Oh, I DO beg your pardon. You wanted a DRY white Italian. So sorry!
Posted on 06/04/2005 10:55:56 AM PDT by pissant
Tired of Chardonnay? Alsace offers an alternative to the tyranny of oak.
I hope there's a sequel to "Sideways," the wine-soaked movie that's had a dramatic impact on American consumers.
Since lead character Miles gushed about Pinot Noir as "haunting and brilliant," U.S. sales of Pinot are up more than 30 percent. Meanwhile, Merlot -- which Miles scorned as imbecilic -- has slumped.
"Sideways" was the funniest Hollywood treatment of wine since Lucy Ricardo stomped grapes in Italy. But I don't want a sequel for artistic reasons.
I want Miles to come back and trash Chardonnay.
Just like Merlot, Chardonnay is a cliché, the wine they serve when anything will do.
It's the wine you drink without thinking, the one that goes with processed cheese and Town House crackers.
There are plenty of sophisticated, nuanced versions of Chardonnay, to be sure. But those are not the ones that have made it the nation's best-selling white wine.
America is awash in ordinary Chardonnay, and a backlash needs to emerge. "Sideways: Part Deux" would do the trick.
Opening up Alsace
A coworker likens Chardonnay to "a sledgehammer to my head." Another friend -- normally a bit of a lush -- becomes a picture of sobriety when it is her only choice.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
I like Chardonnay. What I don't like is acidic, fruity wines.
I like italian wines, chewy reds, and most of all, good champagne.
Okay I confess! It was me. I tried one bottle of Pinot Noir, just one bottle mind you(since I've seen the movie) and that's all I've heard about. Never again. I'll stick to Cabs and Merlot and the occasional Shiraz.
To be quite frank, I don't mind oakiness in chardonay
Even I, a dedicated beer drinker, tried looking for Pinot at the liquor store after I saw this movie. I wanted to see if it was more expensive than other wines.
However, they had too much stuff and I had too little patience (and groceries in the car), so I just grabbed that 18 pack of Bud and hit the road.
Flame away! ; )
I'm holding out for the trend movie for Boone's Farm.
Oh, I DO beg your pardon. You wanted a DRY white Italian. So sorry!
You musta had a bad pinot! It can be excellent!
No flame from me. 90% beer drinker, 10% wine!
good old fortified wine. yum!
You are the best!
I agree. Chardonney is the wine snob choice. It's like voting Dem because all the other cool hollywood types do.
No the pinot was fine. Nothing spectacular but plenty drinkable. But the headlines next week!! I might venture to try another. I just don't want to become a sheep manipulated by a Hollyweird film (which I thought was moderately entertaing).
Only the American Chards are "Oak Monsters." French wines made from Chard (such as Chablis) are rarely oaked. The reasons Californians oak their whites so much is because most (though not all) Cali whites taste like cat pee so they need to cover up the flavor.
Alsatian wines are generally sweet, with the Riesling and Gewurtztraminer the sweetest of the bunch.
No thanks. I don't want anything that reminds me of those cloyingly sweet Germans I left behind many years ago.
Of course, I could revert back to my childhood and pick up a $6 bottle of Vinho Verde from Portugal. Its one step up from a Bartles and James Wine Cooler I know, but it is oh so fun to drink with shellfish.
For the money, Erath Vineyards Pinot Noir and Jigsaw Pinot Noir can't be beat.
Of course, really classy people drink Carlo Rossi, straight out of the jug of course. ;-)
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I like oakiness. In our wine "cellar" we currently have Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Claret, some steely Chardonnays, and a few dessert wines.
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