Don’t reds last much longer uncorked? I live alone and a bottle will last me 3-4 days and the whites seem “off” after 2. I can’t help it, I just like reds so much more than whites and when given the choice…red will win most every time. Unless it’s freakin’ hot!

I have had both oaked and unoaked Chardonnay and like both. I also like Vognier and am not too fussy about food-wine pairing although I do know that a good pairing can bring out the best in both the food and the wine!

Have you read this blog: http://www.gapingvoid.com/

The author: Besides “cartoons drawn on the back of business cards”, my main gig is Marketing Strategist for Stormhoek, a small South African vineyard, whose Web 2.0 approach to wine making is currently getting a lot of international attention in the wine trade.

I’ve been wondering what Stormhoek wines taste like - I don’t think they are sold in the States.

I do drink chardonnay, especially if it’s hot. That’s probably the only time I’ll drink a white - when it’s hot and a red just feels too heavy. I have friends that argue the whole “Over-oaked California style” versus the lighter French style and whoosh! over my head. When it comes to white wines, I like anything from buttery-oak finishes to crisp-apple clean.

I wonder when the death of the corkscrew will occur. I mean, there will always be some wine out there with corks. I have some Cabs from 1991 and those are corked. I gave one away as a birthday gift - I hope to hear from my friend at some point how it tastes.

Anyway, I am fine with the screwtop. Makes things so much easier. I used to think that recorking was important (using the Vacuvin to remove the air) but then read that it made no difference at all.

But back to California wine - I looked up some of the larger winemakers that may make it to Costco UK and looked in the under $15 range:

Fetzer Vineyards 2005 Fetzer Valley Oaks $8.99
Meridian Vineyards 2005 Santa Barbara County $10.00
Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi 2005 WB Select Vineyard Series $12.00

These got gold medals at one competition I follow when it comes to buying wines (I look for wines $10 and under).

If you’re into Red Zins (and I wish I didn’t have to specify RED as I think of red as the default but one time I ordered the house Zin and got a white Zin! The glass arrived and I asked, “Why is this pink?” and the poor not-yet-of-drinking-age waiter named “Skip” or some other preppy name said, “It is a zin - a white zin”) I noticed that Zins from Lodi are a pretty good bet. I also love wines from Montevina winery in California - affordable and generally consistent from year to year.

Another very quaffable wine (and fun to bring to parties) is Folie a deux’s “Menage a Trois” red. They also have a white or pink I think. I heard that the winery was recently absorbed/merged with a larger one which is probably why I see this wine all over (CostPlus carries it - not sure if this store is in the UK).

I have also tagged you in my blog. Since you have your other more tech blog I would think you have some geek in you. You may even be 2 geeks in one: Wine and Tech.

Check it out:

http://qmusings.com/blog/2007/08/03/reluctantly-hopping-on-the-geek-train/

Up to you if you want to climb aboard…

In Xanadu did Alastair
A tasty Côtes du Rhône decree

In what sense does the Ancient Mariner have anything to do with a Californian Chardonnay?
I fear for his mental health…….