Need Help! Wine Choice Advice

[amara98]

Hi,

Help! I'm planning a dinner for an important council meeting in Naples, Fl, and I know NOTHING about wine! They'll be having Mahi Mahi with Manog and Peach Sauce, Prime Rib and Chicken with Citrus butter. Suggestions offered by the Catering Department were:

Merlot - Baulieu, or Blackstone
Sauvignon Blanc - Cakebread, or Pepe.

We'd like one red and one white. Any ideas on which of these would be better for our group? Are these any good? Any other suggestions?

We're also having a dinner at a restaurant; the dinner is mostly seafood, except for the lamb "Osso Buco." They suggested Merryvale Starmont Chardonnay and Carmenet Dynamite Merlot.

Any Opinions on these would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

[barnesy]

Since this is in Italy, and there is no shortage of Great Italian wines to be found there, you may wish to go with a couple of more traditional Italian wines such as a Sangievese based one for the Red or possible a Pinot Grigio for the White. I am certainly not the person to ask what exactly, but there are several people on this board who know lots about Italian wine who could give you better and more definite answers.

Barnesy

[Drew]

Barnesy, you been spending time with WW drinking in the sun? [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img] Naples FLORIDA and Vienna VIRGINIA are still in the lower 50.

Welcome Amara98, if those are your only choices I personaly like the Blackstone Merlot and the Cakebread SB. I favor Australian Shiraz as a good pair with the lamb and the 98' Aussie vintage for Shiraz is affordable and wonderful. Your caterer will probably work with you to ensure a successful event and if you search the posts for Best Buys, Merlot and Australia you'll find many recommendations for tasty, value conscience wines. The Merryvale Starmont Chardonney years 95,96 and 97 were all good earning 90+ ratings. The 98' vintage scored 88 and all retail around $20 a bottle. I don't think the Carmenet is a good choice IMHO given the QPR, there are better, lesser priced wines available.

Drew



[This message has been edited by Drew (edited 10-17-2000).]

[barnesy]

My bad! I just recently finished grading a 100 tests, mostly done by freshman...so needless to say, my brain has been turned to a nice, thin goo. Besides, a dinner party in Naples Italy would be a heck of a lot more fun anyways.

Barnesy

[Thomas]

Amara98--Osso Buco is not a lamb dish; it is veal, and for it I would consider either Pinot Grigio, Tocai Friuliano or a clean, dry Riesling or Chardonnay.

[amara98]

Thanks for everyone's help; I really appreciate it.

Thanks for the clarification on "Osso Buco."

In comparing your choices to our menu (which is quite long and broken down by country), there is a Hugel Rielsing 96, Bollini Pinot Grigio Riserva 97, Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio 99. There are several Chardonnays to choose from: Kendall Jackson VR 98, Sonoma Cutrer Russion River 99, Landmark Overlook 98, Cakebread 97 (which is probably as far as our budget goes).

We're having three dinners, all with choices of chicken, fish and beef. If any of you have thoughts on the wines I've listed that would be great. Feel free to indicate whether it's a red or a white for the dummies!

Thanks again, this is very helpful.

[amara98]

Hi Drew, sorry to bother you again, but it turns out "Osso Buco" means "on the bone" at it can be either lamb or veal. Our particular dish is with lamb so we're going with a Shiraz. If you had to pick one, which would it be: Paringa 99, Tim Adams 97 (both
Australian), or Zaca Mesa Syrah (Californian version of a Shiraz)? Thanks again
for your help... I promise I won't keep bothering you!

[winoweenie]

Amara98, welcome to the board. Don`t worry about bothering Drew, he deserves any punishment you can administer. Putting my 2 centavos worth, the Zaca is my drink of cherce. winoweenie

[Drew]

My vote's for the Zaca also. I haven't tried the Paringa and didn't care for the Tim Adams. By the way WW....I was punishing myself last night with Greg Normans new Limestone Coast Shiraz, so check out the Australian thread.

Drew

[winoweenie]

Did that already Drewmie, you need to cellar some of the 98 Cab/Merlot. winoweenie

[Garbo]

2 cents on your wine choices: Personally, I find California chards to be too oaky, especially with lighter fish. My choice would be one of the pinot grigios -- I've had the Santa Margherita, but not the 99, and it's been consistently fine. Ditto everyone else on the Zaca.