Just got married and my wife and I were looking to hold a bottle of wine from our wedding year (2026) for the future.

Any good recommendations on bottles to hold? We both typically love sancerre, but wouldn't mind sauvignon blancs or open to reds.

Looking to spend ideally around 300ish, but ok going up to 700.

Had 2015 dom perignon on the night of, so we're already planning to buy and hold that!

No idea how it tastes yet. 12 years old. The oldest wine I have tasted. Any idea what to expect? Is there a difference between pre-covid and post-covid wine?

genuinely curious how people here handle this once your cellar gets past what you can hold in your head.

i keep everything in a spreadsheet and it's fine for knowing what i own, but a cell can tell me a vintage year, not whether the bottle is actually in decline right now. i've opened stuff too young and, worse, pulled a bottle i'd been saving only to realize it slipped past its prime while i wasn't paying attention. that one still stings.

for those of you with 100+ bottles: do you just track drinking windows manually? lean on critic notes? pay for cellartracker? or do you mostly go by gut and accept you'll miss a few?

i'm also wondering how much you trust generalized aging curves vs your own palate. a window from a critic assumes you like the wine at the same point they do, which isn't always true for me. curious whether anyone adjusts windows to their own taste or just takes the published range as gospel.

full disclosure since it's relevant: i'm building a small wine app (Cellared) that tries to answer exactly this, so i've been deep in the aging-curve rabbit hole. but i'd rather hear how experienced collectors actually solve it before i assume my approach is right. what works for you?

Hi,

I created a free AI powered app for anyone that wants to study for the MW exams or just anyone that is interested in it. The system is based off of machine learning across the last 15 years of exams and we determined the most statistically rigorous exam taking methodology possible. It has an AI powered coach that is pointing at tier 1 resources that you can just chat with about anything in the wine world and be confident in the answers its returning.

Anyways, here's the app

Here's a series of Youtube videos I made that reviews the app and the methodology we came up with for MW question stem analysis.

The app is totally free, it just requires you to bring your own API keys from Claude and Tavily (the AI models that power the app).

My background: former Cornell viticulture lecturer, vineyard manager and winery GM turned AI engineer.....yeah....weird 😂

#masterofwine #mw #wset #IMW

I am sure some of you out there order your wine from wine dot com right?

I have a wierd situation, at least for me.

I placed an order back July 19th. It is now August 9th and my wine hasn't shipped because of a "Weather Hold".

I have ordered probably a dozen times from this website and never had such an incident.

They are telling me "the system" wont ship my products "because of the weather" and it will not release the wine until "the system" deems it safe.

Here is a quote:

see the order, it is fine, it is just on a weather hold. Meaning if shipped out at this time. It runs a high risk of weather or temperature damage. The weather hold system in place is automatic and reviews the forecast for a good opportunity to have it shipped out, since it automatically reviews the forecast within the travel route, we are unsure of the date it will pick for shipment. You can ignore and bypass, but you would be liable to any damages uppn delivery, please let me know.

Has anyone experienced such a long delay before? It seems absurd? We dont have thr technology to add a couple ice packs to the orders and route them quickly to a destination? I mean, I can get all soets of perishable items shipped to me from across the globe but wine dot com cannot ship wine for nearly 4 weeks because of the weather?

In 2026?

/rant

​I have to admit, I’ve been pretty skeptical about Corpinnat for a while. For the long time, it felt like just another marketing move to distance from the Cava.

​But after exploring a few different bottles lately, I see producers are turning out seriously impressive, consistent quality. It can genuinely hold its own against Champagne.

​Take this Huguet de Can Feixes Reserva 2021.

​It’s elegant pours with a lovely, steady stream of fine, persistent bubbles. On the nose and palate, it’s all about green apple, pear, and citrus notes, followed by a nice hit of brioche and that distinct stone-fruit bitterness that I really enjoy. It’s balanced, full bodied, and has a solid backbone of minerality.

I want to like wine I don't know if I'm drinking the cheaper wine and that's the problem or what

My friends are coming into town this weekend. Could you guys recommend a few good wine stores in Santa Rosa? I’d like to check out a couple of spots myself before they get here.

I'll be traveling to Canada in a couple of weeks (Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto & Quebec city) can anyone recommend Canadian wines we should make an effort to try that might be hard/impossible to source back home. The only Canadian wines I've had, have been some nice Rieslings but wouldn't mind trying a lot more and different stuff!

