Booze reports

[flomo]

a few buddies and i do blind tastings every once and awhile

the other night we did a california cabernet sauvignon tasting
groth, mt veeder, caymus, pine ridge, ridge and franciscan

this is balla


each person had 6 outstanding cabs in front of them


the first course
wedge salad


more pics in a little bit

[zook]

very very nice

[flomo]

Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting Dinner
December 27, 2007

Caymus, Napa Valley 2005
Ridge Monte Bello, California 1997
Mount Veeder, Napa Valley 2004
Pine Ridge, Napa Valley 2003
Franciscan, Napa Valley 2004
Groth Oakville, Napa Valley 2004

Wedge Salad – Bleu D’Auvergen (France)

Short Rib Ragu – Maytag Blue (Iowa)

Lamb Chops with Gorgonzola Butter and Sweet Potato Puree –
Gorgonzola (Italy)

Pear and Fennel Salad – Cambozola (Germany)

Dates Stuffed with Blue Cheese and Almonds, Wrapped in Bacon –
Shropshire Blue (UK)

Justin, Obtuse Paso Robles, California 2006

blue cheese theme

braised short rib ragu


lamb chops

gremolata fixings garlic, parsley and lemon zest



pear and fennel salad


date with mango, ginger habanero sauce

[mrhappy333]

Lamb chops are sooooooo good!!

How much were the wines $$?

[flomo]

Lamb chops are sooooooo good!!

How much were the wines $$?

purchased from the NH liquor store
Groth: $47.99
Pine Ridge: $72.99
Caymus: $65.99
Mt. Veeder: $ 29.99

franciscan about $20
and the ridge was about $70

[bigred]

holy shit, can i please, please hang out with you?

[mrhappy333]

TR on the wines? which would you buy again, and is there a huge difference between the $70 wine and the $10 wine?

[flomo]

TR for the wines
all the wines were fantastic and worth buying again(ok maybe not the pine ridge)

the ridge which would normally be the most expensive about $140 was on sale at a local store to move it-->marked down $70
the ridge was also old compared to the others, it was a 1997
in the blind tasting the four of us ranked it low, the best it got was fourth from one taster

the pine ridge and franciscan were both ranked very low --> mostly 5 and six for everybody

groth was ranked in the middle

the caymus was #2(lots of toffee, chocolate, and nutty flovors)
the mt veeder was #1(dark fruit and caramel)

[iolzizlyi]

you sir are a balla.

[zook]

thx for the TR flomo. I've had a Caymus cab before and enjoyed it, but not enough to justify the price. The Mt. Veeder is more reasonable, I'll definitely look for it. Although I've been less into big, fruity California Cabs recently and have been drinking more from France, Spain and Italy. You didn't mention the Justin... I think their entry level (~$25 I think) is excellent, but that's not it in the picture.

I'm sorry you're on the opposite coast, you're high on my list of FTR'ers I'd like to hang out with

[flomo]

thx for the TR flomo. I've had a Caymus cab before and enjoyed it, but not enough to justify the price. The Mt. Veeder is more reasonable, I'll definitely look for it. Although I've been less into big, fruity California Cabs recently and have been drinking more from France, Spain and Italy.
strangely during the tasting only the caymus,pine ridge and mt veeder had some fruit going on(but not alot) the wines were displaying cedar, mint, tobacco, nutty, coffee, chocolate, caramel, cotton candy, and peppery flavors
You didn't mention the Justin... I think their entry level (~$25 I think) is excellent, but that's not it in the picture.
the justin was a dessert wine that did not get opened that night

I'm sorry you're on the opposite coast, you're high on my list of FTR'ers I'd like to hang out with

we move around alot so maybe in the future we get drunk

[Reidak]

i am 18 and i just started to get a taste for red wine. don't like the whites right now. I guess my palate is maturing, a few months ago I didn't like wine at all. I also do some cooking, I can post some pictures, but its not the stuff flomo does up. I feed the family from time to time so its usually really tasty, cheap to make good stuff.

thread delivers flomo. im going to cut my food into wedges from now on. Everything tastes better in wedge form.

