Gems in my wine cellar

[satty]

Unfortunately, I don't have a cellar for my wine bottles here in England. Luckily, my place is not heating up too much on a day like this (30 degrees Celsius outside).

Some members here asked me to show some pics of my favourites. So I thought other "wine lovers" might be interested, too

Enjoy and feel free to post some of your cellar highlights as well.

Disclaimer: I do not advertise any of those wines. Please do not buy any of the displayed wines, because it would reduce the already limited availability and make wine more expensive for myself.

 

[thedude110]

What, no Franzia?

 

[iGary]

What, no Franzia?

Actually one of my favorite Merlots comes from a box.

 

[satty]

Marlborough, New Zealand

This is one of my favourite wine areas.

I have been on a two day wine tasting tour in Marlborough in 2004. It was amazing: I started at Cloudy Bay, which did disappoint me a little bit. The older vintages, specially Pinot Noir '98 and '01, were in my opinion much nicer than the newer ones. I had lunch and a very nice, fruity Pinot Noir opposite at Alan Scotts. Next day I was at Mudhouse, Herzog and finally Hunter's. Afterwards I had a sore tongue

The nicest place was Herzog, a Swiss family with high quality standards. I am a big Pinot Noir fan, but was totally overwhelmed by their Montepulicano (maybe my absolute top wine at the moment).

Here are the bottles I still haven't opened yet:

 

[satty]

Italy and Lebanon

Here are some "usual suspects" and a more "lucky find".

There's not much to say about the Italians here. The "Nipozanno Riserva" is a wine I had in a restuarant first and since then adore it. A very nice smooth wine that fits perfectly to pasta.
I didn't taste the Barolo, I got the bottle just a week ago. Looking forward to have a go

Chateau Musar is wine from the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. A small bottle shop in Germany recommended it for my families Xmas dinner in 2001. Since then there are a couple of bottles in my collection. I like the '95 ones best, unfortunately very difficult to get nowadays, the '97 is great and at the moment you will find lots of '98, which I didn't try yet.

 

[satty]

Home sweet home...

As some members here already know, my hometown in Germany is famous for its wine. Nearly everyone there has a vineyard and is totally convinced to produce the best wine on the planet

Here is a small selection of my favourites, including one bottle of my father's red wine. I am not a big fan of sparkling or dessert wines, but have some bottles around for guests.

The "code of arms" of my hometown shows the claw of an eagle, even that we don't have any. In earlier times it was a duck's foot, which obviously wasn't very threatening

 

[satty]

Coming attractions

Additional to the Barolo I have a couple of wines I never tried and just sit there waiting for a good opportunity to get uncorked (or in some cases unscrewed).

So here the un-tested finale:

 

[lexus]

The "code of arms" of my hometown shows the claw of an eagle, even that we don't have any. In earlier times it was a duck's foot, which obviously wasn't very threatening

I think you mean Coat of Arms.

 

[satty]

I think you mean Coat of Arms.

You're right, I mean Coat of Arms.

 

[Abstract]

I have a box of wine in my fridge. You don't need a photo.

Just imagine a box with a spout coming off the side that releases wine and keeps the wine drinkable even 6 months after opening.

 

[mad jew]

Mate, dunno if I'm stating the obvious but lay the wines with corks down so you keep the cork wet and reduce the chance of oxidisation.

My wine collection's pretty pathetic considering I'm a wine merchant. I really should store some bottles longer than the three seconds it takes to rip off the SAMPLE sticker.

Having said that, it's almost entirely Australian wine, with some New Zealand, Californian and French stuff in there for good fun. I find the latter two overrated, but I have a pretty typical Australian palette (prefer the stronger reds).

 

[Applespider]

The best bottle in my 'cellar' currently is this

which is a rather nice Bordeaux that I 'won' in a wine auction at work. At £12.99 a bottle, I'm saving it for a slightly celebratory evening rather than casual drinking

 

[Chundles]

I have a grand total of two (2) bottles of wine in my cellar. For "cellar" read "bookshelf in coolest, darkest place of my old room at my folks' place with some cloth underneath the base to keep the cork pointing downwards." They are:

2000 Cockfighter's Ghost Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve
2002 Preece Cabernet Sauvignon

And that's it.

