I would deffinately paint the cabinets and trim white. White and yellow kitchens are very popular since they are bright clean colors.

The problem is the wallpaper – that has got to go! I think it would probably be best to paint it a coordinating color (can’t decide which one), and if you cant find one that looks good, paint it white.

I would also change the hardware on the cabinets, since it is wicked outdated and that is a really cheap and easy update that will make a difference. I would also suggest adding some cute curtains for the showings
Sounds like a plan. The wallpaper I am going to cover up in some way, I was thinking with some printed paneling. For the cabnets I was thinking like an off white or eggshell. Should I do the trim the same shade? Curtians are a great idea, but what color would I look for them in? New hardware has already been planned out…going to Ikea soon for it.

Thanks a ton for your suggestion!
Yeah hardware would be a big plus. Remember the kitchen is one of the most important factors for buyers. At least that is the case for California homes. I would definately put much more effort into your kitchen and master bedroom. Cabinet hardware, as already mentioned is a plus, and I would also replace the hardware for the door and also give it a clean white paint.

Oh yeah wallpaper MUST go. White is really your only alternative since yellow seems like a color you just can’t get rid of at the moment.
I wouldn’t cover the wallapaper with paneling – many people dislike paneling. Instead I would remove the wallpaper and paint it solid colored. I would paint the cabinets and the trim the same color, but I would paint a different (cordinating) color for the wall. The curtain color will depend on the wall color you choose.

To get ideas about what color coordinates, go to and find choose "browse coloirs". Find a similar yellow and a black (since that’s also in the tiles) and a white/off-white that you like and then choose ‘coordinate colors’ and see what it comes up with. You don’t have to buy behr brand but it’ll still give you some different ideas.

What hardware are you going to use? I have the ikea "tag" handles in my kitchen – I think they are the nicest ones they have

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Few questions:

1. For anyone in the Twin Cities areas, what are thoughts regarding house pricing and where it will go in the next year or two. Southern metro area in general, Eagan, Apple Valley, Rosemount, and Plymouth/Minnetonka area as well. I don’t think we’ve seen the bubble as badly as Florida, California, etc., and won’t be upset if I don’t get great appreciation in the first few years, but don’t want to buy something that’s worth 30% less in the next year.

2. How the hell do you find contractors, etc. at reasonable prices? We need to fix up a lot of stuff to sell our current place. Nothing absolutely terrible, but things like new carpeting, hardwood refinishing, etc. Don’t ask me to do it myself, or I will accidentally nailgun my eye. I’m that bad with tools. Everytime I pick some names from the phonebook, I get quotes that even I am smart enough to know are outrageous (I’m also very bad at knowing when contractors are screwing me, etc.). Everyone says find good guys by referrals, but all my friends say, "I dunno, I haven’t been able to find one either."

Other advice is welcome.
I predict that the housing slump is not over yet….prices will continue to decline for another year or two, and lots of foreclosures will happen due to the 5/1, 7/1 ARMs getting jacked up rates.

Also, rising interest rates I predict will stifle new home purchases and force more people into renting.

Anyways, I am a current Saint Paul renter looking to buy in the next 5 years & am going to wait this slump out a bit before buying…

When you have a contractor come do an estimate, have multiple come out at the same time so that they know you are shopping around and will give you their bottom dollar bid.

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there are a set of stairs going from 1st to 2nd floor that were covered in carpet. its a newer construction (1995), and workmanship wasnt the highest of quality. plywood was used everywhere under all carpets. now, for floors, i plan on adding hardwood directly on top. thats straight forward. the problem is withthe stairs and 2 landings.

first – the treads are pine(?), with a lot of paint overspray, but i am sanding, then staining and polyeurethaning them, with white risers and ballisters. downside is that they are framed (dadoed?), so no exposed sides. this will have to stay for now, i cant afford to redo the entire staircase. i think once done, itll be a big improvement over the carpet.

the first landing is about 32"x32", and the 2nd is probably 8′x4′, both made of plywood.

here is my dilemma:
do i:
1. replace plywood with tongue and groove flooring? probably the smartest solution, assuming thickness matches up (3/4" i think), but the plywood runs under the walls. how do i lay the planks properly? just cut close to walls, hope they dont float, and put quarter rounds to cover edges?

2. since i will be installing either hardwood or laminate in the 2 bedrooms on the 2nd floor, do i continue with the hardwood onto the landing? this will look the most seamless, but will create a 3/8-1/2 inch higher step at the last step (the landing).

3. continue with the engineered floor plan, and just end the floor near the stair with a transition such as a ramp. i see this as a tripping hazard.

4. hardwood/laminate the stairs as well, so everything is raised and no noticeable trip hazards? this may solve my problem with #2, but wont allow me (my wife) to have white risers. heh.

i like #2 the best b/c it will allow the entire 2nd floor to flow best, without having stupid saddles for height transitions, but am worried that even 3/8" will be enough to throw people for a loop on the top 2 steps.

any ideas, comments, other suggestions? i really dont know which is the best solution.
I like option 1. Could you cut out the plywood flush with the existing skirt, and maybe replace, or just add a new skirt? You could add 1/4" lumber scribed to fit around the framing — do it so the top edge just looks like part of the skirt profile.

If the existing skirt is dadoed, you may need to add blocking, if this was overlooked by the original stairbuilder.

If you pick up an angle finder you should be able to eliminate any need for quarter-round, as long as your cuts are clean and layed out well. Stain-grade hides minor variance better than you’d think.

thx for the reply..

the plywood is dadoed, and im sure its gonna turn into a huge job to block/frame the edging of each landing, but maybe ill rip out a section and look.
this is gonna be a bigger job than anticipated :/

I don’t envy you…stairs are always a pain in the ass, even from scratch.

Keep posting on the project Leo. Do you have any pics?
here are some pics as they are now..

Wow, that’s a chunk of work. My earlier post regards the stair treads and risers only then.

Ideally, hardwood floors are installed over a subfloor. Check the carpet height to see if you can just install the flooring right over the plywood…it would help to eliminate squeaking. your door trim and jambs you can flush cut with a jamb saw and tuck the flooring right underneath it. It looks like you will need a tack strip of some sort for the carpet edge at the door thresholds. Are there any rooms without carpet? If so, the height of that room’s floor may not jive with this plan.

Yea, the flooring can be butted right up to that base trim. Base shoe is pretty much a given with wood floors, so you have that 1/2" or so to fudge…it doesn’t have to be perfect. Newer homes here in MN are leaning towards shoe that matches the flooring rather than the painted trim.
ya, i think ive decided my route – hardwood over everything. makes the most sense, it will just be frustrating as it has to be done in phases. that carpet you see will eventually come out, no need to worry about the saddle for now, or just something to hold it in place. that was what is throughout house, so it will be an ongoing thing..

i have an idea of the color of hardwood i want,(dark, almost black cherry) i just dont think that ill be able to match the new treads that color (i want solid treads, not hw over them), so ill have to experiment a bit in that department, or spend the extra $ on a similar wood.

thx for the help.. ill be sure to post pics as the work continues.

Hardwood doesn’t run under the wall, you get up close to it and then cover the gap with trim.

Be careful when doing stairs, there is a reason carpenters charge up to $100/tread, if one of the heights is messed up people will constantly trip.

Yes you gave wrong information. Hardwood is not typically butted up to the trim unless it is a hackjob, the trim is pulled and then reinstalled after the flooring has been installed.

I answered his question, even 3/8" can throw people off.

I was licensed and bonded to install flooring in the state of California, what are your credentials again?

initially, i was talking about removing the plywood subfloor and resurfacing with tongue and groove. (see my original post). had i considered this option, i would have to butt the wood to the trim/wall, as well as get some additional bracing in b/t the joists to support the ends. this is what he was referring to i think..

thx for the help though!

I own a construction firm that specializes in high end finish work.

He is doing this project himself. Whether or not he pulls the trim is his choice.

My license number is 817973

And yours?

Nah, I misinterpreted option 1 and thought you were also considering the technique for the stair treads in relation to the dadoes in the stair skirt. There should be blocking under the edges of the treads, but this is often overlooked, leaving the dadoes to carry that much of the bearing.

That first response of mine was entirely about stairs, sorry

Never mind. I’m done with you now, K?

Thought so.

I’m not putting any info here.

I could use a little help with what I’ve got going right now. If you want, I can ask one of the members here if he needs some work this week.

You are so full of shit

the treads are blocked underneath (i can tell b/c basement stair construction is the same) with wedges.
cutting the dadoes (i already tested some) had no impact on stability, and no squeeks either!

as far as stairs, ill either replace with full treads if im confident i can get them to match the flooring closely, or use the flooring and bullnose edges from the same company for the stairs. (which i dont like as much, b/c lack of full tread).

ill also cover risers with thin sheeting to hide the old bullnose cuts, and paint that, most likely, white.

well, anyway, its almost all worked out in my head.. just a matter of financing now. heh.

if your in the tri-state ny area, ill help work

MN
update. came out nice.

i cut all the noses off original stairs. bought finished face plywood and tacked it to the risers, sealed and painted, hw on the treads..

before and after

looks awesome, Leo!

it didn’t occur to me recommend a tread jig. they aren’t cheap, but they give you the whole template, angles and dimensions, just by manipulating a few hinged straight-edges. it allows you fit and flush out your treads perfectly with the stair skirt, almost as seamlessly as dadoeing. yours turned out great without the jig, however.

how did you solve the floor heights at the bottom and the landing?
its all the same height at the end of the day, since im raising everything equally, all risers are 8.5".. right now the lower level has carpet, so its raised, but it will be replaced with hw, so there wont be a height change.

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Some of the best you will find coming out of California’s wine country.
Mine is Black Opal. An Australian wine. I would recommend the 2005 Shiraz. Its delicious. You can get it between 7 to 10 dollars.

we need more pics of the bottle for each of these that way i can identify them better. i like wine (i think) but have no idea what is good or not aka i cant tell a good wine from a bad one
I’m still apeshit over the Ripasso I tried not too long ago.

