wine storage

[stevepaa]

I tried googling, and a search of threads, but to no avail. I am just looking for an inexpensive wine storage chiller, to put in the garage for maybe 60 bottles.


Anybody else found one.

[stevepaa]

excellent, thanks.

[Jim727]

Steve -

We have two Vinotheque QT units (http://www.vinotheque.com/). They are top quality but not inexpensive. Haier does ok (other than being made in China) for smaller bottle counts from what I understand.

One thing to watch out for is where you locate it. If your garage tends to get hot (San Jose!) you probably don't want to put the unit there. Most of them are good for about 30-deg temperature differential. In a hot garage you might not be able to maintain the desired temp and the compressor would likely be working its butt off in the summer.

Jim

[stevepaa]

Thnaks, Jim. Good advice.

[fastpat]

Go to the cellars on winepress forum and look around. Particularly, see the temps and humidity recommended for wine storage, and feast your eyes on some of the projects. Some are expensive, but some are quite small and well thought out personal projects.

Jay, you'll be interested in this information as well I'd guess.

[Don Plumley]

A good wine fridge is a constant temperature unit - not just a fridge. For example, it was in the 30's in my garage this morning - so my Eurocave becomes a heat pump to maintain temperature. The cheap units tend not to do this.

I'd also bet that 60 bottles just won't be enough. You'll buy a case of this and a case of that, join a wine club or two, and then suddenly you'll have a couple of hundred bottles. It's a good problem.

Drink more Wine (and I'm with Jim, drink Sonoma wine!)

[Jim727]

Then we have to talk about what you'll be stocking it with!!!
Jim

[Joeaksa]

I store it in my stomach. Keeps it a constant temp with no problems!

Actually need to get some more wine. Used to be friends with the owner of Far Niente then he passed and lost a very good contact in the business. Need to open a bottle of red tonight...

[Jim727]

What's your preference?

[Joeaksa]

Me? Reds for the last 10 years.

[Jim727]

Not enough detail, Joe. More input....

[Joeaksa]

Jim,

Usually Cabs or Merlot. Am not very experienced in wines and if its wet, red and not sweet I am happy.

[Jim727]

"...not sweet". Good sign.

To Be Continued....

[greglepore]

Joe-I didn't know Gil Nikel, but he certainly had some cool cars-the Lotus 11 especially.

[Joeaksa]

Greg,

Gil and I kinda grew up together. His Father and my Father worked together. Harold "Nick" Nickel, Gil's Father got my Father addicted to Jaguar cars, and Gil and I goofed around together from time to time. Gil is the one who got me addicted to BMW motorcycles.

My first experience with Jags was as a teenager in the right seat of Nick's 1963 E-Type going down the highway. He got it up to 145 mph, then slowed down for a corner, so you might say that he liked his cars as well! Still have a photograph of that day with Nick and smile when thinking about it.

When my Father passed both of them came to the funeral and I am in touch with John, Gil's brother, from time to time. I dated John's daughter for a while so there is a lot of history with us.

Did you ever see Gil's Ferarri 250 GTO? He had very good taste in cars and the money to buy them. Did you know that Gil raced in one of the first Cannonball runs with Brock Yates? He enjoyed the sports cars as well. The parent company that supports all of this is Greenleaf Nursery in Park Hill Oklahoma. Nick Nickel started it from nothing, and my Father was the first (and only) sales rep for many years. Its now the biggest of its kind in the world the last I heard.

Far Niente Vineyards came after Gil got tired of living in Oklahoma and moved to SFO. To tell the truth, he felt it was kinda "hick" for him. He met an American Airlines flight attendent somewhere along the way and got married. They bought the vineyard a few years later and worked it in to what it is today. Was very sorry to see him pass, especially at his early age.

[Joeaksa]

Jim,

When are you guys going to educate me on Reds!??

[Don Plumley]

It's easy.

Buy wine. Drink wine. Drink more of what you like.

Make friends at your local wine shop. Give him a budget - say 15-20 a bottle, ask to make up a mixed case of reds. Invite a few friends over, exercise your liver.

[Don Plumley]

Okay, not so flippant this time.

If you like Merlot and Cabs, try to find a meritage style blend. Lots of time they'll just say "red wine", and look for a blend of Cab, Merlot and Cab Franc. "Meritage" is a branded name that the winery pays to use, so it's just a brand. So blends are good. If you want to splurge, Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepage...

For cold nights and hearty foods try a Syrah (Cline makes a nice one for <20). Nothing goes better with a burger than a nice Zin (but cheap ones can be kinda hot - which means heavy on alcohol).

I'm a Pinot Noir drinker (and vintner), and it is my personal favorite. Over time, your palette will change/evolve, and what tasted bad n years ago may now taste good.

Leaving the US, on a hot day get a New Zealand Sauv Blanc, Marlborough region. Cheap and quaffable White.

