I just now read through the whole of this thread and am struck by two things: 1) the depth of interest in whisky, and 2) the fabulously high quality of wine chosen by Twl's wine club.
One day I hope to find like-minded people as has Twl in order to try some great wines of years past. Sharing good wine with like-minded friends is a great pleasure - and much easier on the wallet than trying to drink it alone. I only got a chance to start drinking really nice wine a few years ago when to entertain clients, my boss took them out (I got to tag along) to eat good food and great French wine. My one and only bottle of Cheval Blanc (85) was in that period. Every now and then, I get the chance to drink some great French wine, mostly at the expense of brokers. The PPE (Parker Price Effect) is in full effect for French and Californian wine here in Tokyo because volume is limited enough that there is an extra middleman in the process. So we try to find things which fly under the radar (easiest with Spanish, Italian, and Australian wines).
Natalie: all the Leffes I know of (Blond, Brown, and Triple) are decent. I also recommend many of the beers brewed under the Hoegaarden brand (White, Forbidden Fruit, Grand Cru, or Julian), triples like Westmalle Trippel and Van Steenberge's Gulden Draak. Other beers worth their while (though I've never seen them in the U.S.) are Westvleteren, Moortgat Duvel, and Oud Beersel).