All of their wine is very smooth, and extremely well made. I highly recomend them, they make the best champaign I’ve had to date. I’ve had people that never liked wine, or consider themselves not to be wine drinkers but once they have tried J they are hooked, seriously some good wine.

J is good wine, and Penny Coster is really really nice.

My favorite wine only 10 a bottle, and @ 13.4%

the only gripe i have about red bicylicette is that i had to sit through an hour and a half marketing class where our guest speaker was from gallo (who makes red bicyclette) try to throw propaganda at us hyped up to purchase it(pre-release)

try sitting through a tasting at mondavi. they will sell you 5 different types of corkscrews if you let em.

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What am I missing to have a have a "well stocked" bar? I know their are a bunch of Liqueurs I’m missing, but some I would probally never use so I don’t want to waste money on it. Any one have any suggestions?

patron (variety of types), casadores, jager, sailor jerry,

those would be some of my additions, but you have already have a pretty good base
Sambuca
Don Julio Tequila (or almost any tequila that’s not Cuervo)
Make sure you have plenty of mixers (grapefruit, pineapple, cranberry, OJ, soda water, tonic)
Triple sec is a must have… it’s used in a ton of drinks.
Dry and sweet Vermouth for Martinis/Manhattans
Southern Comfort and Sloe gin for Alabama Slammers
Rose’s grenadine and lime juice

The list is endless…
sambuca
Jager
salior jerry
captain morgan
If you dont have a tap connected to a keg, its not a bar!
You definitely need a nice scotch in the mix…look for 15 year+
Southern Comfort, Makers Mark, Perhaps even some 151, definitely some Triple Sec
You’re missing beer and wine. You can get a couple of cases of different beers and store them warm. Same with wine. Get a couple bottles of table wine, a couple bottles of dessert wine, and a few decent bottles of California and Argentinian wines. Open the wine and serve the whole bottle.

If there’s a Trader Joe’s near you, I would go there. Have an employee there walk you through selecting a dozen bottles of wine and 8-12 different six-packs of good beer. I like two buck chuck or four buck chuck for table wine. A dozen bottles of 4BC will set you back $50 and you should be well-stocked for a while.

Pick up a wine decanter, too. Pour your 4BC into the decanter an hour or two before you serve dinner.

For the beers, get a couple of very heavy glass mugs and store them in the freezer. Get them down to 30 degrees and pour the warm beer into the frozen mug, and then you don’t have to keep a whole fridge dedicated to storing beer.

You might want to pick up a bottle of cognac. Stay away from Remy Martin, it tastes like gasoline and costs a fortune. Keep it for special occasions.

A nice range of wines and beers is good to have around, along with a couple cases of Budweiser for people that don’t appreciate anything better.
you need 151 for various cocktails.

I’d also have things like triple sec, grand mariner, chambord, and such as well.

Don’t forget to have a variety of olives and cocktail onions. Fruit like oranges & limes are good to have but you have to keep ‘em fresh.

Also, get at least one bottle of good rum, like Pyrat XO and a dark rum like Meyers. Bacardi and Capt might be good for spiced rums and sweet drinks, but their horrible by themselves.

For bourbons I like Wild Turkey 101 Rare breed, Knob Creek & Makers.

Keeping some of the low budget stuff is good if you have friends who come over and just want to get hammered and don’t care.

I would try to get some Sauza Tres Generations, Patron, or Don Julio for your tequila shelf though. Good tequila is worth the price.

Also, don’t forget glassware. Good glassware can add a lot to the drinking experience.
I would recommend Ketel One or Grey Goose vodka, though I’ve never had Belvedere. When I have vodka martinis I always go for Ketel One or Grey Goose over absolute.

Concur with this post.
Fuck gimmicky/trendy booze.
Good beer and classic spirits will do fine.

If you are going to pick up a generic beer, do anything but Budweiser or anything Anheuser Busch brews for that matter. They make some of the worst beer known to man and are a disgrace to the brewers in this world.
Patron silver for sure. Also should mixers so you can whip something nice up.
4 Buck Chuck will not benefit from a decanter at all.
Scotch man. Get a bottle of laphroaig 10 year to round things out. Do not mix it sir.

It’s for show. Sell the sizzle, not the steak. Not displaying the 4BC bottle is also a plus.

Or don’t be cheap and buy decent wine.

i agree with this

also curacao and creme de menthe

and original poster: I wouldnt call it "well stocked" but I’d call it a good start
Dry/sweet vermouth and sloe gin should be some of the last things you buy.

ever hear of a martini?
jim beam or a comperable bourbon whiskey…just a suggestion.

I’ve made well over a thousand of them, maybe 5% of them people wanted it with vermouth.

And sweet vermouth? How many people do you know drink Manhattans.

that makes no sense

a man’s martini, or the "classic" if you prefer: gin and dry vermouth
and if you must have a vodka martini, it also has dry vermouth in it

so whatever you’re making ain’t a martini son.

I understand by definition what a martini is. I also worked in a bar for 4 years. People do not typically get a "classic" martini. More often than not they wanted a dirty vodka martini, sans vermouth.

depends on the bar and the city I guess…. maybe they aren’t big in texas, and a jello shooters and $1 beer type bar isn’t going to be serving martinis necessarily. I’d say more of a lounge type place will serve more martinis of various types… but then again chicks are going to drink choclatinis and crantinis and all kinds of fruity shit which is labelled martini before they drink a classic one. Lots of people I know drink classic or vodka martinis, and even most dirty martinis have a hint of vermouth in them.

I prefer my martini with just the vermouth bottle "waved over the glass"

It was a jazz bar in a high-end steak restaurant. Average age of my clientele was 40.

And I never once had someone ask for any vermouth in a dirty martini

so they would specifically ask for "no vermouth" ?

because a dirty martini has vermouth in it by definition as well as olive juice, not instead of.

something isn’t adding up here…
My grandmother (94 years young) is the most particular about her martinis… they are made ONE way:

1) A martini glass and a shaker are filled with crushed ice.

2) One ounce of dry vermouth is poured into the shaker, swirled for several seconds, then strained into the glass of ice.

3) Two ounces of Beefeater are poured into the shaker, and gently swirled… NEVER SHAKEN!!

4) The ice (and vermouth) in the glass is dumped out, and the gin is immediately strained into the chilled glass, and finally garnished with two olives… not one, not three.

Put olive juice in Granny’s martini and you’re liable to get it thrown on you…
jager
patron
sailor jerry
three olives vodka
soco
triple sec
forty creek

i could go on forever

heh epic, some people say don’t "bruise" the gin by shaking it

shaking does cause more ice fractures and therefore more ice chips in your drink, watering it down. Your granny is wise

"Don’t bruise the gin", is exactly what she says.
Buy some decent wine and beer. Nothing crazy just something not too expensive but tasty.

For beer:
The standard Amstel and Heinikens
Guiness
Mich Amber Bock (or Shiner Bock if you can get it)
Yuengling(sp?)
Killians Red
Chimay
Boddingtons
and a case or two of some cheap domestic (coors or budlight)

As for wine I’ve found that chilean’s like Castelliero Del Diablo make a great table/casual drinking wine. Their reds are good. I’ve never tried their whites but I’m sure they’re good too. I also really like Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio cause its relatively inexpensive but is a tasty white.

Reislings are also nice to have on stash and some good after dinner liquors are always nice (chombord being a classic).

Oh and +1 on the Roses lime and grenadine.. and get some bitters

What the fuck.

Perfect.

.

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FIRST THING BEFORE ALL: WASH YOUR HANDS

In this, I will be making a total of 6 cups Sushi Rice to make –
Maki (rolls): California, Rainbow, Unagi (Eel)
Nigiri (raw fish over rice): Sake (Salmon), Tuna (Tekka), Unagi (Eel), Yellowtail (Hamachi)

First off, you’re gonna need some Rice and a measuring cup!
Quick note though, make sure you use Calrose Rice. It’s a Japanese rice that is stickier and a shorter grain

I make 3 cups rice, with 3 and ¼ cups water, because I use a rice cooker. If you use a pot, use 1:1. Generally for every cup raw rice, is 2 cups serving. Anyways, first step is to wash the rice

You want to get a big sieve to hold the rice, and a nice stream of water over it. Move the rice around with your hands, shake the sieve. Do this for at least 2 minutes. Hold a cup under the sieve to capture the water, wash the rice until this water is clear

Now that your rice is washed, you need to let it drain. Shake all the water you can from the sieve, and now push the rice up against the sides, to help it drain faster

You’re going to let this drain for about 30 minutes. In the mean time you have plenty to do! First is the Vinegar-Sugar-Salt mixture simply referred to as Sushi-Vinegar. For my 6 cups of rice I’m going to be using, I will need:

2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Teaspoon salt
1/3 Cup Vinegar – I use Rice Vinegar, found in any Japanese market and most grocery stores

Now, you put these all in a small pot and place it on the stove.

Mix the ingredients till it’s a dusty white cloud. Heat this mixture until all of the sugar and salt dissolve into the rice. You want it to be clear like this:

After its done, put it in a small bowl to cool. Set this aside.

Since you should still probably have time to kill (waiting 30 mins for rice to drain), you can start preparing the fish
First off, lets take a look at everything else we will be using today

In this picture from top left, going to the right, then proceeding down each row: Nori-Seaweed, Sesame Seeds, Eel Sauce, Soy Sauce, Wasabi powder, Pickled Ginger, Cucumber, Avacado (Haas), Tobiko (Flying Fish Roe), Hamachi, Salmon, Crab, Unagi, Tuna.

First, you need to defrost your fish. They should all be in sealed, plastic (since they’re frozen). Place them in water, in a bowl

To keep them from floating I place another bowl with water in it, to full submerge it

This will defrost the fish. You should be using cold water. By the time the rice is done cooking, and sitting to cool, the fish should be ready to cut/prepare.

Now back to the rice. By now it should be dry. You want all the wash-water to have drained away

Now you place the rice in the Rice Cooker, or if you don’t have one a pot. Put in the Water. The rice should be fully submerged.

