RobRutII

Saperavi is the varietal-- not hybrid, I am pretty sure, and I do not know what exactly "Kakheti" means, but I think it is a proprietary wine name that means something to someone in their native land. Either way, kick-ass wine. Glad to hear you also love Barboursville-- I've met the winemaker Luca several times; really cool guy. If you like Virginia Viognier, by the way, check out Pearmund-- they are located right outside Warrenton, have one of the best Viogniers I've tasted, are locally distributed, AND have the honor of being the only stateside winery I know of that makes a straight up madeira style wine, cooked on the roof and all. Its called "Vin de Sol," and I think it is only available at the winery.

An efficient/really fun way to make some progress on this list is a quick tour through the Virginia wine country. Any number of local wineries will sample out their generally well made Viogniers and Cabernet Francs, and most will help you knock out some of those pesky domestic/hybrid varietals like Norton, Niagara, Catawba, Seyval Blanc, etc. Heck, with one trip to Charlottesville you could visit Horton and check off a good 20+ varietals, Barboursville (my favorite local winery) for another 10, and still have time to visit Monticello and make it back to the metro area before dinnertime. Great wine, great countryside and a few marks towards your goal-- overall a nice day-trip. Incidentally, we just picked up an awesome varietal Saperavi, a native Georgian oddball on the Century list. Come by and pick up a bottle of Teliani Valley Mukuzani Kakheti 2004-- I can't really speak to traditional correctness, but it is a great wine in its own right-- drinks like a rather full AOC Bordeaux with a slight burnt-meat gaminess on the nose, and will only set you back $13.

I agree-- I mean, Ravenswood, Paringa and Duboeuf are all well and good, but really New York Times? We also have some good stuff for under $10 that is decidedly more interesting-- for instance, come by and pick up or try to track down the Torre de Gazate 1999 Cab/Tempranillo from La Mancha, Spain. Interesting appellation, interesting blend, and tasting all the better for its age. Shoot, if they were going for the ubiquitous, I am surprised the Di Majo Norante Sangiovese didn't make the cut-- its everywhere, its good, and Bob Parker loves it year after year.

I once saw a guy eat the still-beating heart of a cobra on the TV. I am pretty damned sure I wouldn't ever do that-- he sure didn't seem to enjoy it. I know it isn't appropriate to this thread, but one of my "never agains" is uni (Sea Urchin). The texture/flavor combo was such that I almost threw up in this nice little sushi joint. I am generally a pretty adventerous person, but this stuff was just terrible. Does anyone else just love the stuff and feel I should give it another go?

[Foot in mouth] ... well, of course that's also a term of endearment! No, but obviously there is a difference between "regulars" and the afforementioned "mavens." You, Brett (Ashley?), and anyone else willing to learn are always more than welcome. Thanks for the business! And yes, running the risk of putting my foot in my mouth AGAIN-- some of our reps are decidely "not" in every conceivable way. Should there be any present company, you are of course excluded

Oh, those "tasting mavens," as my coworker calls them exist in DROVES-- but they usually don't get in the way, and while I agree with Wineguy's advice (doing that with Windows on the World at my side is how I learned in the beginning), don't write off the tastings altogether. I've found that several of the sales reps that do the majority of our tastings to be quite knowledgeable and willing to talk. If nothing else you get the chance to taste out the route you'd like to take in learning on your own dime, which can be quite helpful.

Cool website, thanks for the link. The problem with sake in this country, though, is that no matter how familiar one might be with his own area's offerings, they are bound to be TOTALLY DIFFERENT from what one may fine a couple hundred miles away. Looking over his site, Timothy obviously knows his stuff, but I recognized but few of the sakes featured in his database, and by that virtue both he and I (and all of us!) are missing out on some great stuff. In that vein I hope he runs afoul of the sakes of Kasumi Tsuru-- I've just recently become acquainted with these neat, traditionally made sakes, and consider my mind properly blown (Ever considered sake and barbecue? Their Yamahai Junmai works, I swear!). I wonder if things are different on the left coast, being so close to the point of origin?

.... though obviously I haven't gotten the hang of proper posting procedures. Ouch. Still, thanks for the welcome, and I swear I'll learn!

Thank you for the reassurance and the warm welcome! We sure do still have the "Divine Droplets" (as of yesterday, anyhow), but we also have any number of other Junmai Daiginjos of which I am equally fond. I'd love for you (or anyone else, for that matter!) to come by talk about 'em! Thank you again for the reception; I look forward to some great conversation.

As will quickly become abundantly apparent to any regulars to this site, I am a donrockwell newbie and a retailer. Forgive me if I am posting out of turn (and if I appear to be boasting), but I am a sake FANATIC, and by this virtue we have what is likely one of the largest, most constantly changing retail selections of sake, soju and plum wine on the eastern seaboard! Also, in addition to our regular weekly wine and beer tastings I host the occasional sake tasting featuring new and notable selections. Though there are none currently scheduled I plan to set one up for the near future, for which you may find info here, or feel to email me, as I keep a personal list of sake-savvy persons to whom I send (private!) emails as a reminder. Have any sake/soju/umeshu queries? Send me an email, or reply to this post! Though, forgive me ahead of time, as I will babble on endlessly about the stuff .

Hello all, my name is Rob and this is my very first post! Just started browsing this site on a whim, and given my interests I figured a quick shout out on "sparkling reds" would be a great place to begin. Have any of ya'll been exposed to the La Fracchia Voulet Casorzo? It is very much in a similar vein to the aforementioned Gragnano, if slightly sweeter and a tad less fizzy (um... and of origin about 400 miles further north...). It is easily one of our best sellers, and I am surprised it hasn't come up before. Check it out!