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Finney64 · 14-03-2013, 10:05 PM

In an attempt to lessen the old beer gut, thought I'd switch to red wine for a while.
Just picked up a 5 litre box of "Peter Vella Vineyards California Burgundy" for 140,000 kip - approx 550 Baht - from the local vintners.

First impressions aren't too shabby - I think "quaffable" is the correct term.

Anyone else familiar with this vintage?

Gerbil · 14-03-2013, 10:15 PM

I thought I had mastered responsible drinking, until that is, I woke up in hospital 2 weeks after hosting my first (and last) "Peter Vella Vineyards California Burgundy" party.

I don't know if it was the number of forfeits that broke me or if it was the sixteen pints of Burgundy shandy, but when I eventually collapsed face-first onto a tealight it took three buckets of sand and the garden hose to put me out.

My firey breath actually melted my dentures. My mate Ronnie came off even worse and is still in Urology Intensive Care. It's one thing to light your farts after a couple of pints of Guinness, but those "Peter Vella Vineyards California Burgundy" bottles should really carry a warning about that sort of thing.

Poor Ronnie, he was lit up like an oil rig gas flare and we still can't find his trousers. As nights go though, it was certainly a memorable one - so much so that the boys from Red Watch are planning on using the footage taken in the house in one of their fire safety training films.

Accordingly, I'm giving it 5 stars, but only on the understanding that nobody should try this at home.

Finney64 · 14-03-2013, 10:25 PM

^ Looks like I'm on to a winner then

PAG · 14-03-2013, 10:40 PM

Confused about the naming. Burgundy is a region (as is Beaujolais - albeit wine region - for example). So how can you have a Californian Burgundy?

Finney64 · 14-03-2013, 10:49 PM

^ Good point, I was wondering about that myself, but funnily enough the more of it I'm drinking, the less I seem to care. With the help of Bill Gates' calculator, apparently it works out at 67 baht per 750ml bottle.

@Gerbil, good quote btw, where was that from?

Gerbil · 14-03-2013, 10:52 PM

^ adapted from Amazon customer reviews of a bottle of meths

Gerbil · 14-03-2013, 10:55 PM

e.g.

I'm no connoisseur of fine beverages but know what I like. If it runs down hills I will drink it. I'm blind in one eye and take my food through a straw now all thanks to Peter Vella Vineyards California Burgundy. Quite fabulously it also makes me bleed from the back end after a weekend on it. Fantastic colour and bouquet. Cheap as chips as well...

What doesn't kill you makes your stronger..

Finney64 · 14-03-2013, 11:05 PM

^ fair enough. I'm on glass number 4 now and I'm not blind yet.
Let's see how the night progresses - I may yet turn into a TDKW before too long.....

beerlaodrinker · 15-03-2013, 05:19 AM

Its an amusingly frivolous wine with just a hint of irony

Its working finney , youve lost some of that beergut already

Finney64 · 15-03-2013, 11:29 AM

I know BLD, I just looked in the mirror and I'm positively svelte-like already

beerlaodrinker · 15-03-2013, 04:11 PM

Well done , im gonna try this on the old beergut

Reckon i will obtain sveltness in no time at all .

Imminent · 17-03-2013, 09:56 PM

Finney, it's not that bad for 299baht a bottle. I've had it a couple times just when I wanted a taste of wine.

Upcountry the more expensive wines probably sit on the shelves for years while the cheap ones for a limited time. Years of air conditioning going on and off in 40 degree temps has to have some effect on the product. Maybe I am wrong about that. In places where there are loads of wine drinkers with cash like the bigger cities I am sure the wines move pretty fast.

=====================================

Burgundy Box Wine

Burgundy wines, or wines that originate from the Burgundy region in France, have long been prized for their hearty character and flavor. Peter Vella Burgundy, made in the style of these wines, offers a similar taste experience, beginning with a medium body that transitions smoothly into delicious hints of black cherry fruit.

Peter's Serving Tip: Burgundy is the wine I like to match up with grilled meats, especially lamb or pork tenderloin. It's also a natural with spicy, red pasta sauces or even a hearty soup, like Minestrone.

