It's Wine O'Clock Somewhere!!!!

[leah elisheva]

Greetings to all and happy Thursday!

I'm Leah Elisheva, and am quite humbled, flattered, and delighted, to be here on this wonderful site, and to help lead this group!

As a certified wine connoisseur, (which I affectionately think of as merely a charming person who drinks a lot), I thought it would be such wonderful fun, to start a Wine lover’s group, hiccup, and to remind people thus, to always look at life and see their lot, with their glass half full!

Whether one drinks a five thousand dollar bottle of wine or a five dollar pick; I am of the belief that we should enjoy what we love and what loves us! (As today so many chemicals and preservatives are pumped into many wines, that a sensitive person, with allergies, can hunt far and wide to find the few which do agree with their certain system)!

The wine world out there can be one snooty and strange vat of grape graveling goofs. But if I may help keep it real, and “demystify some of that snobbery surrounding oenophilia,” I am quite happy to do it!

From the wines you pair with your fabulous smoked meals, to your marinades, or "wine essence" smoking chips too, I am excited to see your posts and pictures!

It is with joy, a passion for wine and food, (and for people sharing such things); that I invite everyone to come pour a glass, pull up a chair, and jump right in and let us all enjoy YOUR sensational sips and sentiments, in tandem with what you do smoke.

Meanwhile please make today delicious, and thank you again, for welcoming me along. I am in awe and quite masterful respect, to you smoking GURUS. And I do learn so much on each day from your quite beautiful postings and spectacular meals!

Cheers and Warm Wishes, Leah

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[moikel]

OK I am in.
Obviously being from way down south I have a different perspective,very "new world" .
European wine is drunk here but we have so much of our own & we are a patriotic bunch!
A small historical snippet. When phylloxera devastated French vineyards in the late 1800s ,they shipped cuttings from Aussie to replant. We had all French varieties brought over in the 1830_ 40s . Even though we got phylloxera back , thanks frogs, it didn't take hold in any of the low humidity wine regions so there are still vines that date to way back.
A have a bit of a thing about wine being distinctive & regional. I want a western Victorian Shiraz to be true to its heritage & terroir & be different to a Barossa Valley or Clare Valley or Hunter Valley or Rutherglen. I drink all of them :drool

 

[leah elisheva]

Hi Moikel and thanks tons for your great shared palate and perspective on wine!!!! Welcome, welcome!

Just breaking that down for anyone else interested in your wonderful words, and sharing my "two sips" so to speak, an easy way to remember those terms, is that OLD WORLD wines, most formally are known as those which hail from France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Portugal, in that these were here "first."

NEW WORLD wines, are from America, South America, (all those Argentina and Chile picks), South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. As those came later.

There are some other "ancient wine drinking areas," obviously, such as Greece, Israel, and more.

HOWEVER, today sometimes up to 90% or more of an "old world" wine country's certain wine house production is made for export to the USA, and hence gets loaded with chemicals, preservatives (to help it stand upright in a grocery store without it going sour), and therefore loses some of that more natural, and minimalistic, "old world" method of wine making.

This doesn't mean a thing, unless one is sensitive to additives (ME) and thus I lean toward old world wines, mostly from France, but from other places too, and devoid of lots of junk.

Our newer world wines are made differently, mostly in steel not wood, have loads more sugar added (as our "new age" does love its sugar) and there are many more chemicals (which do not need to be legally labeled by the way) that are added to the wine - hence people getting 'reactions' to wine sometimes, and even after only half a glass!

Many Americans are now buying vineyards in "new world" wine countries such as Chile and Argentina, and therefore making those wines with lots of preservatives and so forth. This means that a Malbec from Argentina can have just as much junk in it as a preservative packed wine from anywhere else.

In Australia however, you have access to some exceptionally made wines, and some without preservatives too, which are entirely DIFFERENT, than the ones which are exported to the states.

So what we see in Aussie sections here, is not the same as what you can buy and happily drink there, or most certainly not entirely.

The main takeaway however, is that whether OLD WORLD or NEW WORLD, one should indeed drink whatever is OUT OF THIS WORLD, to THEM!

Don't let any sommelier or snooty wine snob push you in a direction toward something you're "supposed" to drink and love, and without he or she at least taking time to hear and learn about your tastes and preferences.

For anyone who can drink everything without any sensitivity, (some folk can down what tastes like damn near battery acid and not have a problem), then pluck away from new world, old world (the latter will be much drier overall) and whatever you it is that you like!

Those who have lots of sensitivity, will do far better when meandering through OLD WORLD vineyards, and I am happy to help anyone get a grip on the difference and become more comfortable finding wines that they like but which also LIKE THEM!

Hopefully, this little sip already, helps in some kind of way. And Moikel, thank you again, for being here!!!!

