Ok ok... I love me some reds, but I have too many that I haven't drunk (or gotten drunk off of yet :D), and the wife loves white. She loved Triacepdis, I wasn't too big of a fan strong peach I could taste in that one. But it was one of the best buys I made on woot all year (sans SB's offerings, of course!).

Things are rough lately, and getting an extra bottle delivered for tomorrow night might help me smooth the things over with the better half of me, so I am begging the woot Gods and Goddesses to help me help my relationship. Things always go better when one or both of us are tipsy!

I can already see some nice stuffed or non-stuffed porkchops, grilled asparagus and corn on the cob, a summer salad of spinach and strawberries, along with several glasses of Albino Rhino. (Is that enough grovelling? We'll have to see...)

I read the Labrat Entry, but I don't see if you need to put your shipping address, or billing address in? (I always have mine shipped to work so I can sign for them.)

Any idea?

gcdyersb wrote:Seems a bit high to be dry. I have a feeling they mislabeled and 7.02 g/L is the TA.

I'm no wine data expert, but 7/1000 < 1%. Given that 1g water = 1ml water, this seems reasonable enough.

worldofjohnboy wrote:I read the Labrat Entry, but I don't see if you need to put your shipping address, or billing address in? (I always have mine shipped to work so I can sign for them.)

Any idea?

They send it to the shipping address linked to your account. Sign up and you're set.

worldofjohnboy wrote:I read the Labrat Entry, but I don't see if you need to put your shipping address, or billing address in? (I always have mine shipped to work so I can sign for them.)

Any idea?

Shipping, so they're doubly sure where to send the rat bottle, I should think. In case you only go to your shipping address / granny's house every week or so.

[ok that's me for now. off out to see palaces in Seoul. got all excited, I did.]

"Albariño is also known in Portugal as Alvarinho and often used as a component of Vinho Verde"

I don't have a clue what this grape is like but I do know that I do love some Vinho Verde. Even had one with a little fizz it was great!

I'm in

Cheers!

kylemittskus wrote:They send it to the shipping address linked to your account. Sign up and you're set.

Ahh! I put my billing address in hopes that you were right!

Do I have to do this every time, or is it a perm signup?

worldofjohnboy wrote:Ahh! I put my billing address in hopes that you were right!

Do I have to do this every time, or is it a perm signup?

One time fits all.

I'm excited about this wine! After the recent onslaught of reds I've had as of late, white is a welcome color! Also, it helps that Riesling produces many my favorite wines!

It seems that here in NY, there are a lot of good Riesling makers.

In for one and available to rat.

And now it's time for another SIWBM. I've mentioned several times how easy it is to get started on a SIWBM. I think this is my fourth one this year alone.

kylemittskus wrote:One time fits all.

So in a wierd way, this is kinda like Wine.Woot's "Bag O Crap!"

Been hoping for a not too sweet white wine. How does this compare to a chardonnay?

Oh what the heck. I'm in for 2. Hope it is good.

worldofjohnboy wrote:So in a wierd way, this is kinda like Wine.Woot's "Bag O Crap!"

Mmm, not really. You know what you will get if you get chosen and it's free!

So does any one who is familiar with this grape have any food pairing suggestions?

Just read the Riesling Wikipedia Page, and it appears that I was dead-on about NY having a lot of good Riesling wines...

This should be interesting seeing how this wine tastes coming from Monterey County.

kylemittskus wrote:Mmm, not really. You know what you will get if you get chosen and it's free!

Yes, however, the whole idea of the Bag O Crap is to order one (if the Woot servers don't crash) and cross your fingers, beg, pray, etc. that you get a 'good' bag! I still have yet to garner a Bowl of Cereal.

Maybe they will see I am from NY and want to see how someone that is used to Riesling wines likes the California version! ;-)

I'm excited!!! +1 for summertime!!

worldofjohnboy wrote:Yes, however, the whole idea of the Bag O Crap is to order one (if the Woot servers don't crash) and cross your fingers, beg, pray, etc. that you get a 'good' bag! I still have yet to garner a Bowl of Cereal.

Maybe they will see I am from NY and want to see how someone that is used to Riesling wines likes the California version! ;-)

Ah! Yeah, ok. And I've never bought a Bowl of Cereal either. I've been ratted three times, though.

Being one of the lucky few to have tried this wine I will post a thought or two.

Upon first tasting I didn't really get a lot on this wine. After a few minutes of swirling it started to hint at some really nice fruit. Not sure when this was bottled but my first impression was that it may need a little time in the bottle before popping. It was quite refreshing and not sweet at all. My gf who doesn't really go for white wine really liked it as well. Hope this helps.

Edit: And thank you WD for sending this to Detroit for us to taste and for the bottle to take home. You were greatly missed.

SirVancelot wrote:Been hoping for a not too sweet white wine. How does this compare to a chardonnay?

I'm not a huge expert, but in my experience, typically Riesling is not "oaked" and therefore tastes a bit more "fruity" than a Chard.

Usually in NY Rieslings that I have, they seem sweeter than they are supposed to be because they aren't "oaked." Honestly, NY wines all seem to be a bit sweeter to me anyway in comparison to Napa/Sonoma wines.

kylemittskus wrote:Ah! Yeah, ok. And I've never bought a Bowl of Cereal either. I've been ratted three times, though.

