Regarding the trip to Italy. Eat and drink as much as you can. I second the notion to go to Cique Terre. It is phenomenal and a must. Find out where the locals eat and eat and drink there with them. At Cinque Terre there is a place called Ciak in Monterosso which is one of the towns in Cinque Terre. Pasta and and sea food incredible.
Every place I went I felt like everyone had their own special blend of both red and white.
Spend some time in Tuscany. Everything there is great. I went on a Bike Riding wine tasting tour through Tuscany. Don't drink too much it could wind up a little sketchy as the last part of the bike ride is a 6 mile down hill ride. Enjoy your time

eric9tx wrote:Did they say "last cases" or are you guessing? I only wooted 2 bottles and have been saving them for a special occasion. From what I've heard, tho... I want more already.

<do-over>

I was guessing.

(Yes, cheron98... now that I am a posting veteran, I shall never make another mistake!

cheron98 wrote:dude. don't save them. drink them. make the occasion special. They are the nectar of the gods. *lovingly pets her 9 bottles of Corison*

Dudette... when I finally buy a house and build a killer wine cellar, I have to have some special ones left to put in there! It's not like they're gonna go bad!

eric9tx wrote:Did they say "last cases" or are you guessing? I only wooted 2 bottles and have been saving them for a special occasion. From what I've heard, tho... I want more already.

I'm still wondering if mine are bad - don't want to pop one (as I only bought two) just to be sure, but they arrived reading 90 degrees or thereabout. guess I'll find out one of these days

mwfielder wrote:Hilarious. (guess I'll have to stop sniffing the cork.... ;-)

Um, yeah... a recent rat included that in the report. I was going to say something, but didn't want to sound like a beautiful tulip.

Long time wooter, but this was my first wine woot..in for two early this morning.

Doing my best to ignore the economic news,
VG

Just because I want to feel a part of the conversation... NDH went in for two for me bless his little pointy head. I do love that man. He did the same last week with the Penfolds... so sweet. But uh... I WILL NEVER BE BLACK AND THUS BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE IF HE KEEPS THIS UP! On the plus side... I won't get chewed out for buying wine like I did when I went in for three of the Ursa Vineyards which sadly, are gone. Oof. That was GOOD!

eric9tx wrote:Dudette... when I finally buy a house and build a killer wine cellar, I have to have some special ones left to put in there! It's not like they're gonna go bad!

I just spoke with the California wine country. They said go ahead and drink - they'll make more...

-- T

timbyrd wrote:I just spoke with the California wine country. They said go ahead and drink - they'll make more...

-- T

My vote for post of the week!

Daystar wrote:Excellent, thank you, I will be sure to mark Cinque Terre on our itinerary.

If you want to PM me, I can send a lot of information about Italy. We spent a few weeks there a little while ago and hit some fantastic places as well as a couple "small" wineries that you won't want to miss.

All this talk of Corison brought me back to those days of yesteryear....(actually, Feb 1 2008). My magical Labrat experience... I remember it like it was yesterday. What a wine. Hmmm... I think I have a bottle of that left in the wine fridge. May have to take care of that this weekend!

mwfielder wrote:Hilarious. (guess I'll have to stop sniffing the cork.... ;-)

Suggested Reading

Can you tell I'm bored this afternoon? The office is really slow....

Hopefully the next wine woot item can be purchased in Indiana. I know I go crazy on the cheeses that pop up =D

Cesare wrote:My vote for post of the week!

Agreed! Now if Corison starts selling to me for $10 a bottle, I'll take your advice.

mwfielder wrote:Suggested Reading

Can you tell I'm bored this afternoon? The office is really slow....

Come help me. Oh, wait. I thought I was swamped today, but then found out the boss isn't due back til Thurs. I guess I have plenty of time for silly paperwork.

shelldav wrote:<do-over>

I was guessing.

(Yes, cheron98... now that I am a posting veteran, I shall never make another mistake!

We all make mistakes. Me more than others, I'm sure!

I lived in Italy for 8 years, just left. In terms of regions of Italy, I think Sicily is the most under-appreciated and not often on the tourist circuit...there are some amazingly beautiful places down there to explore For wines, one of my favorite places is Montefalco, in Umbria...there's a delicious restaurant there too which you must try if you go there. And of course Tuscany is a must...rent a car, there are many places you will miss if you try to rely on trains.