Turn the rice cooker on. If you don’t have a rice cooker, you bring the water to a boil. Once it’s boiling you let it simmer for about 10 mins, then let the rice steam for another 10. Let the rice cook

While the rice is cooking, this is good time to make the Wasabi. The powder stuff I use is 50% real wasabi, and it needs time to develop good flavor. First, two teaspoons powder

Add two teaspoons water (Use 1:1 waterowder ratio)

Once its done, set it aside next to your Sushi-Vinegar. Now you need to start preparing the ingredients for your rolls. Before you cut anything on the cutting board

CLEAN YOUR CUTTING BOARD

First up, the cucumber

Cut it lengthwise so they lay flat on the cutting board. Cut them into long strips

Now go get your Ginger. This really is personal preference but I like chopper ginger in my rolls. Just chop some up and throw it in a small dish

Next up, dish out some tobiko (Flying Fish Roe). Again, this is personal preference. It doesn’t add much to the roll, and can be expensive, but since I make this for my family/friends I go all out. It also makes for a nicer presentation

Next you want to get your Nori

Fold them, and pull them apart into two pieces. One piece per roll

Set all this stuff aside. Put the cucumber, ginger, tobiko in the fridge. Your rice should be ready by now

Here’s what you’re going to need to setup before mixing your rice. Get a cookie sheet. Cover it entirely with aluminum foil pretty well. This will make for a nice cleanup, and the purpose of this is to let the rice cool off quickly. Next get a Large Glass or Wooden bowl. Not metal. Glass/Wood allows the rice to cool more quickly. Also use a wooden spoon. Also you’re now going to need your Sushi-Vinegar.

Put all the rice in the glass bowl

Now, pour half the Sushi-Vinegar in with the rice. You’re going to want to fold the rice. Don’t crush it. The Vinegar will go to the bottom of the bowl so you’re going to want to keep mixing the rice, displacing the rice at the center constantly. I like turning the bowl, and folding the rice away from me at the same time.

Pour in the other half of the vinegar and continue. You will probably be mixing this for about 2-3 minutes, you want that vinegar distributed evenly. The rice should be very shiny by now.

Now, once you’re done mixing, you will be pouring all of the rice on the foiled cookie sheet.

Spread it out so its even

Now you let the rice sit and cool. Taste it if you like. It should be sweet and have a mild vinegar taste to it, and be very sticky. Just set the rice aside in a cool/dry place. The fish should be defrosted by now. Before handling the fish with your hands wash them again, as well as washing your cutting board another time. Open up each package, and rinse the fish under cold water. Dry it with a paper towel and place it on your cutting board. The fish should be pretty moist and soft.

Cut the fish into thin slices. This will all be used for nigiri, but you just want to slice the fish for now. You can make them nigiri size later.

Place all the fish on a plate, and place it in the fridge with plastic wrap

Also, now you can cut up your crab. I prefer to use real crab, but they didn’t have any at the store today, so I am reduced to fake crab =(

Place on a plate and put in the fridge. Now the Rice should be at room temperature by now. You can go ahead and put all the rice in a smaller bowl and put away the foil/cookie sheet.

OKAY! The rice is done, all the ingredients are prepared. Looks like we’re ready to roll! Pun intended. Get everything out. You need your fish, rice, crab, avocado, cucumber, nori, ginger, wasabi, cutting board, knife, bamboo mat and plastic wrap.

First step is to get your bamboo mat, and wrap it in plastic wrap.

Then start with a half sheet of nori

Next, you want to make sure your hands are moist. Run them under water to cool them down. The rice doesn’t stick as much to cool moist hands as opposed to hot sweaty hands. You will be placing a thin layer of rice on top of the nori.

Next, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top of the rice

Now, you take a sheet of plastic wrap and place it on top of the rice. Flip this over, so now the rice is facing down and the nori is facing up.

Now you place your roll ingredients on the nori. I start with some wasabi

Add ginger if you like

Throw down some crab

Lay down some cucumber

Now you can cut your avocado open. Just cut it in half and grab a teaspoon. You want to scoop out the meat

Put some avocado in your roll

Now take this beast and place it back on your bamboo mat. Keep the plastic wrap under the roll, between the roll and the bamboo mat. You will be rolling it inside the wrap to keep it secure.

Now you add more rice above your roll. This makes sure the roll wont fall apart, and also makes it more solid.

Now the tricky part which gets easier with practice. Actually rolling the maki

If done correctly, you should have your maki wrapped in the plastic wrap which was underneath it

Now use the mat to shape the roll. You want to give it a square shape

Bring this baby to your cutting board.

You want to get a moist cloth before cutting. In between every slice, you want to wipe off your blade, and remove any rice stickyness, so each cut will be using a fresh clean blade.

Cut in half, three times to get 8 pieces

Now you need to unwrap the plastic, and place the roll on a plate

Add some tobiko on top of the roll for some extra jazz, flavor and appeal

Now you’ve completed your first California roll!

Make another one!

When you’ve got your 2nd roll done you can place raw fish on top of the roll to make a rainbow roll. Simple addition really. Since you have 8 pieces, and I like Hamachi and Tuna, I use 3 slices of Hamachi and Tuna, and use 2 slices of Salmon.

Now on this plate you have:

1 California Maki – Crab, Avocado, Cucumber
1 Rainbow Roll – California inside, raw Salmon, Hamachi and Tuna outside

Next up: Some Nigiri. First step is to make all the rice pieces. You shape these in the palm of your hand. Make a cup in your right hand, and place some rice in it with your left. Grab the rice in your hand and use your left index finger to push down. Shape these and place them on a plate

Next up, put a little dash of wasabi on each rice ball

After this, you just place your raw fish ontop of the rice/wasabi

For my guests I give them 2 of each. I have only 2 guests tonight so I’m making 6 of every fish, so I’m making 6 salmon, 6 tuna, 6 hamachi, 6 unagi Nigiri. And yes, now this brings me to the Unagi, my favorite. This is saved till last because it is best served hot/warm. First take it out of its package and place onto some paper towels

I buy the prepacked already cooked unagi. It already has its bbq eel sauce on it. I microwave it for 1 minute. Remember this is already defrosted. Cut into sections

Use some of the Unagi to make Nigiri, some to make an Unagi Roll. You start off the same as you did the California, except you only place Avacado

and Unagi inside the roll

Roll, cut and place on a plate just like the other rolls

Now congratulations you’re finished! Take an awe inspiring look at your work

(that’s some miso soup I also made in that picture)

Enjoi!

hosting these pics, and writing this up made me starving
i REALLY need to find where they sell unagi here ..
that stuff is so damn nice
Good thread. Too bad I’m too lazy. How much did everything cost?
you might also want to add that the fish are sushi grade fish, so people won’t die trying to make this
awesome. even though the only sushi i will try is the one with fried chicken and crab from a local place. i’m still too scared of the rest

well the Hamachi I caught myself in loreto mexico. dunno how you wanna measure the price on that lol. At the store it could be expensive though.

All together in this edu, I’d apporximate 30 bucks. Now that will leave plenty of stuff for next time you make sushi, so its deceiving.

dont be afraid! Its the best part!

thats pretty much implied. you just have to be smart, keep your place clean… plus the worst that’d happen if you have really bad fish is you might throw up or feel sick for a day. Either way, in this edu I used frozen stuff, and showed how to keep it clean when cooking.

ive only been able to find it at japanese markets. Even then, it can be a pain to find it in the store. Found this next to the frozen shrimp.

goodluck, if its your first time making it, Id recommend just doing some california rolls. Make sure you have like atleast 2 hrs to do it too. First time is mostly a learning experience if you want to do it right.
ginger is just to cleanse the palate!

anyway, nice edu. great knife also. i use the same one.

yes true, but I also like the taste. Just a tiny bit in each roll. like I said, personal preference really. I always ask my guests before I put wasabi/ginger in any rolls
how much does this cost? because i love sushi and if it’s cheaper than all you can eat sushi i’ll do this everyday.
That looks absolutely delicious! Nice EDU!

but seriously

clean your stove, that is gross
Great thread!

Unagi is also my fav, but I’ve never made it. I’ll have to try to find some.

But your avocado didn’t look so good… looks like it is bruised on the top

Haha was waiting for the stove response

and yeah, the avocado was bruised on top, but in the middle its fine.

I always get grossed out when my avacado is bruised on the inside.

Also, why not pull all the meat out of the avacado and slice it instead of slowly spooning it out? Just trying to keep it from oxidizing?

yep. Thats why I wait to cut it too. Cut it open right before you make the roll. I just had a bruised avocado. Tasted great still.
AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGG

how much did all that cost? itemize it plz
It would be best if the fish were fresh and you didn’t have to defrost it…

/.02

well yes of course, but that makes it extremely inconvienent to make at home. If you get frozen, yet good stuff, its available whenever you need it. The tuna and salmon I got at the local Japanese market, come in those size packets, perfect amount for making sushi, so I just defrost one packet every time I make it.

Also if you must know, I caught that Hamachi myself in loreto mexico. I made sushi with it, within 2 days. Best stuff I’ve ever made myself.

best bet is a Japanese Market. If you can’t find one, just ask at your local fish market, or grocery store.
check out the good eats episode of making sushi if you dont get it from the EDU its a good one

you can see in this picture on the left is a plate of nigiri. When I make sushi, everyone gets their own plate of nigiri, and the rolls is community take however much you want.

All this fish here, fed 3 people.

EDIT: Actually Im sorry, there was a good amount of leftovers of the fish. That amount of fish should feed like 4-5 people

I’d love to see that

All sushi restaurants (excluding the ones on the coast who can get their fish fresh) are frozen fresh before being shipped.

You know that expensive toro (fatty tuna)? Yup, frozen. Too expensive and not enough people order it so its frozen and thawed.
Oh and nice Edu coming from a Sushi chef. Nigiri could use work but no ones expecting perfection especially when you don’t do this for a job.