Try Spanish reds, Priorat is my preference. Southern/Rhone reds from France are wonderful wines - easy drinking and many good values. The labels are just confusing as heck.

Argentina has some amazing reds, I think Auzzie reds are overrated.

I'm not a fan of wine scoring systems, but they make wine buying a no-brainer. 90+ point wines make an easy, safe buy.

Anytime you are up in the Sonoma area, happy to take you around...

[Jim727]

Haven't forgotten, Joe - just buried in work.

Good overview from Don. For my tastes, the key word in wine is "balance", something that has been short-changed in these days of Parker Points. Don mentioned the trap of ratings, and two that you see quoted often are Parker and Wine Spectator. Just as in movies, it pays first to know whether your tastes are the same as the reviewer.

Parker likes very fruity wines with low acidity and very soft tannins. That, to me, is an off-balance wine. Good balance (again, to me) is one where acid, fruit, and tannin work well together to make the wine go well with food. Low acid, high fruit wines are pretty much food hostile, as does high (over about 13.5%, depending on the wine) alcohol.

Wine Spectator has a critic - Jim Laube - who is a Napaphile. He doesn't seem to think much of Sonoma wines and I typically discount his ratings by 10-15 points.

Also, price is not necessarily a good indication of quality. I can pour you a local jug wine ($13/gal) that far outclasses a typical $10-15 bottle. Similarly, we were invited to a trade tasting (wife is a wine writer) last year called "A Taste of Oakville". Great tasting where pretty much every stratospheric Napa wine was presented. Tasted Screaming Eagle (which, I found out, sells for $3,000/btl at a Las Vegas restaurant) and I truly would not give $20 for a bottle of it except as a resell. Terrible balance - extremely jammy, no acidity, no ageable tannins. Yuk - I poured mine out after 2 tastes. Again, like Don said, taste and test but don't be pressured by what the "experts" tell you you *should* like.

New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc: +1. Great area, great wines. Expect to see lots of screw-caps.

Oh yeah, bottle closures. Huge debate going, but my experience is that if you get a screw-cap on a white (or some red) wine it's fine. For reds that will be getting some age, I won't buy wines without real cork closures or, sometimes screw-caps. Have poured too many plastic-stoppered wines down the drain. They age awkwardly and taste like they're fortified with Sterno after about 5 years.

Aussie reds. Agree that they tend to be overrated (too fruity for my taste) but Pirramimma makes some really nice wines from McLaren Vale. Their Grenache is superb.

Love Spanish Tempranillo, and will usually take one of those over a Zinfandel. I like Zin, but too many zin producers have gone for the jammy, high-alcohol wines that I think wreck them for food.

Love lots of Italian wines. They have so many interesting varietals that you can have a great deal of fun exploring.

Like Don is a Pinot-phile, I tend to be a Riesling addict. As in German, Austrian, or Alsacian. Stunningly good rieslings out there.

Oh, yeah - Pinot. Getting more expensive thanks to the (crappy) movie "Sideways". Some great producers around. Just to pick a couple of producers out of my tired head, Sinskey Cellars is fabulous. Rochioli makes super Pinot. David Bruce (make sure you get the Russian River Pinot) is top-quality. As far as I'm concerned, the Holy Grail of Pinot is Domaine Guyon from Vosne Romanee, France is IT!!! I spent a good part of an afternoon with Mr. Guyon in his cellar and I swear the man had to have been a grape in a former life. Won't let a tractor in his vineyard - too hard on the vine roots. Obscenely difficult to find, but worth moving heaven and earth for. If your wings take you to Burgundy, make sure to bring some back - including some for me. Haven't tried Don's Pinot (Hint, Hint!), so can't speak there.

This is already much longer than originally intended and there is still way too much territory to cover, so a quick wrap-up.

A few domestic producers to consider. Rodney Strong is a consistent good value - Rick Sayre is the winemaker and he has a nice touch (for my palate) - and is widely available, which is a worthwhile attribute for a traveler. Unti makes some great Syrah; little-known winery that I love to visit. Besides, George was a 356 driver. Michel-Schlumberger makes wines in a more old-world style that, I think, goes really well with food. Rafanelli is always a great choice for Zin - their Cab is very good as well. Coppola (yep, Francis Ford) has been making some outstanding wines in the Director's Reserve line. Corison - from Napa - makes superb Cabs. Teaderman Vineyards, again Napa, was our No. 1 choice for cab at the Taste of Oakville event; stunningly good.

There are tons more - hundreds of wineries in the area - so this is by no means comprehensive and I hope I don't sound like a preacher about it. Just something of an enthusiast. I'll echo Don's offer to join in the party and help show you the area if you get up in the Santa Rosa area.

[Joeaksa]

Jim & Don,

Thanks much and once I get back to CONUS will look into some of these. Will be getting back to you guys for more help.

Thx,

Joe