[wine&beer] Affreschi Pinot Grigio, Arrogant Bastard Ale.

[fishfoo]

Affreschi Pinot Grigio: Italian (Delle Venezie), imported by Monsieur Touton, approx. $6 per 750 mL bottle, $10-$11 per 1.5 litre bottle. 11% ABV. Light straw in color, light pear on the nose. Crisp, clear mouthfeel. Very clean -- short finish, but pinot grigio shouldn't linger too long. Just a bit of tartness. Very little oak, unlike (say) Cavit

Comments

[fengshui]

Neat writeup on the Affreschi. Are they running 100% stainless steel then? schlafmanko doesn't like the butteryness and oakeyness of most wood-barrel chards, so we try to stay mostly with the stainless when we can.

I see the Stone's beers quite a bit around here, since SD is pretty close.

Have you tried Blue Moon? A very nice wheat beer from colorado starting to see some national distribution. Seems to be the wheat beer most commonly on tap in the ski towns of colorado when I was there last month for my cousin's wedding.

Also, what are you favorites in the inexpensive scotch realm? I usually tend to buy what I can find on discount at costco, but sometimes I'll try a real cheap bottle from trader joe's. They usually carry lismore for under $20 a fifth, which is a nice blend, particularly for your second or third finger, after you've started with something better.

[fishfoo]

The Affreschi is a pinot grigio, not a chardonnay. If she doesn't like oaky chardonnay, stay away from most US production -- US wineries tend to massively oak their chardonnays, to cater to the "international" (read: undiscriminating) market. A couple of exceptions: Silver unoaked chard (~$35), Chateau Ste. Michelle single-vineyard chards (~$20-~25; the Canoe Ridge is a particular favorite of mine -- still oaked, but lightly); and French chardonnays (if you're willing to buy French wine, which I'm not) tend to be lightly oaked, if at all

[fengshui]

Duh. I don't know why my mind locked on the Affreschi as a chard. We can usually find pretty decent unoaked chard, but it does take some work. Thanks for the tips. I'll look for them next time I'm at the store.

We do have the pyramid around here. I haven't always liked their lighter beers, the darker ones are pretty compelling. That's pretty surprising about Blue Moon. Who knew Coors could make good beer? I think they've been pulling from the rising popularity and availability of Fat Tire and the other beers coming out of New Belgium brewery too.

I'll keep an eye out for Mackillop's Choice. I also tend to stick with Johnnie or Glenlivet, especially since Macallan jacked up their prices a few years back.

BTW, you up for a PBEM game of ASL sometime? My VASL skills aren't great, but I'm sure I could figure it out. We could start with a 5-6 turn infantry scenario and see how it goes.

[fishfoo]

I would definitely be up for a game of ASL. I haven't played in *years*, but I recently started rereading the ASLRB. An infantry-only scenario would be ideal. Let's set it up. (Unfortunately, most of my ASL stuff is trapped in Yorkshire with She-who-must-not-be-named, but I'm certain I could manage a VASL game. I've not done any VASL for a couple of years either, but like you I'm sure we can figure it out.)

Pick a scenario, and send me a screenshot of the scenario card, and let's get it on.