Hi everyone, I'd be happy to make the reservations when the time gets a little closer.

We don't have much in the way of white wines either, or Pinot/Burgundy, but I have a few nice Calif Cabs and Bordeaux to choose from. Wink works hard on their wine list so one thing about BYO etiquette is not to duplicate anything they have, although an older vintage of the same wine has not been a problem.

We don't have to theme our wine, but I usually look at their menu online to see what I might have that would go well with what they have.

Speaking of Franscican, we have some Magnificat that should be pretty yummy.

We have had many of the Magnificat, and would be very happy to taste again! A very nice choice

For Wink fare, I am really leaning to the two merlot's. I'll check to make sure they don't sell the Shafer, which is a distinct possibilty. The Turnbull production was about 120 cases so I'll presume that is not on their list. The Ridge Lytton Estate grenache ATP would work well too.

DAMN! I'M HUNGRY & THIRSTY NOW!

Maybe we should have a "practice" run before RRV comes to town!

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If any of you Austinites want to meet sooner, I'm often at 219West. They're starting a wine happy hour on Tuesday that I'm putting together. The featured wines next week will be Rhone/Rhone Rangers: Dom. Garrigue Vacqueyras, Ferraton Crozes-Hermitage; Penfolds Thomas Hyland, Phelps Pastiche (the red one), and Dom. Pesquie Viognier. A flight of 2 oz. pours of each will be about $12, and 6 oz glasses will be $5-7.

Wednesday, they're launching their Wine Spectator Top 10 Countdown, so the 99 Leoville Las Cases will be poured with a roundup of the Medoc -- Ch. d'Armailhac, Ch. Potensac, TBD Margaux and St. Estephe. Price hasn't been figured yet, but they're aiming for $25-30, including some snacks.

Wino4Ever, we have some Certan d'May if you want to pursue Merlot, but I think that's about the only Merlot we have. I am certainly ready to get back into Calif. Merlot if it's getting as good as WS seems to think.

txtaster:

Look for us (at least me)there (219West) on Wednesday.I am ignorant of the Frenchies and that looks like a great indoctrination.
We plan to skip the Foppiano wine dinner on Thursday anyhoo. I have had most of Tuesday's wines.

As far as the merlot, I just picked the Shafer and the Turnbull as they are both WS 90+ point wines (priced within a few bucks of one another) and think it'd be fun to try them head to head. My wife doesn't drink a whole lot so we rarely open two bottles on a given night.

I'm not trying to establish a merlot theme or anything, as a matter of fact, the absence of those two bottles will just about decimate my merlot "collection"!


See ya Wednesday.

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hey wino, lets do 219 on Tuesday. I can't make it on Wednesday. You may as well have had all the wines listed right?!

quote:

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Originally posted by bdub:
hey wino, lets do 219 on Tuesday. I can't make it on Wednesday. You may as well have had all the wines listed right?!

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okay.

txtaster: you gonna be there tonight?

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Yeah, I'll be there and look forward to meeting you! It's our first night for this so it'll be nice to have someone there that can give me some good feedback.

uh, should we ask for you?
And who would we ask for?



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[This message was edited by wino4ever on Feb 18, 2004 at 08:44 AM.]

Hi everyone, sorry I've been away. WS is now blocked at work, so I only check in periodically. I am in Austin on 3/2 through 3/5 (3/2 I have another event) and the week of 3/23. I'm in for what ever! Wink and Mirabell are great, so is Castle Hill. I should be able to get corkage waived at the new Fin & Porter in the new downtown Hilton as well. There are some great wine stores to recommend and I look forward to meeting the relatively new Austin forumites and RRV!

Hey CWG,

Good to see ya checkin' in.

And bringing another no-corkage option as well.

It looks like I will be in town the first week of March but CWG cannot do that Tuesday (the 2nd) and RRV will be gone on the last Tuesday.

Maybe a Mirabelle wine dinner or some other option will present itself for that first week in March and we can hit it. I can't do Friday the 5th (I'm assuming CWG is flying out then anyhoo) because I have an offroad duathlon Saturday morning.

txtaster: good to meet ya and we'll see ya again.

I'll leave you now to quibble amongst yourselves....

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txtaster, was nice meeting you last night. Good job on the tasting, had fun and wish I could make it tonight. Looking forward to meeting up with everyone for Wink, 219West, and anything else we can come up with for next month!

Date doesn't matter to me, as long as it isn't 3/2 where I have a Dell event. I say Castle Hill, we split the corkage, and I'll bring some more outrageous wine from the cellar! Neal, Pride, Integrity, Shafer, Dumol, Carlisle, Hartwell, Diamond Creek, I pack well!

I can do Wed. or Thur. that week.
Preferably Wednesday.
But then we miss a 219W tasting?

Damn I hate all these decisions.

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I am available Wed. and Thurs. that week. Just make a decision and run with it!

I am available:

March 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, & 19.



I just picked up my 1st 2001 Shafer Merlot, so I'll plan on bringing that down, to go with the other Shafer that was being spoken about.

RRV

So, brocolli, Mother says you're very good for me. Well, I'm afraid I'm no good for you!

Hey Bdub and Wino, it was nice to meet you the other night. I wish I had opened the LLC tasting for you because they needed about 24 hours to start to open up. FYI, they still have some if you ask for it.

I can't do the 3rd, we're pouring the 97 Frescobaldi Brunello that night at 219, but I might be able to make something on the 4th and I have a 95 Ch. Montelena Estate begging to be consumed because there's no room for it in the cooler.

I would be in for doing the tasting at 219W on Wed. then Castle Hill on Thurs. If that's good for everyone, I will make the reservation for 7pm on Thursday the 4th.

Wino, CWG, RRV, TXtaster; post up if this is good for you and how many in your party!

I can do the 3rd at 219, party of 1, maybe 3. I'll post more tomorrow, gotta run.

I am good for the 3rd at 219 w/ spouse.

I am undecided on the 4th as that will be very close to race day for a night of what I know will be some fairly heavy drinking.

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quote:

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Originally posted by wino4ever:
I am good for the 3rd at 219 w/ spouse.

I am undecided on the 4th as that will be very close to race day for a night of what I know will be some fairly heavy drinking.

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It's 36 hours before the race..consider it carb loading

Ok, it looks like I am good on 3/3 for 3 people. What's up with 219West? They have a full bar, so I doubt we can bring in wine. Representing the Chicago contingent, I wanna bring a bunch!

The 3rd is fine with me.

Now, let's plan on something the 2nd and 3rd week of march! I don't want to have to drink by myself!!!

RRV

So, brocolli, Mother says you're very good for me. Well, I'm afraid I'm no good for you!