Real men don't drink white wine!
Wow, where are the PC police? This is 2018; one could and should go to jail for such a comment! It’s akin to those passe statements such as; “real men don’t eat quiche” or “real men don’t ask for directions” AND, of course, would never use GPS!
The accepted wisdoms are generally that wine enjoyment is a learned experience. We start with sweet white wine and with time and experience gravitate to drier white wines, lesser bodied red wines and finally to the “real thing,” big, bold, oaky reds that “put hair on your chest”- your Napa Cabernets and the like. I don’t mean to imply that there are no subtler Napa Cabernets or that the stereotypical Napa Cabernets do not have their well-earned adherents. Like the saying goes; if you have lemons, make lemonade!”
I must be losing my you know whats! I have come almost full circle. After progressing predictably on the well-sipped path to big, bold, oaky dry reds, I find myself returning to, regressing? to a different choice. I love red wines of all genres BUT, when I’m thinking about what to drink, my excitement these days is for lean, focused, minerally whites with no or little oak flavor. I will deconstruct the meaning of “minerally”in a future article. When I ask my very supportive wife to please go to the cellar and select something excellent (life is too short to drink anything other than excellent wine, particularly given the volume of excellent wine available at modest prices), I find myself hoping she will select something white, minerally, lean, racy, focused, tense or even perhaps Champagne, the real stuff, which is the fizzy equivalent. The only consideration, as I see it, is that if you are stricken with a prodigious thirst, you have to delay your gratification so that you can get an appropriate chill on the wine – anticipaaaation .
So now that I have blurted out the shameful secret and blotted my macho image, what are my go to whites? First amongst almost equals is Chablis. True Chablis is Chardonnay from Chablis, in the north of Burgundy, France. Although there is use of oak in Chablis, most Chablis is not exposed to oak and even less to new oak. I prefer the unoaked styles. Did I say that? Oak barrels are expensive and only expensive wines go into new oak; they must be not just good but better? In my Chablis, leave out the new oak and make better wine for less money! Who can fight with that? You can buy lovely Chablis at around $25. My current favorite vintage is 2014 and while there is still some available, the stocks are being rapidly depleted. I like 2015 and 2016 but in my limited tasting opportunities I’m excited about 2017 Chablis which is just now arriving on the market.
What about Champagne? Champagne, not Champagne look-alikes, more than satisfies the taste profile that excites me plus it does it with bubbles, with elan and with an element of celebration. I refer here to genuine Champagne. In a future article I will discuss Champagne versus the alternatives, some of which surely do satisfy my quest and at a lower price. Expect to pay at least $30 for Champagne and probably closer to $40 and then north from there. There is one protection for Champagne drinkers; the rules governing the production of genuine Champagne are strict and generally guarantee a respectable level of quality, even at entry level prices.
But I hear you saying; “Do I really have to spend $25+ for a decent bottle of wine to sip on the patio or to drink with my veggie burger?” The answer is no! Try a bottle of Muscadet from the Loire River in France. Muscadet ticks many of the Chablis boxes, though it is certainly not Chablis! And at a much lower price. Good Muscadet can be had for $9 - $15.
So, am I comfortable stepping back from wine machismo and the braving accompanying embarrassment? Yes I am. And for those of you who are horrified by this fall from vinous orthodoxy and grace, I can only wish you happy imbibing and a promise that when the true light dawns on you I will be gentle and I will introduce you to my overworked white wine therapist.
Want to but a “my style” white wine?
Click on the bottle below.
Selected by Peter Koff MW
Want to receive complimentary educational posts via email?
Please subscribe below.
Copyright © 2018 GreatWine2U.com. All rights reserved.