Boozy's wine thread - the sequel

[Mr Boozificator]

I know this is not wine, but what about this 'Marc de champagne'? Is it an eau de vie? Does it have any relationship with actual champagne?

Sorry didn't see that.
Can't tell you much about it, because it's one of the traditional liquors I like the less, and yes, it is related to the Champagne region. Nothing I'd recommend in that field though. Taste a little bit like an old bag to me, no matter the quality.

[Mr Boozificator]

Do you havre one that pours down thte throat like a gentle angel until the bottle is empty and intoxicates the top of your head llike a bunch of drain flies are in your brain?I think i had that one and i liked it.
I anm so unsofisticated.

Lots of whites from the Graves denomination do that. Try Château le Chec when you come to France. My wine cellar has plenty of it, it won't be too difficult to find.

[Wingman]

just had some Lenoir today, at a winery over the river. supposedly from huguenots who settled this region. they'd brought vines, of course, which mostly died here. but the ones that survived were hybridized or some shit with the local muscadine, which every redneck makes wine out of (gets the job done, but calling it wine is being generous). anyway, it was pretty chugable, and i wondered if you'd ever heard of it.

[Mr Boozificator]

just had some Lenoir today, at a winery over the river. supposedly from huguenots who settled this region. they'd brought vines, of course, which mostly died here. but the ones that survived were hybridized or some shit with the local muscadine, which every redneck makes wine out of (gets the job done, but calling it wine is being generous). anyway, it was pretty chugable, and i wondered if you'd ever heard of it.

Never had I before today, but now your knowledge is mine ( AHaha Ha ha ha ha).
Now seriously, I'm going to try to find that, it sounds interesting. And for the record, I once had some really good Muscadine thanks to Stumblingdoug.

[Mr. Viking]

I know this is not wine, but what about this 'Marc de champagne'? Is it an eau de vie? Does it have any relationship with actual champagne?

Sorry didn't see that.
Can't tell you much about it, because it's one of the traditional liquors I like the less, and yes, it is related to the Champagne region. Nothing I'd recommend in that field though. Taste a little bit like an old bag to me, no matter the quality.

Marc is distilled from a wine made out of the refuse from winemaking. When the grapes have been pressed, the mush left over is rinsed with water and steeped to get any remaining sugar out of it. This is fermented like ordinary wine and then distilled into brandy. Marc de champagne is made from the refuse of grapes used to make champagne. So yes, it is an eau de vie. I've never had it, but apparently it is similar to other eaux des vies, but the fancy name helps it to sell

[Mr Boozificator]

I know this is not wine, but what about this 'Marc de champagne'? Is it an eau de vie? Does it have any relationship with actual champagne?

Sorry didn't see that.
Can't tell you much about it, because it's one of the traditional liquors I like the less, and yes, it is related to the Champagne region. Nothing I'd recommend in that field though. Taste a little bit like an old bag to me, no matter the quality.

Marc is distilled from a wine made out of the refuse from winemaking. When the grapes have been pressed, the mush left over is rinsed with water and steeped to get any remaining sugar out of it. This is fermented like ordinary wine and then distilled into brandy. Marc de champagne is made from the refuse of grapes used to make champagne. So yes, it is an eau de vie. I've never had it, but apparently it is similar to other eaux des vies, but the fancy name helps it to sell

This actually explains a lot given the quality of the grapes used to prepare Champagne in general (bleh!).

[Mr. Viking]

what do you make of screw caps? I much prefer corks, but as a matter of practicality for table wines I think it just makes sense.

[Mr Boozificator]

what do you make of screw caps? I much prefer corks, but as a matter of practicality for table wines I think it just makes sense.

I have a preference for corks, but several studies seem to indicate that the best ones are the ones with a silicon coating. Nothing beats the sound of a removed cork in the morning...

[Mr. Viking]

I'm inclined to agree. Sill prefer corks on whisky even though there is no practical benefit. Practical, mind, that's the sticking point

[BBoozer]

what do you make of screw caps? I much prefer corks, but as a matter of practicality for table wines I think it just makes sense.

