What is the best wine you have ever tasted?

[Farang99]

Chateauneufdupapes Chateau Rayas 1978, drunk in 1990-95. Never forgotten

[wgdanson]

9 hours ago, Shiver said:

Do you make it, or do you mix Tipco juice with LaoKhao? ?  I think that's what most commercial wines here taste like.

I did have 1 good bottle here quite a few years ago, but I never knew the name of it because it was a blind tasting session, where we all buy a bottle and had to rate them (I guess it's just a jumped up version of a beer game).

The best wines I've had by far were in Livigo Italy.  I drink red if I have the chance, but it was a wine taste in a Deli to encourage sales.  I came out with white, rose as well as red.  They'd give you some to try, then a biscuit with it, and the taste transformed, then with cheese, then the biscuit (cracker actually) and the cheese together.  I don't have words to describe it, but got half a dozen bottles to take back to UK.  All pleased with myself I opened a bottle at Sunday dinner and all of them were absolutely average.

I'm told that if you take them from altitude just down to sea level (never mind on an aircraft) they don't make it.  No idea why that would be, but these things transformed into 'also rans' that's for sure.  I so wish my family could have experienced them.  They weren't expensive either (Livigno being tax free).

No LaoKhao sir. Grape juice, sugar, lemon juice, yeast nutrient, yeast and time. I do add some concentrated grape juice I got in UK which improves the taste. Last lot went from 15% S Gravity to 0% in six days. Ready to bottle it.

[Parsve]

If a wine is affordable or not are decided by three simple questions;
1. Is it drinkable?
2. Is it free?
3. Is there more?

[dddave]

18 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Chateau d’Yquem

Got a small bottle as a gift once.  Just a tiny amount on the tongue was incredible, the flavors seeming to play out forever.  I never brought it out for friends; kept every drop for myself.

[LennyW]

Tried many wines while working in Argentina, never paid any attention to the names, but all were far superior to anything i tried previously in many other countries. Incredibly cheap as well.

[Speedhump]

Generically I find a South African Chenin Blanc always tastes delicious, I can drink it like lemonade with say a well-salted chicken sandwich on white bread. ?

But the finest wine to my taste must be either an Argentinian Malbec Reserve (red) or a Gavi di Gavi (white). I don't pay over 1200 Baht for a bottle so that's why I don't include Barolo as my favourite red. And I don't have the palate to believe a 10000 Baht bottle is better than a 1500 Baht one anyway. ?

[sammieuk1]

The free stuff on the plane out of here?

[jayboy]

It's reading a thread like this that reinforces one's sense of the forum's sophistication, class and worldliness.

[melvinmelvin]

15 minutes ago, Speedhump said:

Generically I find a South African Chenin Blanc always tastes delicious, I can drink it like lemonade with say a well-salted chicken sandwich on white bread. ?

But the finest wine to my taste must be either an Argentinian Malbec Reserve (red) or a Gavi di Gavi (white). I don't pay over 1200 Baht for a bottle so that's why I don't include Barolo as my favourite red. And I don't have the palate to believe a 10000 Baht bottle is better than a 1500 Baht one anyway. ?

When you say Barolo, good stuff, I must say Ripasso and Amarone, even better stuff, but often somewhat costly.

 

Malbec, yes.

Some pretty costly French wines have been mentioned the last couple of days.

 

Spaetlese was mentioned, yes please I'll have another glass if I may.

 

Have been a few times to Punta Arenas in southern Chile.

The hotel wine list was loooooong, no chance of drinking my way through, most days managed 2 bottles,

so many brilliant wines that I have never seen in Europe.

 

[NanLaew]

23 hours ago, Lacessit said:

... It was the kind of rich, full-bodied red that insisted another glass was necessary. ...

Hopelessly clichéd wine post of the day award goes to...

[moontang]

1986 Charles Krug Cabernet,,,,would dip my bite of filet mignon in it...

[NanLaew]

26 minutes ago, jayboy said:

It's reading a thread like this that reinforces one's sense of the forum's sophistication, class and worldliness.

