Inexpensive wine recommendations for wedding

I'm just curious why anyone, other than the original author, would have rights to amend/revise any post? Lock it, delete it, I don't really care, but authority to revise a post should not be allowed except by the original poster. Period, IMO.

When you are quoting a post you can pretty much do what you like with the original Bill. It's kind of like being a journalist. You can take quotes out of context, quote only a small portion, etc.. The original post can only be edited by the poster or someone who has keys like Jenise, as far as I understand it. Jenise, Robin, or Cynthia are free to correct me if I am wrong.

I'm not Bill, but it seems pretty clear that he was questioning why those with the keys (Jenise, Robin or Cynthia) have the ability to edit original posts by others. And I'm not Jenise, Robin or Cynthia, but I strongly suspect that the ability of those with the keys to edit/modify the original posts of others comes as a feature of the bulletin board software--code written by others for a wide-ranging body of users--some of whom might have a mighty legitimate need for editing/modifying the original posts of others. It would be nice, however, to allow moderators to disable that feature if they so desire, as there have been a few cases of moderators here inadvertently deleting the original posts of others. I can't say I care so much when the post is an argument about the cost of two-buck chuck, but inadvertently deleting someone's tasting notes of which they might not have another copy (and might not be willing to go and rewrite from scratch) would be a real shame indeed.

[David M. Bueker]

Just to be up front with folks - there are 4 of us with the ability to "moderate." That means edit, delete, move (i.e. if a post is in the wrong forum - as happens sometimes).

Deleting is used to remove duplicate posts (it happens a lot more than folks might think) or in the extreme case of personal attacks. We do not intentionally delete or edit folks words without first giving them a chance to revise their statements, even when something patently offensive has been posted (as has also happened). Yes mistakes are sometime made, and they are regrettable, but there is a need for some cleanup ability.

If anyone wants to know what Nathan said I have it pretty much memorized. He called the community hopeless & himself an idiot for responding to us. He went on from there to go point by point about how stupid we are. He set a really wonderful example for a newcomer, pretty much doing what he has done on virtually every internet wine board out there. From a few years back when he openly accused Terry Theise of racketeering (based on a hypothetical statement on another site I participate on) he's been generally disruptive - the leopard has not changed its spots.

Sometimes mistakes work out well.

I have the keys on another forum, and agree with David that other than eliminating duplicate postings that can happen to anybody, editing posts are very rare, and only used in extreme cases. In ten years I only remember doing in twice on the other forum. The owner or those he/she has given the keys to a forum, have to have the ability the maintain established decorum.

Matt (assuming you're still out there) -

If you like the Charles Shaw wines, I'd go with them. There's not much at that price point that I know of that will beat it. One thing I'd recommend would be to get a bottle from the store you plan on buying it at and tasting it the day or so before you buy it. In my experience, their wines seem to have some batch-to-batch variation that can be significant. If you like what you taste, then I'd go buy a bunch of it. If not, try another store somewhere in the area and see if there's a difference.

Congrats on the wedding, and please do stay around the site if you're interested in learning more about wine. Most people here are very helpful.

For what it's worth, I've had some Charles Shaw wines. Some are good (for the price) and some are not. Like Mike said, it depends on the batch. Try first and then buy if you like what you taste. Their Chardonnays have been decent, but the Sauvignon Blanc was so uncharacteristic that I didn't recognize it. The reds are OK for the most part - again for the price.

Another one to look for would be the Walnut Crest label. I've had their pinot grigio and thought it was fine for the then $5 range. I expect they've gone up a bit.

Congratulations on your wedding, and good luck in finding the right wine.

Sometimes mistakes work out well.

Disagree, mistakes are mistakes and they never work out well.
If the admins/mods have a problem with a post go ahead an delete them, but let's not hide behind the curtain of a mistake. I may not agree with Nathan's post, but i do think it should stand as originally posted or be deleted in its entirety with perhaps a brief note/explanation as the fact it was deleted by admin. One of the many reasons I like this corner of the internet is the judicious use of the editorial perogative.
Please let's keep it that way.
Bill

[Jenise]

Sometimes mistakes work out well.

Disagree, mistakes are mistakes and they never work out well.
If the admins/mods have a problem with a post go ahead an delete them, but let's not hide behind the curtain of a mistake. I may not agree with Nathan's post, but i do think it should stand as originally posted or be deleted in its entirety with perhaps a brief note/explanation as the fact it was deleted by admin. One of the many reasons I like this corner of the internet is the judicious use of the editorial perogative.
Please let's keep it that way.
Bill

Bill--I made an error. I am not hiding behind the curtain of a mistake. Look at the post in question again--it was obviously a post that should have been in my name, with Nathan's words in quotebacks and what is obviously my voice as original text. It's not even logical that if I were intending to change Nathan's post that I'd have done it that way! Let me assure you that the Edit button I have, I use EXCLUSIVELY, let me repeat EXCLUSIVELY, to fix poster's bungled quotebacks and make them look exactly as the poster intended. And that's why when I realized my mistake, I let the mistake stand and posted a separate apology. I didn't even risk making things worse by attempting to restore the rest of what I thought Nathan to have said for fear of making an additional error in not getting his exact words right. The reason, btw, I made the mistake is that my extra-powerful Edit button and the Quoteback button are pretty much right next to each other. It's regretfully easy to click the wrong one.