Edit* btw I have the same knife, muthafucker cost me a 100 bucks.

yeah making the rice with the nigiri 1-stay together, 2-the right size is, is hard. Great Knife though

.
excellent edu , except for the frozen part, but i guess im spoiled because there is so much fresh fish available around here.

ive made sushi a couple of times at home but i always end up feeling the same way : id rather just go out and eat it at a restaurant, its way too much work to do at home and i *enjoy* cooking

Yeah that’s why I try to not do it too often. Once a month at the most. But it is alot of fun when you do it with friends, plus the bill for the night is 80% less than if you just went out heh
true, true… but its soo much work..and for me its just not fun. I have fun cooking other things because im very "freestyle", but with sushi you have to be so meticulous it sucks the fun out of making it
everything in this is great except

frozen fish

its hard to find fresh ocean fish when you live in wisconsin. and river salmon doesnt quite have the same taste to it
i cant believe i just read all that but damn, looks great!

I just found that on google

your local asian grocery has one, at least all of mine do

yes lets see you get fresh fish everyday of the week or when you need it on a spur of the moment decision to make sushi that night. Frozen fish still tastes great when thawed and its extremely convenient. Of course fresh is better, its about availability

werd, and properly thawed, flash frozen fish is used in many sushi restaurants that arent near the coast
ive gone out for sushi 4 times this week lol im addicted, and i think ill be goin for it tommorrow too.

im really starting to LOVE good sashimi
Wish I had more time to make Sushi this week/weekend. Last week, and this week, and this weekend – will total 6 times going to get sushi. fuck so much money
excelent edu, I havent made sushi in a long time but thats pretty much the same way I do it. always gotta have the avocado.
i swear this thread needs to stop being bumped because every time I see it I start craving sushi.

That just fuckin happened to me. Mmmm . . . sushi. What the hell, today is payday.

Great thread. Thanks for taking the time to photograph everything.

my pleasure
is it considered fucking retarded to eat with your hands at a fancy sushi place?

rofl YES. Only thing afaik thats ok to eat with the hands is the handrolls.

if you can’t use chop sticks (learn how nooblet), most places will gladly give you a fork.

my chopstick game aint bad, but after the first bite, the sushi just explodes all over the place as if dr. hannibal just disemboweled it. which way should i bite into it?

If you really get to using them without any problems ask for chopstick trainers. You are basically using the same chopsticks but they give a plastic piece that is placed towards your hands that help separate and align the chopsticks so you can grab things much easier for beginners.

As for your sushi exploding the only way to solve that is to be a man and devoure the whole piece of course you are eating a hand roll then you are just a greedy fat ass if you do that in one bite.
looks good, but that sushi isnt cut correctly. not that it affects the taste
you should put the whole piece of sushi into your mouth, dont bite it. unfortunately ALOT of places now make them too big for some people to even try to do this.
Fuck, it’s not even 9am and now I’m craving sushi! Thanks!

You did forget the Sapporo though.

haha yeah

i went to this seafood buffet today. they had sashimi and it was damn good.

I never like eating any type of sushi at a buffet..maybe because I don’t know how long it has bueen sitting there

I waited until they put out fresh new plates, was delicious

I lived in San Jose for 7 years. Used to go to Todai (sp?) at I think the Eastridge mall. A tray of 40-50 pieces of salmon coming out is pretty awe inspiring. Some of the stuff though, you could see the very edge of the fish was dried out from sitting too long.
been so long sice i made some i think i might have to do this again next weekend. ill post more pics if i do

i feel honored to have brought out such a lurker
Is there going to be an edu for the ginger dressing used in salad?

Awesome edu…I’m gonna hitup the store tomorrow.

have fun
they sell sashimi grade tuna at Randalls and Krogers by my house here in houston, mmmmmmmmmm.

awesome edu! thanks.
Do you really need to buy sushi grade fish? Because I don’t live near a big city, and none of the grocery stores around here sell it.
I would have to see it, to really say yes or no. Generally no it won’t taste good raw. Ask the guy at the counter if he knows anything. Try to find an asian market?
first time I went to a sushi bar last night, had the boats floating by with the different plates. Was insane cheap and amazingly delicious
oh my god. THANK YOU! i will most definitely make this tomorrow.

tell me how it goes
I must make this sometime, lack of an asian market but I’ve been told Krogers sells sushi grade fish. Stupid small towns
krogers might, if they don’t just ask the guy at the counter where you could
aweosme thread man, i’ll move it to the edu archives here in a bit – thanks for the help

ur salmon looks really watery and your tuna looks frozen…

when u get good at rolling maki’s you can make these

lol sry i thought u were a sushi man but it looks like ur just a guy that self was self taught… not bad at all… Practice more on that nigiri(go buy some Cooked Shrimp sushi)… No prep needed in that and very good to practice on getting your form on w/ sushi. and your rice looks a bit swollen..

yeah i taught myself heh, my rice is cooked too much and i used too much sugar with it aswell

post pics
never used frozen fish before, I use sushi grade fish i get from the fish market. I am suprised you don’t get sick using old fish and eating it raw

So you’re professionally trained?

I need to try all this, except I won’t use frozen fish.

Its harder than you think

A California roll should be made, cut evenly, and plated in about 30-45 seconds if not less, thats a good way to gauge yourself. And of course, the rice shouldn’t fall apart yet the rice shouldn’t be so compact where its just one giant glob of rice.

Nigiri was one of the hardest things I had to learn, I truly hate it when people are like "its just fish on top of rice, how hard is that? "

haha yeah it is, ive found the cuting and plating isn’t so hard anymore, i can’t get the rice correctly done yet

looks good, but those rolls are huge, i would try splitting the nori into smaller sections so you get the normal sized rolls. easier to handle, cut and serve not to mention eat.
dude make me some fucking sushi with that hamachi you caught already. asshole.

im going to mexico again this summer, ill be bringing back some yellow fin tuna
it got the point, where we would not cut them up, and just eat them like borritos

hahaha, have a hard time cutting them? If you ended up doing this, you should try just making handrolls. Essentially it’s a roll, thats rolled up into a sort of cone, then you eat it just like that.

i didnt catch any quality fish this year – quite unlike last summer, but even if i had the answer would still be….. no
great edu!

not that it’s a big deal, but if you want to save some time & not drain the rice, i always make mine in my rice cooker with just a little bit less than a cup of water for each cup of rice.

personal preference, i guess.

i wash it, after you wash it you let it drain; no point in washing it, if you don’t let the water drain out or else washing the rice is pointless.

sometimes there some bs coated on the rice and this can effect it’s stickyness – besides washing the rice never hurts.
i love sushi but dude, learn to cut the fish properly
I came across this article today, and immediately thought of this thread…

The problem is that when it comes to eating fish raw, freshness is not the only thing you have to worry about. Parasites are another hazard. Depending on the fish, they might pose an extremely small risk (to read all about them, see my posts on parasites, and ). But if you want to eliminate that risk completely by killing the parasites, the only way to do it is to freeze the fish for at least 7 days. Cooking kills them too, of course, but that doesn’t help you much with sushi.
I’m thinking I should make this soon, I just need to get all the ingredients. I’m guessing my local Asian market should have all of this stuff.

I probably wouldn’t buy fish at the local asian market. Ours has some older stuff that I wouldn’t be comfortable eating without cooking.
Thanks to your rice recipe (we were really missing the drying/cooling part) we make awesome sushi now.

Pic:

From left top, counter clockwise:
Plate 1:
Tuna and Yellowfin Nigiri
Plate 2:
Tilapia Nigiri (was a tad tough)
Marilyn Monroe (stole from a local shop, this is spicy tuna roll with salmon and roe on it)
Plate 3:
Spicy Tuna Roll
Unagi
Philly roll on rice paper

Mostly seafood market for ours.
pretty good EDU. I use a TB of dashi in my sushi rice. And I use a box fan and fold the rice until it is cool
so you let your rice dry for 30 minutes then you put it in water and cook it

it has to do with cleaning the rice. removing the talc (sp?) that most botan rice is coated with nowadays. It affects its stickiness. it is counterintuitive, thats why most don’t do it, thus why most never get good quality stickiness

Related posts:

1. baking salmon question ......

I have a wheat that I am going to be bottling in the next couple of days. I was actually just thinking about what to buy next.
I have a vanilla porter in primary right now(boiled on thursday) and I have an amber that’s bottle conditioning.

I’m gonna get a kolsch going in about a week for a lawnmower beer, followed by a citrusweizen, and another go-round of american red.

Nice!
I have a honey porter that I finished and bottled 3 weeks ago, but now it looks like I didn’t wait long enough since the caps are starting to bulge I just hope they don’t start exploding so I put them in the fridge.

How long did you let it ferment?

I would definately start using a Hydrometer if you arent already.
I just finished another lawnmower batch (in keg) and transferred a pale to secondary. w00t.
Just got back from the homebrew store. Making a slightly modified American Red and a Wheat-blonde with a kolsch yeast that should be interesting at the very least.
I’ve still got about 20 gallons of mead aging in their carboy. I might have to bottle some so I can make some wine or more mead.
I just bottled a Wheat and am getting ready to start a Austrialian Pale Ale.

Wow that is a lot of mead.

I am going to start working on a blood orange hefe based on a recipe from Dog Fish Head. It sounds tasty.

Make sure whatever you are fermenting in stays nice and cold. Lagers need colder temps.

Well its not all straight mead. I just cannot remember all the different names it gets when you add things to it. I do them in 5 gallon batches. I have a great vanilla bean/cinnamon going, a blueberry, a strawberry, and then a dry and sweet straight up batch. I’ve also been aging them for a few years. As soon as I get some more carboys though I’ve got a few more pounds of honey to make some more.
What is involved in making a steam style of beer, i remember reading some where that it used loger yeast and let it firment at ale temps. if some one knows please let me know.

I think I have a book or two with some info but here is a recipe kit that is suppose to be a clone of Anchor’s Steam Beer.

Transferred my vanilla porter to secondary (finally) and put 2.5 bourbon soaked vanilla beans in after it. Should be tasty in about 2 weeks.

I’m doing the boil on my strange Wheat-blonde w/ kolsch yeast tonight.

Nice.

I am waiting on my latest Amber Ale to finish up. Should be a good one.
I’m trying to drink some of the beer that currently fills every inch of my 9cu-ft chest freezer so I can homebrew again. Gonna keg this time around. Thinking about making a lager too.