[flomo]

another wine tasting(the start of a large tasting, 12 different wines eventually)
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc


brancott reserve, matua valley, nobilo, babich

piquillo peppers and goat cheese

piquilllo peppers are amazing, just open can/jar and eat
look for ones that come from spain

chorizo and shrimp(tapa)


scallop ceviche with guacamole



yellowfin tuna ceviche


the brancott reserve and babich were the favorite wines, but all were excellent
NZ SBs are all great and inexpensive(below $25)

the tastings are blind

[spoonitnow]

Man I don't drink that cheap shit

[WillburForce]

My Dad was given 6 x bottles of Chateau Margaux. About £90/$180 a bottle.

He put them away, though we were gonna have a coupla bottles with Xmas dinner(twas the best wine i've had, and i drink about 3 bottles(ahem, probably more) a week).

anyways.....My Nan was over there with my sister and some of my sisters friends, all of whom have no tastebuds and couldn't tell the difference between a sweet sherry and a bourbon whiskey. They proceed to get through 2 bottles.
"As you had 6 bottles i thought that was the best one to drink"

........she did very kindly replace the 2 bottles. With Blossom Hill. Unbelievable

[Silly String]

thread delivers flomo.

Seriously, who's cooking this shit? I wish I could present food like that.
As for the wine, I've had a Justin Isosceles back in 2003ish and it was fantastic. I brought a bottle to a tasting on the recommendation of a local wine merchant and it did not disappoint. You can pick up a bottle for under$50 and it was ranked better by our amateur panel than wines costing 2x as much. I have never had their port before. Frankly I don't appreciate ports.
Flomo, if you have a meritage tasting night, I highly recommend a good vintage Justin Isosceles.
Caymus is usually good. I have a couple bottles in the cooler waiting for a good occasion. The Mt. Veeder sounds like one I'll have to try soon. As for the Ridge I can't believe the 1997 didn't drink well. Wow that should have been prime for the pickings.
As for WillburForce, that is a freaking crying shame, freaking shame. I'm all about sharing good wine and turning friends into wine drinkers, but not people who have zero appreciation and zero desire to even learn. It's Thunderbird or Boone's Farm for them.

[flomo]

thread delivers flomo.

Seriously, who's cooking this shit?
wife and i prepared this food
I wish I could present food like that.
i find smaller portions on large white plates look good
As for the wine, I've had a Justin Isosceles back in 2003ish and it was fantastic. I brought a bottle to a tasting on the recommendation of a local wine merchant and it did not disappoint. You can pick up a bottle for under$50 and it was ranked better by our amateur panel than wines costing 2x as much.
i want to try the isosceles. tried the orphan and it was great
I have never had their port before. Frankly I don't appreciate ports.
try port with a stilton, if it still doesn't connect then wait a few years and try again(neal's yard shropshire blue is also a great match)
Flomo, if you have a meritage tasting night, I highly recommend a good vintage Justin Isosceles.
i'm not that balla, but a friend of mine is balla and visits twice a year. i've enjoyed the estancia and lyeth meritage wines --and yes would love to do a meritage blind tasting
Caymus is usually good. I have a couple bottles in the cooler waiting for a good occasion. The Mt. Veeder sounds like one I'll have to try soon. As for the Ridge I can't believe the 1997 didn't drink well. Wow that should have been prime for the pickings.
all 6 wines were fantastic, the ridge was great. one problem with this tasting is we had too many wines of excellent caliber.
As for WillburForce, that is a freaking crying shame, freaking shame. I'm all about sharing good wine and turning friends into wine drinkers, but not people who have zero appreciation and zero desire to even learn. It's Thunderbird or Boone's Farm for them.

