Comments on: buy wine I like

By: Earl Hartman

Earl Hartman — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:55:29 +0000

Not sure how the importer thing works with kosher wine, Isamu.

Howver, you can be pretty sure that whatever Carmel imports is going to be pretty much undrinkable.

By: Will

Will — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:33:12 +0000

Earl, that’s what I mean about their being made to be drunk like cocktails, but I don’t think it’s limited to the 17%+ set. I find if I think about them like Port we get along better.

Isamu, yeah, importer is big. Probably single biggest thing that sells me a bottle, but I have a very limited selection usually. Joe Dressner, Terry Theise, Neal Rosenthal, Kermit Lynch, a few of my favorites worth looking up if you’re curious about the concept.

By: Isamu Hartman

Isamu Hartman — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 06:53:03 +0000

I will definitely start paying attention to the identity of the importer. Never even thought about it.

By: Earl Hartman

Earl Hartman — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 02:55:35 +0000

Big cabs and zins don’t really go with anything. They can be fine drunk alone, and I suppose some of them might be quite good if you like that sort of thing, but something with an 17-18% alcohol content is going to overpower pretty much any kind of food.

By: Will Huenink

Will Huenink — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:15:56 +0000

Earl, we don’t really disagree. I am very keen on pairing. But it’s a good first lesson, I think, just to consider that big cabs and zins might actually detract from a meal. And not to worry. There is so much worrying about wine. As for class and wine, of course it’s a fascinating subject, but it shouldn’t weigh on the mind of someone trying to wring a little pleasure out of fermented grape juice. Anyway, thanks for the thoughtful comment.

Ed, don’t mind me. Good to have you aboard.

By: Ed Pluchar

Ed Pluchar — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:34:33 +0000

Will – Great tips.

I have to confess that I typically enjoy Cabs, although I hate to think there’s a link there to sugary, syrupy drinks. Either way, I’m glad to learn more about grape vs. region vs. importer. I had no idea the importer was such a factor, though it makes perfect sense.

Also, I suppose that you now have 5 readers.

By: Earl Hartman

Earl Hartman — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:20:26 +0000

Will:

I guess you just aren’t a snob. For most people, wine, like pretty much everything else IS a class marker. They drink it to impress their friends or to defer to the opinions of people by whom they are intimidated so they can fit in with the crowd, and to display their supposed sophistication to their betters (and to people they feel are lower on the social ladder than they are). As Bertie Wooster said, it is sometimes impossible to resist the fatal urge to swank.

I agree with you on the ridiculous trend on the part of winemakers in California to produce these “monster Cabs” or whatever they call them. Perhaps such wine has its place, but I prefer something a little less “LOOK AT ME!! POWERFUL ENOUGH FOR YA!??!? to go with my food. It just seems so typically American to go for the “big” thing.

I disagree on your pairing advice, though. I agree that this subject gives people much too much of an opportunity to display their inner pedant (or snob), but a Pinot Grigio goes much better with a sole meuniere than a Zinfandel does. I think that in general (depending on the preparation, of course) the “red wine with red meat and white wine with chicken and fish” holds up fairly well, as a general rule of thumb, or a point of departure. You just have the self-confidence to experiment and not follow such rules blindly just because someone said they’re the rules.