Well, I haven't found any amazing wines in a box, but I've been bold enough to buy some boxes. And it seems to vary because I once hit on a box of Cabernet sauvignon that was quite good.

I find if I blow some air into the filler nozzle and let it sit for a few days that it mellows out considerably. I learned that back in my college days when I would decant Carlo Rossi into a stoneware urn and let it sit a spell.

I've often wondered about doctoring inexpensive wine. I've done some really silly and off beat things just to see what would happen, like adding a bit of baking soda or salt. So far I have only ruined an already marginal glass of wine.

I keep thinking there is a secret for making a bulk wine taste more like a better wine and I keep thinking someone is doing this and fooling the hell out of a lot of people..

Yep. Lots of chemical manipulation in the States. See: Vinquiry

The wineries like to say their wines are made in the vineyard. What they don't say is that they're remade in the winery. Not so pure and natural as we'd like to think.

Start out with some MD 20-20, Thunderbird and Ripple. Work your way up.

Try Cru wines. Or Alexander Valley Vinyards (Pino or Cab). Or Benzinger Family Winery (Pinot Noir). Hard to go wrong with them.

Excellent advice. After the Mad Dog, Thunder Chicken & Ripple ( you left out Night Train BTW) one can graduate to Lancer's vin Rose, Carlo Rossi (mentioned in a post above) and Mateus.

Always better to establish the CHEAP supermarket stand bys first. That way you dont go crazy beating yourself up trying to get the good stuff.

Some of the "good stuff" is inexpensive. Some of the expensive stuff is, imo, undrinkable.

A friend who worked in a full service gas station late 60's had a woman customer that would buy him a six pack of beer if he would buy her some MD20/20. Good deal for both parties if that was your thing. One time he asked her if they called it MD20/20 because it improved her vision. She said "honey you drink enuff of this stuff you ain't got no vision".

Yes, I'll be there! When you guys start talking wine though, I'm lost. This time I'll pay attention and even partake on the stogies.

Lots of great advice here. Thanks all.

For a real crash course in wine, try making your own...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1329781412.jpg

does that say, "blueberry merlot"?

Two pieces of advice:

1. Wine is personal. It's what YOU like.
2. Palates change/evolve. What you liked years ago might be unpalatable today.

Otherwise, it's a fun journey, no different than any hobby. You can go as deep as you want to go depending on your time and budget. I started in college at UC Davis learning about wines and my hobby has definitely run amuck into a business. You are fortunate living near a great wine region (Sonoma) and the world's best importer (Kermit Lynch, Berkeley).

Avoid the point and medal wines - that's marketing hype. Find a local wine store to guide you. Build your palate on good basic examples of varietals and regions. Try wine with food - it's not a cocktail but a component of a meal. Write notes, take photos of labels. Enjoy.

A votre sante...

Oh yeah, a great read: "The Dean and Deluca Food and Wine Cookbook".

I'm glad to hear that the point system is just marketing hype as the wines on the top of the list are pretty expensive.

Thanks for the cookbook reco. There's a Dean and Deluca store on the way to Calistoga that I can stop in to.

Some pointers:

I've been at dinner tables where people can pick the exact origin of the grapes, this is annoying unless you're with a bunch of other wine *******s.

Smelling the cork = Idiot Douche

These days, there are so many other regions/wines that are excellent that I find it almost impossible for someone to be in the know.

Be open about wines, enjoy it for what it is, learn to pair, and most of it...don't make a big deal out of it.

Lastly, if you're collecting. Collect from today, not yesterday. Much cheaper and the proper way of doing so.

If I can add one simple word of advice: decant.

Go to Cost Plus or some other store and buy a $10 decanter. Pour red wine into it about an hour before drinking.

People think that decanting is for posers or snobby fine wines, but while a good decant might improve a great wine 5%, it will improve a mediocre wine 50%. ;)

I'd skip the visits to the vineyards and just start buying wine in a liquor store. Read up enough to know the basic types of wine made in the US and elsewhere and how they are labeled. Try ariety of whites that are 2-5 years old and reds that are 4-7 years old. Read the point-of-sale labels in the wine store and try to buy something that rates 85 to 88 and higer on somebody's rating scale ( reviews from Wine Spectator, etc.) Make notes of what you like and what you don't. If you read a basic book on wine, you'll learn what to look for when tasting a wine, so you'll be able to decide how sweet or dry you prefer, how many tannins in a red, etc.

I'd skip the really cheap stuff and drink decent quality wines. I'd also skip box wines, if you're trying to learn much. There are a few worth buying but you won't learn as much from drinking them.

For my money, I like whites from France and reds from either Italy or France. There's other good stuff out there but it's hit and miss. Good California wines tend to be expensive where I live, so I don't drink many of those. My wife's from Sonoma county and even she likes the European stuff better.

If you want to skip the decanting of a wine and start drinking right away, by a wine aerator, such as the Nuance Wine Finer, a decent one that you can buy for about 30 bucks.

JR

Gawd, this site rocks! Is there anything Pelicans don't know? Thanks again all.

Blackberry Merlot