Yeah, ive been through HBT’s recipe database.
I’m working on an American Red recipe right now, but my next brew will likely be an APA. I’m pumped.
I just got a Scottish 60 Ale in the mail from Northern Brewer yesterday. I will be starting that this weekend after I bottle my Austrialian Pale Ale.
Brewing the hefe tomorrow. I couldn’t find any blood oranges local so im just using normal ones.
I just bottled my Australian Pale Ale last night, it smells good and I am looking forward to trying it.
Kolsch just finished brewing (literally) and im about to do a lawnmower again.

It’s hot as hell. I hate brewing when its hot.
I ordered a propane burner for outside a few days ago. $30 from amazon, so I’m waiting for that to come before I start my APA. My mom’s neighbor apparently has a full sized keg (15.5 gallons) that he wants to give me, so I’m going to have a free keggle once I cut the top off, so I can do full boils.

Oh, and I’m making a kegerator in the next 2 weeks. 2 Corny kegs, so I can stop storing so many bottles.

Oh, and I boiled my Wheat Blonde 2 weeks ago yesterday, and the krausen STILL hasn’t fallen yet. It’s intense. I’m thinking of leaving it in primary til I have time to do the boil on the apa.

Making the jump to kegging will be the greatest thing you’ve ever done.

Are you doing a 4912 kegerator or a keezer?

And stop whoring the free lifetime membership thread with your pictures.
I want that.
lol, I ran out of photos, I’ll take lots more this weekend for that thread.

I’m doing the 4912. It’s going to be a dual faucet. On wednesday I almost ordered it from fry’s online, but after discussing it with my bf, we decided to wait til friday(today) to order it, because we’ll be driving by on our way to and from a shooting competition. I looked at it yesterday morning and it had jumped $50 in price overnight! Turns out that Sanyo discontinued the 4912, so it can’t be gotten at bestbuy. Luckily Costco offers free shipping and a slightly higher price.

I’m getting a dual tap tower + CO2 +a perlick faucets + all the other stuff from kegconnection, and Brewtopia’s selling me a few of the kegs he picked up for his brewery, so once he gets those over from the peninsula, I should be ready to roll! I just have to get the stuff from kegconnection ordered.

I have a propane burner showing up on tuesday (for full boils) and the Sanyo showing up wednesday. I’m sure my apartment manager lady is going to think we’re crazy. This week we had 500 10mm bullets shipped to us also.

I’m SO pumped to start kegging. After my "wtf is this" bottling mishap I’m certainly ready to be done with all that hoopla and storing it.

Its so much easier. The only bitch is not having bottles around when you need them. ie a homebrew competition or if you want to give a friend a few beers. The beer gun is good, but still.

I did the 4912 and it was easy as hell. I got mine from Best Buy the week before they were discontinued.
Yeah, I think I might get some carb drops (whichever ones don’t have malt extract in them) and keep them on hand in case I ever have more than a flat 5 gallons of beer to go in the kegs. That’ll make bottling a few easy, and then there’s the simple counterpressure filler. After spending over an hour bottling a batch of porter that I’ve been putting off til last night, I’m MORE than ready to start kegging. It’s like racking to the bottling bucket, then sealing it and being done.
Where could I find a list of things I would need to get started on something like this?

Homebrewing or Kegging?

I ended up overpaying for my kit, but it had literally everything I needed and I haven’t bought more supplies(except ingredients) until recently (5+ batches) when I decided to move up to kegging and full boils. If you like to "watch" things and stay informed on the progress of your stuff, you’d be better off getting a carboy as a primary fermentation vessel, because you can watch the convection currents, the trub building, and the krausen doing it’s thing, instead of just watching a bucket bubbling. There are 2 choices to go with as far as "carboy" style fermentation/clearing vessels. Many people use "better bottles" which are food-grade plastic jugs, similar to water cooler bottles. These are lighter and don’t break if you drop them. They also can develop scratches inside if you use a carboy brush to scrub off dried on protein and dead yeast, which makes keeping them effectively sanitized very difficult, they also show "wear" by scratching and whatnot on the outside. They’re also fairly oxygen permeable, so aren’t suitable for long-term bulk aging such as a mead or barleywine would need.

Glass carboys are heavier, cost more to ship, are breakable (ever spill 5 gallons of water all over the floor? Imagine 5 gallons of very sticky water!), but they also "last" better, you can scrub them all you want and not worry about scratching them, IMO, they look better, and if you’re careful with them at all, they’re really very easy to handle.

Here’s what mine came with, and I use all of the stuff, so look into getting everything
Detailed Description
The Deluxe Homebrewing Starter Kit Includes:

6 Gallon Glass Carboy Fermenter complete with Stopper, Airlock, Carrying Handle, and Stick-on Thermometer.
5 Gallon Glass Carboy Fermenter complete with Stopper, Airlock, Carrying Handle, and Stick-on Thermometer.
Siphoning System featuring the "Auto-Siphon"
Funnel
Bottling System with Bottle Filling Wand
2 Cases of 22oz Beer Bottles
Bottle Capper and Bottle Caps
20 Quart Stainless Steel Brewing Pot
Boil Proof Brewing Spoon
Floating Glass Thermometer
Hydrometer and Testing Jar
Carboy and Bottle Cleaning Brushes
Cleaning Kit containing PBW Cleaner and Star San Sanitizer
"How To Brew" Text
Your Choice of any Coopers Pre-Hopped Beer Kits to get started!
where did you get that kit?

Also, how would you rate your homebrews compared to standard bottled beer, and/or microbrew bars?

Do you think your beer tastes better than most nationally distributed beers, or is this mostly for the fun and pride of brewing your own?

I’ve never had any homebrew stuff so I am curious as to how it compares.

I really love beer, and I am constantly trying to find new stuff to try out and learn about. I’ve been thinking of doing this for some time now, but didn’t really know where to start.
I picked it up locally, but the shop I got it from has a site. Like I said, I overpaid, and the price listed on their site is more than I ended up paying in store.

My homebrew is at least as good as commercial craft beers. The main reason that I do it is for the fun and pride, but I also like to cook, and this sort of goes along with that. There’s a ton of interesting science involved in it that I totally dig also. I had a batch not turn out very good, but it isn’t the end of the world, it has a strong coriander flavor, so I use it for cooking. Besides, I’m only out about $25 in ingredients, and I learned a lesson – Don’t leave coriander in the fermenter. One advantage of homebrew is the huge amount of recipes out there, and so many different styles. "I wonder what a vanilla porter would taste like…" well, make it! I did. I’ve found that for the cost of a 6-pack at specialty beer stores, you can make 2 cases of whatever style beer you like. I just got a 1 gallon glass jug (super cheap wine) to try an "apfelwein" recipe which is essentially apple juice, corn sugar, and dry white wine yeast. I don’t know of anywhere to get this locally, so this is my only chance to try it.

When it comes down to it, you can pick up a hobby which is relaxing, requires some level of drinking to perfect, and has you drinking craft quality beer regularly, instead of breaking yourself buying bottle after bottle of specialty beer and having no understanding of the components and processes, and nothing tangible to show for it.
Did you hear about carboys? The company that makes them in Mexico went out of business. No more 6.5 gallon glass carboys for a while, if ever.

I might see if I can have a welder I know make me a large steel fermenter. I am guessing the issue with it will be keeping it air tight so I need to do some research.

Why not just get a pony or corny keg to ferment in? Or you could use the ever popular Ale Pail. I have a 6.5 gallon glass carboy, and I’m sure many can be found on craigslist if you keep your eyes open for them.

I hadnt heard that. So, there is only one place that makes those carboys? Sounds like a business opportunity!

Thanks for the heads up, I had been thinking about picking up another 1 or 2.

They’re still making carboys in Italy, but now they have to retool for the 6.5′s

They said that 5 gallons are going up to 50-60 each and 6.5′s are expected to get up to 100.00 until shipments start rolling back in again.

This is the time to either go with a conical or switch to Better Bottles.

Since I brew so much, having (and paying for) 10 conicals just doesn’t make sense.
I’ll wind up buying one and going to better bottles.

I just checked and the two places I would normally buy from have them on back order. That sucks. I guess I will be looking into Better Bottles.

Austin Homebrew, Northern Brewer and Midwest all have them still, at close to the same price.

I didnt check them because I imagine shipping would raise the cost but it may be worth it giving the current situation.

All 3 places have good prices on shipping.
Hefe turned out great. Wonderful nose of banana, clover, and some orange sweetness (from the orange zest).

Taste was strong banana, clove, some wheat, and a light hint of orange.

I just cracked my first beer of an Australian Pale Ale I did and it turned out to by my best beer yet. It is excellent. I may have to do another batch of it.

Nice!

I am going to do this one again for sure. Cheap, easy, but wonderful tasting.
I just got them in the last few days. 3 of them will be full in the next week. Then I’m going to work on stockpiling beers that need some time to age like ambers and maybe a Christmas beer.

Beats the hell outa bottling!

I need to get my kegging equipment. I have 7 kegs and a small fridge now.

Congrats!

What are you paying for them out by you?
I paid $25 for the two double handled ones locally from a guy I know who’s setting up a brewpub, and I got 4 single handled ones from the Chico Company in CA for $96 shipped. All got new seals and a nice long oxyclean soak.

25.00 is actually a pretty decent price.
I catch them on sale from Adventures in Homebrewing for 20.00 once or twice a year.

Watch the oxy soaking..
I soaked one of mine to clean it when I bought it and forgot about it. 3 days later it had pitted it a little bit on the inside. I’ve read others having the same problem on HBT.
Yeah. The oxyclean is basically just hydrogen peroxide. I only leave glass to soak for more than a few hours.

I’m making a blonde on the cheap today. It’s getting apricots later this week, but I may leave some out without them, and I want it to taste super clean, so I’m filtering all the water through my brita, and decided not to use bottled water to top off, so I’m filtering a bunch, then I’m going to boil it, cool it, put it in bottles, then chill it. I forsee this being a LONG process. lol

It is, i’ve done the preboil before.

What I am trying now is using camden tablets. I use a very small amount to purify the water and it seems to work great. They are usually used in wine making but at low doses are great for purifying water.
Oh really? Like how many tablets per 3-4 gallons of water? I just got some to kill all the bugs in the apricots I’m putting in secondary with this blonde.

