Quote:
Originally Posted by SlySi
Dollar value has nothing to do with a great bottle of wine.
Your sense of smell, your pallete, pairing with food, color, one of my personal favorite tests is simply balance.... the balance of smell to actual taste of wine, theres many many more factors. The list goes on... Theres no simple math for a good bottle of wine.
And to be honest, most of the time its a matter of personal preference.
Just because one person likes a wine, doesnt mean another person will.
I suggest going to smaller local stores that sell specifically wine. Some of them have all day tasting for you to try. Talk to them... and they will chat you up about wine all day..
My favorite place is a little local wine store in Kensington Plaza in Burnaby. Tell them how much you want to spend, your likes and dislikes, and they will pair you up with a nice bottle of wine.
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This is some valid advice. The thing about wine is that the "better" bottles are not necessarily better tasting. They tend to be more interesting and complex on your pallet. They tend to have more complex flavours and aromas. You ill notice differnt layers of flavours , some hitting you right away some just being a aftertaste( in a good way).
Cheaper bottles ...10-20 bux ...tend to be more straightforward in your pallet. Doesn't mean they aren't good for drinking...just different.
There are some bittles at 100 that are absolutely amazing some that are not so much. There are some at 20 that are great most are not. The 100 bottle might not be 5 X better however.
Best way to start is to identify the type of wine you like. Start with a red or a white. If you start with white the easiest way is to start with a sweeter one. Our pallet in N.A. is geared toward sugar. So start with a riesling . They tend to be sweeter. Then move on to a Chardonay. do a side by side comparison. You will notcie there is a totally different taste profile. the Chardonay tends to be rounder less sweet , buttery , oaky. Then maybe move onto a Sauvignon Blanc. You will get more tartness , fresh , crisp taste. Grapefruit , lychee etc.
Reds. Start light. Pinot Noir or Gamay Noir. The lighter the colour of the wine the lighter the taste usually. Then move onto a Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon. You will notice a huge difference.
It basically takes a while until you can start identifying flacvours in wine. Picking up plum , oak , tobacco( yes some wine was a tobacco like tase) red fruit etc etc etc.
Here are a couple of my personnal standbys
Reds
Stump Jump GSM..Aussie wine that is a classic blend. Big , Strawberry jam flavours...good with big food...steak , pizza..15 bux or so.
Masi Campofiorrin (sp?) ..Very good value wine. Italian ripasso style...basically means they semi dry some of the grapes before pressing. ...20 bux
Matchbook Syrah...Syrah is the same varietal as Shiraz but it is treated differently. don't recall how. Good value wine.....under 20 I think
Castillo de Monseran...Spanish Garancha. 11 bux. Great value wine , easy drinking.
See Ya later Ranch ..Rover. This is a bc red blend...very nice in the mid 20's. Only available in specialty shops i think.
Whites
Not much of a white drinker...
Conundrum...Californian 'table wine'. dont let that put you off. very easy wine to get into. 30 bux
cedar creek Proprieters white...very similar to Conundrum byt at the 13 buck price point. very interesting to do a side by side. BC wine as well.
DR Loosen Riesling. Very easy "sweeter" wine easy to drink/start off with.
I have been getting more and more into wine in the last few years but consider myself still a novice at best.
One cool thing to try.
Get a bottle of red or white. something with some interesting character.
Pour parts of the bottle into every different shaped glass you have in your house. From skinny champagne glasses to coffee cups. Taste out of each type of glass/mug including wine glasses. You will notice huge taste differences!