My friend is moving from Michigan to San Francisco. I'd like to give him a nice bottle of wine to break out when he arrives at his new apartment. Any suggestions?

whoops ~ wrong forum ~ sorry

Wish I could help you. I don't know much about it.

Thank you Hands for moving it to the right forum!

i only know cheap/moderate wines... ecco domani makes some really great white wines.

nice gift though!

bratchildsfriend said:

no problem

wine sounds nice...but...you didnt send it to me when i moved

Thanks cborgman ~ I love that ecco name and label so I'll check that out. I won't be spending a lot but want something a few grades up from Boones Farm

bratchildsfriend said:

ecco runs about 15, and is quite damn good

i highly suggest a pinot grigot

and please, call me chris. you know me well enough

Thanks Chris ~ jsut wanted to prove I could spell your name right this time (only kidding). I'll look for this tomorrow. Have to buy an extra for myself!

bratchildsfriend said:

it's very good stuff for the reasonably low price... enjoy!

Just drop fifty bucks for a bottle it's bound to be good. There's this brand named "Shadowfax" out of Australia that I like a lot, it's a Pinot Noir. Delicious! You can get it for about $25 bucks.

Here is a wine thread I did last year.

http://www.prince.org/msg/100/25084

Some good suggestions there. I would say ask if they prefer reds or whites and then pick one. Any bottle at least $20 should be good, if you don't want to spend too much.

Wine would be a very nice gift.

bratchildsfriend said:

Actually there are a lot of award-winning wines from Michigan...we're an up and coming state for excellent wines...if you choose one of those, it might make him less homesick

Fenn Valley's Dry and Semi-dry 2000 Rieslings, both Michigan wines, were Gold Medal winners at the 2001 Tasters Guild International Wine Judging.

Here's a Web site...

http://www.michiganwines....12001.html

Might I suggest a robust Champipple from the vinyards of El Segundo...

VinaBlue said:

well,
dang, someones been around da' block a few...(just kiddin vina') andywho, i guess first ask if they like sweet or dry fur starters...if yer serious, for a desert, piesh'porter is devine!!! its sweet in taste (my spelling maybe wrong, im a southerner, excuse me) but anyway, a cabernet sauvignon is usually a winner all the way around...not too crazy 'bout "dry" so my opinion is limited if none at all.
hope all goes well
like i said well...
[This message was edited Wed Sep 24 21:52:00 PDT 2003 by silverjean]

a good australian merlot...

If your friend likes white wine, I'd buy a Chardonnay. With Chardonnay it doesn't really matter which vineyeard you buy or how much you spend, it almost always tastes lovely.

If your friend likes red wine, then I'd suggest a Tempranillo. Again, it doesn't matter so much on the vineyard but I'd choose a mid-range priced bottle rather than a cheap one.

On reflection, the above are for European tastes. I think Americans tend to prefer sweeter wines. You might try an Asti Spumanti or Cava demi-sec (both sparkling) or Reisling white wine.

Kiren
x

Chateux Neuf de papes (spellcheck) is a really good red..

ladymisskat said:

It's a lot of money though ... I honestly prefer a good Tempranillo to Chateaux Neuf Du Papes (it's a very "heavy" wine .. for the serious wine buff imo).

A bottle of Blue Nun. Jus' kidding!

Tip: A good bottle will have the word 'Chateaux' on its label.

any spanish wine will do...

garganta said:

A nice oak aged crianza or rioja mmm

Any Claret that is Chateau bottled will be excellent

My particular fave:

1970 Chateau Petit Villages

mdiver said:

PFFF

What do beer drinkers know about wine?

applekisses said:

Oooh I love Rieslings.

Gewurztraminers are good too.

Thanks so much everyone. I think I will try one of each personally, then select the gift . There are wonderful suggestions here and Vina, thank you for the thread. I owe you an org note which you will receive this weekend. The farewell dinner is tonight so I'll buy the wine today. He is Italian so I think he will appreciate any nice wine.