The first task in learning a new topic is to get the BIG PICTURE. So, I’m first going to concentrate on getting the high level idea on how the most popular wines taste in comparison to each other. Which do I like best? If we can understand the differences and similarities of the most popular types of wine in the United States, we will then have a jumping off point for further, more detailed explorations. And, we will have some common knowledge and understanding with the rest of the wine world. For example, you’ll be able to order more confidently a wine in an Italian restaurant that has none of these popular wines just with this knowledge alone; You can say to your server: “I like Zinfandel wines, can you suggest something that might be similar from your list?”.
The idea for what I’m calling the Big Picture tasting comes from what is so far in my opinion the best of the ‘how to taste’ wine books I’ve read: Great Wines Made Simple by Andrea Immer Robinson. The reason I like this book so much is because Andrea focuses on what people need to learn to be more confident wine consumers. She skips all the parts that may fascinate some people about wine such as how it is made, the 97 types of aromas people detect in wine, regional labeling laws, and details of the regions of France, Italy and Spain. She goes strait to how we can learn to be better consumers of wine. Consumers want to get pleasure from every bottle of wine we buy, regardless of how much we spend.
I’ve taken Andrea Immer Robinson’s ‘Big Six’ tasting and modified it somewhat to include 10 wines instead of 6. I did this because I wanted to get a sense of the most popular wines today in the United States. What are people here drinking? I found that the 10 most popular wines make up 80% of the wine sold in the US -- which by the way is about 1% of wine types so Pareto’s Law is much firmer here than the textbook 80/20. I figure it makes sense to taste all of these top 10 wines. White Zinfandel is here, and I along with many other wine drinkers have long ago left that wine by the wayside. But, this wine alone makes up 10% of wine sold in the U.S by volume. If that many people are drinking it, we should include it in this Big Picture tasting. Also, I did not understand why Andrea put Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot together as a single type of wine where you choose one or the other to taste. In my experience, these are two very different tasting wines. Similar, but different enough, and both very popular. Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio is the 4th most popular wine in the U.S. and one that a lot of my friends drink. Again, it may not warrant the attention of wine connoisseurs, but I think it is worth adding it in because it is so popular, and so drinkable. I added in Red Zinfandel as well to round out the top 10 and make it an even 5 white and 5 red wines. If you want to try Andrea’s tasting the way she suggests, skip the Pinot Gris, the White and Red Zins and select either a Cabernet Sauvignon OR a Merlot. This will leave 6 wines and they can all be tasted at one time, or split into separate white and red tastings.
The list here represents that most popular wines in the US. It will be our focus for our Big Picture tasting.
Top Selling White Wines for big picture tasting:
- Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio
- Riesling
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Chardonnay
- White Zinfandel
Top Selling Red Wines for big picture tasting:
- Pinot Noir
- Merlot
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Zinfandel
- Syrah/Shiraz
The only way to become familiar with these wines is to taste them. You will taste a wine that is a quality representation of each variety of grape. I suggest you break this up into two tastings - one Red and one White, and sample 1-2 ounces of each wine under each of the Red and White lists. Below is a list of wine producers making a quality and representative wine from each type of wine. I have included a rough estimate of price for a bottle based on current pricing in my area so that you can plan the cost of your tasting. I’ve listed only reasonably prices wines with the goal of keeping each tasting (red and white) to around $100. It can be a fun thing to do with friends as part of a dinner party. Ask your friends to chip in $20 vs. bringing wine, but have them bring their own glasses. You can taste the wines before dinner, and then drink the rest of them with dinner. If you have a large party, you can even do the white and the red tasting in one event. 10 wines is the maximum, however, that I would suggest trying to taste at one time. And, even that amount may tire your pallet which is why I’m suggesting you split the tasting into Reds and Whites.
Step 1: Buy the Wines:
Here is the list of white wines that would be good options for this tasting. I’ve also included a high level summary from professional tasters on the type of taste that is typically found in each wine varietal. Remember that you cannot learn what something tastes like from reading someone else’s words. Even if you have tasted these wines before, there is something to be learned in tasting them side-by-side with the others. It really highlights the differences in the varietals and can tell you a lot about what you like and don’t like, and why. If you buy the cheapest of all these wines below you will spend $76 and if you buy the most expensive you will pay $104. Not bad for an overarching, high level education of white wine styles for up to 12 people.
Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio
One of the most popular wines, likely because it is so drinkable. It is light to silky in body, and often very crisp and clean of taste. It often has flavors of pear, apple, lime, minerals or smoke. California Pinot Gris often tastes richer than Italian made Pinot Grigio.
2008 St Michael Eppan Italian White "Anger Pinot Grigio" (Italy) $18
2006 Livio Felluga Italian White "Pinot Grigio" (Italy) $25
2008 King Estate Pinot Pinot Gris "Signature Collection" (OR) $17
2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Gris (OR) $19
2009 Willakenzie Pinot Gris "Estate Grown" (OR) $21
2008 Lemelson Pinot Gris "Tikka's Run" (OR) $19
Riesling
A lot of people shy away from Riesling because they think sweet, but many good Rieslings are dry and off-dry (semi-sweet). Quality Riesling wine is aromatic, but light and refreshing. It is tangy and full of fruit. Rieslings vary quite a bit from winery to winery. They are gaining in popularity and you will no doubt hear more about them, so it is good to get ahead of the curve and start getting familiar now. If you like what you taste, you’ll want to do more comparison tastings down the road between Alsace, Germany and US versions of this wine.
