Need a wine recommendation

DudeistMonk · #1 03-26-2009, 11:47 AM

I know there was wine thread, but a quick search didn't turn it up so I'm just starting a new one.

Anyway...

This young lady I've been dating invited me over for dinner tonight, the meal is going to be Chicken Caiccitore (sp?) and I need a wine recommendation...Something that will go well and won't max out my credit card but that still shows some class.

Mark Latimour · #2 03-26-2009, 11:48 AM

You've come to the right place, TB OT is the home of whining.

MakiSupaStar · #3 03-26-2009, 11:49 AM

Here's a wine recommendation. It's called beer.

Phalex · #4 03-26-2009, 11:57 AM

Tell ya what I do in those circumstances:

Go to an Italian specialty store and talk to the wine guy.

If you want to know about beer, I can answer those questions.

DudeistMonk · #5 03-26-2009, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Here's a wine recommendation. It's called beer.

Your talking to man who home brews and attends beer conventions...You don't have to tell me.

However in this case its more about making a gesture to the lady and setting the mood of the evening than having my drink of choice.

LowDown Hal · #6 03-26-2009, 12:01 PM

Not enough info to answer...

The best thing to do is to go to a decent Wine Store and ask the people there.
They will want to know if you prefer dry or sweet wine.
They will want to know your price range.

For myself with chicken cacciatore I'd probably go with a Zinfandel. But a Chianti almost always works with Italian recipes.

What's for desert :-)

LowDown Hal · #7 03-26-2009, 12:02 PM

or else pour a lot of Tequila into her........

Deacon_Blues · #8 03-26-2009, 12:15 PM

I googled Chicken Cacciatore to find out what it is. (I think that is the correct spelling, at least yours didn't gave any hits...

). It seems to be dish based on tomato, green peppers and some spices. I think I'd go for a full-bodied red wine for that. Try a shiraz if it's going to be spicy, otherwise perhaps a merlot or cabernet sauvignon. There's nice wines from Australia, Chile and South Africa that aren't terribly expensive. You could try for instance Jacob's Creek (Australia), KWV (South Africa), Casillero del Diablo (Chile) or something else in approximately that price range. Avoid going much cheaper than that. Maybe also the people in the wine shop can help you out a bit.

Beer would go perfectly well with that dish too.

(Disclaimer - I'm just an amateur that enjoys drinking wine more than studying it, but I gave the best tips I could, not knowing what's easily available for you.

)

Edit: I agree on the Italian wines, they usually go well with Italian food.

MakiSupaStar · #9 03-26-2009, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DudeistMonk

Your talking to man who home brews and attends beer conventions...You don't have to tell me.

However in this case its more about making a gesture to the lady and setting the mood of the evening than having my drink of choice.

Fair enough. You shall get a pass. Yeah, unfortunately, I have had the opportunity to drink some fine wine on many occasions, only to discover that what I thought was a childhood allergy to grape juice, actually applies to wine too.

Moral of the story. No wine for Maki.

lousybassplayer · #10 03-26-2009, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

Here's a wine recommendation. It's called beer.

yep. don't blow her away with your worldly sophistication. show her your a man and tell her ifshe wants rotten grape juice she can bring her own.

wabbit · #11 03-26-2009, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

... Moral of the story. No wine for Maki.

sounds like you have enough whine for everyone

Atoz · #12 03-26-2009, 12:51 PM

Whatever you end up getting, just avoid boxes, gallon jugs and bottles with screw tops or bottle caps.

Deluge Of Sound · #13 03-26-2009, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atoz

Whatever you end up getting, just avoid boxes and gallon jugs with screw tops.

What, now you're hating on wallet-friendly drunk?

I thought I knew you...

DudeistMonk · #14 03-26-2009, 12:55 PM

Quote:

I googled Chicken Cacciatore to find out what it is. (I think that is the correct spelling, at least yours didn't gave any hits...). It seems to be dish based on tomato, green peppers and some spices. I think I'd go for a full-bodied red wine for that. Try a shiraz if it's going to be spicy, otherwise perhaps a merlot or cabernet sauvignon. There's nice wines from Australia, Chile and South Africa that aren't terribly expensive. You could try for instance Jacob's Creek (Australia), KWV (South Africa), Casillero del Diablo (Chile) or something else in approximately that price range. Avoid going much cheaper than that. Maybe also the people in the wine shop can help you out a bit.

Muchos gracias!

Exactly what I was looking for...I would have bought white for chicken.

Quote:

yep. don't blow her away with your worldly sophistication. show her your a man and tell her ifshe wants rotten grape juice she can bring her own.

While I see the validity in this, its already in the bag as far as I can tell. At this point it more about setting a mood than getting laid via feigned disinterest, she ain't that type.

Atoz · #15 03-26-2009, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

What, now you're hating on wallet-friendly drunk?

I thought I knew you...

Come on, now... you know better than that. I'm all for the budget bender.

Just pointing out that the ladies might look poorly on such a thing.

Deluge Of Sound · #16 03-26-2009, 12:59 PM

Fair enough, but its hard to look down at something once you can't tell which way down is

Atoz · #17 03-26-2009, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

Fair enough, but its hard to look down at something once you can't tell which way down is

Oh... I've been there before!

Boostedrex · #18 03-26-2009, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atoz

Whatever you end up getting, just avoid boxes, gallon jugs and bottles with screw tops or bottle caps.

ROFL!! +1 on that.

Now on to your question. Since that dish is tomato based, you can pair it with a red wine and be just fine. I don't know that I would pair it with something as full as a Cabernet though. Look into the Shiraz (as was mentioned earlier) or if you prefer a lighter feel to the palate with a nice fruit presentation there are a few Pinot Nior's that would work as well. I don't know if you have access to many Spanish varietals, but if you do my number 1 choice would be a nice Tempranillo. That would go beautifully with that dish IMHO.

Zach

IanStephenson · #19 03-26-2009, 01:17 PM

Personally I'll ALWAYS go for an shiraz (or zinfandel as second choice). sometimes it's right for the dish, other times not but I don't care because it tastes good. It's a BIG wine which I really like - not delicate at all.

It also usually hits the mark price wise - The Australians can do very good wine for not much money. By comparison I'm sure the French can do GREAT wine, but not for the prices I can afford.

Californian (usually Zinfandel) wine is also good and cheap here in the UK, but when I've been in california it's been much more expensive.

Hollow Man · #20 03-26-2009, 01:43 PM

With a spicy or multi-flavored chicken dish, I'd go with a medium-dry white. I think a red might overpower the chicken. A sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, or even a riesling or chardonney would work. I'd go with either of the first two... rieslings can be all over the map with regard to dry versus sweet, and chards might be a bit too dry.