I’m using Oxyclean.

1 tablet is good for 30 gallons.

but using 1 tablet for 5 gallons is suppose to be okay.

I used half a tablet for 5 gallons and it came out just fine.

Related posts:

1. Wine Recomendations ......

Thanks for starting the thread…I’ll sticky it for a while.
Here’s one of my faves for a $20-ish red for a nicer occasion.

Bonny Doon “Cardinal Zin”- big, spicy, yummy. Very good with beef or lamb.

Another under $20

Chateau Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
About $16 per bottle in VA. Great Cab year after year. Early 90′s are great. Great balance with mellow tannins and nice friut. Will age for 10-15 years but is great when young.

I just had the Chard this weekend:

Chateau Souverain Chardonnay Barrel Fermented Sonoma County

Great value. Priced around $12 a bottle in VA
Definitely leans to the dry-er side of chardonnays, nice subtle acidity with mellow oak
Sweet I’m way too much of a noob to recommending wines.

Wine Noob’s are welcome post what you like. Any info is good for wine drinkers of all levels. The important thing is that trying different wines and finding out what you like is the most fun part of wine drinking. The more you drink, the more you learn.
Sweeeeet

I’ll step in with many a recommendation
No, that’s the problem. I’m too poor to have tasted many wines.
I’m going to have a field day with this thread tomorrow….at work.

no problem. the great thing about wine is that there is something to fit anybody’s budget.

Are you in the wine business or somehing? If so, group buy?
Valley of the moon Sangiovese
About $12 a bottle in VA
Mellow, good flavor. A lighter red from an area not known for Sangiovese grapes – Sonoma County

I’ll post some recommendations when I get home tonight. My wife may start frequenting this forum too, she knows a hell of a lot more than I do. I’ve been trying to get her off the shite MSN wine forum she’s on now but there wasn’t a real alternative for her

this is a great wine!

pretty much any 97 california cab ownz.

i’m also a fan of turning leaf cab, i’ve tried the 97 through 00 and they’ve all been decent *edit* and beringer founder’s estate cab is very good as well */edit*

i’m a varietal man meself, cab sauvignon specifically the woman is more of a white wine fan
I’m just starting to get into wine, so I really don’t have much of a foundation of knowledge on the matter. I’d like to pick up a book or two that would give me a good introduction to wine…any suggestions?
the first book i got was parker’s wine buyer’s guide 6th edition by robert parker jr. the beginning of the book has concise info on basic wine service, storage, purchasing, stemware, as well as the business side of things. the rest of the 1600 page book consists of ratings and tasting notes for many wines in most major wine producing areas.

i took that book with me when i lived in spain for awhile to help guide my purchases there and in paris.

eta:

a hardcover edition is available and i have it.

Pick up a copy of The Wine Avenger, by Willie Gluckstern. I personally haven’t read it yet, but my wife has and she said it was great. (still working on getting her in this forum I think she’ll have to register again)

Robert Parker is usually referred to as ‘The God’ of wine reviewers. His books are very good.
Here’s another one:

Simi Winery ChardonnayVA retail price about $10
Good easy drinking chard. Not over oaked like alot of California chard’s.

Winmaker description:

Composed of top quality fruit from Sonoma’s Russian River and Carneros growing regions, Simi Chardonnay is characterized by its excellent balance, luscious fruit flavors and long, elegant finish. The 2003 vintage produced fully ripe and flavorful fruit with superb concentration and balance thanks to an extended growing season. Aged in French oak, silky smooth in texture and accented by topical fruit, pear, spice and toasty oak, this wine is a true reflection of the Sonoma County appellation.

THE WINE
Appearance: Brilliantly clear, light and golden straw colored.
Aroma: Vibrant tropical fruit with pear, white peach, and vanilla lightly spiced with clove, cinnamon and toasty oak.
Taste and Texture: Lush, creamy texture enhanced by citrus notes and flavors of pear, apricot and tropical fruit. Hints of vanilla and oak that carry through to a long, lingering finish.
Appellation: Sonoma County

WINEMAKING DETAILS
Varietal composition: 100% Chardonnay
Time in Oak: 6 months
Type of Oak: 100% French Oak; 18% new
Total Acidity: 6.6 g/l
pH: 3.59
Alcohol: 13.5%

Our Chardonnay complements scallops with tomato and fennel ragout, warm calamari salad, shrimp ravioli and mustard vinaigrette. Or try it with these featured recipes:
That stuff was $18 at my local store tonight or I would’ve bought a bottle

What I bought tonight:

Bummer. I guess we are spoiled for wine prices here in VA. Is there high taxes on liquor in TX?
I had this last Weekend:

2001 Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel
Approx $13/bottle in VA

This is a BIG wine. Lots of fruit, lots of complexity. Ravenswood’s tagline is “No Wimpy Wines” This is definitely not a winp. Its big, smells great, looks great and is a great value. Beware, this is a BIG wine.
This wine stands up to spicy meals…mainly because it has ballz.
We drank it with a pizza with spicy italian sausage and green peppers.
Wine Maker’s Description:
FLAVOR PROFILE: Bright, flashy, ripe raspberry, blackberry and vanilla flavors are wrapped around a soft sweet fruit core highlighted by scents of cinnamonComposition: 95% Zinfandel, 4% Carignane, 1% mixed blacksAppellation: Sonoma CountyAging: 24 months in French oak, 35% newAlcohol: 14.5%Ageability: Up to 10 years
Next pay check… I’m buying something from this thread.
No, it’s the same as typical sales tax. I’m not sure why vine is more expensive. Hard liquor is cheaper, as is beer.

Finca Flichman Malbec Mendoza 2004 (Argentina) ~$7
We picked up a bottle of this over the weekend at Total Wine and it was excellent. I’m not as good at describing wines as my wife is, so here’s a cut and paste from the net, it matches up with what i remember:

“The Malbec is my favourite with big chunks of chocolate-laden fruit and a touch of spice. There are not many wines which offer quite as much flavour for money as this range does” Christine Austin, Yorkshire Post

Here’s the label:

The one I posted? Shit. I dunno. I guess it would be in the foreign section, we did a tasting at Total Wine and this was one of the featured wines, so they had it right there at the tasting table.
I’m a huge fan of Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio. Its around $20 per bottle, but its so good.
If you’re looking for something different, I stumbled on a Canadian Rose from the Niagara region(Ontario)@12$, it’s tart and pairs well with chicken or fish, especially if garlic is on the menu.

i’m the noob of noobs to wine…what do you mean by “big wine”?

i’m buying something tomorrow…i need something good to go with a steak…
He probably means that it has a very strong flavor, and a lot of noticeable tastes in said flavor.

Try some Penfold’s Koonunga Hill (any red) if you can find it locally. Fantastic with meat, I’ve found.

Exactly what Minty said. It has big bold complex fruit flavors (lots of dark cherry flavor, some current), big meaty tannins. Its also about 14.5% alcohol which is on the high side for wines.
The nice thing is that since the fruit and tannins are strong, it doesn’t just taste like alcohol.
Its great with spicy food and perfect with steak.
I had this tonight:

Smoking Loon Merlot 2003

Not as dry as most merlots I’ve had, but still has a very good flavor. Fruity, but not overbearing.

That’s good stuff, we’ve had it a few times.
For parties and a cheap wine I usually go with

Rex Goliath or Rex and Goliath Pinot Noir
or

Little Penquin Shiraz.

Not something i drink all the time or for my own taste but cheap to pickup for parties
For a decent chard imho I always have liked Kendal Jackson. It is a little on the wet side for my tastes however anyone I have ever given it to complements it for its fruity flavor with a tad bit of ‘woody’ flavor (for lack of a better term.)
just figured I’d throw one out there…

Merryvale’s “Starmont” Cabernet
76% Cab Sauv, 20% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc
14.5% by vol

its a bit on the more spendy side for some (depending on location, it varies from about 15-27), but IMO, well worth it
These are all $10 and under

NZ Riesling
Pepperwood Grove Zin 2001
Any Riojas <–they’re all Spanish
Smoking Loon Syrah
Black Opal Shiraz
Coppola Rosso – anything
Marques de Caceras – anything <-my favorite brand. I’m drinking a 03 Rioja as I type this

you can hardly ever go wrong with a spanish wine as they are all so well made
I love Amarone, especially Tomassi bottlings

I first tasted it at a wine dinner hosted by a local Tuscan restaurant (now defunct). It was paired with farm-raised venison served with a heavy fig-based sauce. Good grief, it was fucking incredible.

It is really the only wine I drink, because I love it so, especially with a straight-up ribeye

I’ll have to check out the publications mentioned, try some other wines.

Okanagan Falls, B.C., Canada

“Spicy aromas of lichee fruit, orange blossom and violets, followed by rich, full flavours of passion fruit, lichees and ripe melons. This wine is a wonderful complement to curries and other Asian cuisine, especially where ginger, anise, hot peppers and soya sauce is used. $13.99 (CDN)”

I’m going to look for this one tonight. My wife is a fiend for Thai food and it’s been a few days. Is it really sweet, like a Reisling?

Depends on the winery, but yes, it can get very sweet and fruity. The Columbia winery version is like drinking lychee juice.

We sell this at the restaurant as a glass pour. Not a big mover. But nice.

We always joke that as a rule of thumb with wines like that, the longer the name, the sweeter it is.

We also sell this. It’s definitely one of our favorites as far as inexpensive wine goes.
Had this last week

$86 a bottle

It’s incredibly rich, very long finish… almost viscous on the tongue.

A customer ordered 4 bottles for his table. They always left a taste in the each bottle.

Haven’t been able to find any yet . I have yet to try any of the really well-stocked wine shops yet though.

I did grab a bottle of this tonight — never had it, but I’ve heard good things about it. Cheaper than the Amarone, for sure

Now I have to get something to eat with it

2004 Sauvignon Blanc – Napa Valley – $20
That is good stuff. It’s one of my regular purchases.

That along with Penfold’s Bin 128 Coonawara Shiraz.

