Reading all the threads about the world’s greatest wines and how much pleasure we get from discovering, aging, pairing and sharing them got me thinking: what about the wines and wine habits that we “know” are beneath us but can’t resist? What happens when you let your standards sag a bit?
What would you drink or do so long as your tasting group never finds out?
Let me be the first to say, if it taste good, it is good.
I think Mateus Rosé is great when you’re eating a salmon sandwich with a side of chips by the hotel swimming pool. It’s certainly no worse than a soda.
I don’t abide by snobs and have always objected to peer pressure, so this doesn’t compute.
Don’t have a tasting group, and you people already think I have the palate of a yack so I DGAF.
I have been known to enjoy the occasional glass of Sine Qua Non.
I love Port. Even inexpensive Port and not very good Port. I like desert wines generally.
More broadly, I’m just not that picky. I know what I like and that’s what I buy. Obviously I view many wines as overpriced in light of my preferences. But setting value aside, I enjoy most wine across the stylistic spectrum, to a degree far beyond what seems to be the case with many on this board. I don’t buy wines with too much oak; or too much gloppy fruit; or that are too vegetal; etc. But I’ll drink and enjoy most all of them if others are serving.
Okay, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by the responses!
I’ll offer up mine: I use off-dry Riesling in place of soda, exclusively for it’s sugar content. I love Spatlesen with Pizza, Burgers, etc. When I do this, I don’t think at all about the qualities of the wine, it’s just a retreat into adolescent happiness. (This is probably a USA thing only).
Another one: I prefer cheap, fruit-driven, low-acid wine for socializing. If a wine has structure or is lean, I spend too much time thinking about it and it makes me worse company.
I crack open Chambertin and Latricieres with sausage pies and hot wings
This really rings true. A fortified is just such a generous, dependable drink. I always say yes, even to tired bottles.
A $200 bottle of wine and DoorDash, name a more iconic duo
Not quite a burger and '95 Petrus, but I like the pairing of 1er/GC Burgundy and pizza, lol.
Ditto on Riesling with burgers, especially if it’s Tommy’s 
Hahaha, me too! But as much as I have a tasting group, most of them would agree (one notable exception, and I always appreciate that he doesn’t hold back when he does not like something).
I’ve also been known to enjoy a very cold glass of cheap Vinho Verde on a summer day.
Really, though, I don’t feel guilty about either of these, or anything else I choose to drink. If I like it, I like it, even if it’s cheap/mass-produced/whatever. And if I don’t like it, and no one else is around who wants to drink it, it’s going down the drain, regardless of price/reputation/whatever. No guilt either way.
Do either of you feel guilty about drinking SQN? Or ashamed? Or have any feels with SQN that you don’t have with anything else?
The whole premise is weird to me. I’d feel guilty if I put ice in my Mouton. But beyond that the notion of guilt for drinking something you like just seems bizarre
We did get a few looks when we broke out the stemware and wine bottles at an In-N-Out in Las Vegas, but we did feel more satisfaction than shame after the first few sips.
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Not at all! I even said so in my post. I read Brad’s post as totally tongue-in-cheek, and relevant given some of the comments on this board about wines like that.
I only put ice in my Mouton if I’ve microwaved it for a bit too long.
I spent a lot of time in my retail days telling people they should never feel guilt or shame for liking what they like. It makes no sense, despite what a lot of snobs will tell you (and have told them). There’s a whole world of wine out there, and I like that it includes something that can appeal to almost anyone who drinks alcohol.
It’s not a guilty pleasure, but if someone serves an Orin Swift wine, I’ll drink it without complaining.
Cheap pinot and a few ice cubes in a bucket glass. Maybe with a lemon slice.
Really cold (like close to freezing) Sauv Blanc on hot summer days outside. When it gets not so cold, drop a cube in the glass.
My response was mostly tongue-in-cheek, but the OP asked what I would be sheepish about disclosing to my “tasting group.” Like you, I don’t have a regular tasting group. I also don’t really care what anyone thinks about what I drink or like. My tastes and, hence, my wine friends tend toward the AFWE end of the spectrum, so I could be razzed a bit for drinking SQN (or Saxum, or Aubert whites, etc.). I would never apologize for enjoying it, though.
In general, I can enjoy just about any well made wine for what it is.