I also love Northern Italy near Austria...we stayed in Merano and loved it. Alto Adige is fantastic, but it really depends on when you go, it can get pretty cold up there. PM me if you have any questions, happy to be of help.

mstang1988 wrote:I'm confused, isn't that still a web hit when you type it in and it goes through the routing/gateway/proxy server setup?

From a system admin point of view it's all tracked typically and because it isn't a https connection they can see everything in and out of the site. Now if it were me and I was really trying to be stealhy I would use an https proxy server or use a remote connection to my home system etc and browse on that.

Yeah, but I use the worksite for my home page - that way wine woot only shows a hit when I GO to it - not every time I opens the interwebs!!!

tonythib wrote:If you want to PM me, I can send a lot of information about Italy. We spent a few weeks there a little while ago and hit some fantastic places as well as a couple "small" wineries that you won't want to miss.

I would love some more suggestions. Anything you can offer......

Thanks in advance Tony.

ehllc wrote:So, I ordered two (popped my w.w cherry) but I have no idea what to do with them. I'm not the biggest wine drinker, as Bud Light is my staple alcoholic beverage of choice. I'm looking to save a case and maybe some of the one that I open up for a later date and I have a few questions due to the fact that this is the first wine I've ever really bought for myself to try to enjoy. PM's and links would be much appreciated as well if anyone knows of good sites to go to to try to progress from being a wine "noob".

1. I plan to store both cases in my closet - I am assuming that storing these in whatever packaging they came in will be the best way to store them to keep temperatures/light levels constant (no cooler/cellar yet because I'm in a small student apartment)? Temperature is relatively constant and they will not have direct light unless I'm getting clothes out in the middle of the night, which is rare.

2. How long should I store the case I do not plan on opening for a long time before having to worry about them going bad (or whatever wines do when stored for too long).

3. I'm looking to maybe invest in some quality wine glasses, as I only have the standard-issue college apartment glass cups at the moment. What are some good all-purpose wine glasses (good for both red/white) that I can get? Hoping for something that has a carrying case or something so I can keep them out of harm's way between days I drink wine. A link or pm would be great! Also do I need a decanter (I assume that's for letting the alcohol evaporate when first opened) and where can I get a decent one?

4. Serve chilled? Room temp? Decanted? All of the above? And what kind of food would go with this to try to get a good experience?

I've tried some store-bought wines and never really enjoyed them, but that could quite simply be because I was not taking the right steps to get the most from what I was drinking. Probably the fact that they were cheap Kroger's wines did not help.

Sorry for the essay and overabundance of questions! Most of this can probably be answered by a simple link to a good wine drinker's site that I would otherwise probably never know of. I'm just trying to learn all I can about this before I get out of college this year and I run into a potential situation where I should have developed an appreciation (and hopefully love) for wine. For the same reasoning, I'm also taking a golf class at my school this year and plan on learning, as I'm going into business and know it's a skill I should have.

Thanks in advance if anyone can assist in anything from ^^^^^^^^^ up there.

First things first, stop drinking Bud Light! Blah!

agadalo wrote:Regarding the trip to Italy. Eat and drink as much as you can. I second the notion to go to Cique Terre. It is phenomenal and a must. Find out where the locals eat and eat and drink there with them. At Cinque Terre there is a place called Ciak in Monterosso which is one of the towns in Cinque Terre. Pasta and and sea food incredible.
Every place I went I felt like everyone had their own special blend of both red and white.
Spend some time in Tuscany. Everything there is great. I went on a Bike Riding wine tasting tour through Tuscany. Don't drink too much it could wind up a little sketchy as the last part of the bike ride is a 6 mile down hill ride. Enjoy your time

I concur totally. Cinque Terra is one of the finest places on Earth, and Ciak rocked the seafood! Oh, I need to go back, SOON!

edthebedhead wrote:In keeping with the Monkey theme



Thanks WD!

Lab Rat Report.

I haven't had the privilege and honor of lab ratting before... pardon the amateur report.

FedEx arrived 11:04am.

Much excitement felt throughout the apartment.

12pm. Lunch time. Pizza and The Red? Certainly most tempting. I'll wait.

After placing the bottle in the fridge, I head out towards Papa johns. I go past that terrible place, and end up at the hole in the wall pizza place which says it serves gourmet pizza. It has been delicious from past experiences. I pick up a few slices, and head back home.

T - 0.
Splendid pop! of the cork. no leaks. Looks good. I don't smell the cork. Perhaps I'll get some of these someday after graduation.

Using a plain ole wine glass for now, and standard decanter.