WbF- it seems there are 2 bottles left, drink them yourself and replace with blossom hill--enjoy

spoonit try this

[WillburForce]

just to make you wine hounds jealous -

me and Missus are sorting our hols. Gonna do a 10 day wine/cider/calvados tour of Northern France.

Ferry over from England, into Normandy - loads of nice ciders and calvados. also gonna pay our respects at the beaches.

Then gentle drive into Loire valley. mmmmmmmmmm better white than red, but they'll have wine from all over.

Gonna see various vinyards, fill up boot and spent the 10 days eating and drinking.

[flomo]

just to make you wine hounds jealous -

me and Missus are sorting our hols. Gonna do a 10 day wine/cider/calvados tour of Northern France.

Ferry over from England, into Normandy - loads of nice ciders and calvados. also gonna pay our respects at the beaches.

Then gentle drive into Loire valley. mmmmmmmmmm better white than red, but they'll have wine from all over.

Gonna see various vinyards, fill up boot and spent the 10 days eating and drinking.

please post pics after touring
enjoy the holiday

[flomo]

another group of NZ SB's

cloudy bay, drylands, tohu and villa maria

lomo, piquillo peppers and goat cheese


red and yellow pepper soup



scallop tartare with wasabi


red pepper hummus with veggies


mussel salad with avocado dressing


the wines were all great ---with cloudy bay being my favorite
2 villa maria
3 tohu
4 drylands

i'm no expert, just like to drink
trying to move up a level from drunk to wino

[Deanglow]

flomo you are my new favorite poster

[will641]

damn flomo you know how to have a good time.

[jdubs]

These pics are making me hungry.

Flomo I work in the Livermore Valley , some nice wines over here!

[GatorJH]

I like how you roll Flomo!!!!!!

Awesome set of Cabs ya got there.

[FyrFytr998]

I need real food, lol.

[flomo]

real food for Fyr

chile rellenos


pork chops


ribs


general flomo's chicken

[will641]

real food for Fyr

chile rellenos


pork chops


ribs


general flomo's chicken

flomo, i dont know if i can handle any more of these pics. they look TOO DAMN GOOD.

[meeloche]

I'm Hungry!

[Deanglow]

Know any good simple recipes (aka cheap for my college ass) for pork chops? I have salt and pepper fwiw.

[FlyingSaucy]

This is pretty awesome. I'm just posting here so that I remember to check on it whenever you add more.

[flomo]

Know any good simple recipes (aka cheap for my college ass) for pork chops? I have salt and pepper fwiw.

spenda already hit the pork chops question
http://www.flopturnriver.com/phpBB2/...ps-t66196.html

[FyrFytr998]

real food for Fyr

chile rellenos


pork chops


ribs


general flomo's chicken

Now that's what's up.

[jdubs]

Chile Rellenos!! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Flomo, I'm drinking White Crane Cab ( 2004) right now- it's happenin

[flomo]

jdubs
i'll have to check out the white crane
(if it is in my price range an davailable in my area)

[Hawk]

I never have been able to enjoy any wine, though I'm sure I haven't had the best stuff before. The food looks good though!

This is more my style.

[flomo]

blind beer tasting
pale ales and IPA's




we are not experts just drunks
all 8 beers were great with the top 5 being fantastic

this is the order we put them in
1. stone coast brewing "420"
2. stone IPA
3. bass
4. sierra nevada
5. shipyard
6. flying dog
7. brooklyn
8. sam adams

we would have liked to had can of dale's pale ale included but were unable to get to MA before did this tasting
next time we will get a few cans

last time we did this sierra nevada was the one we liked best

i reccommend everyone try doing this sort of thing

[irishiain]

Your threads make me hungry and thirsty.

[kingnat]

IPAs are the best... My father-in-law and his neighbor conduct these massive (>15) taste-testings of Pale Ales, IPAs and a few ESBs... SOOOOOO fucking good.

