wines

These days it seems red wines are more in favor. This is unfortunate for me since I've never met a red that I liked. Even White Zinfandel doesn't appeal to me. I guess they have too much body and taste. I like a more bland approach.

Back in the 80s white wines had their hayday. Every time you turned around someone was having a party with Chardonnay, Chablis and Sauvignon Blanc. Since I like my wine a little sweeter, I've always gravitated towards Rieslings though the occasional sparkling wine is nice too.

My current favorite is picture to the left.

Schmitt Sohne's 2003 Riesling QbA from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region of Germany. Frequently referred to as "blue bottle" for obvious reasons. There's several types of blue bottle and QbA is the least expensive, typically costing $7.99 a bottle. Other types cost more but none are very expensive. The 2004 is out but I've not tried it since I still have a few bottles of the 2003 on hand.

Riesling’s great attribute is that it combines high natural acidity with tremendous fruit presence, in both aroma and taste. They tend to be low alcohol wines, the QbA is 9%, and have incredible aging ability. A few years back a Riesling from the 1400s was uncorked and found to be still "living". Riesling’s other hallmark is an expressive bouquet. It's often a treat to just sniff the bottle.

What do you prefer, red, white or sparkling? Any particular type or year?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Dave, tsk, tsk,tsk! Where have you been my friend? Have you not met a decent Aussie Red? Merlot? Shiraz? We have some fab ones down under, all reasonably priced, do yourself a favor go try some!
Anonymous said…
I prefer a rose type... which is red, I guess? Actually, a good bottle of red wine is nice. I like white wine with a meal -- I totally ignore the rules about what kind of wines go with what kinds of food.

However, I rarely drink, so my preferences matter little.
Anonymous said…
I like all different kinds of wine. I used to prefer whites, but I have been drinking more reds lately. (Since it is supposed to be good for your heart, that was a good motivator for acquiring a taste for it. So I can drink more with with the excuse that it is good for me.)

My most favorite recent wine I've had is the 1997 Ruffino Chianti. Later I had the 2003 and it was definately not as good. I think 97 was supposed to be a good year overall.

But I'm not a wine snob, so that is all I can say about that.

The place I buy my wine from keeps a list of the stuff I like and then I request the "one from spain with the gold circle" or something like that. And they don't even laugh at me. They must wait until I leave.

PS. After the revolution, you can still drink your Reislings, fear not. ;)
Anonymous said…
I am hardly a connoisseur (sp?), but I like any wine so long as it is RED! I prefer shiraz, syrah, merlot, and sabernet sauvignon. White wines are mostly too bland for me, although I have had a few I like. On our 25th anniversary, some friend gave us 2 bottles of Dom Perignon - now that stuff was wonderful and if I had $90+ to throw away on wine - that would be my choice everytime!
Anonymous said…
Darn, I forgot to say Michele sent me this morning!
Anonymous said…
Nice post, my kind of post. I am not much of a wine connaisseuse (I looked this word up!) but my husband is so I rely on his choice while dining out. For a glass of wine just for fun I rather go for the sparkling wine, it doesn't have to be real champagne, the local Spanish cava brut is just perfect. Cheers! Michele sent me today.
Anonymous said…
I like white wines. No specific year or make, as long as it's kinda fruity and not too tart or woody.

Remember this for when we get time to have a romantic dinner together! ;o)

Michele sent me this time.
Anonymous said…
If you like German Riesling, you should also experiment with the Gewürztraminer wines which are particularly good served cripy cool with spicy foods such as Chinese cooking. From Germany and also from their original Alsace-Lorraine area of France (kind of the French/German border zone), they can come from France or Germany with similar qualities. I expect they are also made in California (no doubt to a consistent standard), but we don't see much of that here in the UK.

I shall start chilling some right now!

rashbre
utenzi said…
Michelle, I've only had white wines from Australia--and New Zealand for that matter--and I liked them. I've also had one wine I really liked from Chile but I didn't write down what it was--and I've never been able to remember.

Teresa, your preferences do matter. Really!

Lisa M, it sounds like you have a much more responsive wine merchant than I. I get mine at a grocery store! LOL You can't do that up there! It's weird how much the various states differ on how alcohol is sold. Here in NC you have to buy spirits from State owned and operated stores--but wine is sold in grocery stores. Go figure.

Judy, I've never had a taste of Dom. It's way, way over my price range. That must have been a very nice friend to give you and your husband two bottles.
utenzi said…
Mar, I like several sparkling wines--often more than real Champagne. I've never had any Spanish wines though.

Yaeli, I'm keeping notes so that romantic dinner will be note perfect. It's all about you, darling. :-)

Rashbre, I've had some wine from the Alsace-Lorraine region but not Gewürztraminer. In fact I've not had that type ever. I'll see if any are carried in the stores I shop in, Rashbre. Thanks for the suggestion!

As for domestic Reislings, I've only had one--it was from Vermont, of all places--and it was wonderful. Unfortunately it's only available locally and Vermont is 400 miles from where I live.
Anonymous said…
Currently I am mostly Quaffing Blossom Hill Zinfandel...lovely light fruity Rose
Anonymous said…
My favorite white is Pouilly Fuisse by Louis Jardot.
My favorite red must be from an Oak barrel none of the metal barrel for . Hence the reason I love clos du bois it's expensive but sooooooooooooooo worth it.
Maggie
Michele sent me
Anonymous said…
I'm one of those unfortunates who gets a headache from reds--even the nice ones. My favorite white is RH Phillips Sauvignon Blanc--not too pricey and very tasty...and there is a redhead on the bottle (though I didn't notice that until I had been drinking it for years).

Judy--My father bought a bottle of Dom when I graduated from nursing school. At the time my wine experience was minimal, and I could still appreciate the quality!

Michelle--My Sweetie is a red lover and Aussie Shirazes? are his favorites.
Anonymous said…
on those rare occasions that i set down my bottle of Bud.. I pick up a bottle of white.
gewertzteminer's are good if not too sweet, the best reisling i EVER tasted comes from a winery in my old neighborhood, Temecula Ca. Fetzer's Emerald Reisling is pure ambrosia.. and actually findable in grocery stores around here.

I'm a sucker for good chardonnay, but the fume blancs are a private weakness... and good sparklies! Bubbles rock!
Anonymous said…
i am not much of a wine drinker myslef, although i had to take a whole semester on it for my hospitality degree in university. i have tried the wolfe blass riesling though and quite enjoyed it, i also like an ontario vidal (not an ice wine but a table wine) here from micheles tonight
utenzi said…
Thanks everyone. There's some excellent suggestions here.
Anonymous said…
I love a Merlot or a Shiraz. You can never go wrong with Australian or French wines, I think.
Anonymous said…
I much prefer reds especially, cabs and anything Italian. I hate sweet wines and white zin is very, very bad. I feel the same way about Merlot as the guy in Sideways. If I drink white, I usually pick a pinot grogio or a sauvignon blanc.
Anonymous said…
My in-laws guzzle Schmitt's. One of the good things about being pregnant is I now have a reason to refuse the stuf without issue.

I'm a red wine drinker and I must admit I miss the stuff. Didn't start out that way, but gragually moved into the stuff.

If you can to give reds a try take advantage of tastings, especially of pinot noir and you may enjoy Beaujoulais Nouveaux, this season's crop should appear in just a week or two.

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