I love wine. I’ve enjoyed a lifetime of sampling wonderful wines from around the world and it has been a consistent pleasure. I would not claim any authority as an expert and I have a limited budget for indulging my hobby, but I’ve learned what I like.
@Dead_Cat, my late husband was from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. He watched the wine trade spring up all around him as rows of vines steadily replaced herds of sheep on the land. Like you, I love the sauvignon blancs from that region. But did you know the vintners there try for a particular characteristic in their product? It’s a note of cat pee.
I wouldn’t have believed it except it was a Marlborough sauvignon blanc vintner himself who shared the information with a twinkle in his eye – and you know, as soon as he said it I grabbed a snootful, and I realized it was true! Just a hint, but it’s there. Nautilus, one of my faves, is a nice one (about $15/bottle) to try for this.
I adore both Oregon and California pinot noir, California cabernet sauvignon, California chardonnay, Oregon pinot grigio and Australian shiraz. My current favorite Aussie shiraz is Mollydooker The Boxer (about $30/bottle).
I’m not really a fan of European wines, but I’ve enjoyed quite a few Chilean and South African reds. I know there are great European wines – obviously! – but I’ve not had sufficient instruction in them to be confident in my choices.
My favorites are big reds, but they’re too rich to drink in the warmer months. That’s what whites and sparkling wines are for.
It’s fun to share experiences with other wine aficionados on the board!
Yeah, I only got to vote for one, also. Chard, my usual favorite, but it’s followed closely by Zinfandel. Also, the occasional Pinot Gris, Prosecco, Rose, and Cab. Love me some wine but I don’t have an appreciation for all wine like the true connoisseurs. Just can’t choke down the sweeter ones.
Some nitpicks. “Claret” is redundant and doesn’t belong on the list, since it’s just a British-ism for any of the robust wines of Bordeaux, principally Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot but also several others. You also left out two of my favourites, Cabernet Franc (widely produced in excellent quality in cooler wine-growing regions like southern Ontario) and Pinot Gris. It’s odd to have Pinot Grigio but not Pinot Gris since the latter, although made with the same grape, is often considered (e.g.- by me ) to be the finer wine.
But I’m primarily a red drinker and my choices, in no particular order, would be:
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc
Pinot Noir
Malbec
For whites, which I drink just occasionally:
Chardonnay
Pinot Gris
Riesling
Also complicating such a survey is that many wines are blends, although typically one varietal tends to dominate and the wine is sold as such (not that there’s anything wrong with that at all – a skillful blend often produces a wonderful wine).
I’m with you on much of that, though I have no experience of Oregon wines. California I consider one of the finest wine-producing regions in the world, notable for what you aptly describe as “big reds”. I do love New Zealand whites, particularly Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Oyster Bay is a good value for those varietals. For a while there was a limited supply of a really great New Zealand red that I bought in fair quantity, but damned if I can remember what it was. I think it was a Pinot Noir, don’t remember the winery.
I have to say, though, that Chilean wines have tended to disappoint. For great value in a good inexpensive wine, I find Spain to be the better bet. My current “house wine” (defined as an everyday wine cheap enough to guzzle like water with every meal!) is a Spanish Tempranillo and Merlot blend. French wines are always an interesting prospect. On one hand, the ones we bother to import are always at least tolerable and sometimes quite decent. On the other hand, they tend to overrate themselves and the really good distinctive ones with character tend to be quite outrageously priced. I’ve occasionally found great French Bordeaux wines at reasonable prices that truly exude depth and character, but such finds are rare.
Sulfur atoms are really distinctive, give molecules very strong smells, at least as we mammals perceive them, and so these molecules in cat urine are rich in sulfur. It turns out that sulfur molecules are also important in many, many foods — meats in particular, roasted meats especially, but also tropical fruits, fruits that we think of as having kind of exotic flavors, exotic aromas, things like passionfruit, for example, and, less exotic than passionfruit, blackcurrants.
So I believe you.
As I was saying, I’ve only come to appreciate wines the last couple years so many of you can probably make a better poll. You will still have about 20 items max if you want to make a poll. Also on Facebook, ISTR that you can actually make a poll where people can add choices…that would be ideal here, where you’re bound to leave something off but others can add it.
I was reading a book (Red Sky at Morning) in which Claret was mentioned. Then I was at Sam’s Club and saw this:
At a local wine store the salesman told us that Europeans are fine with blends but Americans want those labels (merlot, cab, etc.). I used to get a 1.5L red blend at Sam’s for $9 that was my go-to.
One year we were at Costco and they had a three bottle set of French wines in a wooden box so we got it and…no. Very dry, bitter, unpleasant as I recall.
One wine I keep meaning to try: Amontillado, to see what Poe was writing about.
Reisling, chardonnay, there are a couple of others I’ll remember later.
Barefoot makes a blended red (not a blush or rose wine, it looks exactly like a red wine) that I really like. If you serve it warm it tastes like a mildly dry white wine, if you serve it chilled it tastes like a sweet red wine.
Pinotage (local varietal, strong coffee and chocolate notes )
Cab Sav
Merlot
Chardonnay
Chenin blanc
Muscadel (local sweet Muscat variety)
Hanepoot (another local Muscat)
Vin de Constance (also sweet Muscat, once world-famous, beloved of emperors)
Cape Ruby (a local port-style wine)
As I said, a British-ism for a Bordeaux and any of several varietals from the region. That winery calling it “Claret” seems to be a pretentious appeal to English aristocratic traditionalism. If you look at the label under the “Claret” name, it says “1910 type”, thus confirming the pretentious historical appeal, and then under that, it says what the wine really is – predominantly Cab Sauv.
