Red Wine - A Poll

valpolicella also do a job

barolo obv in the mix

I'd prefer not to, but if I did, pinot noir would be it.

the old ILX truism that cheap Malbec pisses all other mid to higher priced varieties of plonk rarely lets me down, but tbh I don't even mind bad wine. I'm currently finishing off a so so 2016 cotes du rhone that in this case is overpriced bland piss imo, but still very enjoyable and I appreciate it very much. I do like a good (or bad) Rioja as well.

I love a Merlot or a Tempranillo as a rule but also I don't have a refined palate and I don't remember meeting a red I didn't like tbh

merlot can be lovely

i know nothing about wine but i know what i like etc

you like everything not on the list.

im the same at restaurants, ppl never ask me again

I'd take a nice 100% grenache, Gigondas, or even a beaujolais if it were an option. Have never had a zin I cared for. Voting pinot

regions not varietals

^^^ bingo.

nah, doing varietals is easier. I would think I can guess what is going to win but there is always this silent majority lurker population in polls.

Regions/Producers more important than grape.

I take Cru Beaujolais and Loire Cab Franc over these mostly (other than some pinot). Plus Barolo/Barbaresco/Brunello. Rioja. Lots of sangiovese wines kill. Rioja (again, because an aged Rioja is like the coolest vintage leather jacket).

Cab sauv all the way.

regions not varietals

Most USA varietal-labeled red wines are in fact red blends anyway. They just use one predominant varietal in the blend. The move to appellations is very limited, but the wine-growers in those select places demanded such recognition, knowing it would only benefit them to use the European labeling system over the USA one.

Pinot Noir is one of the few reds I will drink, so that.

Most USA varietal-labeled red wines are in fact red blends anyway. They just use one predominant varietal in the blend. The move to appellations is very limited, but the wine-growers in those select places demanded such recognition, knowing it would only benefit them to use the European labeling system over the USA one.

― A is for (Aimless), Thursday, March 26, 2020 11:31 PM (four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

i know

Me, I'm a cheap wine drinker from way back. I can't afford to drink excellent wine or to educate my taste in wine. Besides, having a well-educated taste for good wine would just ruin me for enjoying the cheap stuff and make me less happy with my life, because I still wouldn't be able to afford the good stuff. Lucky for me used paperback books contain all the same words as the nice hardbound editions so I can indulge my taste in books on the cheap.

Why do you hate Carignan, Cabernet Franc, Nebbiolo and Grenache?

I like both kinds of wine, red and white.

"having a well-educated taste for good wine would just ruin me for enjoying the cheap stuff and make me less happy with my life"

^^^

lol, this

No rioja, no credibility.

Rioja that

I know a lot about wine and still enjoy the cheap stuff.

Aimless, wine folly is a very good site that does snappy, well illustrated educational bits about wine.

I am wondering about treeship's USA hashtag in his poll.

are these the main us native types maybe?

No, I think he was drunk.

Gamay & Carignan

voting merlot as a sort of fuck-you to alexander payne

even though the actual answer is probably malbec. but a merlot, at its sharpest, can be ideal

this is lambrusco erasure

<3

I once brought a bottle of lambrusco over to someone's house (jostled and not quite cold enough to prevent it from exploding on opening). The explosion had never before in my life happened with lambrusco and of course it was at a friend's house all over her kitchen cabinets.

Merlot would be my second pick, actually.

With rioja and tempranillo missing I'll have to vote pinot noir here. Merlot wouldn't make my top three actually.

Of that lot,Cabernet. Of all red wine,Shiraz Viognier

Of that lot,Cabernet. Of all red wine,Shiraz Viognier

Of that lot,Cabernet. Of all red wine,Shiraz Viognier

Shiraz

Oops bloody delay/ spellcheck

Drinking really good wine doesn't actually ruin cheap wine at all unless you start slipping below the £5 mark because even cheapish red wine can be great.

Carignan was one of the components they used to use in the 1970s era Gallo "Hearty Burgundy" jug wine (which was always on my family's dinner table) - there was no actual burgundy/Pinot Noir in it back then, though there is now apparently. Carignan in varietal form can be had cheaply so if more people try it it could become a popular favorite.

it's pretty popular where I am in (chile). there is a lot of old vine carignan and the natural wine makers are trying to make it a thing. you can get a lot of affordable bottles from the Languedoc-Roussillon too.

of that list above, I would be happiest drinking pinot noir every day because of my own preferences but there is a lot of bad/overpriced pinot noir these days because of the popularity. I think syrah is still underrated and kind of hits the sweet spots for me, not too rigid or full, more savory/gamey, still find amazing bottles for great prices. Not a huge fan of shiraz, sometimes too green or alcoholic.

I voted pinot noir but not on balance. I only like the mid to upper tier stuff (de Bourgogne, of course).

oh thanks for that wine folly tip Yerac, bookmarked for future liberty

I only really drink malbec and rioja/tempranillo

Rioja works in pretty much any context imo.

yeah, except for the "with coke" thing

rioja was the wine that first got me really into wine.

Aimless, wine folly is a very good site that does snappy, well illustrated educational bits about wine.

Does this site give free samples?

is it true that you can "taste" the "terroir" in the wine? anyone here have a palate where they can really distinguish it?

also for example there were wine makers in tuscany that didn't want to grow/use sangiovese (the grape of chianti) so they grew other stuff (cab sav, merlot) in the delimited area of chianti. They couldn't label it chianti because of the rules but developed their own brands that became super well known (these are called super tuscans).

that is cool. so chianti is essentially sangiovese, most of the time. (i know sometimes there are other things blended in).

