<p>well - it was last (Friday) night - what did you take and how did it go??</p>
<p>Mmmph. Drew another good bottle out of the wine rack tonight: Cambria chardonnay. Used to be about $12/bottle, now about $20. Damned fine for the price, probably now my favorite “sipping” chardonnay, i.e., a bottle you can open and not feel guilty if you don’t finish after a glass or two. Don’t know how available it is outside of SoCal.</p>
<p>OP: How did it go?</p>
<p>TheDad: Cambria… Hmm, sounds good. Since I’m not in SoCal, I had to settle for some Yellow Tail this weekend. Funny you should mention the two types of dessert wine drinkers. My H will only drink sweet whites. I once even caught him adding a tablespoon of sugar to his glass of chardonnay to make it “drinkable”. Yech!</p>
<p>TheDad, I too find MOST Gewurtz and Reislings too sweet. But have you tried Fetzer? It is very nice and much less sweet than others.</p>
<p>Hey, I’m up for some recommendations on dryer, less sweet rieslings and gewurtzs. I like the floral and grassiness, and the softness of German wines, but not the oversweetness, a little sweet is OK.</p>
<p>Something with a cork. Caps are an instant “turn-off.”</p>
<p>UMDad: one of my favorite Oregon wineries, WillaKenzie, makes their excellent wines with a screwcap. Why? Because screw caps are cheaper, more reliable, easier to put back if you only have one glass with dinner… </p>
<p>Michigan is a wine-friendly state (meaning you can order wine over the internet and have it shipped to you)–<a href=“http://www.willakenzie.com/”>http://www.willakenzie.com/</a></p>
<p>[I</a> really like the wine that comes in a box](<a href=“http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/04/french_rabbit_s.php]I”>http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/04/french_rabbit_s.php)</p>
<p>RE: wine headaches. If I’ve been drinking wine and get a stuffy nose, it usually means that I’m also going to get a headache. So I take an antihistamine before I go to bed and all is well. Apparently I’m allergic to histamines. Now that I’m no longer wary of red wine in general, I’ve figured out that I rarely have a reaction to Pinot Noir, Syrah or Zinfandel. Cabernets are more of a problem.</p>
<p>RE: corks vs. screwcaps. New Zealand wineries have all agreed to use screw caps, even on the finest wines. It seems like such a good idea when you consider the number of bottles of very good wine we’ve had to send back in restaurants because they were corked.</p>
<p>I’m a Shiraz fan - I love Cabernet, but my favorites are much too expensive and I don’t like Merlot. I just took a bottle of Torbreck Barossa Valley to my 31st college reunion party last weekend and it was a hit - it is Australian so it has the screw off cap. </p>
<p>I don’t know why it is necessary to take anything when going for “drinks” at a friends house. Flowers are always nice, but around here, friends can get together without everyone bringing something - that’s what reciprocity in invitations is all about.</p>