We agree that while Sierra Nevada is not the BEST IPA, but it is the gold-stamp standard by which one can judge all others... For being available almost anywhere, it is remarkably good. I'm having a difficult time remembering which I preferred overall... but I want to say that Centennial' IPA was very high on my list...

We also did a testing with lagers, which was meh, cuz I'm not a big fan of lagers.

Also a testing of a range of single-barrel and (premium) blended Irish Whiskeys... which was excellent. (My favorite was Redbreast.)

FLOMO: Quick side question which is more to do with personal preference than anything, but if you had a choice between two IPAs and the only thing you could use to choose would be the clarity of the beer... would you prefer one that is more translucent (very clear) or more opaque (murky/cloudy)?

Also, why not include the Long Trial IPA (seen in the background??)

[flomo]

IPAs are the best... My father-in-law and his neighbor conduct these massive (>15) taste-testings of Pale Ales, IPAs and a few ESBs... SOOOOOO fucking good.

We agree that while Sierra Nevada is not the BEST IPA, but it is the gold-stamp standard by which one can judge all others... For being available almost anywhere, it is remarkably good. I'm having a difficult time remembering which I preferred overall... but I want to say that Centennial' IPA was very high on my list...

where is centennial from? and is it available in northern new england?

We also did a testing with lagers, which was meh, cuz I'm not a big fan of lagers.

Also a testing of a range of single-barrel and (premium) blended Irish Whiskeys... which was excellent. (My favorite was Redbreast.)

irish whiskeys are great. usually only see bushmills and jameson around here.

FLOMO: Quick side question which is more to do with personal preference than anything, but if you had a choice between two IPAs and the only thing you could use to choose would be the clarity of the beer... would you prefer one that is more translucent (very clear) or more opaque (murky/cloudy)?

i would probably choose the more clear one. unfiltered beer is fine with me-- i have seen too many ads/commercials of crystal clear beer and i guess they worked

Also, why not include the Long Trial IPA (seen in the background??)
the empty bottle of long trail had had a buddy's home brew in it
a porter that was excellent

[Silly String]

Flomo, I am jealous of your tastings that you can hold w/ your friends as I don't know anyone who appreciates beer or wine enough for one of these.
Nonetheless, I am very disappointed in the choice of stemware for your beer tasting. Man up and steal some pint glasses from the local pub or something.

[andy-akb]

i saw you bought the wine at the nh liquor store, are you in nh?

[flomo]

silly
i only have 5 pint glasses
but have 4-5 dozen wine glasses

slowly educate a buddy or 2 to do tastings
try something they like first, tastings are adddictive

andy
dartmouth area

[kingnat]

IPAs are the best... My father-in-law and his neighbor conduct these massive (>15) taste-testings of Pale Ales, IPAs and a few ESBs... SOOOOOO fucking good.

We agree that while Sierra Nevada is not the BEST IPA, but it is the gold-stamp standard by which one can judge all others... For being available almost anywhere, it is remarkably good. I'm having a difficult time remembering which I preferred overall... but I want to say that Centennial' IPA was very high on my list...

where is centennial from? and is it available in northern new england?

Michigan apparently... from Founders' Brewing Co.: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/5441 and now that you mention it, No I haven't seen it around here.

FLOMO: Quick side question which is more to do with personal preference than anything, but if you had a choice between two IPAs and the only thing you could use to choose would be the clarity of the beer... would you prefer one that is more translucent (very clear) or more opaque (murky/cloudy)?

i would probably choose the more clear one. unfiltered beer is fine with me-- i have seen too many ads/commercials of crystal clear beer and i guess they worked

I don't know if it's just a head thing or what, but with completely filtered beers I sometimes get an overly "clean" taste... it's probably an artifact of LOOKING murky, that I "sense" that is tastes more complex and such...