0 Bowl of Cereal's
1 rat (toothy)

maddprofessor wrote:So does any one who is familiar with this grape have any food pairing suggestions?

Not really, but here's a great review of Monterey and central coast Albarinhos. Including a food pairing section. Likes Seafood, and peanutty spicy foods like Asian curries.

And explains that oaking is rare so as not to overpower the varietal's fruity freshness, but sometimes done a little in CA to add complexity. Perhaps done because (says the article) CA Albarinhos are warmer climate, and so tend to have more alcohol, and more acidic too than the traditional Galician ones.

Maybe we can work out the vineyard WD used from it if it's not the Bonny Doon someone mentioned. Everything says these are for drinking this summer, really, and not keeping at all. All about the new and fresh.

jackmcdowell wrote:In for 2 (seriously this time!). Can I labrat please?

Wine characteristics FYI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albari%C3%B1o

"The grape is noted for its distinctive aroma, very similar to that of Viognier, Gewurztraminer, and Petit Manseng, suggesting apricot and peach. The wine produced is unusually light, and generally high in acidity with alcohol levels of 11.5–12.5%.[3] Its thick skins and large number of pips can cause residual bitterness."

OK, that sounds interesting! But the numbers don't match. The offer says 13,7% alcohol and Wikipedia says generally 11.5-12.5%. Is the Woot offering atypical somehow? How?


And where are those Annoying Rascals that have been teasing us all week? They owe us tasting notes!

(Thanks Mr. Cat78.)


(Edit: fix spelling typo.)

maddprofessor wrote:So does any one who is familiar with this grape have any food pairing suggestions?

This page has a lot of suggestions and info: Pairing Riesling Wines

I have to agree, the wine is VERY food friendly.

What's the volume that each bottle holds? 350ml, 750ml?

SJCwineaux wrote:OK, that sounds interesting! But the numbers don't match. The offer says 13,7% alcohol and Wikipedia says generally 11.5-12.5%. Is the Woot offering atypical somehow? How?


And where are those Annoying Rascals that have been teasing us all week? They owe us tasting notes!

(Thanks Mr. Cat78.)


(Edit: fix spelling typo.)

Within wine labeling, legally you are allowed 1.5%+- your stated alcohol levels, as long as you are below 14%. Above 14% you are allowed +-1%, again as long as the wine is assuredly above 14%. So 12.5 means "between 11% ABV and 14% ABV, but not over", and 11.5% means "between 10% and 13% ABV, but not over." With table wine(<14%), it can be a challenge to get a reliable reading on the alcohol content based on the labelling. Personally, I think that the law allows too much leeway on there, but I am receptive as well to not requiring too much work on winemakers' part in order to make them compliant.

So the long answer is that the labelling on the Woot wine may be somewhat aspirational, but it is not inconsistent with 12.5% labelling, legally speaking or historically speaking. It's just a required bit of legal mumbo-jumbo for the label, and woot decided 13.7 made sense. Unfortunately, woot is unlikely to discuss this decision with us, much as they are unlikely to reveal who actually made the wine for woot.

Oh, and in for two. Have work off for the next few days too. Will be trying to get stuff done around the house, so definitely available to rat.

Unless stated the bottles are 750ml.

lookmeup wrote:What's the volume that each bottle holds? 350ml, 750ml?

In for a case, of course. Would love to rat, of course.

I'm not available to run the habitrail this week.

I smell a rat. I hope it's me!

In for two, and available for rattage this week!

Can't wait to try this wine. Crossing fingers to Rat this week!

Albarino is good stuff. Been digging it lately. 1 or 2...

Never had one from CA before... is this Cambiata?

When it comes to Woot Cellars, SIWBM stands for Sure I Will Buy More.

I love a good Albarino - it can attain a complexity that most whites can't come close to, though cheap versions are of course more mundane. Seeing as this is Woot Cellars we're talking about, the "good" part is sure to apply, and the 12% kicker sounds intriguing.

Woot Cellars never seems to disappoint on taste or the awesome labeling. Can't wait to bring this to a party!

I've bought every Woot Cellars offering all the way back to the legendary "Monkey Prize" (so I'm qualified as a lab rat?) and they've all been excellent. Hope this one is as tasty as the Triacipedis of a year ago.

Also had the pleasure of tasting this in Detroit. And again at home a couple of days ago.

From my recent notes:
Light body, juicy peach, slight bitterness, acidity in check. Hint of apricot and ?hay??grass?

This is a good summer quaffer. Not to mention worth it for the label graphics alone.

+1 on summer shipping. It's been 100~107 all week here in Texas.

maddprofessor wrote:So does any one who is familiar with this grape have any food pairing suggestions?

In general, Albarino's pair very well with seafood, vegetables and summer.

My attempt at describing the woot whitehorn-I'm not good at this.

I am not a white drinker.I like just about any dry red(let's not count the box cab and merlot I had over the weekend at SO's art show.She said of the cab"not bad",my unspoken comment was not really good either.Now I know why I pay more than $15 for 5 liters)

I found the Rhino crisp,tangy and refreshing with a cloying sweet aftertaste I get from most whites.

I let the second glass warm a little and tried it with some sharp cheddar and crackers.This helped it a lot.

I think this wine would be real nice for a picnic at the beach.