Changed tastes over the years. Anyone?

[C_h_r_i_s_B_e_r_n_s_e_n]

I just reflected with a nice cigar that my wine preferences have changed so dramatically over the past years (14 since I’ve been a geek). I used to really love California Cabernet, Aussie Shiraz, Bordeaux, and (still do ) Barolo, but now my passions are Pinot of all descriptions, German Spatlese, cru Beaujolias, CCR, and non-Burg/Bord whites (Alto Adige, Albarino, Sancerre, Greeks). I even look at my stock of top Dolcetto with an anticipation that I never had for these other wines. What happened?

[K_John_Joseph]

Sounds like you got poorer!

j/k!

[Mark_Ryan]

@K John Joseph

Sounds like you got poorer!

j/k!

Now that is funny.

[Berry_Crawford]

A true wine geek goes through the following spiritual stages:

Stage 1 “Genesis” - Have an epiphany wine that makes you want to get more serious about wine
Stage 2 “Confusion” - Realize that there are so many bewildering choices that its difficult to decide what to buy
Stage 3 “Discipleship” - Start following the ratings of a respected wine critic as a guide to what to buy
Stage 4 “Cognitive Dissonance” - Do your best to tell yourself that you are actually enjoying all the highly rated wines you are drinking
Stage 5 “Awakening” - Realize that taste in wine is subjective and you need to determine for yourself what you like
Stage 6 “Rage” - What the f*ck am I going to do with all this wine I bought that i don’t actually like?
Stage 7 “Dinner Parties” - Unload the wine on friends at non-wine-geek dinner parties. They will likely be impressed as the wines are highly rated.
Stage 8 “The Quest” - Taste, taste and taste some more to see what regions, producers and vintages you like
Stage 9 “Enlightenment” - OMFG! Burgundy!
Stage 10 “Dark Night of the Soul” - OMFG these things are expensive!
Stage 11 “Inner Peace” - German Riesling! And cheap too!

[Anthony_Hall]

Hi Berry,

Happy to live in stages 9 and 11 at once !

Anthony.

[Victor_Hong]

@C h r i s B e r n s e n

I just reflected with a nice cigar that my wine preferences have changed so dramatically over the past years (14 since I’ve been a geek). I used to really love California Cabernet, Aussie Shiraz, Bordeaux, and (still do ) Barolo, but now my passions are Pinot of all descriptions, German Spatlese, cru Beaujolias, CCR, and non-Burg/Bord whites (Alto Adige, Albarino, Sancerre, Greeks). I even look at my stock of top Dolcetto with an anticipation that I never had for these other wines. What happened?

Senility, retirement planning, or both.

[dave_cuneo]

Your tastes are becoming more refined. You are starting to appreciate lighter, more delicate wines for their beauty rather than just big blockbusters for their size and strength.

I drink way more white wine now than red, but as a younger man, I wanted big, heavy reds. You still like Barolo because despite it being big, it is not heavy, it is so well balanced and so complex, where as Cab, Sheeraz etc generally are not. I get cravings for lighter, perfumed reds like a simple (but well made and fresh) Valpolicella or Bardolino, similar to your desire for Beaujolais.

It is sort of like professional wrestling. As a kid you want to watch the bgiggest, strongest wrestlers go at it. Later you begin to appreciate the smaller, lighter wrestlers for their athleticism and moves.

[Ken_V]

@dave cuneo

It is sort of like professional wrestling. As a kid you want to watch the bgiggest, strongest wrestlers go at it. Later you begin to appreciate the smaller, lighter wrestlers for their athleticism and moves.

I’m still in this stage, Dave:

[Carl_Jensen]

@Ken V

@dave cuneo

It is sort of like professional wrestling. As a kid you want to watch the bgiggest, strongest wrestlers go at it. Later you begin to appreciate the smaller, lighter wrestlers for their athleticism and moves.

I’m still in this stage, Dave:

me too ken. there was a cage match in my mouth last weekend with an 07 Two Hands Lily’s Garden.

