In Veritas Vino

The old Latin saying is In Vino Veritas which means In Wine, Truth. It suggests that when people have had too much to drink, you’re more liable to hear the truth. I have a different take on the topic. I think that when you drink the right wine, it can create its own truth..

I really do enjoy good wine but I am not a wine snob. What I think is fun is trying different wines and finding ones that you really enjoy more than the others. Even more fun is finding a wine you really like for a reasonable price. I would like to share a little of my fun with you.

First, we have to have a little caveat emptor. Some wine association now declares that a “premium wine” is one that costs more than $7.50 a bottle. Frankly, once you’ve tasted “the good stuff,” you wouldn’t consider buying anything under $7.50 regardless of how many people tell you that “Two Buck Chuck” is a good wine. Subtract the profit margin, taxes, transportation and distributions costs, the packaging costs, you get about 16 cents as the value of the liquid in the bottle. You pay more than that for bottled water, for crying out loud!

I think that you will be able to find wines you like for $12 to $18 more or less. I will talk about some others that are more expensive at the end, but you ought to crank that number into your thinking.

It is important to realize that to a great extent American producers of the premium wines are trying to make and market products that they think critics will like. They believe that the public that pays attention to those critics and will buy their wine. So you end up with “wine styles” that mirror the critics’ tastes. THOSE MAY NOT BE YOUR TASTES!

For example, I don’t care for many California Chardonnays, America ’s most popular grape among the nicer wines. Many of them are “oaky” or have a “vanilla” taste. I prefer to taste the flavor of grapes which is harder to find among producers here. It IS possible for producers to do this! A friend of mine in the Russian River Valley has a VERY small plot of grapes, like 14 acres, and he sells his grapes to Williams Selyem. That Chardonnay is a fantastic wine, but sells for $40+ per bottle.

I think you'll like French Chardonnays such as are made in Burgundy . There are a ton of labels available, some very high priced, but many that are reasonable. I am also smitten with Chenin Blancs from the Loire Valley . Ask about Vouvrays which are available in a number of styles. I like semi-dry or dry but check them all out. Remember that we’re trying to hit YOUR tastes.

My favorite white wines are made with Sauvignon Blanc grapes. My favorites come from the Marlborough Valley in New Zealand . This area became famous, as I remember, when Cloudy Bay began shipping wine to the U.S. Now there are lots of wineries in the area and I cannot say that I have ever had a bad one. Cloudy Bay is now a little pricey but I’m sure you can find enough to buy a few different bottles and see what you like. Kim Crawford is widely available in supermarkets.

My favorite wines are red wines and an amazing variety is available that go beyond Cabernet Sauvignon. Again, it’s America ’s most popular red, but the ones I like always seem to cost about $60 per bottle even if I buy them at COSTCO. Instead I like these others.

Rosemount Estates in Australia makes the best $9 bottle of wine I’ve had. Their make many wonderfully complex “Reserve” wines but their standard old Shiraz (same grape known elsewhere as Syrah) is widely available and a good buy. There are a ton of producers in Australia and they are realy gearing up production.

Pinot Noir is the basic grape of the Burgundy area. Again, there are a lot of very expensive ones, but you can also find some that are reasonably priced. Buy several bottles and see if you can find one that speaks to you.

The other night I had an Argentinean Malbec with my steak dinner. What a wine! This is so thick that you can barely see a light bulb through it! Outstanding when you prefer a hearty wine. I like Terrazas de las Andes and Catena but, again, there are many, many to choose from.

My next favorite wines are American throughand through: Zinfandel. I am specifically not talking about the Lavoris-type pink wines made from these grapes but, rather, the full-bodied reds.  The ones I prefer come from the Dry Creek Valley north of Napa. Get some help picking ones that you might like, then give them a try. 

Among my very favorite reds are those from the Southern Rhone Valley in France . This region is famed for the wines from Chateauneuf-dy-Pape near Avignon . But there are many wines from nearby areas that can bought for far less. The least expensive are sold as Cotes-du-Rhone and you can some very inexpensive one. You have to be a little careful because not all of them are good. I’d stick to those in the $12 to $18 price range even if you find one for $8. I particularly like some of the wines from Vacqueras, and of those particularly those of Domaine le Sang des Cailloux. That means Blood of the Stones! What a great name for a wine from this admittedly rocky soil.

My very favorite wines, however, are those from the little area of Gigondas, about 3 miles from Vacqueas. There are about 130 wineries in this area that you can drive through in about five minutes! You will likely have to pay a little over $20 for these wines and if you like them as much as I do, you’ll relish it and thank me for turning you onto them.

Finally, you ought to get help in this process and that means finding a wine store with knowledgeable people who want to help you. Too many have idiots or people who always want to sell you something $10 more expensive than you asked for. My favorite in Southern California is The Wine Country in Long Beach . They also have an on-line store at www.thewinecountry.com

You can also find more about any of these areas by doing a little research online with a search engine. You will be astounded at what you can find.

I hope you decide to become adventurous about wine and I hope that these suggestions are useful to you. I would really appreciate feedback from you. Tell me your story!