Curious - I’m in my mid to late 30s and it seems like I’m the only one who likes to drink still. I get that the younger generation doesn’t really drink but is this a trend?

I’ll preface this by saying that I am incredibly new to wine tasting and the world of wine, having really started to explore this summer after an incredible trip to the Right Bank. I really hope that I am using the correct terminology and, if not, please let me know in the comments! I look forward to learning from this community - it’s one of the things I absolutely love about wine; the sharing of knowledge, and community willing to engage and educate. Thank you in advance!

Last night I opened up a bottle of 1982 Calon Segur. Cellared for the last 30 years, moved once. The label has definitely seen better days, and the top of the cork definitely had some cellar mold, but the whole cork was intact! Decanted for 2 hours and served. The moment I popped the cork, the aromas were astounding - it filled up my apartment so much that my wife, who was in the next room and had no idea I was opening a bottle of wine, commented that it smelled like I had opened wine 😂 sweet black fruits, earthy and umami, and quite a bit of carmelized candied brown sugar, almost port-like.

The colour was a light brown-red, tawny, almost brick.

First night, this wine really opened up as the night went on. The nose was truly excellent and still had wonderful tannic structure. Notes of black currants and overripe blackberries, ripened bananas and a complex sweetness that really surprised me.

Stored in a wine fridge at 55° overnight in the decanter and the second night, this wine absolutely blossomed . Elegant and full, all of the first night flavours and aromas compounded.

I still have one more bottle and I can’t wait to open it up!

I work in a restaurant where a shady guy started as "sommelier". He is a compulsive liar. We caught him lying about small things or very big things about his personal life or career. He says he never broke a cork in his life while me and my colleague have evidence he did it multiple times.

He says wine is the love of his life but compared to other sommelier I know or even bartenders who really know their spirits/wine, he shows zero passion or interest in wine. At times he doesn't even know what's on the menu.

He doesn't write dates on the wine bottles we serve by glass. I told him we should absolutely do this to avoid serving old wine and he shrugged it off and said "well everyone else does it, not only me". Bitch. If wine is the love of your life you wouldn't want to brush off something like this. I think wine sucks and yet I want to make sure people pay for good wine and service. Also ridiculous that he blames other people when it's his responsibility as sommelier to look after these things.

I know nothing about wines. But I doubt he's a real sommelier. I'm wondering if there's a trick question I can ask that can give me proof he's lying.

Any ideas?

I've just gotten back from a trip to Burgundy, where I had the pleasure of dining at Le Soufflot in Mersault thanks to the wisdom of past Redditors. I loved everything about it - simple, seasonal food but most of all an unbelievable wine list at cave prices. And of course, Zaltos to drink wine from.

Looking for suggestions for other wine restaurants of France to go to drink good wine, with decent, not overly engineered food. Decent wine glasses are a must because I'm a snob like that.

I've heard Le Maufoux is owned by the same. Any other suggestions?

This is our Cuve 8a (Lalande-de-Pomerol). It’s a fresh, mineral Merlot that we often serve lightly chilled in hot weather. I know Bordeaux isn’t usually what people think of as a poolside wine, but it really works. Curious — who else chills their reds, and which ones do you think shine cold?

Depriving one’s self from Baudry with age is the exact opposite of self-care. Well, at least that’s how I feel!

This really leans into that elegance and savoriness of Baudry that I just love. The nose is fragrant and balanced with lovely tones of Crushed rocks, herbs, red cherries, chalky notes, leather, violets, red berries, blueberries, flinty notes, tobacco notes, potpourri, and roses. M bod with tart, medium+ acidity and chewy, medium tannins that still have some youth to them. This got better with air and probably could benefit from 30-45 minutes of air before drinking.

This was another reminder of why I badly need to actually hold onto bottles of Baudry and not just drink them young!!

When I originally planned this “Italian series”, the idea was that I would drink the wines I was least excited about first, and drink this bottle as the grand finale. Unfortunately for me, (and luckily for you), my awful impulse control and virtually non-existent drive for delayed gratification has led me to bust this one open today.

From the second the first drop hit the glass, I could already see how much this wine is starting to show its age. 2025 is the first of a 15-year stretch that this producer recommends drinking this bottle, and yet it already is giving off a very strong “strawberry pie” energy in the tint. Very garnet and sanguine - the red is strong yet muted in this one. Unsurprisingly, it’s also quite transparent and has virtually no purple tone keeping the light from penetrating through the entire glass.