[dave_cuneo]

Ken,

I like that stage. dc

[Berry_Crawford]

@Anthony Hall

Hi Berry,

Happy to live in stages 9 and 11 at once !

Anthony.

One never fully leaves stage 9

[Peter_Kleban]

@Berry Crawford

A true wine geek goes through the following spiritual stages:

Stage 1 “Genesis” - Have an epiphany wine that makes you want to get more serious about wine
Stage 2 “Confusion” - Realize that there are so many bewildering choices that its difficult to decide what to buy
Stage 3 “Discipleship” - Start following the ratings of a respected wine critic as a guide to what to buy
Stage 4 “Cognitive Dissonance” - Do your best to tell yourself that you are actually enjoying all the highly rated wines you are drinking
Stage 5 “Awakening” - Realize that taste in wine is subjective and you need to determine for yourself what you like
Stage 6 “Rage” - What the f*ck am I going to do with all this wine I bought that i don’t actually like?
Stage 7 “Dinner Parties” - Unload the wine on friends at non-wine-geek dinner parties. They will likely be impressed as the wines are highly rated.
Stage 8 “The Quest” - Taste, taste and taste some more to see what regions, producers and vintages you like
Stage 9 “Enlightenment” - OMFG! Burgundy!
Stage 10 “Dark Night of the Soul” - OMFG these things are expensive!
Stage 11 “Inner Peace” - German Riesling! And cheap too!

Berry, you’re too much!

In my case, it’s been Stages 2 - 5, 8, getting to 9, trying to avoid 10, and not yet quite at 11.

[Bob_Hunnicutt]

@Ken V

@dave cuneo

It is sort of like professional wrestling. As a kid you want to watch the bgiggest, strongest wrestlers go at it. Later you begin to appreciate the smaller, lighter wrestlers for their athleticism and moves.

I’m still in this stage, Dave:

I’m confused. Is this the overripe Zinfandel stage or the cool climate Pinot phase?

[Ken_V]

@Bob Hunnicutt

@Ken V

@dave cuneo

It is sort of like professional wrestling. As a kid you want to watch the bgiggest, strongest wrestlers go at it. Later you begin to appreciate the smaller, lighter wrestlers for their athleticism and moves.

I’m still in this stage, Dave:

I’m confused. Is this the overripe Zinfandel stage or the cool climate Pinot phase?

It’s the Barolo stage: Sexy, but still earthy.

[Steven_Lawrence]

@Berry Crawford

A true wine geek goes through the following spiritual stages:

Stage 1 “Genesis” - Have an epiphany wine that makes you want to get more serious about wine
Stage 2 “Confusion” - Realize that there are so many bewildering choices that its difficult to decide what to buy
Stage 3 “Discipleship” - Start following the ratings of a respected wine critic as a guide to what to buy
Stage 4 “Cognitive Dissonance” - Do your best to tell yourself that you are actually enjoying all the highly rated wines you are drinking
Stage 5 “Awakening” - Realize that taste in wine is subjective and you need to determine for yourself what you like
Stage 6 “Rage” - What the f*ck am I going to do with all this wine I bought that i don’t actually like?
Stage 7 “Dinner Parties” - Unload the wine on friends at non-wine-geek dinner parties. They will likely be impressed as the wines are highly rated.
Stage 8 “The Quest” - Taste, taste and taste some more to see what regions, producers and vintages you like
Stage 9 “Enlightenment” - OMFG! Burgundy!
Stage 10 “Dark Night of the Soul” - OMFG these things are expensive!
Stage 11 “Inner Peace” - German Riesling! And cheap too!

Nice! Love stages 4-7.

Luckily (or not!) except with a brief flirtation with cabs and amarones, I started in Burgundy and the Rhone, and happily have never left. Although I do occasionally have exploratory forays into other regions (starting to dig on old cabs and muscadet).

[GregT]

Can’t say my tastes have changed over the years.

