Whine about wine..........

Hello everyone, I'm a newbie, not to drinking wine, but to this forum!! Please someone help me!! I had some wine recently at a friends house (out of state of course), that was one of the best wines I have ever had. My friend of course can not remember the name of this wine, at least not enough for me to look it up. It was a muscato, spelled "muscato", not "moscoto" as all the sites have tried to convince me of. It was in a cobalt blue bottle. I don't think it said "muscato d'asti" although it may of, since it was a bit bubbly as I remember. Low alcohol content to I believe, and I only say that since there was such a low tannin taste. The only one I can find that looks similar is the Bartenura moscoto, but again, on this bottle I distinctly remember it being spelled "mUscato".

Please help!!!!

Thanks so much!!!

Hey, welcome. I bet it was Moscato d'asti. Probably the label was smudged. Usually has a very fruity/floral nose with a fairly sweet pleasant mouthfeel.

Long shot but could this be it?

http://legalmix.com.hosting.domaindirec ... odasti.htm

My guess is the title is a misprint for Moscato, and the image is too small for me to be sure. But the bottle is blue and I've seen that "Muscato" spelling, although none of the normal references use it. So .... maybe.

Welcome to WLDG.

Regards, Bob

A quick web search highlights instances (including Moscato D'Asti) where the wine is labelled Muscato. I checked the book I have on grapes and wines, but no reference there to Muscato. I reckon it's just a naming preference, though if there's something more substantially different, I'm sure someone will chime in.

regards

Ian

Thanks so much to everyone for your help and quick replies. I'm sort of leaning towards the Bartenura Moscato d'Asti myself, I'm about 98% sure that was it. My friend is going to the wine store where she purchased the bottle, to see if A:there is any more, and if not B:if anyone there remembers it.

Question: Has anyone ever had a wine recommended to them, only to find that it was horrible?? I ask this because on a recent family trip to the Outer Banks of NC, (on Ocracoke island to be exact), we were dining at a wonderful quaint bistro, and I was having some trouble deciding on wine. The wine list had a few things recognizable, and a few things that were "new" to me, and I really wanted to try something new. I was thinking of having a curried vegetable dish, and really wanted a crisp white, so I let the waitress make a recommendation. Boy was that a mistake. I think it was some kind of Pinot Gri. It was HEAVY and BOLD to say the least.

Another question: When do you think is "too young" for a person to start learning about wines, wine history and so forth (including tasting and on occasion having a glass with certain foods). I ask this, because my daughter who is 12, has an interest in wine now, and like her mother, loves to taste and try them out with different foods and such. I think it's perfectly acceptable, and I'm actually happy that she's learning. I will say also that this is not something we do very often, she may have a sip or two about 3 to 5 times a year, and only has a full glass with a meal about once a year.

Sorry about the above novella, I'm just happy that I've found a group that enjoys discussing these things!!! (FINALLY LOL).

Take care everyone,
Millie

Millie
Yes - a number of times I've had wine recommended and it's been poor (for my palate that is). Wine cannot be condensed into a simple score - we differ too much in our tastes. It's sometimes useful to ask the recommender exactly why they're recommending the wine. What features they like and why does it stand out. Sometimes the answers can be a good support for giving it a go, other times it may set the alarm bells ringing.
e.g. if I want something for a light summers evening drinking, I may not feel a wine that's "packed with great fruit and has fantastic big tannins" is ideal.
regards
Ian

Hi Millie, Welcome to the forum and as always it makes us happy to find some one so eager that he or she asks questions. I don't know all the answeres, but I do have opinions. As to when to start to let a child learn about wine. I believe that it can and should happen when the child wants to know, I also know that in Spain (for example) that children are allowed a small glass of wine diluted with some sweetened water at or around the age of 5 years. then as the child ages the water is reduced to a point that by the age of 12 or so he/she is getting a few ounces of straight wine with dinner. I firmly believe that de-mistifying alcohol robs it of the forbidden fruit cachet that kids seem attracted to. Again welcome to the forum, we hope you stay around.

