Any Wine Lovers in Dallas Around My Age Group?

[sam_chung]

First of all, thank you so much for sharing your honest opinions and kindly pointing out the flaws when you could have simply ignored me. Then I would have continued to live my life making the same mistakes with a wrongful prejudice. You have my deepest gratitude.

@Guillermo_M

After I broke up with my ex (one of many such stories during the pandemic) I have tons of bottles that I don’t open because I don’t want to drink them alone. I’m not talking unicorns (though I have a few) because I started late (due to living in the wrong place for collecting wine for many years). When I have friends over, I always open something. I’m sure they love getting free booze. And I love the opportunity to open the bottles and sharing the experience with them. I moved to DC relatively recently and none of my closer DC friends are winos though. So, imagine my joy at finding someone who actually wants to talk about what’s in the glass.

Thank you for sharing this and I wholeheartedly agree with you. Discovering the best opportunity to open a bottle is an indescribable joy. One time, I gathered all my friends who told me that all wines taste the same and gave them a presentation with tastings. Friends who seemed to be uninterested at first, started asking me questions about the affect of vintages and that was really something. I did two cab, Napa (Grand Napa Vineyard, Oakville) vs Australia (Mollydooker), two same vintage bourgogne pinot noir, Hudelot Noellat vs Sylvain Cathiard (Unaffordable now sadly). Probably the most rewarding and interesting wine experience I had so far.

@Guillermo_M

And interesting doesn’t have to mean expensive.

Very true. Right now I am obsessed with Beaujolais and how affordable and interesting Gamay is. Some Coteaux Bourguignons (pinot noir and gamay blend) are really mind blowing.

@Guillermo_M

There are also tons of amazing Rias Baixas Albariños to be had at very accessible price points. Same with Rieslings. And when was the last time someone showed up with a Txakoli?

Spanish whites are definitely on my list to try. I heard great things about aged Spanish whites.
Riesling is a monster of a variety. High acidity, sweet (I find even trokens to be sweet), lots of good value.
I have never heard of this Spanish variety, txakoli. Wine Folly says lime, green strawberry, peony, dried herbs, saline? I am feeling the limit to my imagination.

@Guillermo_M

Another story. The other day a friend of mine got a wrong number call from an old lady who apparently only has one nephew in the world. She was lonely and crying. They talked. Imagine if that lady had a full wine cellar. How happy would she be to share her bottles for some company? How can the cost of that wine be compared to that happiness? Who’s really getting the better part of that exchange? Wine is almost meant to be shared. You can drink it alone but it is way better when shared

I understand. I was surprised to find out myself that wine actually tastes better when shared. I wonder what the psychology or chemistry behind that is.

@Guillermo_M

Not everyone older is rich. Most aren’t. They may not have any super expensive or rare bottles at all. Would that change your viewpoint?

I understand. I regret my hurtful sarcasm and I certainly do not hold this viewpoint.

@Guillermo_M

why would it not be just as easy to have healthy conversations with the older people? What is it that you might feel is likely to make them unhealthy?

This was my prejudice and a wrongful one at that. If you allow me, I would like to explain.
I have to admit this stems from a bad experience I had in my previous wine group. There were a couple older people who looked down on what other people brought to share.
“I remember the days when this wine was way cheaper and it is certainly not worth this much” - It was interesting to hear at first, but they repeated this over and over again which made me question their intention.
“Oh, I’ve had better”
“I wouldn’t pay under $100 for a wine”
“I have tried many wine and now I only drink Bordeaux first growth. You will know soon enough”
That really intimidated a lot of newcomers and very upsetting to me. I guess after years of their company, I’ve developed this prejudice. Thanks for helping me realize this. I wish I met someone like you before them.

@Guillermo_M

Also, anyone who’s been around here knows that when John mentioned reporting you to Todd, he was likely joking (especially with an emoji after it)

I would be ashamed to find out that he was joking. I ask for your understanding that as a new member here, oblivious to the WB’s culture, I felt attacked and bullied. It felt like I was being pressured to take advantage of older people.

@Guillermo_M

Everyone likes having new people around. We want you to be here. Trust me.

Thank you.

@Guillermo_M

That’s a bit of a semantic play because in my mind a passionate wine lover should have some experience. And they would quickly learn that those aren’t really wines of place. They’d be better described as grape cocktails. And it’s fine to like grape cocktails (even if those aren’t especially good, to each their own). But they don’t give anything interesting to talk about. Those are wines that strive for consistency. If you’ve have one bottle you’ve had them all.

I have actually held the same viewpoint until I met someone who has the most refined palate I came across but would gladly take a meiomi or belle glos. I was sure that she was not socially pressured to. That really changed my viewpoint that someone may not agree with the winemaking but enjoy it greatly.

@Guillermo_M

The wines that are worth talking about are mostly the ones that transmit the vintage, the wines that show exceptional work from a grower or winemaker to transcend the vintage, the wines that show different interpretations of the same or very similar terroirs, the wines that break new ground in some way, be it quality, winemaking innovation, new terroirs, rediscovering and saving old vineyards or old regional techniques, or manage to produce traditional or outstanding results in the face of climate change (for example, any quality dry farmed 2021 Sonoma Zin is likely to be an eye opener).

This is always a fun talk. Which producer did well on this vintage, that appellation, so on. Something like, let’s find out which Burgundy producer handled acidity well on a hot vintage like 2018!

