I am going through a bit of a wine evolution so to speak these days…
I used to be so in love with Grenache and now drink it so rarely that I have very little in my cellar. Haven’t bought any southern rhone for almost 2 years and have sold all of my 2007s. Last year it was Nebbiolo, nothing else would do. Now its Burgundy and champagne and shockingly cool climate cali pinots like Rhys etc…I used to buy so much bordeaux en primeur now I find myself only doing 6-12 bottles each year.
Does anyone else find that their tastes change this quickly…am I normal?
I let food, ambient temp / humidity and mood dictate what I drink at any given moment instead of focussing on “Oh! I like THAT!” to the exclusion of other styles. I like having a broad range of styles to work with as even the same food requires different attacks if one time you have it al fresco in hot weather and another time you have it indoors in cold / damp weather.
Works for me…
My experience mirrors yours except for I stopped purchasing Southern Rhones after the 03’ vintage.
Viva la Pinot…
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!
Stage 12: "Oh F It! Lambrusco is good with everything (and chicks dig it)!
David - there’s no reason to get all gung-ho about one wine to the exclusion of any others.
When you were a kid did you like chocolate cake?
Do you still like it?
To me it’s very strange to decide that you can’t drink this or that wine any more. The more you’re exposed to, the more you have to love.
My tastes have changed many times over the years. I’ve bought lots of wine over the years, but, I’ve concentrated mainly on wines which will age. That’s probably the one constant, that I like wine with age. Consequently, I’m holding wines for which my tastes have changed several times. But, I’ve never gotten to the point where I dislike the wines I hold. Every now and again, I’ll get a hankering for something for which I don’t buy anymore; so my drinking goes in cycles. For example, I haven’t bought a Bordeaux or Cabernet in 20 years, but have quite a few still. If I’m having a rare steak, I’ll grab one and enjoy it. With roast chicken, I’ll have a Burgundy or Barolo; with something braised, a Rhone; ect. I have quite a wide variety and am happy with that. I’d hate to have a cellar full of only one style of wine.
Berry - stop that!
For me, I’d say yes and no. Some favs like well made Zinfandel seem to go on and on, upabated. Others like Napa Cab, Bordeaux and Burgundy seem to come and go with me.
Right now, along with the Zin, I’m really into vibrant, place-specific, cool climate Pinot.
Tastes evolve/change over time for most I suspect. If you are immersing yourself in one particular wine it may be more burnout. Variety is necessary.