Also, why not include the Long Trial IPA (seen in the background??)

the empty bottle of long trail had had a buddy's home brew in it
a porter that was excellent

I'm new to Long Trail as they didn't have it in the midwest... and i am a fan of their Double Bag...

[Silly String]

I'm just being sarcastic 90% of the time. Don't take anything I say seriously on these boards unless it is poker related.
I could try to organize a tasting, but all my friends would end up bringing Bud Light, White Zinfindel, or Thunderbird. blech!

[kingnat]

I'm just being sarcastic 90% of the time. Don't take anything I say seriously on these boards unless it is poker related.
I could try to organize a tasting, but all my friends would end up bringing Bud Light, White Zinfindel, or Thunderbird. blech!

Do a taste-testing of all malt liquors... then everybody can dress all thug and you can play the soundtrack to Boyz N' the Hood while you discuss the legs and notes present in Old E vs. Colt 45

[boost]

murky beers are better. When you strain it youre removing flavor. Thats why the head of really clear beer almost tastes like soap.

[flomo]

another blind tasting of beer

i love beer


last time we mostly prefered the darker styling, this time we preferred the light styling

in order of how we liked them
longtrail(light)
smuttynose(med-dark)
stone(light)<---this is a must try beer for ballas = $16.00 a six pack
harpoon(light)
bass(dark)
shipyard(dark)
"420" stone coast(dark)
sierra nevada(med-light)

we thought all were excellent beers and worth buying again


i think the only filtered beer in the group was bass
the word "unfiltered" reminds of wheat beers and i'm not a big fan of those

[gabe]

GENERAL FLOMO

i like it

[mrhappy333]

Sierra nevada is sooooo good, drink a 6 pack of that and I'm feeling really Good!!

[flomo]

Sierra nevada is sooooo good, drink a 6 pack of that and I'm feeling really Good!!

excellent stuff

some people are here to inspire better poker play and some are here to inspire more drinking

[flomo]

some real food---no green allowed

oven fried chicken and corn fritters
served with a chardonnay





drowned in these

[will641]

flomo, for the ipa, you really need to try dogfish head. im an ipa man, and dogfish head is some of the best.

[will641]

also, if you ever have a stout taste testing, make sure to pick up this. best stout ive had.

[flomo]

also, if you ever have a stout taste testing, make sure to pick up this. best stout ive had.

where is north coast brewing company?

i have not seen that stout before. dogfish brand i have seen and will try it out.
thank you

[mrhappy333]

Will, did u take that pic with a camera phone?
Its nice and clear!

[will641]

Will, did u take that pic with a camera phone?
Its nice and clear!

nah, i just googled it, lol.

[zook]

Did wine tastings at 21 wineries in New Zealand. So awesome. Was prepared to be blown away by Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs (have drunk them a lot in the States and loved them) but it was the Pinot Noirs that stole the thunder. A few Pinots from Marlborough were excellent (Allan Scott, Clos Henri and Fromm) and almost every Pinot from Central Otago was outstanding (in vague order... Bannock Brae, Wooing Tree, Bald Hills, Mt. Difficulty, Amisfield, Peregrine... and a few more). I'll post photos from some tastings and vineyard lunches when I get my photos organized.

[zook]

Re: BEER, I love IPAs. Dogfish Head's isn't one of my favorites, but their India Brown Ale is ridiculously good. My favorite IPAs, in no particular order... Stone, Dale's, Racer 5 from Bear Republic, Big Daddy from Speakeasy, Victory Hop Devil. As for Stouts, Yeti from Great Divide and Shakespeare from Rogue are both soooo tasty.