And let me add one more thing: I wouldn't have even wanted to change Nathan's words. He only made himself look bad--and my job here does not require me to protect him from that.

p.s. My delay in explaining this is not about any hesitation to explain, it's just that I flew to Los Angeles just as this brouhaha broke out, and I've only just returned.

[Robin Garr]

One of the many reasons I like this corner of the internet is the judicious use of the editorial perogative.
Please let's keep it that way.

You can take that to the bank, Bill. I don't have much to add to what David said so well (Jenise, too).

Online communities NEED moderation powers. Here they are limited to a very few individuals who hold my deepest trust. We very rarely use them. There's been no change in that, nor will there be as long as I own these forums. I pledge you that. I hope this ends the story. I think the situation is clear, and I don't think a long, off-topic debate would add much value to a thread opened by a newcomer seeking advice and that has been well and thoroughly hijacked. (Not yelling at you, Bill. The hijacking occurred upthread. )

Speaking of hijacking threads, Matt, I hope this didn't chase you away from our little corner of the internet. Welcome, and let us know what you decide.

[David M. Bueker]

If you click on Matt's name in his post you can see that he was back on Saturday to check in. So he at least looked.

Hey Guys,

Yeah, I'm still around and have yet to make a choice. We went flower shopping and food tasting this weekend so I haven't stopped by the wine store yet... Thank you all for your advice and recommendations. I apologize that it took me so long to respond, that wasn't my original intention but I've been a bit busy (overwhelmed) with planning, etc.
I hope I didn't open up a can of worms by starting an argument! To answer a couple of questions that you've addressed: I realize that $2-5 won't buy much but our alcohol budget is $500 so we have to be a bit selective. It'd be nice to spend $8-10/bottle for something nice but that would use up our entire alcohol budget and wouldn't leave anything for the beer or a bartender. Another question that was addressed: why have 150 guests if you can't afford to pay $XX.XX to treat them to a nice bottle of wine? Well, I'm assuming that our guests will be there not because of the wine, (or beer or food for that matter) but because they wanted to spend a very special day with us. I'd rather have the ability to invite everyone that would like to come and have a more conservative wedding than have a small, extravagant wedding and tell many of our friends and family that we can't afford to have them there. Anyways, just my $.02

Back to the wine... What I'd like to do is get a bottle of some of the recommended wines and have a tasting party with our wedding party and let everyone decide what they liked best (my palate is anything but sophisticated) Also, I noticed that BevMo is having their $.05 cent wine sale (buy one at regular price, get one for $.05) so I'm not sure if I'd be able to pick up something decent within my price range or whether they reserve the sale for the unpalatable wines.

Again, thank you all for your recommendations. If anything else comes to mind, please let me know.

Blessings,
Matt

The tasting party is an excellent idea, Matt. Everyone involved gets a chance to help pick the wine and you get the bonus of some time set aside just to relax and enjoy (which I would guess is sounding pretty good right about now).

Checking out BevMo's sale is also a great idea. We regularly take advantage of their sales. Another place that's come to mind is Grocery Outlet. Don't know if you have those out where you are, but they often have quite a few wines that are marked down from the $10 -15 range to $3 or so. You would definitely want to taste before buying any of them for the party, though. The quality varies tremendously.

Again, congratulations on the wedding!

[Jenise]

Matt: what Mike said. And let me add: you've got your priorities completely right--I'm relieved no one here persuaded you otherwise. Congratulations, and good luck.

We stopped by Costco today and their "wine associate" recommended Tin Roof Merlot (90 point Wine Advocate) for $6.99/bottle. It's obviously a bit more than "Two Buck Chuck" but I'm thinking that we might be able to split the difference by ordering half of each. Any thoughts?

Thanks again everyone,
Matt

I'd grab a bottle and give it a try, Matt. If your tastes run similar to what the Wine Advocate likes, you'll get a very good deal with that merlot. You never know for sure, though, so I'd try it before buying a bunch for the wedding. In my own experience, I don't pay much attention to Wine Advocate scores except when they give relatively high ones to inexpensive wines. Usually, I find that this indicates a well-made wine for the price point. But again, only you know what you really like.

Thanks for the input Mike, I'll grab a bottle this weekend.