Some Examples Of Why Bartenders Are Not Armed

[cinema guy]

, and it's from Alfaro, Spain,

All Rioja is from the La Rioja region of Spain.

[Jester]

A quick google check tells me that Alfaro is in La Rioja, actually.

[KiaKat]

First I have to say I am shocked....virtually no one knows what I am talking about when I mention Marques de Caceres. My ex-fiance The Brit, who's father was Spanish, turned me on to it years ago when we were together, and it is awesome, but no one ever knows about it.

That being said, that seems a bit pricey....are you sure you aren't getting the Reserva? I have never seen the regular ole Crianza for more than $14 or $15 in a store.

I was actually mixing up the pricing structure on M. de Caceras vs M. de Riscal. Oops. The rest of my post stands as is, though. You're right, the Caceras Joven is around $12, the Crianza around $14, and the Reserva around $18.

I hate you. I truly do.

Personally, I'll drink the stuff whenever I buy it, but it's good to know to look for those vintages. Okay, suddenly I don't hate you as much, as I just checked, and at the moment, I have a bottle of '05 Crianza in my wine rack.

Though I doubt I am going to wait two years to drink it!

Just double-checked, the '05 I have is the Reserva, the '04 is the Crianza. Which explains why I was expecting to cellar the '05 for another couple years. One of these days I need to organize my cellar and tag all my wines. Yeah. Right. Like that's gonna happen

Okay, you clearly know this wine better than me. I shall have to keep my eyes peeled for those vintages....might go today to look for them, actually.

I adore good Rioja. The key word being GOOD. Sadly there's a lot of bad Rioja out there, and a lot of Joven masquerading as Crianza. Only reason I have it in my head is because I'm studying for my Certified Sommelier test (2nd level out of 4 in the Master programme), and they apparently like to throw Rioja in there to shake up the testers. Because a good Crianza can come off tasting like a moderately-young Reserva, and a *really* good Joven can taste like a just-barely-ready Crianza.

Wine is weird.

[Jester]

I was actually mixing up the pricing structure on M. de Caceras vs M. de Riscal. Oops. The rest of my post stands as is, though. You're right, the Caceras Joven is around $12, the Crianza around $14, and the Reserva around $18.

Good to know I'm not crazy. Though I could swear the Reserva was a bit more. Back when I was with The Brit, the Crianza was about $12-13 and the Gran Reserva was around $25. Seven years later, the Crianza is $13-14, but the Gran Reserva is $35! Maybe it's a different vintage?

Now, what the flying hell is Joven? Don't believe I've seen that one, or heard of it!

Just double-checked, the '05 I have is the Reserva, the '04 is the Crianza. Which explains why I was expecting to cellar the '05 for another couple years.

So what you're saying is that I'm not crazy for drinking the '05 Crianza whenever I feel like it.

[KiaKat]

Nope! Not crazy at all

Joven is the unoaked version of Rioja. Tends to be thick, lacking some of the complexities of the oaked wines, and meant to be had young. Hence the word joven.

It could very well be different vintages. I've also noticed that the store I buy Riojas from (not mine, we don't carry any good Riojas) tends to adjust their prices once a year. Could be that they haven't touched the Reserva price tag yet.

This reminds me that I have to hit up Moore Brothers sometime for a mixed case of white. I'm running low on some of my more interesting labels. This heat means I'm pretty much going through my whites like there's no end. I'll be happy when it breaks, there's a Ripasso begging me to drink it before it falls off the edge of maturity.

[Jester]

This heat means I'm pretty much going through my whites like there's no end.

That's what beer is for!

[Pagan]

My gf brought my dad a bottle of Highland Park for Christmas. It wan't 40 years old though. My dad is a serious whiskey connoisseur, and drinks some very nice Scotch.

Dear Goddess, I hope not! It's around $1100US.

Meanwhile I'm enjoying a glass of 12-year old single malt after a very long day at work. mmm

That's what I had last night. A wee dram of The Singleton 12-year-old aged in sherry & bourbon casks. This is the first adult beverage that I've had since the 6/6 because I've been so sick....and you could tell. Normally, 80 proof like that doesn't bother me too much.

My family treated ourselves to a bottle of Oban once. If you like Scotch whisky, I can recommend it as a wonderful example of its type.

Oban is a Highland. They tend to be very smooth. The Speyside's are fairly smooth, too. The Singleton is a Speyside. I've had almost all of the Island whiskys (Arran, Highland Park, Island of Jura, Scapa, Talisker). The Islay's though....they tend to have a Sucrets finish to them. Very medicinal. Not a real big fan.

I'm trying to drink more Irish whiskeys, too. They tend to be harsher than Scotch, mainly because they don't peat smoke the malt.