I also liked Chateau St. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon ( 2002? )

My favorite under $15 wines :

Yellowtail Shiraz – It’s an Australian wine. It’s not too strong and it is smooth to the taste. Around $12 – $14 for the big bottles.. highly recomended if you like Shiraz.

Beringer White Zin – Not very costly, very tasty if you like White Zin. Around $11 for a big bottle…. They also have a Beringer White Merlot that I recently tried and liked, around the same price.

I like the big bottles!
Charles Shaw, aka 2 Buck Chuck. Sold by the case at Trader Joes for about $30. VERY good, it was actually winning wine tasting comparisons a few years back.

Dr. Frank Dry Riesling (2004) Limited
This dry Riesling, presenting a green gold hue, displays the traditional qualities of Dr. Frank???s Riesling : crisp acidity, a pronounced mineral character and layers of fruit aromas. Descriptors include honeysuckle, apple, pear, quince and a slight hint of petrol. The ripeness of the grapes resulted in a great texture with a lingering fruity aftertaste.

Awards:
2005 DOUBLE GOLD: San Francisco International Wine Competition; GOLD: Tasters Guild Wine Competition, Riverside International Wine Competition; CHAIRMAN’S BEST OF CLASS: Long Beach Grand Cru

Had some over the weekend to celebrate my 1 year anniversary.
Spy Valley make a really good Gewurtztraminer in addition to the Reisling. It will be in the New Zealand/New World wine section
Gewurtztraminers are not typically very sweet. They tend to be on the crisp side. Little acidic, some mineral notes. In a blind tasting you can pick out a Gewurtz because they smell like petrol on the nose. They are a good complement to Thai food. An Alsation Reisling would also go great. They are off-dry and would cut the spice of Thai cuisine.
This is my personal “under $20″ favorite. A nice red:

Bolla Valpolicella

Dry, full and well-balanced, Valpolicella has a spicy flavor of cherries, berries and other dark fruits. This ruby red wine is particularly good with meat dishes such as roast beef, beef stew and lamb. Serve also with steak fajitas, veal and highly seasoned cheeses.

I dont think this will help much, but I got back from my trip to Italy and they said this year, 2005, has been their best harvest year for a couple of years. So when 2005 hit the market, roughly Jan-Mar, it would be wise to stock up.

Italy also has a strange thought about which years are best, they believe every year after leap year is a good year. Which has been true. 1997 great, 2001 good, and 2005 should be great as well.

just a heads up post I guess this is.

I love Valpolicella.

2 of my recent favorites are Virginia wines.

2002 Horton Norton
Norton is a native Virginia grape that produced the internationally prize winning clarets of the Monticello Wine Company of Charlottesville in the late 1800′s.
Our Norton has a dark, rich color and an intensely fruity aroma of plums and tart cherries. Ageing in oak for 14 months has given this wine a long, flavorful, spicy finish. A wine for game, grilled sausages, and spicy ethnic foods.

2002 Keswick Trevillion
This unique blend of Touriga, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Norton was aged in French and American oak barrels for sixteen months. This well-balanced wine has soft, velvety red fruit and sufficient tannins and structure to age further.

Both are under $20, and delicious.

The other I had recently was

Castello di Gabbiano Chianti, DOCG

new to the whole wine thing. what is a good fruity wine to drink? not really looking to drink with much food or anything. just something to relax with and have a glass or two. i had merlot not too long ago. it wans’t too bad. but i was looking for something fruitier and sweeter.

This wine usually never lets me down. This and something by them called Ruby Cabernet which is more fruity.

I’m addicted to wine….and cheesecake. Mmmm…

Chianti reseva, I’ve been drinking a lot of this lately….

Reisling eiswein, its great if you can afford it!
delicious
I almost peed myself seeing that 1970 TF Port, Chef.

I LOVE Sourgal 2003 Moscato DiAsti, Elio Perrone Wines
Yep, I like them floofy.
Muscats are among my FAVS.
…and hey, that TF port is as old as I AM!!! Born the same year! LOL
Although I prefer a 40 year old, a 35 year old port would also be so freakinin awesome!

Since you mentioned Merlot I’m guessing you’re interested in sweeter Reds.

Anything made with Concord grapes are going to be about the sweetest wine (short of dumping suger in the mix) you can find.

Try and find something like a young Chambourcin that hasn’t been oak aged. Maybe a wine made from DeChaunac grapes.

Check your local area and see if there is a winery/vineyard around. Usually you can do a tasting there. Tell the server what you like (semi-sweet etc) and they’ll hook you up.

MUSCATS, like the one (with bubbles, but you can get them without) I recommended earlier are sweet and easy to drink. They fall under the “nectar” category of wines. So look for Muscat, Moscato, Muscato, ( that’s the type of grape)in the name. Most of them are really good, though I have had one or two that I did not like. I don’t like Kokopelli Muscat. I do like their white Zin, and you might want to try white zinfandels too, if you like sweeter wines.
Sandeman Founder’s Reserve Port
It’s not vintage, but it’s alright.
Pairs well with dark chocolate.
if you like viogniers, try yalumbo.

it’s cheap (<$20) and quite delicious.
I’ve been drinking Tomassi’s pinot grigio alot lately. It’s only thirteen bucks a bottle and is dryer than most pinot grigios at the price point. Very good, cheap dinner wine. I’ve noticed it has just recently moved into a 2004 vintage, so the quality may change.

Yeah, I have been thinking about trying out more Austallian wines. New World wines (like Aussie) are made from grapes that are allowed to ripen more than Old World wines.(european)
New World wines are made to have much more flavor to them, to stand on their own, but Old World wines don’t do that because they believe wines should always be paired with food, and should not overpower the food.
This is what I have learned recently, anyway.

It’s true–food is king in Europe. This is also a natural result of the difference in growing seasons. Europe has shorter growing seasons than the New World, and so their grapes tend to yield much dryer and less sweet wines (with exceptions, of course).

Yeah, that’s what I heard too. The growing seasons are shorter, so they kind of CAN’T produce a more “new world style” of wine, in general.
I think I only saw one or two Pinot Noir recommendations….Anyone have more? I haven’t liked the couple that I have tried. One I only bought for the name, which is “Vampire” and it’s from Transylvania, so I thought the novelty of it was cool. It’s a decartion in my kitchen because the wine, to me, is craptacular.
I am still not willing to totally give up on Pinot Noirs yet. I think I just haven’t found a good one. I got an Aussie one today, but the name is escaping me….
If anyone wants to tell me some good Pinot Noir pairings, feel free.

Yeah, the Aussie Pinot Noir was way better. (had it with Havarti)
New World wines FTW.

I don’t know if it was mentioned in this thread, but New Zealand makes some great pinot noir. Check that out as well.

Lovely. Thank you.
I am looking into getting wine, but port and sherry sound like my sort of game. I am looking for something fun to drink and relax too as summer is coming up, I figure it’d be nice to try something new.

What would be great value, budget/entry wines that would be great to drink on their own? I am used to drinking mixed drinks and bottled beers, so I could use some enlightenment.
Port and sherry aren’t really summer drinks. They have a higher alcohol percentage than non-fortified wines.

For the summer try a sauvignon blanc or Alsatian Riesling. Alsatians are drier than German Rieslings and are great aperitifs.

For Sauv Blancs, try Forefathers, St. Supery, Kenwood, or Pepi.

Pierre Sparr makes a great Alsatian Riesling for $10.

Try some Oregon or Washington St. Pinots. Archery Summit is fantastic out of Oregon. MacMurray is a good, affordable pinot out of Sonoma.
Some of the best Cabernets in Australia come out of Coonawarra. For Shiraz, look for McClaren Vale.

I will keep that in mind. Thanks!
I really like Cavit Pinot Grigio. It’s under $20 and has a great taste.
I just got back from a summer in italy and visited Chianti. I brought home a bottle of Castello Di Verazzanno Chianti Classico 2001 Reserve.

I’m a wine noob so i couldn’t tell you anything specific about it except that it was absolutely delicious. i guess it would go well with meat. At the vineyard we tasted it with prosciutto and salami.

Only downside is the price, i paid 47 euro for a 1.5L. I dont know what the price is here in the states.
Went to a Italian Restaurant recently and had a bottle of Rutherford Ranch Cabernet and it was really good. I’m not good with the wine lingo but I like cabernet for its dryness (I call it) or the amount of tannins. It cost $30 for the bottle at the restaurant but you can find them at stores for as low as $12. Contradictory to what I liked this is not as dry but had a nice flavor, thought I would share.

I have been told by a sommelier from Japan, that anything chilean is usually great cause the temp is usually great every year.
it’s very inexpensive and great day to day drinking wine.

I myself love the merlots from chile.

For something much more tanic and robust i usually love Italian Amerone
I just had Folie a Deux winery’s Menage a Trois Red. It’s a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.

I found it very smooth, slightly tannic (I’m not a big tannin fan), and lightly oaked – just a hint of it.

Since it’s a young wine, we aerated it before drinking.

Figured I’d toss in my limited experience here….forgive my lack of terms for tastes, I’m new at describing wines!

Got a few bottles of Twin Fin 2004 Chardonnay on sale one weekend. Cracked open a bottle and had it over two day’s dinners. Great stuff!
Sweet, fragrant, smells of tropical fruit…..pineapple, melons…..didn’t taste really any oaking. Went excellent with my shrimp alfredo pasta.

Also got some Rosemount 2002 Cabernet/Shiraz. Another good, fairly sweet wine. Fairly full-bodied, strong flavor, went well w/ a spicey dinner. Possible chocolate/plum taste?

A while back I tried a bottle of Turning Leaf’s Pinot Noir. I’ll admit I didn’t know much about Noir’s at the time and was expecting something different. It had a very nice, soft taste, light texture. Nice taste, hard to describe it, but it would be a nice wine to enjoy it’s subtleties on its own. I had to pay attention to my sips to catch its flavors.

I’ve also tried many of Yellow Tail’s wines; particularly their shiraz, cabsav, and cab/shiraz mix. All were very nice, sweet, easy drinking wines. Big taste, fairly thick body. To me, though, these taste like they have a sweetener added or something…they have a distinct different sweetness to them that sticks out in the aftertaste. While I really enjoy their reds, I wouldn’t be proud to bring the name up to any wine aficionados.