[flomo]

16 new zealnd sauvignon blanc were tasted in total
and one wildcard from washington state

we were unable to obtain alan scott or nobilo icon for the tastings

4 sets of 4 wines
and then a final tasting of the best wines, 8 were in the final tasting






petegas and gf helped out with this set
thank you both



no pic of one set
oyster bay, brancott, giesen, villa maria cellar selection

we are not professionals, just people who like to drink 8-)
all the wines were great which made narrowing down to the final 6 difficult
so we did 8 in the final

no pic of the final line up
brancott reserve, villa maria, nobilo, cloudy bay, tohu, redcliffe, villa maria cellar selection, kim crawford

pic of the final table


the final tasters ranks of the wines
1 tohu*
r 2, b 3, l 1, m 3=9

2 villa maria cellar sel
r 3, b 1, l 2, m 4=10

3 cloudy bay
r 5, b 4, l 3, m 2=14

4 villa maria
r 4, b 2, l 5, m 5=16

5 kim crawford
r 7, b 6, l 4, m 1=18

6 redcliffe
r 1, b 5, l 8, m 7=21

7 brancott reserve
r 6, b 7, l 6, m 6=25

8 nobilo
r 8, b 8, l 7, m 8=31

m is my rank

* there was a 5th taster that just put a #1 for this wine and nothing for any others

babich and nobilo were a coin flip for the eight spot to the final nobilo won


none of that really means anything but it was a lot of fun

zook please posts some pics
and give us a run down on the wines

i'll post the food pics from the tasting later

[flomo]

the food pics for the savignon blanc tasting

shrimp cocktail with champagne




a shit load of wine for 5 people


balla ham=jamon serrano($100/lb), aged goat cheese, piquillo peppers


mussel salad


scallop spoon


red and golden pepper soup


scallop ceviche nacho




shrimp and chorizo with garlic and sherry sauce


citrus creme brulee with blackberries




some of this is repeats

[will641]

scallop ceviche nacho ftw

[kingnat]

May I plz, plz, plz be your friend IRL?... i mean.. good fucking lord that looks awesome.

[flomo]

more food pics

found some fantastic looking tuna a few weeks ago and i had to have it. wife called home and asked what we were having for dinner and i told her "tuna delight". wife asks "what?". i say it is tuna done 3 ways...tuna melt, tuna salad sandwich and tuna noodle casserole. she was not impressed with that answer.
(i had to repeat the tuna delight for her bday)
and now this is the third time doing this dinner

tuna delight!

tuna nachos


fried goat cheese salad


spicy tuna rolls and some more tuna


tuna carpacio


i love tuna[/code]

[mcatdog]

tuna carpacio

oh my god

[mcatdog]

flomo,

What are a couple of easy things I can do to get better at cooking? Right now I just browse recipes on Epicurious that use up whatever I have in the refrigerator and make whatever looks the best. I think I'm pretty good at it but not amazing or anything.

[PokerSwede]

Niiice!

Such a source of inspiration flomo! Makes me wanna put some time into learning how to cook better

Very nice thread. You don't happen to have the recipe for "General Flomo's Chicken" around? Looked awesome and something I might be able to do hehe :P

[will641]

tuna carpacio

oh my god

this seriously isnt even cool how good that looks.

[flomo]

General flomo"s chicken

whisk together
1 egg
1 tbs soy sauce
1tbs sherry
1 tbs ricevinegar
2 tbs corn starch
marinate chunks of chicken(4-6 boneless skinless breasts) in that mixture for 15-60 minutes

cook chicken in wok or nonstick 12in frying pan on med-high in some canola oil for about 5-7 minutes or until done
remove chicken from pan and set aside

fry the following for 1-2 min in the pan chicken was just removed from
(until peppers turn dark red to dark brown)
10 dried hot red peppers
orange rind(not the white stuff) of 1/2 an orange chopped

add to the pan and fry for 3o seconds
2 cloves garlic
1 Tb fresh minced ginger

add the following to the pan and cook for 5 minutes
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tb dry sherry
1 to 2 ts crushed red peppers(adjust to how spicy you want it)
pinch of ground white pepper
zest of other half of the orange
and the juice from the orange

in a small bowl mix
3 Tb cold water
3 Tb cornstarch
add this a bit at a time to sauce to thicken
(probably won't use all of the cornstarch mixture)