The temp seems right. Let is chill for a few, but just a few. It felt high 60's. Check with my hand. Accuracy counts you know.

1st glass right out of the bottle: Lighter color than I'd expected. Almost cranberry juice colored. Smell is a bit earthy and fruity.
1st sip. very smooth, crisp, light flavor as it hits my tongue. low/no alcohol. a touch a chocolate, smoke, and plum. Maybe a hit of blueberries. Leaving mouth a bit warm with mellow tannins and some noted acidity.

5 minutes in:
Still smooth but a spicy bite comes stronger and sooner. leaves mouth happy. Tannins and acidity certainly more noticeable. finish is a bit dry.

T + 50 minutes.
Excellent taste. Still smooth. Smell is more fragrant and enjoyable. A brief taste of standard red wine soon gives way to tastes of spice, a bit of plum. and another berry (black berry?), ending is a bit dry, and with some lovely tannins and acidity.

Extremely smooth and blends in with the excellent pizza. Very drinkable, and the wine and pizza both complement each other flavors nicely - leaving my mouth with a bit of zing and smiling for minutes. The flavor strengthens throughout the taste, from lips to swallow. Maybe a touch of cherry now. This is like an excellent table wine which has body, taste, flavor, and life to it.

I'm off to enjoy the rest of the evening... I'll be interested to read the other rat reports, and the other comments later this week.
I'm a fan. Thanks again WD. Cheers!
See you all soon.


edit. I have red teeth.

edthebedhead wrote:Lab Rat Report.

I haven't had the privilege and honor of lab ratting before... pardon the amateur report.
....

Great report- sounds delish- glad I was in for 2

<thread jack>

Daystar wrote:Wellingtons DUKE is currently avail

OK - so I really enjoy all the Wellington wines I've tried so I decided to grab this at $8 a bottle off his website today. Thanks, Peter! Anyway - any idea what I can expect with this? Website says, "The Duke VI is the greatest Duke yet, as we used only top tier grapes."

Peter, if you're reading - any elaboration on this?

Has anyone tried this? Would love to know more about what I've gotten into.

Also - which entry am I supposed to use on Cellar Tracker? ;-)

</thread jack>

eric9tx wrote:Since we are all getting restless with the sellout and no labrat reports yet... this article on ordering wine in a restaurant was posted a while ago, but is worth checking out out if you haven't before. It's hilarious, but has a lot of good info.

The article is written in a PG-13 kind of way, so if you're under 13, don't read it. And stop looking at wine.woot. Mad Dog 20/20 will get you through college. Come back then.

Funny article, just ignore the anti-breastfeeding in public message. PS- if you drink this yummy wine that's on the way wait a couple of hours before breastfeeding or pump and dump if baby can't wait.

edthebedhead wrote:Lab Rat Report.

Awesome report! Packed!

chad1323ross wrote:<thread jack>



OK - so I really enjoy all the Wellington wines I've tried so I decided to grab this at $8 a bottle off his website today. Thanks, Peter! Anyway - any idea what I can expect with this? Website says, "The Duke VI is the greatest Duke yet, as we used only top tier grapes."

Peter, if you're reading - any elaboration on this?

Has anyone tried this? Would love to know more about what I've gotten into.

Also - which entry am I supposed to use on Cellar Tracker? ;-)

</thread jack>

Use this

jaelitabonita wrote:Funny article, just ignore the anti-breastfeeding in public message. PS- if you drink this yummy wine that's on the way wait a couple of hours before breastfeeding or pump and dump if baby can't wait.

See, now I TOTALLY did not take that as an 'anti-breastfeeding in public' remark! And I was breastfeeding when breastfeeding wasn't cool! :p

I took it as a completely tongue-in-cheek remark about 'bringing your own sandwich to a Smörgåsbord' or some such thing...

I loved the article; thanks for posting! signed one saggy-boobed old hippy of yesteryear who would totally eat at this waiter's place!

cheron98 wrote:dude. don't save them. drink them. make the occasion special. They are the nectar of the gods. *lovingly pets her 9 bottles of Corison*

Don't forget one of those is mine!!!

CatherineB wrote:See, now I TOTALLY did not take that as an 'anti-breastfeeding in public' remark! And I was breastfeeding when breastfeeding wasn't cool! :p

I took it as a completely tongue-in-cheek remark about 'bringing your own sandwich to a Smörgåsbord' or some such thing...

