Get ready for the 'new' white wines

CNN ^ | 4/05 | gordon anderson

[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.

[pissant]

I've had some VERY tasty Chardonnays!

[Clemenza]

Spur, a lot of the Rieslings on the market today are drier and not as sweet as Blue Nun. The reason most Americans thing Rieslings are sweet is because thats what the Germans thought the Americans wanted in the 1960s and 1970s, so they exported their younger Rieslings.

NOTHING complements Thai food like a good Riesling.

[pissant]

I thought it was very realistic movie

[TADSLOS]

LOL! Love your tagline BTW ;~)

[pissant]

Many like oak, including me! Not too much, but just the right amount!

[pissant]

Dessert wine only, IMO

[Clemenza]

I like a little oak in my cabs, malbecs and Zinfandels, not in my whites.

[pissant]

A good Thai beer works too!

[trisham]

Oh, and some Pinot Noir and Shiraz. No champagne at the moment, I'm sorry to say.

[Clemenza]

Speaking of desert wine, have you ever had Vin Santo? Its what the Catholic Church used for the eucharist for years. It makes a nice dessert wine.

[sinkspur]

Spur, a lot of the Rieslings on the market today are drier and not as sweet as Blue Nun.

They're getting better, but they're still too sweet for me.

If I want sweet, at dessert let's say, I prefer an Eiswein.

[trisham]

If I want sweet, at dessert let's say, I prefer an Eiswein.

**************

Delicious. I agree.

[Clemenza]

I actually had an excellent Eiswein from Ontairio once. Very pricey though ($50 with tax).

[pissant]

At church. But I actually prefer sherries and portos for dessert. YUM!

[pissant]

Wahington state has the best Syrah (shiraz), IMHO!

[johnny7]

Two bottles of Boones Farm and toilet reservations for 2:00AM... that was my Friday night during college.

[teenyelliott]

First , allow me to say that Sideways was absolutely one of the WORST movies I have ever seen.

Second, I hate wine.

[Ron in Acreage]

Cabo Wabo on the rocks.

[teenyelliott]

pissy, baby, I had no idea you were such a snooty-snoot-snoot.

We cannot be friends any longer.

[trisham]

We produce some wonderful wines in this country. We purchased a case online about a year ago from Merryvale:

http://www.merryvale.com/

It's a fun way to shop, and to find wines that one may not find locally.