Swirls unlike any wine I’ve ever tried before. Leaves no legs despite being nearly 15% ABV, feels kind of oily and reflective while in motion, and seems to wipe away any evidence it was ever on the side of the glass as it sinks back down.

Speaking of unique aspects, this wine has just struck the weirdest little chord on my nose. It leads with heavy red fruit with a strong hit of strawberry, but also throws in a bouquet of roses for free and douses the mix in nail polish remover. It’s uncannily like perfume - the astringency and heat in it elevates the other notes: not in a way that makes you think “this is clumsy”, but in a way that makes you think “this is classy”.

On the palate, it delivers what it promises: refined and Italian. Tannin is GRIPPY - I feel guilty drinking this without a medium-rare steak in front of me. Very sharp and unapproachable to those unfamiliar, but with minimal burn and acidity that’s very much in control.

I know this producer has faced complaints surrounding consistency and output - and I completely understand that critique from the consumer’s perspective. However, if you want to see what this house is capable of and feel comfortable shelling out $25-$75 depending how close you live to the grapes, I’d say it’s worth the investment.

93/100 (A-)

PRICE: €20.99 GRAPES: 100% Nebbiolo ABV: 14.5%

NOSE: rose, strawberry, acetone PALATE: rose, asphalt, cherry, blueberry, plum, leather

I found these at my parents house and was wondering if I can still safely drink these. I love a glass of wine myself and my parents dont. But i have little to no knowledge about wine.

Had this months ago and loved it. A Pink sparking wine that my wife found. Trying to identify where I could get more of this. Any ideas?

30 minutes in the decanter gave off redcurrant and cherry on the nose.

Bright, translucent garnet in the glass, the rim barely discernible. The first sip is all edge: sharp cherry, a snap of cranberry acidity. Tannins are fine-grained yet surprisingly insistent for a light red.

Cauru feels like a mountain wine,more flowing stream than velvet armchair. It scores high on clarity and freshness, but offers little in the way of depth or warmth. Bracing rather than comforting, it keeps you upright instead of pulling you close.

With another ten minutes in the glass it softens, the acidity tempered, the finish rounding into something crisper and more harmonious. For me, that lands at 88 points.

I’m heading to Osoyoos this weekend with the family for a week. Not going to have the chance to visit wineries as our children are very young (definitely open to suggestions for family friendly wineries!).

I’m planning on bringing my Coravin and buying a large selection of bottles to pull samples from throughout our stay. I’m familiar with many wineries in the area as I’m from Calgary, but this is my first time actually visiting Osoyoos. We are staying at Watermark. Can anyone recommend a store with a great selection of full-bodied reds? Wines like Garland/Fifth Element/The Bear etc.

Thank you!

Travelers/winemakers, I'm curious about hidden gems!

Brother in law was visiting and had some friends over, so we just kept opening since it was so fun! San Guidalberto was the standout, but Milos Plavac Mali showed well too!

2020 Milos Plavac Mali

I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this. I visited the winery and enjoyed their wines, but this is the entry level wine that's a glimpse of the rest of the portfolio.

This time, however, I quite enjoyed it. Maybe it's the temperature, maybe it's the time in the decanter, but surprisingly good finish, nice balance of acidity and cherry and berry notes.

For $25 at K&L in the US, I'm loading up on these.

90 points.

2018 Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto Toscana, IGT

Decanted and drank over an hour.

I enjoy Guidalberto, but this was my first time trying it with any age on it.

This definitely needs more time, but drinking well.

Perfumed nose with slight rose petal, red cherry, raspberry, cranberry notes.

Solid tannins and balanced acidity.

I'd decant for two hours before touching next time.

91 points.

2018 Podere Castorani Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Cadetto

Probably one of the best QPR wines I'm aware of.

For $10-$15 a bottle, this overdelivers.

Enjoyable with some nice structure, decent complexity. Evolved nicely in the decanter and glass too.

Wish I had more bottles, but this is a great one to buy six of and just pop whenever you feel like it.

89 points.

2020 Paraduxx Proprietary Red

Gave this one a quick decant, but drank from a half bottle, so didn't need as much time to open up.

Not quite at the level of the flagship Duckhorn wines, but enjoyable nonetheless and I love the experimentation.

No detailed notes since I was too busy socializing, but I'd buy this again. Had a very unique flavor profile with nice fruit.

89 points.