[Guillermo_M]

@sam_chung

“I remember the days when this wine was way cheaper and it is certainly not worth this much”

Some are guilty of this one here. But if you are just reading and haven’t paid for it yet, it might save you some money, instead of making you feel taken advantage of.

@sam_chung

“Oh, I’ve had better”
“I wouldn’t pay under $100 for a wine”
“I have tried many wine and now I only drink Bordeaux first growth. You will know soon enough”

Those are assholes with money and without manners. The first one also lacks vocabulary. And the second one doesn’t love wine, they love labels.

I’ve never seen anyone like that around here. In fact, most of us want to discover the great wines before everyone else does. And we want to avoid wasting money. That’s part of why you’ll find such engagement with posts by William Kelley, Jasper Morris, Brad Baker, and others who travel to the areas (or live there) and report back. It’s also why you’ll find such engagement with producers like Marcus Goodfellow (and many others) who go into the weeds of winemaking and their regions. And it’s not just US producers. Sometimes we get lucky and someone like Gautier Roussille from Guillemot-Michel drops by. Neither of them makes wine that the label lickers you had experienced are likely to buy. But that’s our gain and their loss. Regular berserkers who don’t make wine or publish reviews but have immense knowledge are also constantly sharing it.

We’re not perfect. Some here are dogmatic. But except for two I have muted, none are the sort of people who seem to set out to ruin your day like those guys you were tasting with.

Somewhere around here there’s a thread on Berserker Zoom calls with winemakers. The sort of spirit on those calls is what you’re most likely to interact with here. They’re also very interesting videos you should really watch. (We should do more.)

Welcome to the board.

[MChang]

Regarding meiomi or belle glos; I guess it depends on the situation; if you’d drink it if there isn’t any other good options it might be better than some swill. If you brought it to a wine dinner that’s something different altogether.

Regarding the whole wine situation, it just depends on the setting. Generally people set some sort of guidelines for a wine dinner. If everyone is bringing aged grand cru burgundy and you bring meiomi, it’d probably be frowned upon.

[Andrew_K]

I started organizing wine events last year and I’m usually the youngest and least experienced at the table. I’m happy to invite some young guys if I can find them, but I love a group of wise and experienced tasters to learn from. And the wine they bring from their deep cellars is an added learning experience. When we drink the same wine side by side and I bring the '17 and they bring the '88 or '96, it’s fun for everyone and really special for me to learn more about the history.

[Luca_Giupponi]

As a guy in his late 30s I’d consider that a major pro.

[sam_chung]

@Guillermo_M

But if you are just reading and haven’t paid for it yet, it might save you some money, instead of making you feel taken advantage of.

I can see that. Thank you.

@Guillermo_M

Those are assholes with money and without manners. The first one also lacks vocabulary. And the second one doesn’t love wine, they love labels.

Thankfully I was not blind to this but I was blind to my own subconsciousness.

@Guillermo_M

I’ve never seen anyone like that around here. In fact, most of us want to discover the great wines before everyone else does. And we want to avoid wasting money. That’s part of why you’ll find such engagement with posts by William Kelley, Jasper Morris, Brad Baker, and others who travel to the areas (or live there) and report back. It’s also why you’ll find such engagement with producers like Marcus Goodfellow (and many others) who go into the weeds of winemaking and their regions. And it’s not just US producers. Sometimes we get lucky and someone like Gautier Roussille from Guillemot-Michel drops by. Neither of them makes wine that the label lickers you had experienced are likely to buy. But that’s our gain and their loss. Regular berserkers who don’t make wine or publish reviews but have immense knowledge are also constantly sharing it.

Those posts are always great to read. I am grateful for them.

@Guillermo_M

Somewhere around here there’s a thread on Berserker Zoom calls with winemakers. The sort of spirit on those calls is what you’re most likely to interact with here. They’re also very interesting videos you should really watch. (We should do more.)

I did not know this was a thing! I will be on a lookout for the next one for sure. Thanks!

@Guillermo_M

Welcome to the board.

Thanks again for the warm welcome.

[sam_chung]

Hi Michael!

For sure, especially when the guideline was shared beforehand. That would trigger me too.

[sam_chung]

Hi Andrew!

What you have going on sounds like a lot of fun! I hope to find a group like this in the future. I remember when a friend brought a 1998 Beaucastel once and it was glorious.

[sam_chung]

Hi Luca!

A wine merchant once told me that your palate is most sensitive in the morning. I wonder if that’s actually true or if he wanted to sell me more wine. Haven’t tested his theory yet.

[Scott_G_r_u_n_e_r]

Bringing meiomei to a wine tasting is a crime punishable by ban. Flame away.

[Yule_Kim]

I do like the cardboard boxes Meiomi uses. I got one from K&L for one of my purchases, and I’ve been reusing it ever since to transport wine. Almost as good as a Domaine box.

[Joe_Dulworth]

Wait until young Sam finds out there are only about a bazillion of us wine tasters here in the DFW area. He’ll be truly downcast to discover that 95% of us are 40 or above.

[sam_chung]

Hi Joe!

I meant no offense. I apologize if it made you feel uncomfortable.

[Joe_Dulworth]

LMAO. My, offended? By something posted on the internet?

[sam_chung]

Haha nice

[Michael_O_Brien]

Especially me. But I do like to share.