R&E Political Discussion 2025: MikeyRug, I challenged you on your knowledge of wine after you scoffed at Coppola Claret.

And you tucked your tail and ran. Not even a peep from you.

Boors like you lie about buying expensive wine because you don't know Jack Schidt about wine, but you're out to impress, right?

Coppola bought the Gustave Niebaum estate and vineyard, the oldest winery in Napa Valley, dating back to 1879, and one of the finest in the world. The Claret (an old French word that the English prefer to use for Cabernet Sauvignon) is one of the best values in wine without mortgaging the carpet business. You would be hard-pressed to find a review that wasn't anything but full of praise for this cuvée.

But, the Claret is just one of the hundreds of different wines in my collection from all over the world. It just happens to be one of my favorite go-to wines when I don't want to christen a more inaccessible label that is hard to find and replace.

I have spent 60+ years learning about wines from all over the world. I attended the wine and cheese tasting après midi almost every Friday for years in the mezzanine of the Higbee Company on Public Square in Cleveland and learned about hundreds, perhaps thousands of wines (cheeses too) first hand from European and American aficionados. I don't have to spend my way into a great bottle of wine. I don't mind spending extra when it is justified, but the art of the pursuit is trying wine in all reasonable price ranges, so you know what's what. Wine is a sensory experience ... like music ... you can read what others say about it, but you have to experience it with your multiple senses to learn and appreciate the vast array of nuances.

Saint-Émilion
St Julien
Pauillac
Médoc
Graves
Pomerol
Margaux
Rheims
Epernay
Macon
South Africa
Australia
Romania
Bulgaria
Mendoza
Sicily
Greece
Spain
Italy
Portugal
Chile
Israel
California
Washington
Oregon
New York
Asheville
Many other regions around the world.

I have studied the varietals, of which there are thousands. I have tried many, many of them over the years, while you were hauling out worn cheap carpet.

I see you like Chianti ... bet you think that is a varietal. Wait, but you don't drink alcohol, right? Arwen nailed you on that dopplespracht error. LMAO@U

Hint. Try "The Hunt" from the Biltmore Estate. Not too pricey. With your ethnic background, you might enjoy a swarthy Nero d'Avola. Or, on the more genteel side, Chateau Greysac Médoc 2018 ... it's a mis en bouteille au chateau "cru bourgeois" in the league with the grand crus and higher tiers. Any of these would leave you with more money to buy Sunoco 94.

PS - here's a rather comprehensive list of varietals ... dive in:

Wine Varietals