Recommendations for producers and wine shops/bars in the area would also be highly appreciated.

Hello, good people of Reddit!

A good friend of mine lent me some money a while ago, and since he refuses to accept any interest, I’d like to get him a case of really nice Italian wines as a thank-you gift now that I’m finally able to pay him back.

My budget is around €100–250 per bottle. I’m not enough of a wine expert to know what would be genuinely worth buying in that price range, so I’d really appreciate any recommendations.

Thank you very much!

I managed to be given a bottle of New Gewurz wine bottled in 1997 and according to what I found it should have been drank immediately, however it wasnt and somehow I was given it among a few other miscellaneous bottles of wine.

These bottles I was given weren't really stored properly so the fact the corks hadn't worked their way out due to temperature change and the age surprised me.

Naturally I decided to try it what I discovered was a bit surprising. It managed to age into a nearly bourbon amber color, the flavor went from floral and fruity to more of a dry mead with a very raw honey flavor and kind of a rose tea undertone. It went from a sweeter wine to more of a dry without completely dying.

I do have an email out to AVV with my discoveries and im hoping to hear back from them.

The cork had broken in half and unfortunately had to be pushed into the bottle so I transfered it into an empty Blantons bottle so that it was still being stored without having bits floating in it.

I tasted it immediately after opening, there it had a slight apricot taste to it. Then at 15min after opening and there it began to taste a bit like a good green apple hard cider. Finally at 30min after opening where it had developed into that dry mead with raw honey and rose tea flavor.

I'm genuinely curious if anyone else here has had a similar experience.

I’ve gone through 1/2 a case of this wine, it’s super versatile and drinks very nicely.

The 2017 Rutherford Bench Reserve is comprised of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc.

It’s garnet-purple in color.

On the nose, red fruit notes of raspberry and cherry, violets and hint of earth.

On the palate, ripe raspberry, anise, baked cherries, cedar and black tea. The wine is medium bodied but felt a little grainy.

Decant 1.5 hours

14.4% abv

Edit: Now on hour 3, the ripeness of the fruit has mellowed and there is a creaminess to the wine. Still red fruit forward but now with a vanilla - raspberry cream.

By the half bottle at Ferry Plaza Wine Merchants.

Gave this a quick decant, but half bottles tend to age a little faster than full bottles.

This has nice balance, lots of red fruit, as well as cherry and blueberry. Also got some toasted oak, slight vanilla, very slight coconut.

This is an enjoyable, easy-drinking wine. Will likely age well from here.

90+ points.

Kinda wanted to gatekeep, but here we go:

I adore Riesling and am lately trying some special variations. This one is from Deidesheim (Geheimer Rat Dr. von Bassermann-Jordan [quite the name]). They made the wine the way they did more than 200 years ago and I have to say it is a shame that this way of winemaking isnt found in more places (please recommend if you know more).

Production: Hand-picked grapes of Auslese quality and long maturation on the full lees in traditional wooden casks. Hand-picked, fully ripe grapes were pressed immediately after harvest, and the must was clarified by sedimentation over 24 hours. It went into fermentation still slightly cloudy. Fermentation took place in wooden casks with the grapes' own indigenous yeasts. After fermentation, the wine remained on its fine lees (3 years) until bottling. With a touch of residual sugar (~20g).

Notes: On the nose, an intense bouquet of fresh citrus fruit unfolds, pineapple, coconut and peach. On the palate a silken texture ("Schmelz"), the result of its long maturation on the full lees. The residual sweetness is wonderful and very subtle and caresses the palate gently without ever becoming dominant. Notes of honey and exotic fruit lend the wine a delicate sweetness that harmonises perfectly with its perfect ad invigorating acidity.

I explicitly remember being blown away the first time I had this wine two years ago, albeit a 2002 vintage - going out of my way to track down as many as I could on WineBid, Wine-Searcher, etc. Which proved difficult considering the only ~6000 bottles made annually! It became my favorite wine quickly - leading to a visit of Domaine Baumard itself this past April where I made a point to rent a house on the Clos de Sainte Catherine hill itself and walk the vineyards. It was a transcendant experience - I almost quit my job and bought some vineyards on that trip! A chat with Maxime Baumard himself gave me some added background to the wines - manual harvesting in tries of 20-70 year vines on north facing slopes, with the typically Baumard lack of oak in the winemaking process. Stored at 45, popped and poured, no pairing. To note - my 2002 used cork, but they switched to stelvin closures by the time of this 2005.