add chicken back to frying pan to get saucy

ssteam some brocoli
after the broccolli is steamed, toss it in large bowl with salt, pepper and a little toasted sesame oil

i like basmati rice for this dish

garnish with scallions and chopped cashews

any questions let me know

most of this was already posted in boost's thread

[flomo]

the carpacio on a different night


mcatdog
+know the ingredient
i try to learn ingredients by researching the web and cookbooks, asking shopkeepers and others who might have experience with it. buying it , playing with it and eating it. order it at a restuarant.
public libraries usually have excellent cookbook selections

+criticism
when you go to a restaurant play food critic, iron chef judge, or better yet gordon ramsay. also have people do this to your cooking and of course you should do it to your cooking
my wife is spectacular at this

+excitement
cook things that you want to eat. in the store sometimes i find an ingredient that was not on my list and i must buy(artichokes(appetizer) looked fantastic last week and there were some kaffir lime leaves(thai curry)). watch good cooking shows that get the juices flowing.

that is a start

i have been working on learning braised meats this winter
it has been a great winter
jamie oliver's spicy braised lamb shanks is the best i have done


i'll put up the carpacio recipe in another posst
it is easy and everyone loves it
even my wife

[will641]

flomo on teh general flomo chicken you said mix the water and corn starch. do you then rub the chicken in that, and then put it back in the wok?

[flomo]

flomo on teh general flomo chicken you said mix the water and corn starch. do you then rub the chicken in that, and then put it back in the wok?

after the chicken is cooked and set aside, it is then added to the sauce without any further preparation to the chicken

the recipe uses 5 tbs of corn starch total
the 3 tablespoons cold water and the 3 tablespoons cornstarch are added to the wok/skillet/frying pan to thicken the sauce

i'm drunk

so, no don't rub the chicken with the cornstarch+water mixture

but yes the chicken then goes back into the wok

beefeater kicks asss

if this didn't helpo let me know

[WillburForce]

Hey Flomo,

I'm assuming you're from Stateside.

I've been invited to an "Americana" dinner party in a months time and wanna impress with some wines : 2 x bottles red, 2 x bottles of white , maybe a bourbon (i'm thinking Buillett as Jim Beam and JD are standard).

I don't know much about American wines - I know the areas generally - Napa Valley, Sonomo etc but is there is any names/vintages you'd recommend?

prob spend the equivilant of $30 a bottle (£15-20).

I had a Ravenswood old vines Zinfadel the other day which was very nice (though noticed the grapes were from Lodi region - not such a great area I don't think?)

any advice much appreciated!

[flomo]

the word "americana" makes me think of wood panelled cars

us americans are silly


for red wines i would try to find these
ridge geyserville-this is my favorite american wine

mt veeder, groth(blend) or caymus cabs

the groth and the caymus will be over $30

for the bourbon
what you mentioned is excellent
i love the wild turkey rare breed
classic americana cocktails for bourbon
mint julep and manhattan(the recipes for manhattans call for rye but bourbon is way better imo)

usually bourbon is served on the rocks or neat

i'l l put some more suggestions up later

[flomo]

i usaully don't worry about vintages for cali wines

and other regions besides napa produce excellent wines
napa still has the name recognition

i'm more concerned with what is in the bottle than on it

[WillburForce]

cheers Flomo

I've just ordered 3 bottles of the Ridge Geyserville - bloke in my local wine shop said they'll be between £22-30 a pop (about $50 each!) depending on the year/vintage.

All American wine is overpriced here in England, thats why i normally stick with French/Italian.

I'm not bothering with the white wine now - I mainly drink red and as I'm already paying out about £90, I think I'll have done my bit.

I should have them in a week or so, and I'm gonna drink one bottle myself before the dinner - purely for research purposes.....

the panelled car is proving harder to get hold of.....

I'll let you know what I think when I've had a bottle.