Well, from a romantic side I tend to prefer the cork, and a gentleman should be able to uncork a bottle in a gentle though manly manner, but when travelling a screw cap can come in handy. Now, I have been in some restaurants the last years where they serve screw capped wines and 'somehow' (and I will be the first to acknowledge this is quite a snobbish remark) opening the bottle with a screw cap spoils the meal a bit. But this is just my old, traditional self talking.

[BBoozer]

I'm inclined to agree. Sill prefer corks on whisky even though there is no practical benefit. Practical, mind, that's the sticking point

Mr. Viking, slightly off topic, what would be your favourite whiskies? And then, on topic, can you share your thoughts on your favourite wines?

[Mr. Viking]

I'm inclined to agree. Sill prefer corks on whisky even though there is no practical benefit. Practical, mind, that's the sticking point

Mr. Viking, slightly off topic, what would be your favourite whiskies? And then, on topic, can you share your thoughts on your favourite wines?

Well, I would say the whisky I've enjoyed most is Lagavulin 16 yo. Being a youngster though, I haven't had the opportunity to try a wide variety. I enjoy most Islay whiskies. I liked Laphroaig quarter cask because it's peatiness was ballanced by the richness of the flavour. I liked the basic Caol Isla because I felt the opposite, it was quite light in flavour, ignoring the peat, which isolated the peat as a flavour, which I enjoyed. I have only tried one Glenfarclas, the "105" cask strength, which I think is only 8 years or so old when bottled. It has a very mellow and balanced flavour that I like, but there is still some interest to it unlike some mellow whiskies. I would love to try some of the older bottlings, but the prices get rather silly.
My favourite blend is the Bailie Nicol Jarvie, which has a wonderful spicy taste, while still being light and drinkable. I find it a perfect example of "scotch whisky", and much better than many "premium blends". It has also had it's price dropped from £16.55 to £14.55 in my local shop, putting it in the price bracket of slosh like Whyte and Mackay or bell's.
On Irish whiskey. I have had only single malts from Bushmills, and blends. I believe as a triple distilled whiskey the malt doesn't stand up to long aging, so the 10yo is the best, with the others have too much of a sickly flavour, though many disagree. Despite this I love black bush, which is a blend with a very strong sherry profile. Probably I just like the packaging so forced myself to like the product. I have found Powers is my favourite everyday blend, probably again because I like the shape of the bottle. Jameson Crested ten was excellent, but I think isn't exported any more so is only widely available in Ireland, a great pity. I have wanted to try pure pot still whisky, which is, as the name suggests, made without continuous distillation (the evil practice that gave the Scots the benefit in the export market for so long) and a mix of malted and unmalted barley in the mash bill. Green spot was the only one available for a long time, and was out out of my price range. It is also apparently not the whiskey it was five or ten years ago. My trouble with Irish whiskey is that for a long time there have only been two disitlleries, I believe there are now three, but this is not enough. The two were also under the same ownership for a long time. I blame the Irish government for not bothering to worry about competition and letting monopolies grow, leaving a narrow choice of products. It has however led to some iconic brands.
I haven't had enough bourbon to have a proper opinion but I enjoy Wild Turkey a lot, I had Bulleit which was quite enjoyable. Jim Beam is the only widely available bourbon here and I buy it when it's on offer as it is usually overpriced. I had Jim Beam Black label which I remember being good. Very drinkable. Four Roses was quite light, and enjoyable
I am even more of a novice on wine. I enjoy drinking local wine when I can, usually cheap. I have always enjoyed Chateauneuf du Pape, an affectation I think I have inherited from my father. But I do find the wines are very consistently good, probably because of the strict controls on the name. I have had a Spanish wine with a pig on the label called, I think, Agoston, which was very good, rich with a hint of fruit but balanced with some "spice" as I would call it. Naturally being spanish, though, they were a bit sweet with vanilla from the oak barrels. The Yellow label was better than the red for this. I have an affinity that I am sure will offend you for a company I can't remember the name of, which make comedy wines, with pictures on the label. They started with "chat-on-ouef" and now make "longue-dog". They taste nothing like the real thing but are cheap and I am childish. I used to enjoy beaujolais as it was light and drinkable everyday, and Sainsbury's did a great bottling in 2010, but I haven't found one since at a reasonable price and quality. I enjoy sparkling wine. Whatever I find to be cheapest and drinkable at the time, usually a cava of some sort, though I have had some good prosecco. I like a bready, yeasty flavour rather than the acidic fruity flavour which I often find in cheap champagne or very cheap cava, which simply causes heartburn and the minimum of pleasure. Lidl did an excellent cheap champagne last year but I forget the name.
I tend to drink a fair ammount of fortified wines, finding them to be consistent and a better bet in this country as they travel well. I buy ruby port quite regularly, and would buy taylor's for a vintage bottle. Churchill's port is my favourite (coincidentally the newest producer) but is difficult to find and expensive. I buy fino sherry instead of white wine, as I find most white under £10 to be undrinkable, while good sherry can be had for £5. I also enjoy amontillado and Olorosso, but I find he sweetened sherries a bit sickly for general consumption. I enjoy sparkling wine. Whatever I find to be cheapest and drinkable at the time, usually a cava of some sort, though I have had some good prosecco. I like a bready, yeasty flavour rather than the acidic fruity flavour which I often find in cheap champagne or very cheap cava, which simply causes heartburn and the minimum of pleasure. Lidl did an excellent cheap champagne last year but I forget the name.
Feel like I should put a bibliography on this essay of a post, but no