2019 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico

Drank from a half bottle. I continue to be a huge proponent of bottles, allows you to enjoy two glasses without committing to an entire bottle.

Plus, this matures faster, and I didn't find this to be in the dumb phase, like the other notes.

Enjoyable after an hour decant.

Red cherry, blueberry, cranberry, rosemary notes.

Not the most complex Chianti, but any stretch, but for $15 a half bottle, this is a nice deal for a daily or casual drinker.

89 points.

2020 Domaine Comte Abbatucci Faustine Vieilles Vignes

Something was off about this bottle in an unpleasant way. It wasn't corked, but the smell was off, taste was flabby and thin.

A hour in the decanter didn't seem to help all that much.

I've had this wine before and enjoyed it, so I'm going to chalk this up to a flawed bottle.

Country: South Africa

Medium tannins.

Quite acidic.

Slight dry.

Earthy smells.

Tastes of coffee, black cherry, blackberry, hints of dark chocolate. Strawberry and cloves aftertaste.

Really long finish. Well balanced.

start

nz Sauv Blanc paired with a few of these: Fontina, Brie, Swiss, Feta, Ggouda, and Gruyère spicy pepper jelly

main

brown sugar salmon, add heat // gewurztraminer or champagne rose?

side roasted broccolini (shaved cheese to serve)

dessert tbd - open to suggestions!

here's where Google got me so far would love any pointers, tips or tricks

Welcome to Wine Meditations, a space to contemplate, deliberate, and pontificate over asinine wine topics.

Today's Meditation: Why does the wine industry insist on using the term "dessert wine" instead of "sweet wine"?

The "dessert wine" moniker feels super antiquated to me. Sweet bottlings are generally (mistakenly) viewed monolithically as cheap and inferior - the collective redheaded stepchild of the wine genus. Perpetuating the misguided notion that sweet wines are/should be reserved for either 1.) novice drinkers, or 2.) post-entree pairing, only serves to stunt the potential growth of wine among new consumers.

I live in Texas, the barbecue capital of the world (@ me Tennessee, Kansas, Missouri, either Carolina, whoever - it's no contest). It's practically a statewide mandate that every barbecue joint serve three staple beverages: cold beer, soda pop (Dr. Pepper in Houston, Big Red in San Antonio), and sweet tea.

Two of those styles are loaded with sugar, and the other has a positive ABV. Is it really so inconceivable that crossing the proverbial streams and serving a beerenauslese with a brisket couldn't be divine? Perhaps a Sauternes with smoked turkey? When will we accept that sweet wines have so much more versatility than what we've pigeonholed them to be?

How can we get sweet wines the respect they deserve?

Hey everyone :D Still pretty new to the wine hobby.

I want to dive deeper into Riesling. Can you recommend me some nice ones with good value for money? I live in Germany so it should be pretty easy for me to get most of these.

Most should be under 20€ but i am also open for some bangers that are more expensive.

I love when they are produced as natural as possible.

Thank you :)

Inside of a 2015 Tedeshci Sav Blanc that is past its prime but wouldn’t imagine it would spoil.

Safe to taste test?

Howdy y'all, I am looking at getting a real wine fridge, but have been storing 60 or so bottles in a regular refrigerator at the warmest setting for the last two years. I was just wondering if any actual damage occurred from that besides just increased sediment. I kept the bottles on their sides so that the corks dont dry out as well.

The internet had a lot of conflicting advice, and my experience in the wine industry makes me skeptical that it actually is bad for the wine.

Additionally, if anyone has any recommendations for a wine fridge sub $500 that has decent capacity that would be really great to hear about :)

I'm heading to a friend's place for a dinner party and I'd like to bring a couple of bottles. The thing is, my friend is really into wine, and I know pretty much nothing. What are some good options?

I'm hoping to get one red and one white bottle. My budget is around $20-$40 per bottle, so nothing too crazy. I just want to bring something that tastes good and shows I put some thought into it, not just grabbed the first thing off the shelf.

Since I'm a complete beginner, any and all recommendations are welcome! Your help would be a lifesaver.

Thanks in advance!

Viberti ' la gemella' barbera d'alba 2022

Ruby in glass slightly opaque.

Nose- red cherry, strawberry,plums slight smoke and leather

Palate- again sour cherry/cranberry tartness, a little peppery spice some slight blue fruit notes , medium body low tannins but great prominent acidity that brings bright juicy mouthfeel to the wine makes it a very drinkable textbook table wine great with food . 14.5 abv 92 points