The Marlborough region of NZ makes some top Pinot Noirs.

 

[satty]

Mate, dunno if I'm stating the obvious but lay the wines with corks down so you keep the cork wet and reduce the chance of oxidisation.

I took the wine bottles out of the boxes to make the pictures, of course.

My wine collection's pretty pathetic considering I'm a wine merchant. I really should store some bottles longer than the three seconds it takes to rip off the SAMPLE sticker.

Thank God I am not a wine merchant. My wine consumption is already high. Maybe I will have a look into it after I finish my IT job and need an alternative income

Having said that, it's almost entirely Australian wine, with some New Zealand, Californian and French stuff in there for good fun. I find the latter two overrated, but I have a pretty typical Australian palette (prefer the stronger reds).

I did a wine tasting tour through Yarra Valley in 2000. I had some good wines there as well. My favourites there were Coldstream Hills Pinot Noir, Five Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon.

I can't see many California Reds here. I try French wines every now and then, but there are not many I would buy a second time.

 

[satty]

Actually one of my favorite Merlots comes from a box.

My favourite Merlot is "Oyster Bay", Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.

Here in England you can get it (in bottles) at Waitrose.

 

[mad jew]

Interesting, I've never actually tried a New Zealand Merlot. I find their reds a bit acidic in general but I reckon the cooler climate could be quite favourable for the Merlot. I'll have to get into some. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Applespider]

I can't see many California Reds here. I try French wines every now and then, but there are not many I would buy a second time.

Waitrose stock about 20 Californian reds including a rather nice Ironstone Caberbet and a Ravenswood Vintner's Zinfandel which goes beautfully at BBQs

They've got a few high-end bottles too. An Opus 1 blend at £105 a bottle, a Santa Cruz Ridge Monte Bello at £94 and a comparatively cheap Pine Ridge Merlot at £20

 

[satty]

Waitrose stock about 20 Californian reds including a rather nice Ironstone Caberbet and a Ravenswood Vintner's Zinfandel which goes beautfully at BBQs

I must be blind

They've got a few high-end bottles too. An Opus 1 blend at £105 a bottle, a Santa Cruz Ridge Monte Bello at £94 and a comparatively cheap Pine Ridge Merlot at £20

I can't see myself buying a £100 bottle*, let alone in a supermarket. In my home area many people verbaly abuse the winesellers, if the bottle is more than £5.


* Not that I don't like to treat my family, friends and myself with something special sometimes, but I still have lots of wines in the £20 area to go through.

 

[Applespider]

I can't see myself buying a £100 bottle*, let alone in a supermarket. In my home area many people verbaly abuse the winesellers, if the bottle is more than £5.

Me either... unless I get invited to the press wine tasting event! My usual bottle is between £5 and £8

To be fair, the wines above about £15 a bottle are in the Waitrose Inner Cellar (Fine Wines) department that only selected stores and online have. So far as buying from supermarkets go, even if I didn't work for the company that owns Waitrose, they've got a pretty good reputation in winebuying. They've got 4 (or is it 5) Masters of Wine who do all the buying for them so you tend to find some gems particularly in the Inner Cellar range.

 

[Queso]

I've got a couple of bottles of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc getting ready to drink. I know opinion is split on the quality/price ratio but I like it, so I don't mind spending the cash. Their Pinot Noir is also a very nice wine IMO.

 

[kiwi-in-uk]

See if you can find some Stonecroft Syrah (Hawkes Bay, NZ). Read the website before you buy - the vintages can vary a lot and Alan Limmer is wonderfully candid about their relative merits.

I came across some at Oddbins in Leeds a couple of years ago, and in Sydney a couple of months ago.