Residual Sugar: 0.8 g/100ml

Alcohol: 11.75%

Size: 5 Liters

Koojo · 17-03-2013, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAG

Confused about the naming. Burgundy is a region (as is Beaujolais - albeit wine region - for example). So how can you have a Californian Burgundy?

Ah, but you see burgundy is also a colour.
(Color, for the septics among us)

Finney64 · 18-03-2013, 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imminent

eter's Serving Tip: Burgundy is the wine I like to match up with grilled meats, especially lamb or pork tenderloin. It's also a natural with spicy, red pasta sauces or even a hearty soup, like Minestrone.

Finney's serving tip: drink the 5 litre box in one go & then smooch up next to the Mrs at 5am thinking you're gonna get a bit, and then realise it's like trying to shove an oyster into a parking meter

peterpan · 18-03-2013, 09:49 AM

I think its one of the best deals at DF, good wine at a reasonable price.

DrAndy · 18-03-2013, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finney64

California Burgundy

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAG

So how can you have a Californian Burgundy?

you can't but just keep drinking

steve down under · 20-03-2013, 07:07 AM

Sounds like pure shite to me the last time I bought a bottle of what was supposedly called wine that was from california some spilt on the table and promptly took the varnish off the surface , I ended up using the rest to stripback the paint from a car bonnet (hood ) resulting in a nice shiny bare metal finish !

bsnub · 11-05-2013, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve down under

Sounds like pure shite to me the last time I bought a bottle of what was supposedly called wine that was from california some spilt on the table and promptly took the varnish off the surface , I ended up using the rest to stripback the paint from a car bonnet (hood ) resulting in a nice shiny bare metal finish !

And your taste must be in your ass because California wine is among the best in the world if not the best. It regularly beats the french wines in blind taste tests. Maybe you should stick to ale or lao khao.

"A 30th anniversary re-tasting on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean was organized by Steven Spurrier in 2006. As The Times reported "Despite the French tasters, many of whom had taken part in the original tasting, 'expecting the downfall' of the American vineyards, they had to admit that the harmony of the Californian cabernets had beaten them again. Judges on both continents gave top honors to a 1971 Ridge Monte Bello cabernet. Four Californian reds occupied the next placings before the highest-ranked Bordeaux, a 1970 Château Mouton-Rothschild, came in at sixth."

14-03-2013, 10:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
Finney64 Thailand Expat Last Online: 03-05-2013 11:24 PM Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Vientiane Posts: 1,041	Californian Burgundy in a Box In an attempt to lessen the old beer gut, thought I'd switch to red wine for a while. Just picked up a 5 litre box of "Peter Vella Vineyards California Burgundy" for 140,000 kip - approx 550 Baht - from the local vintners. First impressions aren't too shabby - I think "quaffable" is the correct term. Anyone else familiar with this vintage?

14-03-2013, 10:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
Gerbil Coupist PADite Mushroom Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Covering the room with plastic sheets. Posts: 10,527	I thought I had mastered responsible drinking, until that is, I woke up in hospital 2 weeks after hosting my first (and last) "Peter Vella Vineyards California Burgundy" party. I don't know if it was the number of forfeits that broke me or if it was the sixteen pints of Burgundy shandy, but when I eventually collapsed face-first onto a tealight it took three buckets of sand and the garden hose to put me out. My firey breath actually melted my dentures. My mate Ronnie came off even worse and is still in Urology Intensive Care. It's one thing to light your farts after a couple of pints of Guinness, but those "Peter Vella Vineyards California Burgundy" bottles should really carry a warning about that sort of thing. Poor Ronnie, he was lit up like an oil rig gas flare and we still can't find his trousers. As nights go though, it was certainly a memorable one - so much so that the boys from Red Watch are planning on using the footage taken in the house in one of their fire safety training films. Accordingly, I'm giving it 5 stars, but only on the understanding that nobody should try this at home. __________________ You, sir, are a God among men.... Short Men, who aren't terribly bright.... More like dwarves with learning disabilities.... You are a God among Dwarves With Learning Disabilities.

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14-03-2013, 10:25 PM	#3 (permalink)
Finney64 Thailand Expat Last Online: 03-05-2013 11:24 PM Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Vientiane Posts: 1,041	^ Looks like I'm on to a winner then

14-03-2013, 10:40 PM	#4 (permalink)
PAG Member Last Online: Today 08:37 PM Join Date: May 2010 Location: Chalong, Phuket Posts: 214	Confused about the naming. Burgundy is a region (as is Beaujolais - albeit wine region - for example). So how can you have a Californian Burgundy?