Cheers to today!!! - Leah

 

[hambone1950]

I'm in ! I will follow your posts with great interest. I drink wine regularly and I know what I like , but I'm not really what you'd call an educated consumer.
But I love to learn!

 

[leah elisheva]

Fantastic Hambone! Welcome aboard indeed!

And I think "learning about wine" or uh, well let's call it, "doing research" via one's glass, smiles, is a pretty fun thing!

But moreover, and in relation to THIS site, wine paired with smoked food, is just really beautiful too and so here's to that!

I'm delighted you're excited too, and it isn't just MY posts here, as I want everyone to post photos and start threads and write about whatever they are drinking with their smoked meals too, or whatever wine-smoke related thing they wish! This is for everyone!

Thanks tons for coming along and kindly share the good word with any others!

Cheers and happy Friday!!!!!! Let's make today amazing!!! - Leah

 

[smokinmad]

    Looking forward to this ride......I'm with you Hambone...just a dumb ole truck driver here....don't drink much, (make my living with my drivers license), but my daughter got me into enjoying a good wine. She is the one who bought me my 1st Ice Wine and we share a bottle of Moscato when she comes home from San Antonio.

    It was the wife's boyfriend who got me into German wines. Now they know how to make wine.

    So like Hambone I hope to learn from our Connoisseuring Host and pick her "Wine Rack" for some good picks....lol

Ron

 

[leah elisheva]

Hey Ron! Welcome in!!!

Your humor is fabulous, and I'm glad that you're here!

You have a fancy for sweet wines, and it's so fun to hear what each person loves! That is terrific!

I for example, love bone dry wines, but just adore when people discover what they really like, and I believe that if drinking wine at all, one should only drink what they love!

So here's to you already knowing the style of what you love! That's the whole magic in it really!

This Group is going to be fun!!!

Happy Friday to you!!!! Cheers! - Leah

 

[mneeley490]

Hello, I'm in.

I live in Washington state, and am fortunate enough to be close to many top notch wineries and tasting rooms in Woodinville, WA. I have been drinking and collecting for about 15 years, and have a passive cellar that has plateaued at about 400 bottles. Mostly WA and German wines, with a little of everything else thrown in. I don't have a particular favorite varietal or region, though I do tend to favor New World wines.

 

[leah elisheva]

Well that sounds fabulous Mneeley490! I'm so glad you're here!

I actually did some time in Washington. (Not prison mind you, but "time," out there in Seattle-land, eating and drinking and finding myself so to speak). I remember the Woodinville wines well!

Meanwhile, your collection must be fabulous, and it's great that you already know where in the world the wines that you love do hail from overall. That's half the battle, and just makes life (and ordering wine) so much easier.

The New World picks from Washington and Oregon can both prove to be surprisingly wonderful, and here's to wonderful drinking with whichever bottles you love!

It will be fun to get some posts going and have us all share our great smokes and libation!

Happy Friday! Cheers! - Leah

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Figured I better join up to keep track of all you Winos! I'm a beer guy, but the wife is a wino so maybe I'll learn something here and be able to bring home the right wine when asked! Man she gets all over me

when I chill the wrong kind of wine.

 

[leah elisheva]

Just Fabulous Dirtsailor!

I'm so glad you're here!

And your remarks remind me of the old joke about a man and a woman, sitting underneath the stars, outside on the porch, drinking some wine and just relaxing into the night, when the woman exhales, and just exclaims, "I love you!"

The man gets all 'strong & silent type' shy; he looks around nervously, and then asks, "Yeah right, is that YOU, or the WINE talking?"

And the woman explains, "Why it's ME! - Talking to the wine!"

OK then, Cheers to your evening! And post whatever you like here and of course invite everyone to join, as we are going to have a great deal of fun! - Leah

 

[smokinmad]

Dirt.....Not much of a beer drinker myself....BUT...on a hot July day, after workin in da yard....well, a beer from the freezer Does hit the Spot.....However, a nice glass of Wine at the Proper Temp. does hit the spot too.... Don't worry Dirt....we wont tell your beer buddies.....your a Wino' too..

Ron

 

[humdinger]

I'm in! I have learned a lot just from this one little thread so I am looking forward to more. Thanks for the great group idea Leah!

 

[leah elisheva]

That's right Ron, we won't tell on anyone for being a wino, although the others are missing out, as it's wonderful stuff!!!!!! Smiles.

But here's to everyone enjoying whatever it is which they prefer - whether milk, wine, Windex - now, now, here's to everyone being happy!

And Humdinger, thank you so much! I am thrilled if anyone learns anything at all, and enjoys anything at all, and I'm just so happy to have started this great group for us all to share sips!!!

Cheers to today!!! Just smoking some whole sardines today for lunch, although I love those entirely too!!! Warm wishes, Leah