What's In A Name ?

Joined Nov 2005
3K Posts | 0+
Recently, when strolling the wine racks, at a popular retailer, I have noticed, now more than ever, an abundance of obverse labels reading - "Vinted and Bottled By ________ " / "Made and Bottled By __________".
Truth be told, the majority of wine in these bottlings are purchased from other wineries. Sure the wine can be good . . . this time around, however , don't look for any consistency.

What surprises me - I have found some primo wineries (top rack) pulling this off.

For the finest, most consistent wines, I always look for "Produced and Bottled By . . or better "Grown, Produced and Bottled By" ie "Estate Bottled".
 
twist off cap wines just tell me if its red,white or Bubbly !!
 
I'm ok with it. If there's a winery that speaks to my tastes (like say R.H. Phillips) then I'm inclined to try other things with their name on it (like Toasted Head or EXP). Sure, you may win some, may lose some, but wine as a whole isn't known for its consistancy. The variation between years being a prime example.

So if someone like Phillips sticks their name on a wine they picked up from someone else, I'm willing to take the shot, and assume that it fits what they consider "good".

Then again, I don't really ever spend more than $15 on a bottle, so I'm rarely out much if its a mediocre bottle :)
 
i also spent less than $15 a bottle. However, i find that much like cigars, "good" wine is not synonamous with "expensive" wine.

one of my favorite wine makers is Charles Shaw. (AKA "two buck chuck") this wine is $3.50 a bottle (after ohio import tax). its smooth and good. Ive never had a bottle of charles shaw i didnt like.
with that in mind, price is not a factor.
again, like cigars, wine is all by taste. Who cares where it is from. who cares who makes it. who cares where it is grown, smashed, fermented, or bottled. If you like it... you like it.

i dont look for cansistancy in a winery-- at least from year to year. I look for a bottle that i like. Then i snag up all i can from that winery and year that i am able.
I dont know as much about wine as i do about cigars. I do know that wines are not "blended" the same way cigars are. Many cigars are blended and re-blended from year to year to produce consistancy in the major brands. Wines (as far as i know) are from the same fields year after year. The temperature and rain fall and many other factors can play into the harvest that year. This can change the flavor. Maybe i just dont know as much about wines, but i know what i like.

ill stick to that.



i am also able to see what brennivin is saying. Im more willing to try a cigar from camacho than any other cigar company. That does not mean that i will like it. I know that camacho has good blenders and that a good winery has good brewers. Even the greats wont produce consistancy from year to year if the climate is bad.

i guess what i am trying to say is that i like what i like regardless of who is making it and what year it is from.

consistancy is unimportant, and sometimes, not wanted. I want something unique; something to discuss with my wife, something to stand out.
All wines/cigars should stand out if you want me to pay atention, regardless of the price.