A friend has shown some interest in beginning to drink some wine. I would rather not throw too many obscure and niche bottles at him so I figure a “neutral” red from California would be best to start with. I am really hoping he doesn’t end up trending toward the fruit bomb cali wines as it would make it hard for us to drink together, but if it ends up that way, so be it.
My goal is basically to go through a series of bottles to see what aspects he likes and doesn’t like to hopefully end up at a style he enjoys for now. I was considering something like a 2012 The Paring Red, but I’d like to see what else would be a good idea. So what would you all suggest is a middle of the road cali red that isn’t too new world fruit forward, but also not overly old world structured either. Price range of ~$25. Thanks for the help.
There are so many variables – grape, style, age, etc. I think the best way to figure out what someone likes to drink is to just start drinking wines with them and to ask questions about what they like/dislike about each wine.
Also, understand that there’s a good likelihood that your friend’s palate will change over time. That happened to almost every wine drinker that I know.
Finally, if this guy is a mate, you might want to reconsider your stance on drinking with him, even if you hate his wine. I’d rather drink bad wine with a good friend than good wine with a bad friend. YMMV.
Of course, I understand that his palate will change over time (I can just see how mine has changed over the past two years), but for him, it seems like not having a wine he likes and can buy has become a sort of barrier to entry for him. I just want to get rid of that barrier so that he can at least discover things on his own after that. Also, of course I would rather have any wine with good friends than good wine with bad friends, but why not hope to have good wine with good friends?
Robert Mondavi cab; Textbook cab; Starmont cab - both for your “Napa cab” experience
Chappellet Mountain Cuvee for a little higher altitude Cali Bordeaux
Then maybe pick a Pinot from RRV and one from the coast
what about going to a tasting (maybe retail shop) of CA wines? Local restaurant that sells wine by the glass that you can split? This way you can sample more wines/varieties as opposed to committing to buying bottles neither one may like.
I have half an answer. Get a 2013 Au Bon Climat La Bauge au Dessus pinot noir. The other half of the answer is “go find a jammy pinot noir from California for a similar price.” I was going to suggest Meomi, but the folks working that wine are not so ignorant as to ignore taste trends. Their recent releases are all sub 14% alcohol with a less jam-bomb profile.
I would avoid trying to use Cab for my comparative analysis at $25. I’m sure I’ll get some rabble-rabble for this, but I think there is a cost barrier for Cab that doesn’t seem to exist with other varieties. The real estate, grapes, barrels for lengthy aging, etc. seem to me to mark somewhere close to $40 as what is no considered “entry level” for really good quality cabernet sauvignon from Napa. I’d avoid trying to find someone’s preference with low quality wines, as qualitative differences often determine preference even where styles differ.
There are many really great pinot noir for less than $30. Many. The Au Bon Climat La Bauge is a really wonderful aromatic wine with a bright red fruit profile and nice cutting acidity. Mouthwatering, but admittedly on the lighter side of business. Find something more extracted and fruit focused and see if your pal prefers richness to elegance.
I will also add that 97% of folks who are just showing an interest in drinking and learning about wine choose big and rich first, then over time begin to lean more toward a “more restrained” profile. Be careful not to judge or pressure early. It’s all part of the journey.
A lot of casual wine drinkers enjoy Cabernet, or for that matter merlot. I don’t think a casual wine drinker, or non-wine-drinker, is going to find a $25 cab or Merlot to be of insufficient quality. Also while the prevailing logic these days seems to be to start with for the California wines, many, many wine drinkers have started with Bordeaux. So for some peoples taste that might actually be preferable. Maybe try both? But probably not in the same tasting event.
Start with white wine, chard, sauvignon blanc, etc, etc. White wines are easier to like at first. If he develops an interest, then move onto red starting with pinot noir.
Why California? I love Cal wine but I think you may get better value at that price point, from France. Besides you must have some daily drinkers to share. Riesling is also a way to go.
Some producers who may be available stateside.
Qupe.
Boony Doon
Gruet for sparkling
Wow so many variables. One big one is are these wines for drinking on their own, or with food. The restaurant / wine bar idea is great, or a really good wine tasting club if they have the right events scheduled.
Go for the corners of the box and maybe focus on style / weight as opposed to fruit mixture. And yes, look at whites as well as reds. And def look at old / new world, high low oak / acid / tannin.
And don’t overly complicate it. Step one is to find something that he finds exciting, step two, ideally, to find something different he also likes… then he will be off and running trying to understand what’s going on.
And do try to encourage at the start some reflection on each wine, why it’s good or bad, in just three or four words, initial impression, not big analysis. It’s not to early to start being a little systematic.
I have a different suggestion. Go together to a wine tasting hosted by a wine shop or some other venue where many styles from many places will be abundant. Alternatively, there must be a slew of wine bars in NJ to choose from where the cost of entry is a glass vs a bottle.
You could guide your friend’s tasting direction based on his/her reaction to a given wine and your familiarity with it. That would save on palate fatigue and really speed up the learning curve of self-awareness.
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