The
Discriminating Wino began as a Facebook page a decade ago, originally
dedicated to recommending decent wines in the $10-$15 range, more or less. The
focus was expanded to include liquor as well; I do not recall if I ever
reviewed beers. Anyhow that was when I was young and working at a retail store,
trying to support a family of five on a single income barely above the state
minimum-wage, and that was all I could afford to frivolously toss my pennies
at, specially as still being a dumb kid at heart and not yet a man I still preferred
pot to alcohol as my recreative of choice. I had very poor taste in wine,
preferring reds of course which I still do but at that price you have to as
cheap white wine is terrible (with a
few exceptions; you can get a decent Riesling within fifteen bucks) and my
earliest knowledge of wine, as a teenager was getting drunk off my parents’
cheap white table wines and so I always avoided them afterwards. I have always
been and still am pretentiously Euro-Centric in my viticultural tastes and,
while I am still far from an expert, certainly no sommelier, I have pulled out enough corks in my day now to take a
crack at offering some suggestions, observations…it has always seemed silly and
ironic to describe the bouquet of a wine and notice subtle hints of such-and-such
and I assure you I see no point in a wine tasting if I’m not even going to get
a full glass, the point of wine is to get drunk (although there are significant
health benefits as well and, of course, good wine is a pleasure to experience)
as any Satyr knows; let the civilized Greeks add water I drink the blood of the
Lord undiluted with Centaurs and rarely leave them enough…but as writing is
what I do I just felt this was one more outlet, one more genre if you will, and it helps to pause and appreciate, enjoy, and
think about what I’m drinking before it’s all forgotten and in the recycling
bin tomorrow anyhow. So with that, I leave you my notes on six wines, below. As
I said my budget has gone up over the years but these are all $20 or under, mostly
under.
Carmel
Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (Israel)
Bitter. Flat. Overly acidic. Doesn’t
sit well in the stomach; or on the palate. If you need to keep Kosher you could
do much better.
…but after sipping for a while it in
fact becomes more enjoyable as the characteristics of the wine are not
overpowering once the tongue has been sufficiently marinated in it. Still, I
wouldn’t suggest it.
Macedon
Pinot Noir 2017
Rich taste. An excellent wine for the money, or
period. Tartness of cranberry or plum. Flavors are bold and pronounced, ma non troppo. Not bad for the
birthplace of wine: Dionysos would approve.
Lone
Birch Red Blend (WA)
Bright and spicy. Pleasant early evening
drinking. Meditatively puckering. The last drop sipped out the bottle is a special
treat.
Bindi
Sergardi Chianti Colli Senesi
Al
Canapo 2017 (Tuscany)
Rich, resplendent notes of dry tartness. Bright
color that seems to absorb the Sun. There is a definite acidity that is not,
however, overpowering. Well-balanced; good with pasta.
Van
Zellers & Co Porto Ruby (Portugal)
“The Oldest Port Wine Family”
Balanced sweetness. Aftertaste of
the grape itself, not that spoiled palate some ports leave. The lips sparkle
and tingle and the body surges with that warm, energetic port high. This is a
port you sip slow, not because it’s oversweet but because it’s enjoyable. (You
actually need a corkscrew for this one; something I like.)
Porto
White
Same brand. This is the first white port I have
tried. Very good; very different than red port. Still has the port sweetness to
it but dry and nuanced.
Overall this is a great company. I
have always associated port with battling against my tastebuds to get drunk in
high school, and the example of Jack Kerouac’s descent. I’m still far from a
connoisseur but at least I can say, this is good stuff. The white was twenty
dollars, the red, fifteen. I honestly thought the red was better but I’d
recommend either, for whatever (or no) occasion.
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