I did not like Alice White’s Shiraz at all! Not recommended at all!
Is it true that Merlot is regarded as a “cheap” Cabernet? I know they are different grapes, but I was told you shouldn’t pay alot for Merlot; if your going to spend some money, get a Cabernet instead.

This is completely false. Two of the most expensive wines in the world, Chateau Petrus and Chateau Le Pin, are almost 100% merlot.

There are excellent merlots out there that are far better than a lot of cabs. Duckhorn, Matanzas Creek, Cuvaison, and Swanson are fantastic and are all above $25.

About Chiantis, make sure the Chianti you buy is from the Chianti Classico region. The appellation of Chianti is too large for consistency. The Classico region is how the appellation was originally delineated.
What’s OT think of Seven Deadly Zins?

I’ve been on a zifandel kick lately, and have had a few that I think are really good.

The seven deadly zins might just be my favorite, but I also liked the Rancho Zabaco, and the Ravenswood. I also liked the Francis Coppola Zifandel…

If you’re into zinfandel, try Rombauer. It’s unreal. Ridge is another label that gets a lot of attention, though I personally think they’re overrated for the price. Liar’s Dice is another zin that I could drink any day.
I’ve been buying alot of Prosecco lately. It’s a light sparkling wine that is affordable and delicious. With fruit juice (peach, I think), it can be mixed into a traditional Italian beverage.

Prosecco is good for one thing, bellinis.

mmmm…it was pretty good with a white tomato soup.
I love this thread! I hope y’all don’t mind a newcomer joining in?

While I’m in no way any kind of expert, I have been “experimenting” with wines for a few years now. It started with cooking for a cancer patient. Need to drastically lower salt, tenderize meat and increase flavor without adding other spiciness? Wine! Real wine, too, not that supermarket cooking wine stuff.

A very dear friend was born and raised in a small, rural farming area of northern Italy. I complained to her about trying to like reds but just couldn’t do it. She told me she was sure my problem was that I was an American Sipper. Drink Reds with meals! They make love with the right foods and your palette gets all the benefits. Drinking (sipping) them alone, like we so often do with whites, is like sleeping alone in a double bed. Consider the whites as foreplay, or the cigarette afterwards. The Reds are the heart of the relationship. I took her advice and my taste buds have been purring ever since.

About a year ago, somebody here asked about pinot noirs — my current favorite, extremely affordable, belongs to Rosemont Estate. In fact, I very much like many of their contributions. I really like the blends as they are so very drinkable and all of them, including their reds, can at least take a slight chill.

Right now I’m working on a bottle of Two Oceans Shiraz. It’s a South African (2006) and not bad. Next up will be a Shiraz/Pinotage blend from the Sebeka Wineries (2006), also of South Africa.

Now that summer is approaching, I’m turning more to the younger wines — they are more fruity with less smoke -n- oak and can always take a chill. They are just about always less expensive.

Has anyone here had much experience with the old vine Zins? Are they worth the hunt and expense?

Also, for those just learning about wine, please try the whimsical label from CA — Pink Truck and Red Truck. Chill them well and enjoy. I doubt you’ll pay more than $12. They are both delightful!

Thank you for so many great recommendations and thanks for letting me post!
Arrogant Frog Ribbet Red (France)- Just under 15, great with food or just on it’s own.
3$ a bottle and the only good thing to come fromw wal-mart….

Tres Rios (red) -You’d be suprised what 3 bucks can get you. My dad grew up in spain and he copares it to when he would go to the vinyards and pay a quarter to fill up a bottle – always a random mix of wines

But specifically my two favorite reds are the:

Black Opal (just had 2003) cabernet from southeastern australia

Jacobs Creek Shiraz (only had 2003-4)
I came here to recommend two excellent ports: Graham’s 10 Year Tawny Port ($30) and Dow’s 10 Year Tawny Port ($30). I won’t go on at length about their character… you will just have to trust my recommendation. Both are magnificently complex and smooth.
Has anyone drank Paraduxx? A wine geek convinced me to buy a bottle, but I haven’t opened it yet. What should I expect?

Made by Duckhorn so it should be good. It’s a big wine from what I’ve heard, Cab/Zin blend mostly.
Tried Chateau Roquefort Bordeaux, it was 13 dollars. Great taste, definately will be great once it has aged, like most bordeaux’s.

I’ve had several bottles and that’s exactly what it is.
My favorites are Pouilly Fuisse (dry, medium-full bodied, white and Relax (a riesling approx $10) I haven’t met anyone who didn’t like Relax. It’s light and fruity but not in an artifical “arbor mist” kind of way.
i am SO SICK of redbull and monster energy drinks – does anyone have any better ideas, i just need to stay awake for homework and well, to stay awake haha
comprehensive wine guide?

I saw one at the local liquor store, complied by the owner/staff/whoever. It paired generally every type of wine with suggested food. Anyone have anything like this?
#1.) book- wine bible by Karen MacNeil, great easy read, or the culinary institute of america’s textbook also excellent resource.

#2.) wines- less than 25, basically any rhone style wine from australia. Syrah grenache blends, rutherglen red is a great one, as well as pillar box red, and innocent bystander.
For higher end. Cab/blend-trefethen halo (01 preferably)
shafer hillside select
bryant family
seavey
joseph phelps insignia
rubicon
bordeaux-cht. grand puy lacoste
cht. pavie
merlot-twomey
northstar
shafer
Other reds-shafer relentless
stags leap petite sirah
earthquate petit sirah and zinfandel.
I really like their Syrah and Cab Sauvignon!

If you live in Virginia, you should check out Williamsburg Winery’s Governor’s White. It’s sweet, but REALLY easy to drink. It’s perfect to have around for parties when you are unsure if people like wine or not. Lovely, and cheap too!
You should also visit their winery, it’s beautiful– and just a hop away from Colonial Williamsburg!

hrm?
I just knocked off a bottle of Copolla pinot grigio, 8 bucks from Whole Foods, it was delicious.

I am not an expert, but not a supern00b either. Here are some of my favorites (I’m not that well rounded yet)

Pinot Noirs:
Estancia
Montes
Au Bon Climat (I like the $22 bottle–the $60 bottle (isabelle) is not much better in my opinion)
Talley (yum–about $37 though)
domaine drouhin –very tastey — about $50 though, once I saw it at sam’s for $35 which was an exciting day (should have bought a few bottles cause it was sold out the next day)

Syrah
6th Sense
Mettler

One of my favorites has got to be the robert hall rhone de robles….its a rhone blend from california and should be around $22 in the store. great overall wine and if you don’t like it, you may not be a red wine drinker

A really cheap one I found at whole foods is morro bay cab…its under $10 but very drinkable…it looks to be a bit more expensive online so maybe whole foods gets a good deal on it. either way, its great and i’ve drank nearly a whole bottle and didn’t feel awful the next day

About 9 months ago I knew absolutely nothing about wine and I have learned a lot (yet still barely scratched the surface) by going to wine bars and talking to wine shop owners/employees. They really seem to be willing to help and give you their opinions
o i forgot a merlot i like: markham merlot. I haven’t tried too many merlots and I know they are considered to be crap, but i really enjoyed that one

Merlots are not crap. Most expensive wines in the world are Merlot (Chateau Le Pin and Petrus)

Excellent merlots:
Swanson (personal favorite)
Duckhorn
Matanzas Creek
Cuvaison
I’ve found everything from Wilson out in Sonoma to be good stuff. They’re still pretty small so you won’t see a wide distribution but great stuff.
my two favorites at the moments:

Silver Oak Cab 2003 Alexander Valley ~$60

Black Stallion Muscat Napa Valley ~$30 for a half bottle. Has very strong pineapple flavors to it. A wonderful dessert wine. I made a dessert using a reduction of this with some blackberries and asian pears, topped with a coconut whip cream that was ungodly good.
suprised i havn’t seen the name Fetzer in this thread yet.

definitely my favorite Budget cab (~$8-$10), and i’m sure many of you would not be able to tell the difference between this and a $30 cab.

available at most supermarkets/everywhere
Fetzer is never a good recommendation unless you’re homeless.

I must have bought a bad bottle, casue that shit made me want to puke. I literally poured the bottle down the sink after the first glass.
Wine intimidates me

I buy this Georgian wine often, it tastes pretty good to me

Any suggestions for good not so expensive wine that comes in a fairly small bottle? The g/f doesn’t drink at all so it’s just me I can’t kill a bottle in 3 days.
If you go to a larger wine specialty store they should have a selection of 375ml bottles.
Check out Pomelo.

It’s a light, crisp Sauvignon Blanc that sells for about $10.

It’s not syrupy and it tastes like a ton of grapefruits without tasting like a cheap fruit-flavored wine.

I recommend buy 2 bottles at once just because it could become a guzzler.

Is anyone still in here?
I need a recommendation on a good Pinot Noir. Ill be bringing it to a dinner at a friends house and want something sub $20. Im normally a cab kinda guy so im stuck.
1999 Wynns Coonawarra John Riddoch Cab Sav

Wow. Very big wine. Gutsy as. Had it with a chunky venison pie which is really the only suitable match (apart from maybe steak), Could have done with another few years in the cellar but overall very, very, very drinkable

The problem is it is a very strictly limited release, only released in good years and in limited numbers. But if you ever get the chance to pick up this fine Aussie red give it a go

well if its not too late

try and oregon pinot, like cherry hill or A to Z both right under 20 and not too shabby at all.
can someone recommend a ’58? hopefully something i can buy online — not looking to break the bank though.

i don’t really have any knowledge about wines, but i’m looking to get this as an anniversary present.

does it have to be wine or port…also what state do you live in because shipping laws will be an issue.

if you dont want to break the bank go with a colheita port.

i suppose it doesn’t necessarily need to be either.

i didn’t realize there might be shipping laws. i’m in nj. is there anything i have to worry about?

i’ll look into the colheita port.

Only thing I’ve found:

Nice…sounds really good. I’ll check it out!
2005 columbia crest grand estates merlot or cab. $8.99. Great wine for the price and 2005 was a great year in columbia valley

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