14-03-2013, 10:49 PM	#5 (permalink)
Finney64 Thailand Expat Last Online: 03-05-2013 11:24 PM Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Vientiane Posts: 1,041	^ Good point, I was wondering about that myself, but funnily enough the more of it I'm drinking, the less I seem to care. With the help of Bill Gates' calculator, apparently it works out at 67 baht per 750ml bottle. @Gerbil, good quote btw, where was that from?

14-03-2013, 10:52 PM	#6 (permalink)
Gerbil Coupist PADite Mushroom Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Covering the room with plastic sheets. Posts: 10,527	^ adapted from Amazon customer reviews of a bottle of meths

14-03-2013, 10:55 PM	#7 (permalink)
Gerbil Coupist PADite Mushroom Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Covering the room with plastic sheets. Posts: 10,527	e.g. I'm no connoisseur of fine beverages but know what I like. If it runs down hills I will drink it. I'm blind in one eye and take my food through a straw now all thanks to Peter Vella Vineyards California Burgundy. Quite fabulously it also makes me bleed from the back end after a weekend on it. Fantastic colour and bouquet. Cheap as chips as well... What doesn't kill you makes your stronger..

14-03-2013, 11:05 PM	#8 (permalink)
Finney64 Thailand Expat Last Online: 03-05-2013 11:24 PM Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Vientiane Posts: 1,041	^ fair enough. I'm on glass number 4 now and I'm not blind yet. Let's see how the night progresses - I may yet turn into a TDKW before too long.....

15-03-2013, 05:19 AM	#9 (permalink)
beerlaodrinker Thailand Expat Last Online: Today 03:15 PM Join Date: May 2011 Location: vientiane Posts: 1,182	Its an amusingly frivolous wine with just a hint of irony Its working finney , youve lost some of that beergut already

15-03-2013, 11:29 AM	#10 (permalink)
Finney64 Thailand Expat Last Online: 03-05-2013 11:24 PM Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Vientiane Posts: 1,041	I know BLD, I just looked in the mirror and I'm positively svelte-like already

15-03-2013, 04:11 PM	#11 (permalink)
beerlaodrinker Thailand Expat Last Online: Today 03:15 PM Join Date: May 2011 Location: vientiane Posts: 1,182	Well done , im gonna try this on the old beergut Reckon i will obtain sveltness in no time at all .

17-03-2013, 09:56 PM	#12 (permalink)
Imminent Member Last Online: 02-04-2013 06:58 PM Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: the real world Posts: 660	Finney, it's not that bad for 299baht a bottle. I've had it a couple times just when I wanted a taste of wine. Upcountry the more expensive wines probably sit on the shelves for years while the cheap ones for a limited time. Years of air conditioning going on and off in 40 degree temps has to have some effect on the product. Maybe I am wrong about that. In places where there are loads of wine drinkers with cash like the bigger cities I am sure the wines move pretty fast. ===================================== Burgundy Box Wine Burgundy wines, or wines that originate from the Burgundy region in France, have long been prized for their hearty character and flavor. Peter Vella Burgundy, made in the style of these wines, offers a similar taste experience, beginning with a medium body that transitions smoothly into delicious hints of black cherry fruit. Peter's Serving Tip: Burgundy is the wine I like to match up with grilled meats, especially lamb or pork tenderloin. It's also a natural with spicy, red pasta sauces or even a hearty soup, like Minestrone. Residual Sugar: 0.8 g/100ml Alcohol: 11.75% Size: 5 Liters

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18-03-2013, 09:49 AM	#15 (permalink)
peterpan Old git Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Pleasantville Posts: 8,778	I think its one of the best deals at DF, good wine at a reasonable price.

20-03-2013, 07:07 AM	#17 (permalink)
steve down under Member Last Online: Today 03:18 PM Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: South Australia Posts: 302	Sounds like pure shite to me the last time I bought a bottle of what was supposedly called wine that was from california some spilt on the table and promptly took the varnish off the surface , I ended up using the rest to stripback the paint from a car bonnet (hood ) resulting in a nice shiny bare metal finish !