Oasis Winery - Rated Top 10 in the world

The WS site is really 2-n-1. There is the free part, which offers about all that I am looking for, i.e. restaurant recs. weighted toward wine, and general wine search. Then there is the subscription area with far greater Search functions and much more detail on wines - think general/limited vs specific/detailed. I had a subscription, but did not use if in a year. It's probably a lot better, as that was 5 years ago, or so.

Hunt

Hi Dee Dee,

I subscribed because most of the wines I was looking up (mostly Austrian reds and whites) did not turn up in the free search. I got a note saying that the tasting note was in the full database. So I subscribed. I enjoy their "learning wine" section, which every two weeks has a "What am I tasting?" where you have to guess varietel, country of origin, appellation and age of the wine. They then walk you through the answer, which gives you clues for the next time (and also for when you are tasting yourself). They also have another "game" where you get 4 wines and 4 notes and have to match them up. There is also an "Ask Dr. Vinny" Q&A feature. If they offer a trial membership, go for it! That way you can decide for yourself if it is helpful.

Going back to points and ratings, the points are nice, but the real value are the descriptions in the notes. If they wine sounds appealing, try to find it because of that rather than the number of points it was given.

Dave

Thanks for your nice answer, Dave. Regarding descriptions, at this moment they all sound alike: currants, berries, tobacco, vanilla, cocoa, sage, licorice, spicey, peppery, spicy oak, earth, silky. elegant tannins, well-balanced, hand-picked, full-bodies, elegant, etc. etc.

Maybe I should get a checkoff list for them. I'll bet there is such a thing (for novices?) Thanks again. Dee

I have a hard time with those, too. Half the time they use descriptors that I don't even know what they are. But once you associate a flavor with a descriptor, it gets easier to find it in other wines in the future. Having a description before you taste is a double-edged sword: on the one hand, it lets you know what some of the flavors in the wine are, but it also puts suggestions in your head, so that you end up thinking you taste things that maybe simply are not there for you. Sort of like when someone says, "Check this out. Play the song "Another one bites the dust" backwards and you will hear them say "Start to smoke marijuana." Sure enough! Now, simply play the refrain backward adn ask people what they hear. Different story altogether.

Dave

PS There are all sorts of aroma kits out there to train your nose. You get various aromas in little bottles so that you can learn to identify them in wine. The wine shop where I have attended a couple of tastings also offers a course using these things. A couple at the last tasting I was at said it was a lot of fun and really does help. I'll keep an eye out for the next time it is offered and report back.

I would have never known -- yes, I googled aroma kits and there they were. I'd be interested to know if they use chemicals - probably do - instead of the real thing like I recall imitation perfumes that used to be for sale in women's restrooms. You would want to think that in these vials was 'real vanilla' not a chemically slurry. Thanks. Dee

Dee Dee wrote in news:1179070457.522376.286330 @w5g2000hsg.googlegroups.com:

Speaking of ratings, "top 10" what? By whom? (plus, terrible web site, any site that wants to load music without my permission, I immediately leave.) d.

Yeah, they repeat the top 10 thing, but never say who referred to them as one of top ten wineries in world. Maybe owner's mother? I think I'll start a personal website declaring myself the "handsomest man in them world" (well, I could MAYBE convince Betsy to say it).

Suffice it to say that if you got together 100 average winegeeks (from outside Virginia), and asked them to list the 100 best wineries in the world, I'd be totally shocked if Oasis got a single vote.

DaleW wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com:

:D ;)

Actually, it doesn't say "Top 10 wineries", just "Top 10 in the World". I did see something that said "Top 10 Places to Taste Virginia Wines". This was on "honeymoons.about.com". Um, okay. ;) d.

innews: snipped-for-privacy@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com:

here:

I know OASIS pretty well as I worked for their Maryland wholesaler--- nice folks--part of the 1st wave of Virginia wineries who were into production not marketing. There's at least a half-dozen better. Owner is Palestinian, owner of Loew in Maryland is a Holocaust survivor, I sold for both. As for a romantic place, it is lovely as is the nearby B&B.

Wineries like Oasis, Naked Mountain and Piedmont tend to get lost in the hype about Linden, Barborsville, Williamsburg, Horton and the flavour of the month.

The Commonwealth is a great promoter of the grape...........

innews: snipped-for-privacy@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com:

here:

DH did buy at Martin's (chain of Giant) grocery store yesterday (Winchester, VA) 1 each bottle of Oasis, Cab Sauv & Chard; one each of Cab Sauv & Chard of Barboursville.

We have not in the past cared for Virginia wines, but as we were chatting about Oasis and Barboursville, we thought we'd give it another try -- nothing as fabulous and expensive as what the Queen drank, though.

We live very close to Linden and I don't care for it either; nor Williamsburg.

FWIW, Horton's (Gordonsville) site has some music, too.:-))

Dee Commonwealth of Virginia

East Coast wines are expensive for what you get compared with CA wines

Linden makes a great SB. Piedmont makes very good Chards but not consistently. Horton of course makes Norton. Most likely the very best Norton in the whole world.

One can tell I'm new to the wine world because Horton Norton strikes my funnybone.

I know one thing, I'm going to have to start a new data base for wine. I usually like my own set-up for a data base instead of software templates, but I suppose there is software abound on the market for wine enthusiasts ??

Barboursville has some excellent & unique dessert wines like the Malvasia. Since they are capitalized by Zonin, they have a good promotion budget, good sources of rootstock & grapes and their best asset, Luca P and family. Only Dennis Horton has the kind of capital dedicated to a winery as Barboursville.