I can but i've had a lot of practice/study. you can usually get salinity, sea bream, a lot of minerality in chablis, muscadet etc.

yeah, there is chianti and also chianti classico (which was the original delimited area) and within those are also named communed. And there are rules of the minimum percentage of sangiovese for it to meet the standards for labeling.

communed = communes ugh.

I can but i've had a lot of practice/study.

Countless anglo experts have decreed that wine tasting is bunk so I don't believe you.

Not being serious btw, but I'm sure you've seen these kinds of articles floating around:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/23/wine-tasting-junk-science-analysis

oh yeah. i totally get it. that article is more about using subjective opinion/feelings that day to judge contests?

I am talking about knowing how wine produced in specific regions, what the soil is like, what are the viticultural practices, what are the government regulations and then historically what are the benchmarks of wine from that region. I do blind taste wine, but I try to be objective in my descriptions (there are established methodologies that go over visual, nose, taste/structure) that should lead you to the right conclusion of grape variety, region and approximate age and quality.

even if it's impossible to taste the earth and climate of a faraway region in wine, i still like the idea that people believe in it. it's beautiful.

treeship, you should watch Somm. You might like it.

my ex was very, very into wine (to the point of knowing specific regions, years, etc.), and his choices were consistently much better/more interesting than anything I picked out for myself, and I don't think it was just confirmation bias. unfortunately I didn't end up retaining any of that knowledge

but then my wine opinions are really not to be trusted because all I have wanted to drink for the past few weeks is prosecco

wine is a lot like music. everyone has preferences. There are certain musicians you trust because they consistently put out good products. They have good years and bad years. If you like REM may I also recommend these other artists.

I think everyone should drink what they like. or what they feel like that day (because it's always changing). I don't prefer big juicy Napa cab savs even though they are super lux. It's just too much for me and i don't often eat red or fatty meat so all that tannin is just sticking to my teeth. But if someone tells me what they usually like to eat and the style of wine that they have memories of liking I can usually pick out something that is new/different and that they will like.

ok so zinfandel can actually be really good. i also had a cabernet sauvignon that was super good.

To be conspicuously contrarian, Salice Salentino or Tempranillo. But my everyday table wine is a California Cabernet.

montepulciano

― ole uncle tiktok (darraghmac), Thursday, March 26, 2020 6:35 PM (one month ago) bookmarkflaglink

otm. cabernet of the available options, tho.

Pinot noir of the ones listed.

Gamay

http://imgur.com/gallery/HX4xS1E

merlot can be lovely

i know nothing about wine but i know what i like etc

Yes. This thread is making me want to drink red wine and I've resolved not to drink any alcohol during the lockdown >:(

Cool-climate Syrah hive over here, the kind that tastes like black olives more than berries.

I’ve been ‘policella-ing it up a lot lately and I find there’s a lot to like there. But, as my wife likes to say, who am I kidding, I’d drink it strained through a dirty sock.

eazy, can you recommend a specific syrah that i should try? that sounds amazing. money is no object as long as it's under $20

Yeah, the "olives" description is intriguing.

Having put an incredible amount of research into this, this is the best sub-£5 wine I can find in the UK:

Waitrose Mellow and Fruity, Garnacha

I need to explore more Garnacha at different price points.

I’ve moved into the spring & summer feeling of rosé and whites primarily. What are the reds that enjoy being served chilled for a more carefree imbibing?

I’ve moved into the spring & summer feeling of rosé and whites primarily. What are the reds that enjoy being served chilled for a more carefree imbibing?

italian

I imbibe some lightly chilled Pinot Noir or Beaujolais on occasion

Basically fruity and less tannic reds are usually decent chilled. I love a chilled gamay or pinot noir

Gamay (i.e. Beaujolais).

I've been drinking Oregon and Loire Valley Gamay mainly of late

I've also drank Ontario gamay now that I think of it. I was at a wedding in Prince Edward County a couple of summers back and had a Gamay from a nearby Vineyard.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

eazy, can you recommend a specific syrah that i should try? that sounds amazing. money is no object as long as it's under $20

Missed this earlier...Main thing would be to look for cooler regions if you're in a shop: Sonoma Coast (US), Northern Rhone (St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas). Prices can be higher, but they aren't always big sellers and get put on sale/clearance.

For a special treat (closer to $30-40), Pax and Failla's Sonoma Coast syrahs would be good ones. Cline makes one around $15 retail. In France, Jean-Louis Chave "Offerus" St.-Joseph is around $30, though I tried it after finding it on sale for half that. This article talks about Chile's cool-climate Syrahs -- haven't tried any, but those could be worth trying.

If there's a bigger wine store in your area, sometimes on their website you can type a descriptor into the search box (olive, bacon, pepper) and matching wines will come up.

I love pinot noir for its tart, crisp taste but I don’t think my wine palate is that refined.

― treeship., Thursday, March 26, 2020 7:36 PM (eight months ago) bookmarkflaglink

i've been drinking a lot of wine since the pandemic began and i think i'm still a pinot noir guy. not even the fancy ones -- give me a $20 bottle of california pinot and some cheese and crackers.

there is an oregon one called erath that i buy a lot and it's great. nothing fancy, but a nice flavor, not at all sweet, really light color for a red.

pinot noir is pretty much the only one I can drink because other kinds give me the sniffles

A lot of those Prince Edward County wineries are less than 20 years old and most used to supplement their harvests with grapes grown elsewhere, but that might have changed now.

Sorry, just realized I was replying to a post from seven months ago.

CTRL+F Zweigelt?