Iron Horse 2006 Sparkling 3 Pack
$69.99 + $5 shipping
CONDITION: Sparkling
PRODUCTS:
1 2006 Brut X
1 2006 Classic Vintage Brut
1 2006 Russian Cuvee
CT links above
DEY HAZ GIVES US FIZZIES!
I purchased one of these last year during a previous woot. May not have been identical, but it was an Iron Horse Sparkling. I finished the last bottle of it last night, and it was terrible. I think it’s because my wife and I don’t like Brut wine, and prefer a sweeter taste. It was awful from my point of view, I just can’t imagine anyone really enjoying it.
I would like to see Woot sell an Asti. I highly recommend the Cinzano Asti, my favorite sparkling wine.
Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: PetiteSirah
Speed to first woot: 2m 26.993s
Last wooter to woot: klezman
Joy, great to see you here again, and thanks for the wooting! I’ll just have to keep hoping next time it’ll be those magnums of Joy! we had this summer.
To the rest of you, don’t think too hard. This is great stuff at a great value - essentially buy two get one free.
I’m also looking forward to trying the Brut X! I think we had it on the Tour, but I don’t remember.
Happy Birthday to me! Just what I was hoping for, some sparkling wines. Thanks Dave & woot!
Have you had other Brut sparklers with which to compare?
Oh well… I still have my fingers crossed for another Twas offer.
Big fan of Iron Horse Sparklers. I got to taste them all last week when a wine rep came in trying to woo us and wasn’t disappointed with a single one. The story behind the Russian Cuvee is a good one - it’s essentially responsible for ending the Cold War as Reagan commissioned it to take to Russia for his summit with Gorbachev. No joke 
Oh, and this is a great deal! That I can’t take advantage of, because, once again, no shipping to AZ 
If Moscato d’Asti is your preferred semi-sparkler, then this is certainly not for you. To my tastes, Asti is all sugar and candy with minimal bubbles. No real acidity or complexity to balance it out, and as a result I’ve enjoyed drinking the stuff - more as a hard lemonade type drink than a sparkling wine, though. It’s made by stopping the fermentation of ripe grapes at 5-7% alcohol, leaving the remaining sugars as is.
This style of bubbly is all about acidity balancing sweetness, much more bubbly goodness to give it an extra pop of flavour in your mouth, etc.
Comparing this to Asti is like comparing grocery store balsamic vinegar to the Cavedoni that was up last week.
If you’re visiting the Bay Area, I’m sure a wootlegging could happen. Or visit Joy yourself if you make a trip!
There are some high scoring Astis (as much as scores mean). I can’t stand it either, but to be fair, there is a growing market for it.
someday I will make it to Northern California…
until then… ooh! maybe I can ship it to my Mom in Illinois and get it at Christmas!
[edit] n/m. I’ll be back in AZ before New Year’s.
Two dumb questions (sorry, I’m learning):
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I generally don’t like white wines (too sweet), but I love champagne. Sparkling wine is basically champagne, right?
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Is it white because the pinot noir grapes are skinned?
Like I said, it’s very tasty…like candy! Drinks as easily as a nice Margarita or Daiquiri. To me it’s something I’d happily sit and drink on a hot afternoon. It just doesn’t hit the “wine” button for me.
a) We love answering questions. Makes us feel all important and stuff.
b) You should get some dry white wines. Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris/grigio, marssanne, roussanne, etc. See how you like them. There’s plenty of excellent dry white wine out there.
c) Champagne, by law, is sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France, nothing more. Due to the rules there it’s composed of any of: chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier. Sparking wine from other parts of France is called Cremant. Italy has Prosecco, Lambrusco, Moscato d’Asti, etc. In the States, it’s usually just called sparkling wine.
More or less, yeah. The grapes aren’t skinned per se, but the juice doesn’t sit on them for any appreciable length of time. Most (but not all) red grapes give white juice, so the colours are entirely from the pigments in the skin.
Delivery time?
We’re traveling over the holidays and I’d like to order if the shipping is slow (for once!)
Any idea as to the anticipated delivery frame to Minnesota?
Thanks.
It all comes down to personal taste. It doesn’t really make sense that you’d call the wine “terrible” and “just can’t imagine anyone really enjoying it” when you readily state that you prefer sweeter sparkling wines. If you hate dry wine to the point you can’t evaluate it in context, then all you are doing is projecting your taste onto everyone else.
Moscato d’Asti is sweet (and yummy in a fizzy adult fruit soda way). If that hits your balance point, then a dry sparkling wine is probably not going to be a good investment. The Champagne region (no, Champagne is NOT a synonym for all sparkling wine despite Korbel and Cook’s corrupt misappropriation of the term) is cool, even cold, hence sparklers made in this style tend to be high in acid. Level of dryness is a choice depending on dosage, but the ‘modern tradition’ is for the wines to be fairly dry. Iron Horse’s sparklers need to be evaluated in this context. Comparing them to Moscato d’Asti is like comparing crisp green apples to orange flavored Pop Rocks candy.
“If you’re drunk when the package shows up, you will not be allowed to receive it.”
Dealbreaker.
Unless you can guarantee delivery before 10 AM.
Does the delivery guy tote a breathalyzer? Or am I just subjected to his expertise?
You’ll be subjected to his expertise. Although this shouldn’t be all that continually shocking to people, it’s the law most places. If you go to a liquor store or a bar, and you’re visibly intoxicated when you get there, it’s illegal to sell to you.