Well...to kinda sorta answer the first question, I have been asked by a patron seated next to me [after I had made my wine order] to recommend a wine for their particular entree.

After they took my advice, they came back to our table and told us it was a very nice choice.

As to "too young"...well 21 is the legal drinking age but our son [all of 16] has been exposed to wine and it's intricacies most of his life. My daughter [who is 11] is still learning.

The bottom line is we don't hide the fact we drink wine and, in fact, we have taken them with us on many wine tastings at the Central Coast Wineries of California [they are closest to our home].

Our goal?

Teach them that wine is to be respected and enjoyed in moderation and not to be abused.


I hope this helps.

Question: Has anyone ever had a wine recommended to them, only to find that it was horrible??

A few months ago the wine steward at a local restaurant recommended two different bottles of Pinot Noir. We did not care for the first one she opened, and she immediately removed it from the table. It was not corked or otherwise spoiled; it just was not very good. The second bottle was a keeper, however.

A friend and local wine merchant taught me a very good lesson a few years ago. When someone recommends a wine to her, she asks them to describe it and tell her why he/she likes it. This helps her determine if she and the other party are on the same wavelength. For example, a recommendation from someone who lives for big, alcoholic, Zinfandel fruit monsters would not be a good match for my friend, who enjoys old world style wines. A brief question and answer like this usually helps her quickly calibrate her tastes with those of the person recommending the wine.

[quote="Millie Kenney"]

Question: Has anyone ever had a wine recommended to them, only to find that it was horrible??

Welcome Millie:

I don't make it around here anywhere near as often as I like any more (too many family/home/work obligations), but this has to be one of, if not the friendliest sites around. As for your question, oh my yes. Perhaps the most memorable was at a local restaraunt here in Charleston that has great food, but an aweful wine list. I asked the waiter for a recomendation and explained to him that I really prefered Old World style wines to New World. Much to my surprise, instead of recomending one of the two Beaujolais they had on the menu, he recomended a Californian wine that I knew nothing about. Rather than questioning him on why he recomended that wine, I went ahead and ordered a glass. What he brought me was so over oaked I was tempted to ask for a pair of tweezers to pull the splinters out of my tongue. To make a short story long, it seems the waiter may have been a great server of fine foods, but know absolutely nothing of wine and honestly thought that the wine he brought me was Old World in style.

Hi, Millie, and welcome.
I second the advice that, when a wine is recommended, ask the person what it is they like about it. If you do, as often as not you will hear that "it's so smooth." I don't know about you, but I don't want, or like "smooth" wine, which usually means no tannins, no acid. Grape juice is smooth.
Then again you may hear that it is "a nicely structured wine with plenty of interest, a touch of earth with the red fruit flavors, no perceptable oak, and with a lengthy and spicy finish that should go extremely well with" your dish.
As for age, I agree. Whenever they are ready and interested.

Thanks so much to everyone for the warm and fruity Old Worldy welcomes!!! LOL. I plan on sticking around!! This is so great!!

I must say a BIG THANKS to everyone for making me feel at ease about me letting my daughter learn about wine, via tasting and trying. I was actually a little afraid to ask, since so many seem to frown on it. I think of wine the same way I do trying fine foods, or travelling to new places, learning new things. We are not tying her down and pouring ripple down her throat. Wouldn't that be some sort of abuse??? LOL


Thanks for the advice on the recommended wines, good advice from everyone on that one. I will definitely use that technique next time!!

Again, thanks so much to everyone!!!

Millie

Hi, Millie. Welcome.

When someone asks me to recommend a wine to go with a particular dish, the first question I always ask is "Well, what do you like?" That one usually provides good information--usually. Even people who don't think they have a clue usually will state a preference with a little prodding. Then we can go on to explore options (and price, of course).