Wholeheartedly agree. Buckfast is simply tremendous.

[Spidey]

I can remember in 1981 (I think) Marks and Spencer selling an own brand 1971 Rioja. I can't remember the exact price but around £2.50 ( 110 baht). Once it became known about, the shelves would be emptied within minutes of then being stocked, people buying cases at a time. Eventually customers in my local store were limited to 2 bottles per purchase.

 

A superb wine. I rarely drink anything but Rioja and to this day, it's the best Rioja that I've ever tasted.

 

Come Christmas and, of course, the shelves were emptied instantly and no more appeared until the New Year.

 

When it reappeared, the vintage had changed from 1971 to 1972. Just an average bargain basement Rioja and the 1971 Rioja was just a distant, but beautiful, memory.

[AlQaholic]

A wine cellar years ago in the Check Republic (then it was still communist Checkoslovakia) directly from the barrel. The white wine tasted like all the springs (the seasons) I have ever enjoyed in my whole life put together. I cant remember much else of that evening and night.....

[Spidey]

45 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

The free stuff on the plane out of here?

Agreed, the more you drink of it, the better it tastes.

 

Probably because the more you drink of it the nearer you get to Bangkok.

[NanLaew]

A stellar Les Saint-Georges Nuits-Saint-Georges that inexplicably popped up on the shelf of the Co-op on Broad Street, Peterhead some time in the mid-1970's. Our wild adolescent inhalation in the back of the band's van on the way to a gig did it absolutely no justice. The Co-op were never able to get any more so we had to slum it with Beaune instead.

 

Mrs Nan has taken a liking to Amarone della Valpolicella and sometimes shares... otherwise a Tahuna 2011 Pinot Noir fits the bill... please excuse the screwtop.

[Krataiboy]

A vintage Bordeaux called Margeau, consumed with indecent relish forty years ago and never forgotten. The same goes for my blonde drinking partner.

[Spidey]

Just now, Krataiboy said:

A vintage Bordeaux called Margeau, consumed with indecent relish forty years ago and never forgotten. The same goes for my blonde drinking partner.

I remember the Margeau well.

 

My aunt was an ex prostitute from Bordeaux. Her favourite tipple.

[xylophone]

The "best wine I've ever tasted" is difficult to answer because tasting them at different points in one's life (ages) along with different foods and different company, so perhaps the memory gets a little faded, but here are a few that I remember as being very good indeed: –

 

– Château Grand Puy Lacoste (10 years old).

– Bourgogne Mdme Leroy (biodynamique).

– Corton Grand Cru.

– Nuits St Georges (Msieur Bocquanet)

– Frederico Paternina Rioja Gran Reserva 1964.

– Chapoutier Cote Rotie (various vintages).

– Château Mouton Rothschild 1970.

– Château d'quem 

– Grange (was Grange Hermitage). Plus many other good Australian reds.

– Older style Chateauneuf du papes (with less Grenache and more other varieties).

– Brunello de Montalcino

– Ravenswood Zinfandel

– Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon reserve 1984.

– A 10-year-old Bulgarian reserve red, made specially for the "Royal family", reminiscent of a fine older Bordeaux, and simply stunning.

 

Better stop here because the list could go on and on, and I've been fortunate enough to have been able to taste many wines from different countries, esp with the help of my French wine merchant friend.

 

[topt]

35 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Frederico Paternina Rioja Gran Reserva 1964.

Federico not Fred......

I remember selling some of their range of wines back in the late 70's early 80's and trying to switch buyers from bog standard Mouton Cadet to their Banda Azul which I thought had a lot more going for it at a cheaper price.

I loved this Gran Reserva but cannot remember the vintages we had. Thanks for the memory 

[kokopelli]

8 hours ago, chicowoodduck said:

Water.....just before it was turned into wine at the local church....lol....?