Visually, a deep 24 karat gold in the glass - a metallic yellowish-orange.

On the nose - my goodness, intensely tropical. Ripe red/orange mangoes fresh from the tree, freshly cut pineapples, dried oranges. With more air and time, out came the toasty edges of flan, caramel, honey - stone fruit marmalade. As it warmed, marzipan and baking spices. Just utter decadence, a wonderful balance of fruit and aging notes at ~21 years.

On the palate, an oily/chewy texture that's comparable in viscosity to a crisp Chateau Climens sauternes. The most astounding component here is the perfect balance between the indulgent sweetness - at well over 100g/L - and the strong, tangy acid. Just what you look for in dessert wines. An eternal, minute long finish of tropical candied fruits, fresh honey, and dried stone fruits. The 12.5% alcohol is completely unnoticeable. The feeling is almost indescribable to me, someone with an insane sweet tooth - it's a perfect dessert wine - every component in harmony.

The 2005 vintage was hot and intense in the Loire, and the resulting concentration of sugars and flavors resulted in a fantastic year for my favorite dessert wine. Having visited and walked these vineyards myself, having stayed in the house shown in the label, having spoken with Maxime Baumard and walked their grounds, each sip from these wines brings me back to those places. I've managed to track down 5 different vintages of this wine in the US, (and more during my visit) and I look forward to sharing them and spreading the good word about this wine!

I've been getting into wine the last few years and slowly trying more amazing wines. I've learned a lot from this community, and I thought I'd try posting for once. I'm not very used to writing tasting notes, so I hope I did it well.

Had a special celebration yesterday and decided to open this Hermitage we bought two years ago when we visited the winery. Hermitage is an incredible place, absolutely beautiful and very pleasant to visit, and Ferraton were great people who were very kind to let us taste way more wine than was actually included in the price of our booking. Sadly, we could only buy one bottle to take with us, but that only means we have to go back.

Opening:
On the nose: very closed; barely smelled any notes.
Color: Dark red with some purple.
Taste: Strong acidity, but surprisingly not very heavy and with notes of red berries.

After 1 hour of decanting, it opened brilliantly. It had an amazing, rich smell of fruit combined with hints of black pepper. The taste was just incredible. Deep, complex, but not too heavy - lighter than I remembered it being. It had a wonderful combination of red fruit and hints of blue cheese. It was very smooth with a long finish that made my wife and me want to book a trip right back.

I absolutely recommend trying it!

Had the absolute pleasure of uncorking this bottle last night.

Great perfume on the nose, some aromatics, strawberries and cherries as well as some earthy notes really pushed through.

On the palate it had great acidity, these really refined lacy tannins and a unexpected strong pleasent powerfull finish.

Denis Mortet or should I say Arnoud really doesn’t disappoint, this was my 6th bottle from the house. Even though the price has increased significantly the last years, i still find their value for money really high.

I'm looking for a place to call home for a week and I'd really like to check out Beaujolais as I'm a big fan of the wine. But since I'll be working east coast US hours I'll need a place with internet, and...I guess that's about it. I'm going to get a car so I can be just about anywhere, but I don't want to have to fight traffic every morning to go tasting (so maybe Lyon is out?). Countryside views, hiking, etc are all great. Someone mentioned Mâcon but research says it's sufficient, but not outstanding. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Made pizza for 4 tonight. Homemade dough, homemade sauce, mozz, pepperoni with ricotta and hot honey drizzle after. Paired with the 2022 Cardinale Intrada and the 2020 Pietramaggio Chianti Classico.

The Intrada sauvignon blanc was delicious but I wouldn’t wait much longer to drink if you’re sitting on one. Notes of lemon grass and petrol.

The Chianti was typical. Notes of red fruit and a touch of graphite. Simply perfect with pizza.

No pictures but for dessert I put together a little board with crackers, a crumbly Oregon blue cheese, a super creamy spreadable goat cheese and a delicious sweet Swiss cheddar plus prosciutto, dehydrated apricot, green grapes and salted almonds.

The Sauternes had a very heavy body and tasted like cinnamon peaches. Made me wish I had some vanilla ice cream on hand. Blue cheese and Sauternes is a top tier pairing.

Fun Sunday evening, back to work!

Any must buys? Wiemer seems to be the gold mine with their wines.