wine
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You are currently reading a thread in /ck/ - Food & Cooking
You are currently reading a thread in /ck/ - Food & Cooking
I drink beer and liquor, almost exclusively. I've had wine, but mostly just at family dinners and stuff. If my eyes were closed I couldn't tell the difference between a red and a white.
My problem is women usually prefer wine to beer, and if I serve liquor then they won't drink much because they know how easily they'll get drunk. So I want to stock up on some guest wine for my bachelor pad.
Problem is, I don't know where to start. I don't want to go expensive on it--its not for me and most women I date wouldn't know the difference anyways.
What would be the Sam Adams of wines? I figure boxed wine is like the Keystone of wines, the cheaper bottles are like the Bud Lights. Now I like a good beer for myself, but I keep some Sam Adams Rebel IPA around for when the guys are over--not the best, but no one turns up their nose to it. Whats the wine equivalent that I could find in most grocery stores and neighborhood shops? What brand? What type? What price is good?
If it matters, I live in New England
Black Box Merlot. It's actually not bad. It's like the mini keg of wine.
>>7852132
>My problem is women usually prefer wine to beer
If you hang out with people for whom there is a pronounced gender divide where drink preferences are concerned, I wouldn't worry too much about getting sophisticated.
>What would be the Sam Adams of wines?
There isn't really one, but any of the entry level Trimbach whites (pinot blanc, pinot gris, or riesling) should work. It's cheap, but legitimately good quality wine, unlike most new world whites at that price point, and it should be available at any liquor store that isn't completely shit. And it should be relatively easy for a complete pleb to enjoy, while being decent enough that a person with some standards would still enjoy it as well.
>>7852146
I've seen that, people bringing it to parties and stuff. And I've heard it is very drinkable. I've also heard bota box is decent.
But a box of wine just doesn't paint the picture or set the mood I'm going for.
I appreciate the suggestion though
>>7852153
>If you hang out with people for whom there is a pronounced gender divide where drink preferences are concerned, I wouldn't worry too much about getting sophisticated.
I feel like that's some sort of dig at me...but fine. Its an observation, take it or leave it. Some of my buddies' girlfriends are douches so I need wine around for them, and then this girl I'm seeing is allergic to most beers.
I'll give Trimbach a shot.
>>7852187
It's more of a dig at them. Choosing your drink based on whether it makes you seem like a strong silent mysterious cowboy type or a sophisticated yet delicate lady is teenage drinker mentality but you see it in grown adults sometimes.
Anyway if they're really lower class stinky twats you could get them some cinzano moscato, which is kind of a straight up slap in the face or an underhanded insult, depending on your point of view. No need to waste perfectly good trimbach on someone you don't like.
Chianti Classico Reserva for a nice dry red.
>>7852235
People develop preferences, and ladies tend towards wine and clear liquors. I don't think its anyone putting on airs, although maybe that's why they originally started down that road.
E. Guigal cotes de Rhone.
Most Spanish reds.
Louie jadot bourgone and chablis.
Excelsior syrah.
The noble vine series (look for 3 red numbers on a black label, several different varietals).
La ville ferme is alright too.
Clarendelle makes a great $20 Bordeaux
I recently worked in a new England wine shop so you should be able to access everything I've mentioned.
>>7852132
>drop $100+ on bottle of wine
>drink it or pour it down the drain, up to you
>reuse bottle filled with Boone's Farm for ever gal you invite over
The next logical step is profit
>>7852132
>If my eyes were closed I couldn't tell the difference between a red and a white.
I don't believe you. It's like saying you can't differentiate coke and fanta.
>>7852132
I can understand not telling the differences between 2 white wines, or the difference between 2 red wines
But not telling the difference between white and red? Bullshit. They are NOTHING alike at all.
>>7852445
I think you're right. I've been doing shots since I was 16 but I'm pretty sure I first bought a bottle of whiskey to sip on because I wanted to be a guy who could sip on liquor.
Now I unironically enjoy it. Main reasons I don't partake more is spirits are heavily taxed here and I tend to drink way more as opposed to when I drink beer. I guess cause it doesn't fill me up as much.
People get more comfortable with their drink of choice as they age too I've noticed. I'm sure a lot of girls (and certain guys) go into wine for the image but form a taste for it.
>>7853388
If you put them in front of me blind folded right now, I couldn't tell you which was which. I could tell you that they are definitely different. Also, if a short while before that I tried each, I would later be able to identify which is which. But right now, I drink so little wine that I couldn't identify which is which in a blind taste test.
>>7853357
Problem is some people know their shit. That's why I want the "Sam Adams of wine." Its not great, but its not like Bud or some shit that anyone but the biggest asshole is going to turn their nose up to it
>>7853401
>I first bought a bottle of whiskey to sip on because I wanted to be a guy who could sip on liquor. Now I unironically enjoy it.
How strange! Most people don't enjoy drinking liquor, they just pretend.
>this is what neckbeards ACTUALLY believe
>>7853481
Did you misunderstand my post?