It’s just like that pic Ken posted - I think I would have liked it as much 20 years ago as I will 20 years hence. At least I hope so!

I appreciate more wines than I did many years ago but OTOH I liked chocolate cake as a kid and I still do. I liked CA Cabs years ago and still do. I liked N. Rhones years ago and still do. What’s happened is that in addition to those, I’ve discovered many many many more wines and some of those have been added to the list of things I like.

No need to abandon the things you love. If you have a big heart, you can just love more.

[Paul_Ianniello]

I’ve bought one issue of Spectator in my life. Proud to say that. Flipping through 30 pages of repetitive pedantic rambling left me pretty unenthusiastic about wine as a whole. I think my revelation came in that people of the younger generations have far more broad tastes and are less inclined to shit themselves over a 99pt score and follow one critic like Christ the Messiah. My first truly mindblowing wine was pretty simple, a ~20 bottle of Crozes-Hermitage. Big wines definitely bored me quickly and these days I find myself into lots more Loire valley, Alsacian and German wines, as well as some weirder stuff from Piedmonte. I love Barolo, Burgundy, etc… just as much but quite honestly don’t have the wallet for it.

[C_h_r_i_s_B_e_r_n_s_e_n]

@Berry Crawford

A true wine geek goes through the following spiritual stages:

Stage 1 “Genesis” - Have an epiphany wine that makes you want to get more serious about wine
Stage 2 “Confusion” - Realize that there are so many bewildering choices that its difficult to decide what to buy
Stage 3 “Discipleship” - Start following the ratings of a respected wine critic as a guide to what to buy
Stage 4 “Cognitive Dissonance” - Do your best to tell yourself that you are actually enjoying all the highly rated wines you are drinking
Stage 5 “Awakening” - Realize that taste in wine is subjective and you need to determine for yourself what you like
Stage 6 “Rage” - What the f*ck am I going to do with all this wine I bought that i don’t actually like?
Stage 7 “Dinner Parties” - Unload the wine on friends at non-wine-geek dinner parties. They will likely be impressed as the wines are highly rated.
Stage 8 “The Quest” - Taste, taste and taste some more to see what regions, producers and vintages you like
Stage 9 “Enlightenment” - OMFG! Burgundy!
Stage 10 “Dark Night of the Soul” - OMFG these things are expensive!
Stage 11 “Inner Peace” - German Riesling! And cheap too!

Tht is the wisest post I’ve read here. Almost an exact account of my wine evolution. Germany is without question the best QPR in the world to me. J.J. Prum from a top vintage for 1/10 if its qualitative counterpart in other regions.???

[C_h_r_i_s_B_e_r_n_s_e_n]

@dave cuneo

Your tastes are becoming more refined. You are starting to appreciate lighter, more delicate wines for their beauty rather than just big blockbusters for their size and strength.

I drink way more white wine now than red, but as a younger man, I wanted big, heavy reds. You still like Barolo because despite it being big, it is not heavy, it is so well balanced and so complex, where as Cab, Sheeraz etc generally are not. I get cravings for lighter, perfumed reds like a simple (but well made and fresh) Valpolicella or Bardolino, similar to your desire for Beaujolais.

It is sort of like professional wrestling. As a kid you want to watch the bgiggest, strongest wrestlers go at it. Later you begin to appreciate the smaller, lighter wrestlers for their athleticism and moves.

Yes, I think that is exactly it.

[C_h_r_i_s_B_e_r_n_s_e_n]

@Steven Lawrence

@Berry Crawford

Nice! Love stages 4-7.

Luckily (or not!) except with a brief flirtation with cabs and amarones, I started in Burgundy and the Rhone, and happily have never left. Although I do occasionally have exploratory forays into other regions (starting to dig on old cabs and muscadet).

Interesting point. How many people start with Burg/Barolo/Rhone and then repudiate these in favor of Cal Cab/Shiraz etc.? I’d say almost none. What does this suggest?