 

[satty]

Me either... unless I get invited to the press wine tasting event! My usual bottle is between £5 and £8

This "(ex)press wine tasting event" sounds good

To be fair, the wines above about £15 a bottle are in the Waitrose Inner Cellar (Fine Wines) department that only selected stores and online have. So far as buying from supermarkets go, even if I didn't work for the company that owns Waitrose, they've got a pretty good reputation in winebuying. They've got 4 (or is it 5) Masters of Wine who do all the buying for them so you tend to find some gems particularly in the Inner Cellar range.

I have no doubt, that they have very good wines in stock there (what you call "inner cellar"). Not sure about the customer service at the supermarket compared to a small, well staffed bottle shop though. I don't care much about the service if the bottle is in the range of a casual drinking wine (somewhere between £5 to £10).
In general I try to support small, non-chain shops, even if it is more expensive there.

 

[Silencio]

Waitrose stock about 20 Californian reds including a rather nice Ironstone Caberbet and a Ravenswood Vintner's Zinfandel which goes beautfully at BBQs

They've got a few high-end bottles too. An Opus 1 blend at £105 a bottle, a Santa Cruz Ridge Monte Bello at £94 and a comparatively cheap Pine Ridge Merlot at £20

I'd say most of Ravenswood's Vintner's Blends are good bang-for-the-buck. I'm not a huge Zin guy, but theirs is good. Their estate wines are also quite nice. Wine snobs look down their noses at Ravenswood here because they try to make wine less intimidating for newbies, but I think they generally make a quality product.

Santa Cruz (where I put my time in at university) is off the beaten path wine-wise, but a disproportionate amount of great stuff comes out of there. Bonny Doon is fairly well-known, if mostly for their oddball (but usually very good) blends and eye-catching labels.

I have to stifle a laugh about the E&J Gallo bottles on offer. Images of horrible jug wine and their Orson Welles adverts from the 1970s, where he ominously intones, "We will sell no wine before its time." Classic!

Opus 1. I mostly know them for very expensive bottles and a winery that looks like it descended from outer space. They're right next door in Napa Valley to Turnbull, who makes one of my all-time favorite Savignon Blancs (I have a 2000 in my "cellar").

Also have a very nice 1998 Cabernet from Bartholomew Park (Sonoma Valley, just up the road from Ravenswood).

As I wrote in another thread, the crown jewel in my small collection is a 1994 Kay Brothers Block 6 Shiraz. I went to Australia for the Holidays in 1997/1998. It was a bittersweet trip (including the end of a long distance affair), but I went to a bottle shop on Glebe Point Road in Sydney and asked the clerk to suggest a couple of bottles in the AU$20-30 range that were representative of Australian winemaking. I drank the other bottle (a nice Rosemount Cab/Shiraz blend) ages ago, but didn't pop open the Kay Bros. A few years ago, I was floored to find that my bottle was worth around US$300. It should be coming into its own by now; I'll be sure to pop it open within the next year or two.

And I guess I have a bottle of Cloudy Bay on hand, although it's a Chardonnay.

I'm pretty sure I've had a Herzog Pinot before; probably at a restaurant. Was quite good IIRC.

 

[mpw]

...Chateau Musar is wine from the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon...

Used to be in the wines & spirit trade myself and started importing Chateau Musar here in 2001. I agree it's a great wine but really hard to convince customers to try a Lebanese.

I hardly drink now and when I do it's cider or spirits, just waiting for a good storm to crack open a bottle of bubbly, I've got some very special odds and sods knocking about the wine 'cellar'(basement behind the patio furniture) inc. some very old dusty ports (which I don't drink), and a few magnums of champagnes. The 'good' stuff is mostly spirits with a few £120+ bottles of scotch and brandies.

I normally order spiced or dark rum at the bar, cider at the pub and on those rare occasions I order wine with food I love a good gurwertraminer (sp?) for white and I like Italian reds like Masi's Camporfarino (sp?).

Should be cracking open some wine this week though as I popped home at lunchtime to find the postman has delivered a case of New Zealand red from my brothers vineyard.

 

[devilot]

Holy moly. I had no idea that Santa Cruz's wines were respectable.