Or did you just have a crappy day and needed an excuse to insult someone anonymously.
>>7853493
Naw brah, I got you. Everyone chooses their beverages at an early age based on the image, much like how when you join the Fleet, you can join the Mobile Infantry or whatever. Then, after a gruelling process of choking down that beverage for years, the small part of your brain that tells you it's horrible is successfully murdered, and you are finally the Classy Gentleman (or a rich patrician with refined rarified tastes, if your chosen beverage-identity was wine or Lafroog)
>>7853511
Alright cheers.
I don't recommend rereading your posts in the morning.
>>7853522
What are you talking about? I just got up 40 minutes ago. I'm still having my first cup of coffee.
Happy drinking, Irresponsible Captain Tylor.
>>7853537
>You were sober when you wrote that trainwreck
I wouldn't have admitted to that personally.
I still don't recommend rereading your posts though. You're a fucking retard.
>>7853549
Your personal identity is a little too wrapped up in your assigned beverage, Captain.
I recommend watching some liquor commercials on youtube to boost your self esteem.
>>7853435
My advice:
Base level cheap wines are generally blends - either of different years of grapes, or even different varieties. They have names like "Proprietor's Selection" or whatever. These can be perfectly good drinking wines, but aren't considered very classy. They are generally consistent in flavor from batch to batch.
Slightly less cheap wines are generally made by the same vinyards, but stick to a single grape and year - so they will have the year on the bottle like "2014 Merlot". These are consistent in flavor within a single year, but can vary slightly between years. A vinyard which made an exceptional Merlot in 2014 might not produce quite as well in 2015 depending on the weather in the area.
If you are looking to impress, shop in this order:
1. Buy bottles, not boxes
2. Buy bottles that are corked instead of capped
3. Buy bottles that have classy names/labeling
4. Google reviews and go with whatever has the best rating
5. Buy the cheapest wine that meets all of the above
If you want to have your taste bases covered, I would stock 4 varieties: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay. This gives you lighter and darker flavored red and white wines. If someone wants wine you can then ask red or white, and light or dark / sweet or dry.
If you are going to have wine sitting around for a while, look up how to properly store it.
I don't drink that much wine but some of the cheaper stuff I have had has been better than some of the more expensive. Studies have shown that people with "unrefined" wine palates generally prefer cheaper wines in a blind test, so don't worry about buying cheap. In Canada you should be able to get stuff that meets this criteria for around $15/bottle, which means you can probably get it for more like $10 or less in the US.
>>7853590
>different years of grapes
how would this even work, or save money for the manufacturer?
>>7853593
I imagine it happens sometimes with blends if they are just looking to mix anything together. If you have more wine one year than you can sell, it would need to be stored until the next year and then it might be blended in.
>>7853593
one year the grapes are awesome and a not-retarded person makes the brew
the next year the grapes suck and somebody drops a toenail in the mash
>>7853559
The irony is you seem a little too wrapped up in analyzing the psychological mechanics behind me deciding to try drinking whiskey 6 years ago.
I regret calling you a retard but you are being pretty silly making all these implications.
I understand your accusations but you're aiming them at the wrong person. Trust me.
>>7853590
Thank you. That is wicked helpful.
Everyone else: This is how you help people in need of advice.
>>7853435
Go to store, find wine around $12-$20, it's probably decent enough. Most people don't really drink any wines much over like $20-$30, and anything under $10 has a very high chance of being garbage.
~$15 is usually a good spot for decent enough wine, only go for the $20-$25 if I'm being fancy.
As far as types of wine, I'm a fan of Spanish and Italian reds, dunno much about whites, but champagne or sparkling dry whites are always good too, bitches love that shit.
>>7853590
>3. Buy bottles that have classy names/labeling
This is important, the more like hipster or bright and colorful and meme looking the label, the more likely it is to be shit.
>>7854878
>~$15 is usually a good spot for decent enough wine, only go for the $20-$25 if I'm being fancy
I think a better way to put that is "$15 is a comfortable price point for an average middle class person to spend on a bottle of wine"
The trouble is in the south of France $5 gets you a pretty decent wine. In NYC $15 gets you a pretty decent wine if you're reasonably well informed and shop carefully. In Pittsburgh $25 gets you a pretty decent wine, if you're not too picky and willing to drink mass market (not that there's anything wrong with that). In Jesuschristville KS, you're not getting decent wine, unless you drive 250 miles to the capital and want to drop $90 on a bottle of Mondavi Cab that was pretty good when it was unpacked in 1993 but might very well be vinegar by now, or amazing, who knows it's a surprise because cowboys can't into wine storage.
So yeah, $15. If you're in some places it's more than enough. If you're in some places and you have ghetto palate it's ok. If you're in some places, have a Sam Adams.
Hence why wine is seen as fancy in some places. You might have to be a rich, well traveled person if you ever want to drink something that isn't shit. Or, you just pretend to like it but then say wine is actually pretty shit and you're more of a beer guy.
>>7853522
Ok I'm legitimately drunk now and I stand by what I said before.
