With ice, water, or straight, like Kendall says, that is up to the individual for their preference. And ice is the model I've been exposed to, but I'll give it a try the other ways. Shouting (all caps) is not a really tactful way to participate in a conversation, Silas. I recognize that at the end of the drink I wish I could taste it better, so probably with a little water is the next way to try it, for a consistent taste from first to last. Thanks, maeve.

My wine preferences are to find good-tasting varieties under $10 a bottle. A lot of the high-priced labels regularly lose to the moderately priced wines in blind taste tests. I poke through the various brands and prefer to find European and other off-shore wines that have an actual place they come from (a specific river valley, usually, not the blended grapes from all of California and Oregon, for example). Red is usually room temperature, white is usually chilled. Rose usually chilled. I don't care for really sweet red wines. I like the white Kabinett German wines in the summer and there are some good US labels, I pick up Fetzer's white zinfandel or gewurztraminer if I don't see a German wine I want (or can afford).

I don't really care for the bottle of Scotch I picked up most recently so it will stay in the cabinet waiting for a drinker who likes that level of smokiness. I'll take a list, gleaned from this discussion, to see what else is out there that is in my budget.

SRS