Quote:
Originally Posted by waybomb
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But I had some 1990 Valpolicella a few weeks ago. Can't remember the vineyard name. I had a glass, and then another. I complimented my host and asked where he bought it, because I intended to buy a case or two. It was that good. My host bought every bottle available. Something like 100 bucks a bottle. I don't know that I'd spend that much ever on a bottle of wine. But it was definitely special.
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Thats a lot of money for a Valpo. I've never seen one so high but who knows. Along the lines of a Chianti or a Sangiovese, the Valpo has a medium body but without some of the tea baggy bitterness of a Sangio or Chianti.
Another easy winner is a Cote du Rhone, but in my experience the less expensive varieties vary wildly in terms of quality. I agree with the previous poster, check out the Wine Spectator, any issue has a category in the back like "best values" or something with some good advice. I love to experiment and try new wines, or at least I used to. I'm very hesitant to spend more than $20 on a bottle myself, I just don't buy into the hype.
I bartend and I've had a lot of fun with this. One time recently, I served someone (through a server to someone at a table, not to someone in front of me) a glas of house merlot (Blackstone BTW). She sends it back and says there's no way its a merlot, it must be a pint noir, and she wants a merlot. I gave the server a glass of pinot noir to take back to her and never heard back, twice. Also, every once in a while I'll have an open bottle of Opus I or some other high dollar bottle because someone bought it and didn't like it or realized how expensive it was or whatever. When someone comes in and eats at the bar and says I'll have a house Cab, I'll give them a $7 glass of Opus. They just sit there, have one glass of wine or maybe two, eat some pasta, and leave. I'm the only one who knows they're drinking Opus, they don't comment on it being fantastic, they're just having dinner. Call me a nerd but I get such a kick out of these little moments!