47 am
Richard, that picture looks like I already drank a lot of beer.

Not sure what the ABV actually was, but my sense is that you could sip that Pale Ale all day long and remain more focused than the photo.

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Wish I had a better picture of it...but that's it on the left in the mostly empty glass....at Strong Rope. Looks like light carbonated/frothy lemonade. Flavor-wise, barely recognizable as "beer". The hazy orange/tan IPA on the right was actually quite tasty...not crazy bitter. https://i.imgur.com/x6...

John, I too have found these to be super bright and tight in their youth, even warmer vintages.

I had some trepidation for fear of needing to wrestle it for a few hours. Happy to report otherwise...and having a few more downstairs.

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Albarino, Xarello, same difference.

Not to say there aren't respectable Catalan whites. Maybe it needed a little Macabeu and Parellada?

Must have been an off bottle...why not ask for a 2nd to make sure?

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2010 Eric Texier Côtes du Rhône Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban Vieille Serine Domaine de Pergaud I've been patiently waiting for these to come around....very structured and bright in their youth. Cranky immediately after opening with plenty of acidity...but with the first sip...a more mature quality t...

With nearly 500 bottles of Burgundy in the cellar and approaching age 60, I'm in no hurry to add bottles at $50+. There used to be an occasional bargain or sale, but those are now very few and far between. I still buy lower level daily drinkers but for the most part, no more purchases of GC or 1er C...

As a casual beer drinker, I've recently noticed a trend in certain "Pale Ales" at various Microbreweries. I guess they're considered American Pale Ales but don't really know for sure. My stereotypical idea of a "pale ale" is a lower alcohol beer (typically 6% or less) which tastes like....beer, but ...

Sadly, I don't believe there's any containment. Huge numbers in the Lehigh Valley. It's kind of bizarre because locally the numbers are still way down, minus 90% or more. They're definitely not absent but not everywhere like they were. The populations can fluctuate dramatically within just a few mil...

Fun night! Thanks for the insightful write-up. Seems like Bern's has never been more popular. How long in advance did you make the reservation? A few years ago I tried to line up something for my wife's business dinner and the place was booked a week+ in advance, except for a couple of undesirable e...

I'm a bit disappointed. They lost Marguet and Vilmart and were already missing Taittinger, Benoit Lahaye and Marie Courtin last year. Courtin is a fav. It does hurt losing those producers. I'm still a fan of Agrapart, Bereche, and Chartogne-Taillet among others. A number of new names (to me) on the...

Neal Mollen couldn't be more appreciative of your new discovery.

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"Been down one time
Been down two times
Never going back again"

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I would add that when I started there was a dearth if information, and Burgundy was an always an expensive and difficult wine to learn about. It took about 8 years for those who were going to become Burgundy geeks to really learn about the wines, and start becoming serious buyers. Nowadays that num...

It either stinks or doesn't of petrol
If not, lucky you
If so, the stink keeps getting worse
And worse
Then reportedly the hydrocarbons fade and degrade or morph and you have old Riesling.

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Franck Peillot - Dressner import, Bugey. Southern tip of the Savoie. Always enjoy his Altesse.

Belluard and Peron are worth seeking out and trying.

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Robert.A.Jr. wrote: ↑
August 28th, 2019, 8:24 am
Of course this could be entirely staged....

Give yourself credit, you've seen the direction Bordeaux is headed. The writing's on the wall. You're proactively adapting. A man ahead of his time.

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I have read that for a lot of people as they get older they lose their palates and can only really taste the big, over-oaked, high alcohol wines. Look, the Ovid-Owl has never been a fan of Burgundy or restrained Pinots. That along with his new found passion for lumberyard high-test...what additiona...

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