Wine Varieties
A Brief Guide to Wine Varieties:
This list is very incomplete, but it covers the most common wines that I like. Note that I don’t talk about Rose wine. This is because most Rose tastes like soda pop and even the better Roses are pretty insipid.
Reds:
Cabernet Sauvignon: The overall best bet for a California Red, and, perhaps, even for reds in general. It is a quite strong flavored wine, but not nearly as overpowering as a Burgundy-like wine. The Cabernet Sauvignon grape is the mainstay grape of both the Bordeaux area of France and the wine country of California. Sometimes a Cabernet is blended with Merlot to produce a more medium-bodied wine than the pure Cabernet, however even pure Cabernets fall into the medium-bodied range. Cabernet, to my taste, is capable of accompanying most foods except for the most delicate flavors. However it is best with excellent beef or lamb or a rich tomato sauce. A cheap Cabernet is generally not very good, but in the $15-$30 range you can find excellent Cabernets. Go above that and you can find some truly superb wines.
Zinfandel: A distinctly California wine that is generally quite popular. It has the advantage that even a fairly cheap bottle (under $10) will probably be quite drinkable, but the disadvantage that it is seldom extraordinary no matter how much you pay. Consequently, a good rule of thumb for the relative beginner is that if your going for a cheaper red, get a Zinfandel but if you’re going for an expensive bottle go for a Cabernet Sauvignon. They are not, however, exact equivalents. A Cabernet is a more moderate, Bordeaux-type wine while a Zinfandel is a powerful, Burgundy-type wine. Zinfandel goes with similar foods as Cabernet, but may overpower even beef if the seasoning is light. I recommend avoiding all "white" Zinfandel. It is basically like any Rose—horribly sweet and insipid. To me "white" Zinfandel is to wine as Zima is to beer.
Pinot Noir: Another powerful, Burgandy-type wine. Consequently, like Zinfandel, it tends to accompany very strongly flavored meats and cheeses. California Pinot Noirs have only recently begun to be worth comparing with California Cabernets. But these days someone who has tried their fill of Cabernets and Zinfandels and wants to stick with the more full-bodied reds can find some very good Pinots to try.
Merlot: A lighter red which is generally blended with Cabernet. Both the blends and the pure Merlot can be a nice change from the heavier reds, though you are not likely to find the quality you can get in a pure Cabernet when looking at California wines. French Cabernets, however, are more generally blended with Merlot. I sometimes use a Merlot when I am eating something more delicate but still want a red wine. Salmon is a good example.
Gamay Beaujolais: Another lighter red. Again, worth trying both for variety as well as as an accompaniment to lighter foods such as salmon and pork. However, don’t expect too much.
Whites:
Pinot Grigio: Since I like dry whites rather than sweet, this is one of my favorite white wines. However, it is too dry for many people’s tastes. I think it goes very well with fish, where the dry flavor of the wine perfectly complements the flavor of the fish (much as lemon juice goes well with fish, cutting its "fishy" flavor).
Chardonnay: Considered by many to be the best of the California whites. Avoid cheap chardonnays, but a moderate- to high- priced Chardonnay can accompany many foods such as fish, lobster and cream sauces. Fine Chardonnays are described as having a "buttery" flavor. It has a richness that is often lacking in white wines. Neither excessively dry like a Pinot Grigio, nor excessively sweet like many whites. Although I have a tendency to prefer Pinot Grigio, I have to say the best bet in whites are definitely the Chardonnays.
Chenin Blanc: Generally I don’t like Chenin Blancs much, but they are popular. Tends to be a soft and "fruity" wine and is a safe accompaniment to fish, fowl and pork. Often it can be a very pleasant, if somewhat uninspiring, wine. However, I can’t really tell too much difference between inexpensive and more expensive Chenin Blancs. They all have a sort of unsophisticated taste to me. But I am definitely more of a red wine fan to begin with.
German Whites: I put these in a separate category because they really seldom compare with a good Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay and often don’t even compare well with a Chenin Blanc. Nevertheless, they deserve mention and some are quite distinctive.
Late Harvest Rieslings: The most distinctive German wines are their late harvest wines. These are left on the vine even up to the first snowfall, giving a grape that is very high in sugar and contains distinctive molds that add to the flavor of the wine much as distinctive molds are what make the best cheeses. These late harvest wines are extremely sweet, but the best of them make good, though expensive, dessert wines. To me, a very good late harvest German wine can be compared with a good port, but they are even harder to find.
Johannisberg Riesling: A fairly fruity German wine. Not to my tastes, but would be worth trying if you like Chenin Blanc. They are generally considered "complex" wines, with a more floral aroma and flavor than most whites.
Gewurztraminer: Also considered to be a "flowery" flavored and scented wine. Also tends to be too sweet for my tastes. I do, however, recommend it as another wine for people who like Chenin Blanc to try for variety.
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Email: michad03@mcrcr.med.nyu.edu
