You've probably had to cut corners in your home bar and there is nothing sadder than an empty wine rack. So in the interest of letting you shop smarter while still having the kind of bar that is ready should you suddenly discover your house has become a party, here's a quick guide to three wines that will help you through the rough times while making it look like you're living easy.
Your dinner wine should come from Burgundy. As the weather gets cooler and you move towards heartier meals, there are both deep and light red and white wines from Burgundy that are surprisingly affordable. It also has one of the widest range of prices, so, whether you're hosting your father-in-law or a regular Tuesday gathering, make sure to get some advice from the in-store staff.
Your dessert or casual wine should be a riesling. This allows you to get away from the standard white wine offering of
chardonnay or savignon blanc -- and you can even buy American
for under $15 a bottle. Also, riesling doesn't have to be sickly
sweet. It can be dry or just have hints of fruit, helping to class up
your meal.
Your sitting-and-sipping wine could be rioja -- a
medium-bodied red wine that usually has fruit flavors and a bit of
earthiness in the finish. The Spanish wine is also available in white varietals. I'd recommend the rioja from Bodegas Borsao -- it's typically under $10 a bottle, occasionally around $8, and well worth the money.
The
riesling can be chilled over ice, while a dry red from Burgundy or
Rioja can be enjoyed at room temperature. And with these three bottles
on hand, you're ready for pretty much any meal or any guest's tastes.
[Image via Flickr: rockinfree]
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So I, myself, am a wine taster as well. Been looking around for new types that I havent come across or have heard of before, and I thought I'd pass this along to see what you thought about JM Fonseca Twin Vines. Its a new wine, well, at least I havent heard of it in the past. Wanted to know if you've heard of it, and if you have and have tried it, what you thought about it. The URL is too messy to put up so I shortened it down.
http://tinyurl.com/meko65
Ok, negroni needs to take themselves a bit less seriously. I thought the wine advice given in this post was very decent. But maybe that's because I'm just your everyday Joe wine drinker, who happens to enjoy all three varieties at any given time, and would advise similarly to any other average Joe wine drinker who asked.
I wouldn't "utter" this advice to a wine sommelier or steward, because if there happens to be one available, I'm looking for THEM to tell me their opinion, not to give them mine, for pete's sake! So not to worry, negroni! Probly not gonna have any Fat City readers going out and embarrassing themselves in front of some fancy-schmancy grape-juice drinker/expert. We cool.
Jonathan,
Thank you for the post. For folks that want to experience the full range of Rieslings out there, I recommend they try our Pacific Rim Riesling wines from Dry to super sweet, event sparkling! We make 8 different styles.
Cheers,
Nicolas
Good post, Jonathan, and thank you for providing real, honest and correct information, despite negroni's bad attitude.
You are 100% correct that burgundies have some astounding bargains lately, and you are 100% correct that it is a good idea to talk to the staff to choose one. I particularly recommend the staff at Wine. in Brookside.
You're 100% correct that Riesling is a great varietal to enjoy in a range of sweetness levels. The flavors of apple and pear make it a great autumn wine. I wouldn't put it over ice, but that's just my preference.
I enjoy the riojas, but I think the best bargains are coming out of South America. But, even though I have a difference of opinion on that one point, I don't think your post is drivel, nor that you should not be allowed to further give advice.
I imagine that negroni's struggle to get people to listen to him or her has more to do with his or her imagined superiority than with anything you've written.
This is the worst article ever written on the subject of wine. If you read this and utter any of the information to a sommelier or wine steward the next time you're at a restaurant they will feel bad for you. And, it would not be your fault because you were given completely worthless information. The only item of correct information is that the rioja does produce white wine. And not all riesling is sweet.
The rest is drivel. Mr. Bender, you should not be allowed to further give advice when so many of us battle each day trying to teach people to drink better and provide "real, honest, and correct information."
You should be embarrassed.
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