After seeing that so many folks here are into reds as much (if not more) as myself, I figured a wine thread was in order. This way I can keep track of everything here for my next shopping spree.

No fighting over speaker wire please.

Here’s my favorites (so far).

Cab – 99’ Silverado, 13.5 %
00’ Provenance Nappa, 14.4%
Merlot – 00 Provenance Napa, 14.4%
99 Stetzner, Stags Leap Dist 14.3%

This one is more of a blend than anything in particular. It’s a wonderful wine. Marietta, Angeli Cuvee, 15.6%

All of the above are full bodied with lots of berry flavor. Don’t ask me more than that, I’m not a wine taster, I’m a wine DRINKER. You can also still get any one of them for under $30 (US), which is usually as high as I go. There are simply too many dam good wines out there for under $20 to make me feel the need to spend more.

mdrew,
A wine thread should be placed right next to the beer thread i say.

There are way too many good wines to list, but a favorite red this past year was a 1994 Lindemans Coonawarra Cab Sav.
My wife's fav is a 1996 Robert Mondavi Private Reserve Unfiltered Napa Valley Cab Sav (actually still have one bottle left).

We're venturing more into whites lately with some lovely pinot blancs coming out of Canadian wineries. I recommned the Gray Monk unoaked if you can find it.

Copper is copper, there is only one, but tannins come in the thousands!

Do tannins really come in the thousands? That's fascinating!

I thought this thread was going to be something about Barry Larkin or Pete Rose or some such.

I'm cheap, but discovered too recently that I really like Zinfandel. I like the ones I've had from Rancho Zabaco and Ravenswood in California.

Thanks for sharing the knowledge and recommendations.

I had a White Oak Vinyard zinfandel a few years ago with Peter. That stuff is fantastic. However, I haven't been able to find it in stores. As I recall, it was a '97. Could be very wrong.

I posted this one in that other thread, but I'll put it here too.
If you are into Zinfandel, look around for Saucelito Canyon.
'03 should be on the shelves now, but all of the last few vintages have been fantastic.
Small winery, 135 year old vines, family owned and run, great zin for under $20.
Easily in the same league as any of the hot shot big name Zin producers for lots less $$$.
And, if you are looking to branch out of Ca. Vino, there are no better values for big spicy reds than what is coming out of Spain these days. Even with the Euro killing the dollar, Spain is blowing the rest of the world off of the table when it comes to bang for the buck.
Trust me on this subject fellas, it has been my business for the last 24 years.
TjB

I've never been much of a fan for spicy reds. Shiraz/syrah is not my thing although i still have alot potential tasting to do. I'm sure i'll find one that i will enjoy at some point.

Tom, on the subject of tannins. A bit technical but should give enough of an explanation. The chemical structure link also provides pictures of their molecular complexity. Unlike copper in a wire, tannins in a bottle of wine are NOT simple structures.

I got the Saucelito on my shopping list. Hopefully I can find it in state. Many of the wineries that mail wine, do not mail it to Alaska. And if they did, the costs would as much as the bottle.

I do like a good sharaz every now and then. Anything in particular from Spain that I should look for?

I tend to stick with Cali reds, but I'm finding quite few nice bottles coming out of Washington nowadays. Oregon too, for that matter.

Hopefully the recent US Supreme Court decision will have an effect on interstate wine sales. Yahoo news

I try to hold down the per bottle frt cost by ordering full cases. My favorite wineries are Chateau St Michelle in Washington state and Chateau Julien in Carmel CA. I buy wine futures in Jan-Feb and wait for wine shipments. Buying futures usually saves me the cost of shipping. Because KY is one of those no ship states, I have my wine shipped to a pick-up location in S. Illinios.

Despite the bad aftereffects of "sideways", I love a good Merlot. Usually ready to drink when received.

For those of you with Sam' Clubs that sell wine. I have been real impressed with their "better" wine selections and pricing.

Tom,
If you ever get the opportunity to tour the Ravenswood winery in Sonoma, it is well worth it! My wife and I stayed at a resort in Sonoma on our honeymoon two years ago and visited the winery. While sampling various wines we met the original owner of the winery and he gave us a fabulous bottle (Zinfandel) as a gift. We told him we were on our honeymoon.
Cheers,
Shaun

Damn, I was going to drink beer today, but this thread got me a hankerin' for some vino.
I confess that I ususally pay little attention to what is written on wine bottles - aside from the price - but I like the Frei Bros Russian River Valley Reserve Chardonnay 2003 that Vons is always putting on sale. It's oaky and buttery; it's a style of Chardonnay that has apparently fallen out of favor, but WTF, I like it.