2009 Trimbach Riesling - (Alsace, France) $20
2008 Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling "Eroica" (WA) $24
2009 Poets Leap Riesling (WA) $20
2009 Navarro Vineyards Riesling "Anderson Valley" (CA) $18
If you cannot find one of these above, anything from these wineries should give you the Riesling Experience: Columbia Winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Trimbach, Hugel, Lucien Albrecht, Robert Weil Estate, Burklin-Wolf Estate, Gunderloch Estate, Dr. Loosen
Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a medium-bodied white wine - fuller than the Pinot Gris and Riesling wines. It has a distinctive ‘tangy’ taste that you’ll want to become familiar with. Aromas from these wines have been described as citrus, minerals, herbal, tropical or melon. Good quality Sauvignon Blancs can be found for under $10, making it a bargain compared to other wine styles.
2009 Chateau Ste Michelle Sauvignon Blanc "Horse Heaven Vineyard" (WA) $15
2010 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand) $15
2008 Kendall Jackson Sauvignon Blanc "Grand Reserve" (CA) $20
2008 or 2009 Dry Creek Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc "Fume Blanc" (CA) $12
2009 Murphy Goode Sauvignon Blanc "The Fume" (CA) $13
2009 St Supery Sauvignon Blanc "Napa Valley"(CA) $20
If you cannot find any of the above, try something from: Sterling, Simi, Columbia Crest, Ferrari-Carano or Robert Mondavi. Sauvignon Blanc is sometimes called “Fume Blanc”.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is the most consumed wine in the United States (estimated at over 30% of wine sold by dollar volume in the U.S.) Wines made with Chardonnay grapes tend to be fuller in body than other dry white wines. Chardonnay tends to have rich citrus (lemon, grapefruit), and aging on oak adds butter, wood, vanilla, coconut, or toast flavors. California Chardonnay often tastes very different than Chardonnay from Burgundy.
Here is a list of quality California Chardonnay wines. Later on, we’ll compare California Chardonnay to Burgundy Chardonnay, so if you don’t like the oaky taste, you’ll want to revisit this wine later in that tasting.
2008 Kendall Jackson Chardonnay “Jackson Hills” $25
2008 Bryon Chardonnay “Santa Maria Valley” $26
2009 La Crema Chardonnay “Sonoma Coast” $20
2008 Cambria Chardonnay “Katherine’s Vineyard” $22
2009 Ferrari Carano Chardonnay “Sonoma County” $23
If you cannot find any of these wines, try another vintage from these producers, or go with something from one of the following wineries: Rodney Strong, Clos du Bois, Beringer, Kunde Estate, Acacia, Chateau St. Jean.
White Zinfandel
White Zinfandel is a wine that is sweet, soft, and low in alcohol, making it a popular choice with those who would not otherwise drink wine. Many wine connoisseurs ridicule this wine because it is not a serious wine or wine with any history. Because it is so popular, comprising almost 10% of wine sold in this country based on volume, I believe it makes sense to taste it. It IS meant to be sweet and light, but sometimes that is a good thing. if you like it, you should be very happy as it is one of the least expensive wines you can find with quality bottles ranging from $6 to $10.
2010 Barefoot Cellars (CA) $6
2010 Castoro Cellars White Zinfandel (CA) $7
2010 Beringer White Zinfandel (CA) $6
2010 Weinstock White Zinfandel (CA) $9
Step 2 - set up your glasses
Number your glasses (you can use a sharpie to mark the foot of the glass--it will wash off, or use a placemat or piece of paper with numbers on it).
The glasses should be numbered as follows:
- Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio
- Riesling
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Chardonnay
- White Zinfandel
Step 3 - open and pour the wine
Pour about 1.5 ounces of wine per glass. You can purchase measured wine spouts to go in the top of the bottles for a professional pour every time. Otherwise, try to estimate the pour.
Step 4 - taste the wines in numbered order.
Taste the wines in order. You don’t need to drink the entire sample. Taste each wine in order before going back for more of any one wine. You may drink more of your favorite after the tasting is over.
The basic process for tasting wine is as follows:
a) Look at the wine in your glass. Note the color and clarity. Just note it.
b) Swirl the wine in your glass by “circling” the stem of the glass so the the wine washes up on the insides of the glass.
c) Smell the wine. Place you nose at the edge of the rim, slightly inside the glass. Take 1 or 2 short sniffs. What do you smell? Don’t think too hard about it, but do take your time and let your imagination tell you what you might be smelling.
d) Sip the wine. Take your time. Savoring each sip. Think about what the wine tastes like. Don’t worry about fancy wine tasting notes, or about describing the wine a certain way. This is about imprinting in your memory what each type of wine tastes like at a high level. Do you notice it as a tingling sensation on your tongue? Do you sense any sweetness or bitterness? Does it taste fruity? Most importantly, do you like it? Remember, wine tasting is about your enjoyment, there are no right or wrong answers.
My next post will cover the list of options for the Big Picture Red Wine Tasting!
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