I can't turn water into wine, but I can turn wine into water.?

[Lacessit]

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Hopelessly clichéd wine post of the day award goes to...

Mr. Sour Grapes

[Krataiboy]

3 hours ago, Spidey said:

I remember the Margeau well.

 

My aunt was an ex prostitute from Bordeaux. Her favourite tipple.

Was your aunt blonde, by any chance?

[DJ54]

Hard to say which is best. Must be red full body. I like Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon a little pricey @ $60 USD in US. There are a lot of good wines out there, some at very good prices. 

 

Flew from China with Chinese customer to vendor that was having delivery issues. After several months of no western food my mouth 

was watering for a steak. 

 

The vendor was near Napa Valley so I’m thinking awesome Steak and some of the best California wines. Off we go and he pulls out his phone 

and says I found a Chinese place to eat arrrrrrrr and it wasn’t good Chinese 

 

[Spidey]

8 minutes ago, Krataiboy said:

Was your aunt blonde, by any chance?

Sometimes. ?

[Shiver]

7 hours ago, Parsve said:

If a wine is affordable or not are decided by three simple questions;
1. Is it drinkable?
2. Is it free?
3. Is there more?

 

7 hours ago, wgdanson said:

No LaoKhao sir. Grape juice, sugar, lemon juice, yeast nutrient, yeast and time. I do add some concentrated grape juice I got in UK which improves the taste. Last lot went from 15% S Gravity to 0% in six days. Ready to bottle it.

I'm very interested to try that.  I don't know if I'm allowed to ask on here, but would you sell me a bottle? (Private Message probably more appropriate if yes).  If it's better than the supermarket stuff then I'd be very interested in learning how to do this (there's no methanol in there is there?).  Maybe a dumb question, but I've only ever been on the buying end of alcohol, not the creation end.

[wgdanson]

26 minutes ago, Shiver said:

 

I'm very interested to try that.  I don't know if I'm allowed to ask on here, but would you sell me a bottle? (Private Message probably more appropriate if yes).  If it's better than the supermarket stuff then I'd be very interested in learning how to do this (there's no methanol in there is there?).  Maybe a dumb question, but I've only ever been on the buying end of alcohol, not the creation end.

Hi Shiver. You only get methanol when you distill a fermentation. Will IM you. The penalty for getting caught making your own plonk is Bht 200, but get caught selling it......Bangkok Hilton !

[xylophone]

3 hours ago, topt said:

Federico not Fred......

I remember selling some of their range of wines back in the late 70's early 80's and trying to switch buyers from bog standard Mouton Cadet to their Banda Azul which I thought had a lot more going for it at a cheaper price.

I loved this Gran Reserva but cannot remember the vintages we had. Thanks for the memory 

Yes, it was a stunner in its day and I did hear say that it was one of the best vintages he had ever produced!

It must have been very good because I bought a case in the late 1970s and drank a few of them, but took the rest over to New Zealand when I emigrated.

 

Fast forward to 1987 when I was in Australia after the America's Cup and I went into a Spanish restaurant in Adelaide and commented to the owner that I had some Frederico Paternina Gran Reserva1964 back in NZ.

 

Well he wouldn't leave me alone, pestering me to name a price for the last few bottles I had (about three or thereabouts as I recall) and he basically asked me to name my price and he would pay for shipping over to Oz.

 

It all got a bit too much as I was trying to eat at the same time, along with friends, so I basically told him it was not for sale, however from what he was saying I'm pretty sure I could have charged up to about $100 a bottle and he would have probably agreed??

 

Sadly, as is always the case as wine ages way past its prime, the last bottle I had a couple of years after that, was just a shadow of its former self, but there again that is to be expected when you consider that this sort of wine had to spend up to 6 years in barrel before it was even released!

[xylophone]

[Lacessit]

2 hours ago, wgdanson said:

 

You only get methanol when you distill a fermentation.

I guess I better chuck my chemistry diploma in the bin, I always thought you got ethanol.