lol. It's 3.5 but who is counting. Costco, man. Smallest one they had. Just call it a small prime rib, sounds less intimidating that way. You've never seen Terri eat steak! We'll repurpose the remainder on Friday. Make some carne tacos.

 

Are there any Washington wineries that you would recommend? And are those pour through aerators worthwhile? Recently decided that I need to start drinking more

 

We've barely scratched the surface of Washington wine. We came home from last fall's epic road trip with product from Barrister, Lake Roosevelt (Whitestone), Three Rivers and Cougar Crest. Aren't there a bunch of wineries and tasting rooms in Woodinville? That's always a great place to start. If out east, Spokane has the Cork District. Again, multiple wineries/tasting options in immediate or close proximity. Walla Walla, too. Road trips!!

I think the verdict is still out on aerators.

 

I have been to a winery in Woodinville before, back when the dinner train used to run. I guess I will have to check it out again. I think that there is a craft distillery there now as well.

Sorry for the newbie questions, but what is the purpose of aeration? To mellow out the wine? I will never be the type to spend a lot on wine.

 

Not a lot of wine really warrants being decanted, that's the key takeaway from this, and the aerator is just a shortcut way to expose the wine to oxygen and "open" it up, maybe get some tannins to lay down. Some say aerators overly work the wine.

I'd really not be too concerned about it. Lotsa fancy places will make a scene about decanting your selection, and then folks just start hammering down the wine so it did what? If you decant a wine, let it sit for an hour. That's why folks are forever swirling; it's not just some uppity west LA affectation. And chances are -- unless you shotgun the whole bottle -- your bottle will sit open for quite a while, maybe even overnight or a few days.

Again, don't focus too much on this stuff. Just start buying what you can afford, try a diversity of products, enjoy.

 

^^This^^

 

Another takeaway: Most folks drink their whites too cold, their reds too warm.

 

I was in Avignon, southern France, during the summer, temp about 85F. The locals had a red wine bottle on ice. At first, I thought this was odd, but have since learned to do the same during the summer. Not to get the red to ice temperature, but to get between 65-75 F range.

 

if you put your white in the fridge, you won't be able to taste anything.

but keep your red on the counter at room temperature and it's not going to be refreshing at all.

55-65 degrees is the best temperature for pretty much all wines.

 

We have our wine unit set at 61, mostly because we are so heavily into reds so we can grab and go.