Whatcha drinking (2018-2022)?

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FowlersFreeTime said:
Dry January continues tonight with non-alcoholic red wine:
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Tasting notes to follow later.
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I do not of principle, set out to do a dry period with regard to alcoholic beverages. I simply regard alcoholic beverages in a place of being food additives or luxury food accompaniments which show up as part of variety in beverages and food. By the same token, I do not set out to indulge in alcoholic beverages for recreation or to 'fit in socially' with other people. Going dry is not a necessity as my use of alcoholic beverages is far less than even being purposely moderated. It is just part of a varied intake of food and beverages which is simple and not over done.
 
So far, I have tasted 3 non-alcoholic wines and one non-alcoholic beer. The beer is the only one that tasted like the original product. It is a culinary curiosity that some of these non-alcoholic options even exist...

flyinglentris my primary reason for doing Dry January is in solidarity with my wife, who will have to give up alcohol throughout the pregnancy.
Secondary objective: I have failed to complete Dry January in the past so this time I am trying to be mindful to not only complete the assignment, but also to determine what I miss most about drinking: the flavor of the beverages, the buzz from the beverages, or the social aspect of drinking with friends.
Third objective: to see if not "drinking my calories" will result in weight loss. I suspect this will be a failed objective as I don't believe I was drinking so heavily as to be a main component of my weight gained.

Sorry everyone, you may return to the topic at hand! 😅
 
Something different and often comes with a lower abv than many wines (around 12%):
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Gruner Veltliner (this is the grape variety) from Austria. Anyone who likes sauvignon blanc should like this. It is fresh and fruity (like savvy b) but has greater texture, maybe slightly fuller and richer, so is good on its own and great with food. And makes it more interesting to folk like me! Anything you like to eat with savvy b will be fine with this. It has been on an upward trend the last few years, so once available at indies only, it can now be found easily.
These are two good examples, around the £10-12 mark. You will not find a poor example anywhere as the Austrians no longer export rubbish, although supermarket own label bottles may not be as good as slightly more expensive ones.
Usually found in tall, riesling or Alsace type bottles, like the one on the right, but don to let this put you off! I have no idea why the one on the left is in a burgundy shaped bottle, it is the only one I've seen.
I think some producers are experimenting with this grape in the southern hemisphere but have not tasted one.
 
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Shadow said:
Something different and often comes with a lower abv than many wines (around 12%):
View attachment 78912

Gruner Veltliner (this is the grape variety) from Austria. Anyone who likes sauvignon blanc should like this. It is fresh and fruity (like savvy b) but has greater texture, maybe slightly fuller and richer, so is good on its own and great with food. And makes it more interesting to folk like me! Anything you like to eat with savvy b will be fine with this. It has been on an upward trend the last few years, so once available at indies only, it can now be found easily.
These are two good examples, around the £10-12 mark. You will not find a poor example anywhere as the Austrians no longer export rubbish, although supermarket own label bottles may not be as good as slightly more expensive ones.
Usually found in tall, riesling or Alsace type bottles, like the one on the right, but don to let this put you off! I have no idea why the one on the left is in a burgundy shaped bottle, it is the only one I've seen.
I think some producers are experimenting with this grape in the southern hemisphere but have not tasted one.
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That variety is one of our favorite wines. We always have some on hand.
 
Shadow said:
I used to adore them. It is now 30 since they amazed the wine world. My timing was bad as this was then when I left the country!
Now, I only like the riesling ice wines, I find vidal and others too sweet or out of balance for my taste. Sadly, they are now out of my price range!
The good news is that canada now produces some fantastic table wines, especially chardonnay and pinot noir from ON and many reds from BC.

I found very few I enjoyed enough to buy. There seemed to be really cheap stuff (e.g. 2 buck chuck) or really expensive (e.g. harlan estate). Mid range that offered good value is hard to come by in the UK. Wente has always been ok and reliable though. My taste has now changed over the years and I much prefer the less bold and brash wines from OR or WA, than CA.

Cannot recall tasting anything from TX, probably because I have only spent about 2 days max there and that was over 20 years ago! But I was surprised by the quality of kit coming out of NM, when I had a small holiday there. I would imagine they would be similar.

Very true.

It is indeed.
As is chablis, which often surprises the folk who claim not to like chardonnay. The difficulty with chardonnay, when first trying wine is that the difference between chablis (clean, fresh, bright, no oak) to a big, bold, full-bodied, high abv chardy from california or australia, for example, is that they are polar opposites and taste nothing like each other. Much trial and error is required to find something you might like!
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My sister is a huge lover of ice wines. She was with the Dept. of State and one of her favorite posts was Germany. They have great ice wines (and fabulous beer--and so do some of their neighboring countries of course).

She and I took a trip up to Canada to Niagara Falls for a few nights a few years back because she had never been, and then we drove up and stayed a few nights in Niagara-on-the-Lake and visited several wineries, she absolutely loved it and spent a good amount on ice wines while there. I am not a huge fan of sweet wines but I was able to find something I liked :happy:

I will drink a chardonnay or chablis but it's not my favorite, I like Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon blanc more.
 
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