I loved the article; thanks for posting! signed one saggy-boobed old hippy of yesteryear who would totally eat at this waiter's place!

Oh, good Lord. Two 'totally's' (like 'Ya!') and a completely in the same post....this Riesling is kicking my A.S.S.....off to never-never land for me peeps!

MarkDaSpark wrote:Don't forget one of those is mine!!!

beggin' yer pardon, sir, but the 9 to which I refer are definitely mine. Yours is in the box labelled "SPARKY". That I have to remember to bring to Vegas, because I definitely forgot about it until just now

Talk about ruining my week forgot to check on Sunday night and all Monday and now its out. Woot you need to make more available.

penmana wrote:Talk about ruining my week forgot to check on Sunday night and all Monday and now its out. Woot you need to make more available.

If you read the earlier posts from jwhite and I, that's very unlikely on this offering. They sold all but around 14 cases in the offer, and you can bet those cases are in someone's basement for daily-drinking or gifts. It's unfortunate, but the good ones always seem to go fast. Check back on Thursday! I think it might be very interesting!

ARgh....trying to decide whether or not to buy a case of the Duke...I know I don't have the space, but it's a Wellington! how is it resistable?

jwhite6114 wrote:Thanks Cesare! I only saw the "lets stress those papa woot servers" part, and thought it was the clue for the Woot Cellars wine. And I thought everyone was just aiming for First Sucker cuz it was Woot Cellars. (that's why I tried )

Me too.

I spent New Year's in Cinque Terre... worst two days of my life. Siena is a much better option.

agadalo wrote:Regarding the trip to Italy. Eat and drink as much as you can. I second the notion to go to Cique Terre. It is phenomenal and a must. Find out where the locals eat and eat and drink there with them. At Cinque Terre there is a place called Ciak in Monterosso which is one of the towns in Cinque Terre. Pasta and and sea food incredible.
Every place I went I felt like everyone had their own special blend of both red and white.
Spend some time in Tuscany. Everything there is great. I went on a Bike Riding wine tasting tour through Tuscany. Don't drink too much it could wind up a little sketchy as the last part of the bike ride is a 6 mile down hill ride. Enjoy your time

laurmom wrote:I went in for three of the Ursa Vineyards which sadly, are gone. Oof. That was GOOD!

Wow. Nice drinking!

tommy...you better come to dtw!!

penmana wrote:Talk about ruining my week forgot to check on Sunday night and all Monday and now its out. Woot you need to make more available.

Where are you located? I have a case, and if you're in/near DC I can make a few bottles available to you.

edthebedhead wrote:In keeping with the Monkey theme



Thanks WD!

Nice bike in the background. Steel frame?

Gift of Tøøthstejnn the Red, initial report.

Box received at around 11AM by the ultra-friendly FedEx man who was surprised I was signing for my own package. Nonetheless the box arrived in good condition and the wine was already chilled to perfection, if not a bit on the cool side because the outdoor temp here in Madison was a comfortable 50 degrees.

Opened at around 8pm today. Color is a wonderful ruby-orange-pink. I did not decant the bottle and poured a glass for myself and my wife. Initial nose is earthy with ripened fruits. First taste is very cranberry with light sweetness and great acidity. Not hot at all (low alcohol), with a smooth mouth feel and light finish on the back end. So far the bottle has been open about 25 minutes and my initial reaction is very good! This is a definite food wine, and I'm envious that I don't have a gourmet pizza to go with this.

More to come as it opens up! Thanks WD and please forgive the first time labratter here.

Anybody in northern cali having buyer's remorse? Want to split your already purchased wine?

No? I didn’t think so. Ah well, doesn’t hurt to ask.

I guess i'm going to have to start working on monday's again. Or get a home computer. *shudder* What next? Cable tv, a home phone? No way man! How am I supposed to stay in my own little world if reality starts imposing its will on me?? No no no.

Are you sure you don't want to share your wine with me? My little world could use some wine.

mewalk707 wrote:Anybody in northern cali having buyer's remorse? Want to split your already purchased wine?

No? I didn’t think so. Ah well, doesn’t hurt to ask.

I guess i'm going to have to start working on monday's again. Or get a home computer. *shudder* What next? Cable tv, a home phone? No way man! How am I supposed to stay in my own little world if reality starts imposing its will on me?? No no no.

Are you sure you don't want to share your wine with me? My little world could use some wine.

Hmmm. If I don't like it, maybe I'll share with you. But gotta wait until I try it.