If there is an older thread, I'll merge them.

Wine! Wonderful stuff and the fuel of much of the source code that runs your cars! :-)

Post away!

https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 4964651009

An experiment:

Caravan 1.168kg
Le Clos Di Caillou 1.316kg
Beresford 1.459kg
Shotfire 1.287kg
McManis 1.295kg
Real compañía de vinos 1.145kg
Kirrihill 1.253kg
Fagus 1.374kg

I've noticed in the past that fancier wines have thicker heavier bottles and cheap wines have thin fragile light bottles. Will weigh again empty as three have corks. Will add more detail to the descriptions, too.

I need more info's! I like wine, but buying it is intimidating to me.... /subbed!

This, Nigel, get this! :-D https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 7908401152
http://www.firstglass.co.nz/wine/red/ot ... -2009.html

Caravan is about 16 bucks and very nice table wine. http://www.firstglass.co.nz/caravan-pet ... -2012.html
And in action: https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 3153954816

This one is nice, too, had half a dozen, all but one gone: http://www.firstglass.co.nz/cape-barren ... -2012.html

Haven't tried the current vintage.

This is what we had together: https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 0268008448

Gold label of this is regularly 20 on special in supermarkets: https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 2327980032
Balsy strong wine, though. Not for all tastes. Opposite of the caravan, which is mild and easy and pleasant :-) These are more rich and intense.

This is 35 or so, I have one in the cupboard for special occasions: https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 3037131776

Scribbler on the right is inexpensive and quite nice: https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 3666801664

Chalk hill luna, cheap and weird/nice/must try: https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 5445987328 + https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 7746386944

Search twitter with:

FredCookeNZ shiraz
FredCookeNZ syrah
FredCookeNZ wine
FredCookeNZ bubbles
FredCookeNZ bubbly
FredCookeNZ riedel
FredCookeNZ vinum
FredCookeNZ sommeliers

And others, for my in-the-moment thoughts on various beverages of this nature :-)

OK, that took me 24 minutes to write for you! Hope some of it is available locally. There are a handful of good ones in Welly and Auckland each, but small towns you'd be SOL, and I don't know where New Plymouth fits into the scale, but I hope there's one or two there? :-)

Fred.

The truth is: Buying it is hit and miss, and if you drink enough variety you start to get a feel for the different grapes and ages etc.

My simple rules are:

12-24 months in oak, plus:

Syrah/Shiraz
Petit Syrah
Cabernet Sauvignon
Grenache/Garnarcha
Tempranillo (mostly spanish)

No order. Others can be nice, too, but beware of cheap Merlots! They are probably one of the big reasons why some don't like red wine! :-D

Most of the wines above break those rules by being unoaked, or less oaked than 12 months. Beware of wines which are oak chipped, disgusting.

This is not red wine, but it's wine, and I posted it up just for you! Unsure how widely available it is, but it was around 26 bucks a bottle, and it's delicious. https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 4253536256

Nige: https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 8769060864