That shit is undrinkable. I bought it a few weeks ago just because it was cheap, couldn't drink it. I ended up just using it for making a killer cream sauce that I put on some salmon.
Oh, I can drink it, and certainly a cheap way to get tipsy, but it's pretty awful. It seems my tastebuds are made of iron though, even I was shocked that it was drinkable. I'll never buy it as a dribking wine though, it's just for cooking.
I've worked my way up, over the years, from three for $10 to two for $10 wines. Of course, I have no idea how that translates into actual dollars, since we're dealing in yen and Japan's alcohol tax structure is quite different from that of the US, but I'm kind of afraid to get more expensive tastes, as I can't stand the $3 stuff anymore but I'm fairly happy with the $5 bottles.
Haha, usually I go for something around $15 a bottle, and occasionally up to $25. Mind you, this is every other weekend at least, if not longer. Couldn't afford that on a regular basis, and I can't afford to drink much more than that anyway, I can't take alcohol like I used to...day after day.
I don't know how the taxes on wine compare with the US, but I do know that imported American hard liquor (Wild Turkey and the like) is significantly cheaper in Japan than it is in Illinois. About $25 (current exchange rates) will get you a one liter bottle of Wild Turkey 8, and a 750ml of Captain Morgan (not US-ian, but close) costs only about $15. Unfortunately, I haven't seen any wines I recognize in this thread, so I've got no way to compare and see if it's cheaper or more expensive here than back home. I'll have to price a bottle of Carlo Rossi, just to establish a baseline.
So I have some extra cash, and vacation week starts today...doesn't end till tuesday the week after next. Wooohooo! Now I think this is as good a reason to get some Champagne that I'll probably have in a good while. Like how I come up with these excuses? Wow, I wonder why it's so much cheaper. I used to drink Captain Morgan like water, now I feel cheated.
So the Champagne that was available was out of my price range...by a lot. Not paying 40-80 bucks for some sparkles in my drink that happen to come from Champagne, France. lol I took a shot in the dark since I couldn't find the Coppola either. Picked up a bottle of Dellatorri Brut Sparkling Wine, which I'm unsure of, and then a bottle of Freixenet Cordon Negro Extra Dry, which looks good...but you never know. I'll report on my experience once the bottles start poppin' up in this biatch.
Okay, so I found out it's true, or maybe to a degree given separate factors. People say that sparkling wine gets them drunk faster...and either it's because of the bubbles, or because you have to drink it faster (regardless it's the carbonation that's caused this), but I have to agree with that. I quickly discovered that, and honestly it was like I drank a fifth of vodka, rather than a bottle of wine. Normally I can drink any of the previously explored wines I've had witout suffering much intoxication, and I'll drink them over a few hours at least, or more often five. This wine, however, I did not experience that, I was drunk before I got halfway through, then towards the end I was getting rather tipsy... @Homer Potvin I'd love to hear your insight on this, do the bubbles do anything, or is it simply the time frame difference of drinking slowly or drinking fast? I have a strong tolerance as well, I wouldn't consider myself a lightweight either, takes a six pack of average beer to get me somewhat drunk, for example. Always been that way, I think it's the red hair (guilty as charged, I'm a soulless person).
You are correct, sir. Carbonation takes booze to your brain like a solid fuel rocket. You also probably drank it faster too, but the carbonation facilitates passage of the alcohol through the walls of your stomach and into your bloodstream (I think). It should burn through you fairly quickly though. It's funny you mention it because the wife and I drank a bottle of G.H Mumm last night on the beach for our anniversary and she was just saying how drunk she felt off of two glasses. Expensive shit actually... about $40. We've had it in our fridge for years and neither of us can remember where it came from. We think my mother might have gotten it for us for a previous anniversary, but not sure. Good stuff!
Makes sense, because it seemed a whole lot different. I was actually just reading that keeping wine in the fridge for even a month can damage it. Especially sparkling wine. So is that true or not. If your wine tasted great then..
Not sure. Don't think so. I've worked in joints that kept $4oo bottle of Pierre Joilet in the fridge for years with no ill side effects that I'm aware of. So long as the temperature is stable I think you're fine. The optimum for sparkling is ice-cold (40 degrees or so) for up to 10 years. Prosecco and Cava and only good for about 2. As a general rule, whites don't age for shit which is way they're much cheaper than reds. Even a $1000 limited edition Napa Chard turns into donkey piss in about 10 years. But maybe? Wine has a mind of its own.
Tonight I'll be drinking Gran Passione Rosso 2015 from Casa Vinicola Botter - the hubby picked it up at Costco, and I think it'll go great with the Steak Florintine I'm putting on the grill tonight.
Costco, interesting. I didn't realize they had wine. I also admit I've only been in but a few times. I'm so far away from a Costco though.
Costco is the largest wine retailer in the U.S.! They have a fantastic selection from cheap to VERY pricey. This is a great article on their business model around wine - they sell a billion dollars per year of the stuff. And their Kirkland store-label brand wines (and liquors) are pretty darn good.
Good one. They use the Amarone dried grape technique if I remember correctly. Hey @Iain Aschendale do you know anything about the sake collapse in Japan? I heard a story on NPR a while back at how sake consumption was plummeting over there.
Nope, haven't heard of it, but that doesn't mean it's not true. Sake is mostly something older folks drink here, under 50s are about beer and chu-hi, and there's been a big push for highballs lately, with Jim Beam and Suntory duking it out in the advertising and izakaya (Japanese pub) arenas. It may be culturalist of me, but the Japanese public seems even more susceptible to advertising than Americans are. Once someone puts on a push for something, it will become popular, if only for a limited time.
@Laurin Kelly Yeah, I suppose I've been living under a rock. Haha Just never looked into Costco for wine... The sparkling wines were good, I enjoyed them, but I believe I'll stick to regular wine for the most part. I get to sip them slower, so they last me a few hours at least if not more. There were some flavors that seemed enhanced by the carbonation, but also some were lost I believe. Glad I tried them though, never know till you do.
@Homer Potvin I can't say the same for my cats...every time one of them gets a whiff of alcohol of any kind, they give me this face: There's a lot of wines I'm seeing have bizarre names, and often times I've been wondering if these are just attention grabbers, or if some could actually be good wines. Can't come up with one at the moment, but I think you know what I'm talking about. Also, the Coppola Director's Cab, I'm curious if that's worth the money. I enjoyed the Francis Coppola that we discussed earlier, and been seeing this one around so thought about trying it sometime.
Weird names as in foreign names or just weird? Not sure about the directors cab. How much is it? I'd be inclined to say probably not worth it. He gets a few extra dollars off the name alone. Not that his wines aren't good but he benefits from having a familiar movie name when placed amongst the sea of unknown.
Weird names, like downright strange. Just thinking of a fictional name that would fit the category, but something like "The Axe Grinder" would fit the bill. These sort of names, names that I would associate more with a good beer, like an Arrogant Bastard for example. See these all the time, weird names, and I never buy because I'm skeptical. I might still try it out of curiosity. It's like a couple more dollars, maybe three. I'm not 100% on the price, but that's the range. I get that it might just be a gimmick to sell something with an increased price, but in the spirit of exploration, maybe I should try it, just to be fair. I'm conflicted now.
So I tried the Coppola Director's Cab, and honestly it's my favorite so far, liked it more than the Simi. Lots of depth to it, and the different notes to it were clear and developed. There wasn't anything that overpowered the rest. I may revisit that sooner than later.