My big problem is that I fall in love with the bottles. I love the shape of The Glenrothes http://www.esquire.com/cm/esquire/im...b-55026992.jpg. The Singleton looks like a flask, I'm trying to decide what to do with my empty bottle now.

[infinitemonkies]

A couple years ago I bought my brother a bottle of Armenian Brandy. I can't recall the name of it, but it came in a bottle shaped like an 18th century flintlock pistol.
That was the sole reason I bought it, though the brandy actually turned out to be pretty good.

[Midnight_Angel]

If you want a decent Japanese Scotch to try, I recommend the Yamazaki 12 year. Very nice taste really. The 18 Year is more of an acquired taste that I have yet to develop.

*laugh* Actually, I think both of them are quite good, though the 18y starts to get a tad pricey (around 80 Euros a bottle around here)

Another Japanese I like, though completely different from the Yamazakis would be the 12 year old Hakushu. Hints of fruit, floral, with just a wisp of smoke... yum!

Dear Goddess, I hope not! It's around $1100US.

This one? Yeah, that's way beyond a mortal's price range (though I sure would like a bottle of this stuff... and my friends already think I'm crazy if I do some purchases in the low three-digit range, such as something like some good Irish whiskey or a nice Lowlander)

(No, I am in no way affiliated with that shop. I do not advise you to buy there, nor do I discourage you to.)

(Edit: Two days after I post this, the shop de-lists my Rosebank. Link removed)

[wolfie]

A couple years ago I bought my brother a bottle of Armenian Brandy. I can't recall the name of it, but it came in a bottle shaped like an 18th century flintlock pistol.
That was the sole reason I bought it, though the brandy actually turned out to be pretty good.

When I was in my mid-teens, Jim Beam was advertised in Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman magazines. Why? They had a series of limited edition bottles shaped like various rolling stock (and you could buy track to display the empties on). Also, in the old "I Dream of Jeannie" TV show, Jeannie's bottle was a (suitably painted) Jim Beam limited edition bottle.

[cinema guy]

A wee dram of The Singleton 12-year-old aged in sherry & bourbon casks.

Snap! I only had a miniature though, so two wee drams and it's gone.

I was looking for a present for Dad's birthday and found whiskey bottles in wierd and wonderful shapes, including Nessie, the Loch Ness monster.

[tollbaby]

Can either of you recommend a good California wine to bring home? We're big on Ontario and BC wines in my family, and my dad loves strong wines (what we call "corsé"). My aunt loves dry whites and rosées, and I like sweeter, mellower wines, so anything in any one of those categories would be fantastic I'm visiting LA during my trip to Phoenix, so if I can bring back a bottle or two as gifts, I would like to widen my wine-snob family's horizons a bit (they've branched out to Australian wines after their trip to NZ and Oz).

[Jester]

...it came in a bottle shaped like an 18th century flintlock pistol.
That was the sole reason I bought it, though the brandy actually turned out to be pretty good.

There are times with liquor that the bottle can fool you, i.e., it's a lovely bottle, and then the stuff inside turns out to taste like sewage. I remember one rum in particular......

Then there are times when the bottle can fool you the other way. Pyrat Cask 1623 is in a deceptively simple, unassuming bottle. By its remarkable taste, it should be in a crystal decanter flecked with gold and diamonds, with a mystic smoke wafting around it, while angels flutter over it. But no, it's just in this rather plain, squarish, almost dumpy bottle. So ya never know.

Can either of you recommend a good California wine to bring home?

Some of my favorites (off the top of my head):

Trinchero Cabernet
Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc
Murphy-Goode Fume Blanc

That's really all I can think of from Cali right at the moment. I am sure there are others I have had, but right now, it's 9 am and my mind is blank.

[KiaKat]

Look for smaller wineries. Some of my favourites are Inman Family (Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris), Dashe (Zinfandel), and Chalk Hill (Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc). And I'm picky about California wineries - I despise excess unintegrated oak.

Check out http://www.drvino.com/losangeleswineshops.php to see what good wine stores will be near your location. Walk in, grab an associate, and tell them exactly what you told us. They know their stock, and can point you in the right direction. There are *so* many wineries in California, and many of them are small enough to never distribute outside the state, so also take that into consideration when buying. You want something you can probably find at home, I'm guessing.

[Flying Grype]

People come into my store all the time asking for our "best wine." At which point I show them the $50 Chateauneuf du Pape, or the $45 375ml Vin Santo.

Mmm, vin santo! I bought a bottle in Italy and it was about €8. Haven't drunk it yet but we did have a tasting at the winery. It tastes like burnt sugar and warms you up all the way through. So whose is it that costs $45?