I’ve never had this particular wine, but as a side note, I tend to be unimpressed by “celebrity” wines – wines produced by wineries purchased or founded by celebrities whose main attribute is having a lot of money and wanting even more, but not necessarily produced by the best or most passionate vintners. (There is even a “Wayne Gretzky” winery!) I wouldn’t dismiss them out of hand, but “hey, Francis Ford Coppola owns this place” is in itself not exactly a meaningful endorsement. I’d judge them on their merits. You said you were unimpressed with this one. I suspect I’d probably feel the same.
I would suggest you make an exception and give it a try. It’s our go to wine about 50% of the time we drink wine. Other wines we enjoy include some very expensive vintage Cabs ($100+), that were a gift, Barolos and Montepulcianos, and the odd Rioja. But the Coppola Claret (yeah, cab blend) is consistently very drinkable.
Susumaniello from Puglia is very nice and you can get a stubby bottle of it from Trader Joe’s. At least I used to be able to.
By contrast, the perfectly acceptable Spanish Tempranillo and Merlot blend that I like for everyday drinking is $8.05. A local paper gave the 2018 a 90 rating (the 2017 was even better!). I don’t mind spending $20, $30, or even $40 on a good bottle of wine, but my expectations rise accordingly!
I forgot how huge the import mark-up is in Canada. The Coppola Claret is about $14 to $18 here in the US. I would not rush to spend $30 CAD on it. Maybe if you do the the Windsor-Detroit or Thousand Island - Watertown run, you can pick up a bottle to try. Otherwise, yeah, screw the California wines. Drink the French and Italian imports.
Add to that the impact the California wildfires could have on wine prices…
I guess we better stock up? We’ve occasionally bought boxed (“Cardbordeaux”); some is drinkable and much less expensive. Kinda like the old college trick where you start with the good beer to get a buzz and then switch to something that was on sale.
Yes, I’ve read about that and worry about it! There is also a vastly increasing demand from China that adds to wine shortages and price rises as the country moves forward with increased industrialization and wealth.
I appreciate your perspective that the Coppola is overpriced here in Ontario, which many California wines indeed are. When my brother and his wife lived in California many years ago, when he was doing his sabbatical at Stanford in the heart of wine country, they thought they were in heaven when it came to wine. Terrific California wines were cheap and plentiful. I visited them for a couple of weeks and it was amazing – not just the prices, but the great stuff that was available!
As for ice wine, yes it’s terrific stuff, Ontario’s production is probably the world’s best, but obviously not for everyday drinking, and certainly not with dinner (except maybe for dessert, where it competes well with a trockenbeerenauslese or the famous Chateau d’Yquem sauterne). The thing here in Ontario is that (a) winemakers have the French vintner’s sense of overinflated value, so that the many very good local wines that exist are commensurably priced to match the scale of the imports, and (b) wineries (which I visit often) are legally required to charge the same standardized prices as the liquor board sets throughout the province. The only real advantage of my winery visits, besides great lunches at the various winery eateries, is the availability of great wines that have only been produced in limited quantities and not available anywhere else.
That’s funny – I didn’t see/hear it. I was visiting the Marlborough area in 2005 to see relatives, some of whom are in the wine biz themselves. They took me to one of their many local wineries to try the sauvignon blanc. I got into a chummy conversation with the winemaker and he was the one who clued me in. I nearly called him a liar myself! But once you’re looking for it, you’ll be hard-pressed to miss it in the bouquet. I thought it was hilarious.
I hadn’t either, till I moved here 16 years ago. I must confess to having been a closet California wine snob. I grew up with California wines. My youth was like living in the movie, Bottle Shock. So when I moved to Oregon, I tried hard to not have a chip on my shoulder, but there was a little one.
One day a knowledgeable friend took me on a local wine crawl to wineries no more than 30 miles from my home. Shut my mouth and call me Fred! Oregon is renowned for its pinot noir and pinot gris, and they also do some respectable chardonnays. Like others in this thread, I used to cast a sidelong glance at pinot grigio. No more. What the winemakers are doing with them here is delicious.
Most of the best Oregon wines I’ve enjoyed come from the boutique wineries that dot the region, not widely available I’m sad to say. Not a boutique but an available one that you might wish to try is Willamette Valley Whole Cluster Pinot Noir (2019 vintage available for $22/bottle). A bottle to put by for a few years.
A boutique offering I’d suggest that’s near me is Broadley Claudia’s Choice Pinot Noir (2016 vintage available for $46/bottle). A friend who lives in Sonoma County and dabbles in wine making herself can’t get enough of this one.
I’m avoiding Oregon wines from this year’s harvest for the same reason. I think some of the little local wineries will do what they can with the grapes, but “smoke” isn’t a tasting note I’m after. Others just gave the grapes to the birds this year.
COVID and the wildfires really gave them a double whammy. Plus wine is obviously a luxury many people will cut back on as times turn hard. These folks are my neighbors. I’m doing what I can to support them through this dreadful time. Some are still successfully offering outdoor tastings, though that will soon end due to our cold weather stretch. It’s hard to watch. Class acts, each and every one.
We’re partial to full-bodied reds like Cabs or Montepuciano, or a good Chianti. I fell hard for Portuguese reds when we lived there, especially Douro wines, and of course Port. A current fave for port is Taylor Fladgate 10 year tawny.
) to be the finer wine.
