Comments | jeff_duntemann: A Good Off-Dry Wine

jeff_duntemann

A Good Off-Dry Wine

Jan 16, 2006 08:28

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wine

Comments 12

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jeff_duntemann January 16 2006, 22:30:01 UTC

Well, lord knows I wasn't referring to you. I've known you long enough to know you didn't get the snob gene, for wine or anything else. I was talking about people who come to my parties, try a glass of Dornfelder Rotwein or something else off-dry (like a $30 Coturri organic zin) and then say, Cripes, Jeff, how can you drink that crap?!?!

I'm not very knowledgeable about French wine (and need to work on that a little) but from what I see, Vouvray Moelleux is considered a dessert wine. Would you say it's sweeter than a typical dessert muscat? I'm talking about wines out in the middle somewhere, between dessert wines and conventional dry reds.

kevinnickerson January 17 2006, 01:43:40 UTC

I'd just say you're paying too much for your wine. I tend to have a $10/bottle limit. Considering I drink 3-5 bottles a week, this is important.

jeff_duntemann January 17 2006, 20:18:48 UTC

I basically have a glass of wine with dinner, and don't always do that. (Having a glass of pino noir with a bowl of Lipton's chicken soup just seems so wrong.) So I can move in the $15-$20 price class now and then. For special occasions I'll go up to $30, but that's pretty rare. I keep looking for the really great cheap wines, and every now and then I find one. Of course then everybody else finds it too, and it's gone. (The exceptions are things that the wine snobs won't touch, like my beloved Roadkill Red.)

sraun January 18 2006, 20:44:30 UTC

Pout.

I've been looking for this for the last couple of days and failing miserably. I checked at two of my favorite liquor stores, and called the other two - one says they stopped carrying it three years ago, that's as close as I've come.

All I could find on a web search was two retailers - one in Cincinnati, OH & the other in South Bend, IN, and a distributor in AZ. I didn't dig around to see if the OH & IN stores will ship to MN. I couldn't find it from anyone who widely publicizes the fact that they ship.

jeff_duntemann January 18 2006, 23:35:00 UTC

This happens to me a lot; I try a wine somewhere (often when I'm traveling) and can't find it when I get home. The distribution network changes, too, and sometimes small vinyards become unavailable. I used to buy Coturri organic wines here but then their Colorado distributor went bankrupt and now the wines can't be had in Colorado.

If you can't find the Black Monk, look for a German Dornfelder Rotwein, one that doesn't have the word "trocken" (dry) on the label. They don't call themselves off-dry, but virtually all non-trocken Dornfelders are off- dry. I don't know where you are, but there's a Dornfelder distributor in Des Plaines, IL. Sam Paris has bought some wine from them. Many larger wine shops will have one or two, especially east of the Mississippi.

We used to buy a superb off-dry Dornfelder in AZ from Schlossadler Wines, which I think is based in LA somewhere. If you spot a Schlossadler Dornfelder somewhere, grab it.

sraun January 19 2006, 02:48:04 UTC

I'm in Minneapolis, MN - less than 10 miles from Bruce.

We'll watch for the Dornfelder's.

purchase anonymous February 24 2007, 00:36:42 UTC

Hi I was wondering where I could buy a case of Black Monk. Do you have any ideas?

Thanks!
LeeAnn

Re: purchase jeff_duntemann February 26 2007, 16:38:29 UTC

Not sure what to tell you. Wine distribution is a very fluky business, and depends very heavily on where you are. Your first step is to go to the biggest liquor store you can find and ask them. If they stock Black Monk at all they can probably get you a case. If not, check the next biggest local stores, and so on.

You can order it online too; I looked just now and saw this listing:

http://www.bevmax.com/sku15148.html

but there are doubtless others. It's certainly worth the bother. Good luck!

Re: purchase anonymous September 28 2007, 19:58:00 UTC

I just received a bottle of Black Monk off dry from a client of mine, a Russian man. I look forward to trying it. I really like the taste of 'dry' red wine and am anxious to taste the difference between it and this 'fruity' wine. Good blog.

Black Monk anonymous May 26 2009, 13:47:13 UTC

I have been searching high and low for a bottle of Black Monk. Any ideas on where I could locate it. I've checked with the LCBO and although they don't carry it in their stores, they do special orders etc. Unfortunately they have been unabel to help me.

Re: Black Monk jeff_duntemann May 26 2009, 14:02:19 UTC

Not sure what to tell you. I haven't seen it for a couple of years, and wine importing is a very fluky business. My best suggestion is to go to the largest wine shop or liquor store within striking distance and ask them to look it up. A wine may just not be available in your state because no distributors carry it. You won't know until you ask. Good luck with it, though if you can't score a bottle, look for some of the other wines from Eastern Europe, or Asian Georgia.

Re: Black Monk anonymous May 27 2009, 19:47:20 UTC

Thanks. This was a referral from a friend who had tried it himself. I am in Canada. I have located two states that will ship however, after shipping and duty it really isn't worth purchasing via that route.