What do Points Taste Like Anyway?
I may be the hardest person you'll ever know to please with inexpensive wines. It is absolutely not because I demand some sort of pedigree on the label or prefer to spend more. The truth is quite the contrary. Spending less is great for me, but tasting less is not. I'm only going to get so many glasses of wine in this life and I am never sure which will be the last one. God help me if I've just finished some "hot" pinot that tastes like a cross between cough syrup and vanilla custard and I get squashed by that fateful bus. No way. My last glass needs to have a few characteristics or I'm just not going to drink it.
(My fussiness list)
Wine has to:
Taste like it was made from fruit and not bottled at Coca-Cola. Nor can it have bits of dirt floating in it, tree bark, wood chips etc; no dry wine should have the heat and mule kick of port, either.
Taste like:
It was grown on a farm, in a place - have a variety of distinctive accents, nuances, flavors and aromas that cascade in layers and make all the difference in giving real identity to wine. Some wines are like a clown strumming a banjo that's out of tune, but really hard. Others are smooth and swing as Count Basie's band in its heyday - all the expression, control and level of detail, plus civilized sex appeal.
Be served:
At the appropriate moment in it's life where the wine can express itself. Far too many people who love to drink wine keep choosing wine from lists and shelves based on points. What do points taste like anyway? A wine that's meant to peak at age 15 and be fantastic for another 15 years is far too often consumed when it's 4 years old and hasn't even begun to develop secondary aromas and flavors yet. Just imagine the world's best 10-year-old tennis player. Destined to be the greatest ever - we think. Would you rather buy tickets to see him play now or watch the world's number 5 and 9 square off at Roland Garros? Easy choice, right?
Wine has to be:
Stored and served at an attractive temperature in some sort of clean, flattering stemware. Worst case scenario, follow an easy rule: the 20 minute rule - take your white wine out of the refrigerator at least 20 minutes before you want to serve it - put your red in 20 minutes before you want to serve it. I prefer most wines to start at cellar temperature - 55˚F. Most whites I'll hold there or cool slightly for lighter, brighter varietals like Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. Most reds I'll want to come up in temperature slightly in the glass.
Top places in the world for value at the moment...and this does NOT mean that all of the wines are good. It means that there remain good values if you look hard and are discriminating.
Argentina - this is starting to change, but there remain superb Malbecs and Bonardas available for a song.
Chile - values here are in cooler climate varietals, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.
Spain - lots of unknown terroirs 15 years ago are making really appealing wines - Yecla, Calatayud, Carineña, Valdeorras, Rueda et al. There remain pricier but superb wines that are super-ageable from the Ribera del Duero and Rioja that could be really cornerstones for a budding collector.
Italy - has to be the most massive, complex and unnecessarily risky place to buy. Best purchases are in all regions, but now I look to Umbria (Bordeaux varietals and Grechetto), Puglia, Molise, (Negroamaro, Primitivo) Abruzzo (Trebbiano and Montepulciano) and the Alto Adige and Trentino (Pinot Bianco, dry Gewϋrztraminer, un-oaked Chardonnay; Pinot Noir and Teroldego Rotaliano).
France - the Rhône, Languedoc, and the Côtes du Roussillon for reds from Syrah, Grenache, Mouvedrè and Carignan. Especially new AOC's like Tautavel, Montpeyroux or Sablet. The Loire for whites from Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc and Mâcon for Chardonnay. The greatest value in France remains in the profound and age-worthy whites of Alsace. Unlike the rest of France, the prices have remain comparatively steady over the last 25 years.
France, Italy and Spain are certainly affected by our weak dollar - but still have excellent values in lesser know areas.
(My fussiness list)
Wine has to:
Taste like it was made from fruit and not bottled at Coca-Cola. Nor can it have bits of dirt floating in it, tree bark, wood chips etc; no dry wine should have the heat and mule kick of port, either.
Taste like:
It was grown on a farm, in a place - have a variety of distinctive accents, nuances, flavors and aromas that cascade in layers and make all the difference in giving real identity to wine. Some wines are like a clown strumming a banjo that's out of tune, but really hard. Others are smooth and swing as Count Basie's band in its heyday - all the expression, control and level of detail, plus civilized sex appeal.
Be served:
At the appropriate moment in it's life where the wine can express itself. Far too many people who love to drink wine keep choosing wine from lists and shelves based on points. What do points taste like anyway? A wine that's meant to peak at age 15 and be fantastic for another 15 years is far too often consumed when it's 4 years old and hasn't even begun to develop secondary aromas and flavors yet. Just imagine the world's best 10-year-old tennis player. Destined to be the greatest ever - we think. Would you rather buy tickets to see him play now or watch the world's number 5 and 9 square off at Roland Garros? Easy choice, right?
Wine has to be:
Stored and served at an attractive temperature in some sort of clean, flattering stemware. Worst case scenario, follow an easy rule: the 20 minute rule - take your white wine out of the refrigerator at least 20 minutes before you want to serve it - put your red in 20 minutes before you want to serve it. I prefer most wines to start at cellar temperature - 55˚F. Most whites I'll hold there or cool slightly for lighter, brighter varietals like Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. Most reds I'll want to come up in temperature slightly in the glass.
Top places in the world for value at the moment...and this does NOT mean that all of the wines are good. It means that there remain good values if you look hard and are discriminating.
Argentina - this is starting to change, but there remain superb Malbecs and Bonardas available for a song.
Chile - values here are in cooler climate varietals, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.
Spain - lots of unknown terroirs 15 years ago are making really appealing wines - Yecla, Calatayud, Carineña, Valdeorras, Rueda et al. There remain pricier but superb wines that are super-ageable from the Ribera del Duero and Rioja that could be really cornerstones for a budding collector.
Italy - has to be the most massive, complex and unnecessarily risky place to buy. Best purchases are in all regions, but now I look to Umbria (Bordeaux varietals and Grechetto), Puglia, Molise, (Negroamaro, Primitivo) Abruzzo (Trebbiano and Montepulciano) and the Alto Adige and Trentino (Pinot Bianco, dry Gewϋrztraminer, un-oaked Chardonnay; Pinot Noir and Teroldego Rotaliano).
France - the Rhône, Languedoc, and the Côtes du Roussillon for reds from Syrah, Grenache, Mouvedrè and Carignan. Especially new AOC's like Tautavel, Montpeyroux or Sablet. The Loire for whites from Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc and Mâcon for Chardonnay. The greatest value in France remains in the profound and age-worthy whites of Alsace. Unlike the rest of France, the prices have remain comparatively steady over the last 25 years.
France, Italy and Spain are certainly affected by our weak dollar - but still have excellent values in lesser know areas.
posted by Moderator at 4:45 PM
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