Comments on: A whine about wine

By: Thom Brooks

Thom Brooks — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 19:57:38 +0000

Diluting the wine may not be the worst idea. Of course, we all know that the ancient Greeks did exactly this. In fact, democracy is called by Socrates (or so we are led to believe by Plato) the “unmixed wine” of freedom—-freedom is intoxicating if not “moderated,” by a bit of water…or lawgiver on hand. I confess that I agree!

By: abb1

abb1 — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 13:09:36 +0000

We only drink Bordeaux, mostly Haut-Medoc variety and it’s always 12-12.5. Unless we drink absinthe (new Swiss variety) with orange juice, in which case it can be made as strong as you like.

By: Dirk Zorn

Dirk Zorn — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 08:13:21 +0000

Here’s an interesting article href=”http://www.newyorker.com/printables/critics/040906crat_atlarge” rel=”nofollow”>http://www.newyorker.com/printables/critics/040906crat_atlarge by Adam Gopnik from the New Yorker taking a view that differs from the SFC piece referred to by Martha (10.). Gopnik thus argues that Parker’s reviews and wine rating system profoundly shaped the taste for higher alcohol levels in wine rather than simply reflecting an underlying change in consumer preferences.

By: agm

agm — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 01:30:46 +0000

vino verdhe. Just sayin.

By: dearieme

dearieme — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 15:43:25 +0000

If we’re going to mention Rieslings from Elsewhere, we’re drinking a lovely one from Martinborough, NZ. (Margrain, from Oddbins).

By: bad Jim

bad Jim — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 07:50:28 +0000

A quick assay of the contents of my cabinet, overstocked and under-consumed because of a recent party, all from Trader Joe’s and fairly inexpensive:

Californian:

13.5 Sangiovese
14.2 Syrah
13.6 Cabernet
13.5 Zinfandel
13.5 Viognier

French:

12.5 Bordeaux (Merlot/Cabernet)

Italian:

13.5 Aglianico
13 Montepulciano
12 Pinot Grigio

Spanish:

13.5 Tempranillo/Syrah

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 07:04:10 +0000

I’ve got an answer, but you’re not going to like it, because it’s “Beaujolais”. Fuck you all. No, fuck you all. That was good stuff in the 1980s when it was in fashion and it’s good stuff now. Oddbins has a couple of decent Chiantis that aren’t too heavy on the alcohol too.

I think the tide might be turning on the beer inflation thing btw; Beck’s have billboards up all over London promoting a new beer at 4%, with the 4% alcohol strength as a specific selling point.

(this might be a double post, sorry)

By: chris y

chris y — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 06:53:20 +0000

Most of the advice here seems to be to drink white wine, which isn’t an answer if red is appropriate to the occasion. Where’s that Davies when you need him?

By: Harald Korneliussen

Harald Korneliussen — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 05:58:57 +0000

I must be a very bad european, then. Oh, well, it never meant much to me.

By: nick s

nick s — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 05:14:34 +0000

The British absolutely get the best of the best from around the world. It's remarkable to me that you'll often find rare American wines in Oddbins that don't find their way into most American cities. I think it's a consequence of California makers having to deal with 49 other state laws, which makes it relatively non-migraine-inducing to stick a crate in a container ship bound for Blighty. As for lighter-strength wines, you're going to have trouble getting anything around 12.5% and below without a wodge of sweetness. (More here from SF Chron.) Alsace-styles are going to be your best bet, or perhaps Grenache in the redder hues. And a couple of other suggestions.

By: Armagnac Esq

Armagnac Esq — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 02:12:28 +0000

Understand your quandrary.

I find dry Rieslings, for example those from Margaret River or Tasmania, particularly amendable to watering down.

Their direct taste holds its own as the water opens it up.

By: Sunita

Sunita — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 23:04:25 +0000

I drink a lot of California wine, and 15% to 16% is really common in the zins and syrahs now. At the yearly zinfandel tasting/blowout in San Francisco a couple of years ago I ran across wines over 16%. And yes, people were making them on purpose. A lot of people like them; I don’t, because they taste way too huge and unbalanced to me. Parkerization is definitely one of the reasons for the trend (which I understand is now spreading past the Sierra Nevada). But it’s also because people want wine that is easily accessible when young, no matter how unsubtle. Just don’t try to cellar them for very long, and good luck pairing them with food. They seem to work the best with Indian, especially meats.

By: David Sucher

David Sucher — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 22:51:28 +0000

Chris,
Another option besides greasy food is to dilute the wine. Add some water or—if you are into something more ‘elegante’—use club soda.

By: Timothy Burke

Timothy Burke — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 22:44:10 +0000

Yeah, Parker is a goodly part of this, though by no means the only culprit.

Truthfully, I’m pretty partial to “big” zins and syrahs myself, so I don’t necessarily feel the alcoholization as a loss so much. I do wish there were some “warm”, spicy, lower-alcohol reds out there, I suppose. I just don’t like the soda-pop fruity “light” reds.

By: Barry

Barry — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 22:10:41 +0000

Chris, if you knock back some heavy, greasy food with your wine, that will slow the absorption of alchohol. Fish and chips with white wine, of course :) I don’t know what would go well with vindaloo.

The advantage is that, after a year of doing that, you’ll actually look more like Tony Soprano. And the hot young chicks will stop hitting on you.