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Wine Connoisseurs-- I need your advice

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goldenstar

goldenstar

Brilliant_Rock
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I''m taking my Bf on a romantic getaway for his 30th bday. I wanted to take along a nice bottle of champagne for a picnic on the beach. I don''t know anything about champagne, and need suggestions about what to buy.

I like wines that are fruity or creamy, not dry, more sweet. Where should I shop and what should I get? My budget is $100, more or less.

Thanks, I would love to learn more. I feel so inexperienced.
 
Don''t laugh when I tell you this, but I think you should try prosecco. It''s not technically champagne, but rather a sparkling wine from Italy. It''s often used with peach juice to make Belinnis, but it''s wonderful by itself. And here''s the best part--it won''t break the bank. Honestly, I think it might be less than $20/bottle. And at that price go get a bottle ahead of time and see if you like it so you won''t have any surprises when you pop it open on the picnic. We have some in the fridge at all times and when people drop in we pop a bottle open. No one has ever not liked it.
 
Well for champagne....Ballatore is usually good and its like 12.99 or so at least here it is. I think otherwise....I dunno...thats what we drink...wine is more my style...Reisling is a good type...
 
ICE WINE!! Ok, it''s not champagne, but it''s oh so good. It''s Canadian and they pick the grapes right after they frost, keeping the natural sugar in. It''s kind of expensive though, I honestly can''t remember how much per bottle, but it is a great dessert wine. Sweet yet light. Mmmm. It makes me want some just thinking about it. Hope you can find something you like!

*M*
 
If you are serious about the sweet - Asti Spumante.
 
I like Piper or Moet & Chandon Champagne. If you want to spend a little more, Perrier Jouet is good as well. If you like more of the sweet and less dry champagnes, I would stay with the "Very Dry" as opposed to the "Brut" which is actually drier than the Very Dry.
 
Chandon has some beautiful sparkling wines that are sweet - DH and I just bought one on our last trip to wine country. I got a few sweet wines - I will try and look at the labels when I go home!
 
I''m not a wine connoisseur by any means, but I am very picky about what I drink. Riesling is my absolute favorite...much sweeter than most wines I''ve tasted and there are many variations in the sweetness and flavors in riesling. I also second Dee*Jay''s recommendation of prosecco. My FIL''s are huge wine drinkers and knowing I''m very picky they suggested a prosecco for me. I loved it!
 
i think i will try the prosecco to see what everyone is raving about. i don''t need "champagne" per se, any sparkling wine will do. i think the bubbles make it festive.

when my friends and i have girls'' nights at home, we drink Beringer Sparkling White Zinfandel, which we affectionately call "Sparky".
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For my wedding, my aunt & uncle shipped in a case of their favorite sparkling wine, an almond champagne from Wilson Creek

It is delicious! It's all I drank at our wedding- we still have a bottle in the fridge that I'm itching to break into.


ETA: it's only about $20/bottle
 
Date: 11/13/2006 8:20:20 PM
Author: Emeraldfan
I like Piper or Moet & Chandon Champagne. If you want to spend a little more, Perrier Jouet is good as well. If you like more of the sweet and less dry champagnes, I would stay with the ''Very Dry'' as opposed to the ''Brut'' which is actually drier than the Very Dry.
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MMMMMMMMM Moet - White Star. My favorite. And not too expensive either (usually around 30-40)
 
We like sweet sparkling wines as well. Ballatore is awesome. Also very good is sparkling Beringer. I've never had a sweet champagne only sweet sparkling wines.
 
I know you were looking for something more bubbly, but if you ever want a great wine that fits your description of the flavors you like, try: Cloudy Bay Savignon Blanc or Chardonnay.
You can get it for about $30 and it is YUM!
 
I second Asti! It's so sweet and delicious and not pricey at all. If you like raspberry, try one of the raspberry sparklings. They're fairly cheap and even sweeter than Asti. Mmmm I think I'm going to go have some wine...
 
If you want a sweet sparkling wine, I would recommend Schramsberg Cremant. It is a semi sweet California sparkling wine.
It''s not dead sweet, like a dessert wine, but fruity and sweetish. Schramsberg makes some great sparkling wine. If your bf is a wine enthusiast he will be impressed that you picked it.
 
HI:

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G.H. Mumm Carte Classic (slighly sweeter) & Cordon Rouge. Great bubbly for any occasion and reasonably priced. yum yum Heidsick, Bollinger, Tattinger, drier and more costly. But still good!
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cheers--Sharon
 
I agree that prosecco is great, I love it. It''s not extremely dry, but it also isn''t sweet at all. If you want a sweeter wine, with less alchohol (typical of sweeter wines), I''d go with an asti.

you certainly don''t need to spend $100 on a bottle of sparkling wine! especially if you''re used to drinking berringer white zin. you need to be something of a wine enthusiast to even appreciate the better wines, I think. it''s just a waste fo money for most people to spend more than 40-50 on a bottle of wine (or 60-80 in a resturaunt)
 
How sweet of you to do this!
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Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Rose champagne is TDF - it is dry but glides down your throat like melted butter on french toast..... Perhaps the Veuve Demi-Sec Champagne, may be a sweeter alternative? I do second the prosecco - it''s very reasonably priced and very easy to drink too. Also the Perrier Jouet, dry but is also lovely. Imho, I get sick quicker if they''re too sweet like the asti - but some love that!
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If you like, you can always bring a small flask of crème de cassis - add a dollop of that to your glass for a fruity and oh so pretty pink Kir Royale. Hope you have fun!
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Ferraro Carano Fume Blanc. This one of the BEST $20 bottles of Sauvignon blanc I have ever had. I highy suggest it for taste and value. It rivals a $60 bottle. They make some nice dessert wines also.

As for champagne.. I stick with the White Star Rose...its about $42.00 a bottle I think.



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