I actually care very little! It saves a lot of time and energy.

It has a lot to do with prestige and geography. California is one of the few places in the U.S. that has an optimal climate for winemaking. Oregon, Washington, and even New York (blurgh) have wineries but they don't have the climate or culture to compete against California the way California can compare to European fine wines.

Because of this, it means that a lot of the U.S. "good wine" comes from one state, and not only one state, but often specific areas in this state (Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Santa Cruz, etc.) which shoots up the price because capitalism and because yes, Cali is very much "teh ghey" also.

That's a good question! So I have not personally read many wine reviews per se, but I have read a LOT about wine during my studies on how to describe the taste of a wine, how and where wine comes from, what makes wine wine, etc.

The most pretentious thing about the entire industry, in my humble opinion, is the amount of people who believe without a doubt that very expensive wine is objectively better. This is by far the biggest load of crap. Sure there is a difference between a $5 bottle and a $50 bottle, so long as you know what you're tasting you can appreciate the difference. I would even go so far as to say there is a difference between $50 bottle to a $100 bottle, because when you get to this kind of price (retail) you are generally getting wine that is very refined, wonderfully crafted and with a good vintage (i.e. age). But this would be my cut off point. Any bottle above $100 and you're buying prestige and heritage, not necessarily a difference in quality.

There is a ridiculous amount of wine on the market that goes well above $200-$500 per bottle. This is pure nonsense and exists solely for the rich to act rich. I have tasted many, many wines in my time that hold this kind of price tag, and each and almost every time, I am disappointed by the taste because I have tasted it so many times before in bottles costing a fifth of the price.

So this is the most pretentious thing about wine, people spending so much and thinking they're getting so much more. This and also the sheer amount of words used to describe wine without ever using the word grapes.

Besides OP's post?

I used to make my own sparkling cider, I haven’t unpacked my carboys since my last move. I’d make it very dry, European style.

Ever tried making a dandelion mead? I've been wanting to try for several years now, but I've never had the time to start delving into mead-making.

How to Make a Gallon of Mead: A Simple Mead Recipe https://www.growforagecookferment.com/how-to-make-a-gallon-of-mead/ https://archive.today/IrQKc

Also wanted to try utilizing dandelion for more possible uses other than medicinal, but, again, haven't had any time:

50+ Dandelion Recipes: Drinks, Sweets, Soap, Remedies + More! https://www.growforagecookferment.com/dandelion-recipes/ https://archive.today/YBz3i

How to Make and Use Dandelion Salve https://www.growforagecookferment.com/how-to-make-dandelion-salve/ https://archive.today/5rAnN

How to Make Dandelion Tincture https://practicalselfreliance.com/dandelion-tincture/ https://archive.today/2KOdH

How to Make Roasted and Fresh Dandelion Tea From Your Garden https://senchateabar.com/blogs/blog/how-to-make-dandelion-tea https://archive.today/MvqUA

Roasted Dandelion Root Coffee with Chicory Root & Cinnamon https://www.growforagecookferment.com/roasted-dandelion-root-coffee/ https://archive.today/Oh1RC

Sweeten Your Breakfast With Dandelion Flower Syrup https://theherbalacademy.com/sweeten-your-breakfast-with-dandelion-flower-syrup/ https://archive.today/0veVA

Dandelion Foraging: Identification, Look-alikes, and Uses https://www.growforagecookferment.com/foraging-for-dandelions/ https://archive.today/Z5NwH

So I am not familiar with that particular bottle or how it tastes, but after a quick search I can tell you that the Californian Cabernet Sauvignon is one of my favorite full-bodied reds outside of the French Bordeaux or Italian Tuscany reds. These styles of wines are always better with a bit of age. Anything past five years is great, and ten years and beyond is superb. But these styles are also a bit of a treat when young, just without the complexity it could have.

They are almost exclusively fermented in OAK barrels before going into the bottles, this is probably what you find so delicious. It has an extra flavor/texture to the wine which some people love while others not so much.

Similar to Chateau Sludge Embankment?

Well typically I wouldn't suggest any water with wine unless using ice to cool down a rose or a white. But there are some reds that work well being chilled, and so to answer your question I guess some Pinot Noirs. Look for ones that didn't use oak during fermentation, this will make it nicer to drink when cooled with the water/ice. Also any red wine that uses Grenache as it's main grape is really nice and juicy when cooled (again, try to find a red that hasn't used oak during fermentation, this will just make the overall taste better when chilled).

You want to avoid fuller-bodied reds like Cab. Sav, Merlot or Malbec because they're often oaked and what makes these wines nice is the tannins, so when cooling a wine or using water to mix it up you probably won't get a nice tasting beverage, so go for lighter reds for sure like the ones mentioned above.

Absolutely I love Italian wine. So there are a few options that fit the bill each with their differences but you'll undoubtedly enjoy. For starters you have one of the best and most common Italian full-bodied called a Barolo. This Italian red is always better with at least 15 years of age on it. So if going for a bottle go for anything pre-2010 and it's a very rich, dried raisin, tannic red. Anything after 2010 works fine but it's just slightly more fruit forward and with your love for Cab Sav I think you like pre-2010 Barolo.

Other than this I can recommend an Amarone, again with a bit of age, not so much, so anything pre-2018 is good. This is more of a medium+ bodied red. Highly aromatic with deep red fruit flavours and often a crowd pleaser because its a well balanced wine.

Finally you could try a Super-Tuscan blend. This is another full bodied Italian red which blends together Italian grapes and other old world grapes like Cab. Sav and Merlot to create very rich, deep tobacco and spice, heavy reds. Some of the most prestigious Italian wines are Super Tuscan such as Sassicaia and Ornellaia, which also happen to be very expensive. Again this style of wine is better with a bit of age, much like the Barolo but really anything pre-2015 does the job.

You need to stop buying MD 2020.

Wine exists on a broad spectrum with so many variations of taste! Everything from the age of the wine, geographically where it came from (different soils, altitudes, and climates have massive influence over how wine tastes), how the winemaker chooses to make the wine, the hundreds of different grape varieties, and what style you personally prefer makes the issue not that wine "tastes bad" as you would say, but that you haven't found a wine that suits your taste!

The best places to find wine are, unironically, wine shops. Specifically smaller, independent wine shops where the owners are often present at the shop and are passionate in helping you find the wine you like or get you to try something new that you like. The bigger shops often lack the interpersonal layer needed when trying to find a new wine to taste. You need help finding that wine, so you need to go somewhere where more than likely the employees aren't monkeys stacking shelves, but instead are enthusiasts.

On a side note, wine clubs aren't really my thing, and in my opinion should be avoided if you don't want to give yourself a headache with snobbery, elitists, biases and highly conventional wine. The person who knows best what you like and how you like it is you, the wine enthusiast at the shop can help you find that (or I can if you PM me), not the club.