I know it’s cheaper when it comes from a bag… so lend me some knowledge please. I generally only buy ice wines or dessert wines, usually from local vineyards. So please try to educate me and be gentle
@sohmageek I too prefer iced and dessert wines. Have you tried the Sylboro Cider wines from Hick’s Orchard? They do a pretty great Winter Harvest Iced and Reserve every year or 2 that’s worthy of the trip to the orchard.
If you do go - get some hot, fresh apple cider donuts while you’re there.
@sohmageek Ice and dessert wines are much more my tastes too. I like not overly acidic whites and not super tannic/dry reds. I’ve picked up just enough wine terms from chatting with my local wine and spirits store people when I ask them “I’m making X, what do you suggest?” to follow their suggestions, but that’s about it.
Wiki says Dionysus is the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness, fertility, theatre, and religious ecstasy in ancient Greek religion and myth. The wine of Dionysus is merely the means of maddening frenzy and violent excess—for many, the inebriate escape from the harsh political and social realities of the Greco-Roman world.
I’ve got to add the wine of Christ is the bounty of God, a holy offering, the first fruits of Creation, the image of restoration, and the sign of the Covenant.
I must admit that I prefer the sweeter side of wine. Tannins tend to sit on my tongue and make me say, “I’m sure this is good, but perhaps no more”. Looking forward to future offerings. Good Luck Casemates!
I was raised in a wine-making family, so I know more than a normal person about growing (mostly native) grapes and making wine in western NY. But since I always just had my family send me cases from our own winery, I really don’t know shit about selecting wine.
@arielleslie But should the rest of us be introduced to your family’s wine? Get in touch with @WineDavid49! Some of us here quite enjoy colder climate wines, like Cab Franc from Niagara.
It’s the oldest estate winery in NY. All the alcohol in our fortified wines are from our own grapes, and we’re one of the few wineries to let out ice wine grapes freeze on the vine.
Not prepared to buy cases of wines I’ve never tasted from wineries I’ve never heard of. Is there some way we could get an actual unbiased and knowledgable reviewer to give us a clue? Not into superlatives or ratings so much as the technopoetic ravings of a genuine wine slut.
@ahansen at ww, after some time, we became accustomed to the palates of some of the lab rats, and treated them as ‘trusted’. None of us hyped or shilled bottles, but rather attempted to give a good assessment of what we were experiencing.
Others, like rpm (very trusted!), use a more formal approach; like the 20 point Davis system that really works quite well and doesn’t spot a bottle 50 points in an attempt to make it to 90.
Hang in there with us. Many have come a long way, but we all continue to learn.
This forum, with knowledgable winery participation, is a real treasure.
I know it’s cheaper when it comes from a bag… so lend me some knowledge please.
I generally only buy ice wines or dessert wines, usually from local vineyards. So please try to educate me and be gentle 
@sohmageek I too prefer iced and dessert wines. Have you tried the Sylboro Cider wines from Hick’s Orchard? They do a pretty great Winter Harvest Iced and Reserve every year or 2 that’s worthy of the trip to the orchard.
If you do go - get some hot, fresh apple cider donuts while you’re there.
@sohmageek Ice and dessert wines are much more my tastes too. I like not overly acidic whites and not super tannic/dry reds. I’ve picked up just enough wine terms from chatting with my local wine and spirits store people when I ask them “I’m making X, what do you suggest?” to follow their suggestions, but that’s about it.
The most expensive wine I’ve ever bought was one of those big bottles of cheap port to reduce and mix into a cheese dip. So not a whole lot.
@Dweezle Ditto this level of wine knowledge. Minus the bottle of cheap port.
Btw, mediocrebot here hates the dark theme.
Wiki says Dionysus is the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness, fertility, theatre, and religious ecstasy in ancient Greek religion and myth. The wine of Dionysus is merely the means of maddening frenzy and violent excess—for many, the inebriate escape from the harsh political and social realities of the Greco-Roman world.
I’ve got to add the wine of Christ is the bounty of God, a holy offering, the first fruits of Creation, the image of restoration, and the sign of the Covenant.
A bit of a difference here.
@JanaS As Franklin once said; wine is proof that god loves us. (The bastardization of the saying into beer is something he never said).
I must admit that I prefer the sweeter side of wine. Tannins tend to sit on my tongue and make me say, “I’m sure this is good, but perhaps no more”. Looking forward to future offerings. Good Luck Casemates!
I was raised in a wine-making family, so I know more than a normal person about growing (mostly native) grapes and making wine in western NY. But since I always just had my family send me cases from our own winery, I really don’t know shit about selecting wine.
@arielleslie But should the rest of us be introduced to your family’s wine? Get in touch with @WineDavid49! Some of us here quite enjoy colder climate wines, like Cab Franc from Niagara.
@klezman Everyone should be introduced to my family’s wine!
https://www.johnsonwinery.com/
It’s the oldest estate winery in NY. All the alcohol in our fortified wines are from our own grapes, and we’re one of the few wineries to let out ice wine grapes freeze on the vine.
I’m a chef and I have friends who are sommeliers, but having said that, my knowledge level is probably only a little bit better than average.
Not prepared to buy cases of wines I’ve never tasted from wineries I’ve never heard of. Is there some way we could get an actual unbiased and knowledgable reviewer to give us a clue? Not into superlatives or ratings so much as the technopoetic ravings of a genuine wine slut.
@ahansen at ww, after some time, we became accustomed to the palates of some of the lab rats, and treated them as ‘trusted’. None of us hyped or shilled bottles, but rather attempted to give a good assessment of what we were experiencing.
Others, like rpm (very trusted!), use a more formal approach; like the 20 point Davis system that really works quite well and doesn’t spot a bottle 50 points in an attempt to make it to 90.
Some also refer to the DeLong form/system that is much more free-form.
Hang in there with us. Many have come a long way, but we all continue to learn.
This forum, with knowledgable winery participation, is a real treasure.
I rely heavily on the opinion of others and stick to vineyards that I have experience with.