[BBoozer]

Well, Mr Viking, I feel like you should start your Mr Viking's whisky thread. That said, I am a bit puzzled by your statement that you can't find a decent white wine below 10£, but are able to enjoy a 5£ fino. In my experience, it is just the opposite. Agreed, as Boozy said in the original wine thread, price is not really an indication of quality in the case of wines, but I had my share of 5€ sherries and, well, to be honest, they all sucked. My favourite for everyday drinking is Tio Pepe, and it comes around 10€ a bottle in Belgium. Delicious fino to be degustated as aperitif with green olives. Be careful with spicy olives though, because the fino is fragile (I refer to Boozy's comments on wines that go well with olives). Now, the universe of sherry is very broad. I was once in Cordoba with my redhead where we dined in a very fine restaurant and they served us a 30-year old Pedro Ximenez sherry as digestif (indeed, sherries serve as aperitif as well as digestif) and we found this sherry ultimately rewarding and satisfying.

[BBoozer]

Dear Boozy,

about fifteen years ago I was on holliday in Extremadura in Spain (with my then blond goddess, not with my current redhead, mind you) and when I ordered 'copa de jerez' they served me 'vino de jerez' instead of fino. Now, it was a fine aperitif wine that I got, but definitely not sherry. What do you know about the wines from Jerez de la Frontera?

[Mr Boozificator]

Dear Boozy,

about fifteen years ago I was on holliday in Extremadura in Spain (with my then blond goddess, not with my current redhead, mind you) and when I ordered 'copa de jerez' they served me 'vino de jerez' instead of fino. Now, it was a fine aperitif wine that I got, but definitely not sherry. What do you know about the wines from Jerez de la Frontera?

Not that much, but they come mainly under three categories depending on the thickness of the Flor "veil" that they allow to develop above the juices during the maturation: Fino, Oloroso and the last one that I can never remember the name off (I'll try to research it). The Finos are dry and full of roasted aromas, the Olorosos are stronger in alcohol and more sugary, they are the ones most people refer to as sherry and insist more on the fruity flavors. The last category tastes more like regular wine (still a bit more sugary).
I am mostly familiar with Finos and Olorosos. They mix remarkably well with each other by the way.