Well - I posted here so that younger folks just getting into wine could be exposed to it, my friend. I think it’s a valuable conversation, though others may disagree . . .
Cheers
Personally I’d encourage new drinkers to taste broadly, without preconceived notions of what they should like based on shaky theories of taste correlation.
Okay - good advice . . . . BUT the challenge here is that when folks get into wine, they tend to be more ‘easily swayed’ by others who are more into it, and have strong opinions. I see it all the time. And this WILL alter what they determine they ‘like’ or not - and that defeats the purpose of exploring.
So yes, explore - but understand that if you NEED to put a bunch of milk into your coffee because you don’t like bitter things, you are less inclined to like a bitter, tannic, earthy red vs someone who drinks and enjoys coffee black.
Cheers
Agree. One of my favorite things to do to friends who are novice drinkers is to pull something they think they don’t like based on preconceived notions, and give them a version of that wine I think might change their mind
Most common for the “I hate Chardonnay”, “Riesling is too sweet”, “I only drink Champagne on new years” crowd
My friends rebooted themselves when I popped the cork on a random Tuesday once… Good to know they are doing the same now, popping bubbles anytime but New Years.
Love it. Champagne was also one of my first “reboots” when I was first getting into wine. I think I heard Andre Mack talk about his love for it on a podcast somewhere, and it encouraged me to rethink my preconceptions
I rekindled my love for wine on a Tuesday visit to Iron Horse 2 years ago and was like “holy fvck I don’t need a special occasion to drink good shit” and bought enough domestic bubbles to drown in it.
I love doing this with Chardonnay or Riesling. I tend to find that folks around my age who are reluctant to drink wine are much more easily convinced to drink (albeit not convinced to collect) if they are introduced to non-mass market wines. This weekend met someone at a party who mostly drank Meiomi and happened to bring along a nice Kelley Fox Mirabai, which they enjoyed and took picture to hopefully explore in the future.
A few tasty bottles to help push this thread towards more wine talk. Though I do think the coffee thing is interesting. Some days I prefer nothing over a straight espresso, and other days I want a coffee with tasty creamer. Often depends on what I have for breakfast though.
Anyways. Some wines!
The Vietti Trevie Barbera d’Alba is my absolute favorite wine when I just need something that will work with dinner. Always tasty, refreshing when cellar temp, satisfying as it comes to room temp with dinner, and a great pearling with any number of quick-to-make dishes. Not a wine I think about much, but you certainly could if the desire arose.
I also had this Rocca Felice Nebbiolo d’Alba after that Vietti. I was sort of envisioning the delectable elegance that the 2021 Vietti Perbacco bottles somehow achieve, and this was not that. I enjoyed violet and some blue fruit notes. But, this was a rather obtuse and obsequent profile with nothing to be excited about.
On a side note, I’m not sure where obsequent came from in by head. But unfortunately it is a great descriptor for a lot of wines I drink, will have to begin using it more.
love the Vietti Barbera. Have you had Alessandro and Gian Natale Fantino’s Barbera? it’s my #1
Vietti Langhe is another winner!
I don’t find that idea very useful. I drink my coffee black but don’t like overly tannic wines. I loathe them.
Here are some well priced bottles from when I was young, sorry no notes:
Raul Perez Ultreia
Raventos I Blanc de Nit Rosado
Sesti Monteleccio
Monsanto CCR
Cardedu Praja (great chilled with pizza)
Sette Ponti Crognolo
Chateau Yvonne L’ile Quatre Sous
Sabellie Frisch (taste the rainbow at berserker day prices)
Adriano Marco e Vittorio Barbaresco
Tolaini Valdisanti
Nope, I’ll look for it now though! Thanks for the recommendation
A nice-ish wine, and a new one for me! My first Brunello. Source - who knows? I’m assuming my dad picked up from Costco at some point. Had with some very tasty dinner on the “last night of summer.” Perfect match.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, other than it to taste something like Chianti or other Sangiovese wines I’ve had from Tuscany. It was tannic, much more structured than I would’ve guessed. Lots of mushroom, wood (not oak, though that’s there. Almost like a sensation of what I’d imagine a really rough piece of an old tree’s bark would taste like), and red cherry. Was really quite nice, and improved with time. Color was lighter than I thought it would be, almost a ruby I took the last bit of the bottle home, so will have some more experience with it tomorrow.
If you’re looking for some affordable Champagne, see if you can find the base Mandois. Under $50 and will change some preconceived notions that some newer wine drinkers tend to have regarding sparkling wines.
Damn, French, the wine glass on that thumbnail is absolutely stunning. Where could a bunch of young folks who are beginning their fine wine journey go to find such beautiful well-designed wine glasses that can be used for damn near anything, including bubbles?
you left out ‘Syrah is too peppery’ which affected me regularly in my home life until (shockingly) I started pouring everything blind
My wife disliked Syrah for a long time. Then we figured out she just doesn’t like young Syrah. She hates the super concentrated black/blue fruit that you get in youth. We started to figure this out because one time I gave her a taste of 20 year old Chave Hermitage and she loved it. I’m screwed aren’t I?