It seems everyone is getting into the wine business nowadays. In Costco the other day, I noticed Jack Nicklaus now has a wine with his name on it.
GIMME A BREAK! There are already too many producers on the market, and it's getting harder and harder to find the good ones. Why do we need to flood the market even more?
And while [a high] price is certainly no guarantee of quality, you can pretty much rest assured anything under $10 is not going to be very good. Between $10 and $20 dollars, you might get lucky and get the occasional good wine, but the pickin's are slim. In general, if you're not willing to spend at least $30 for a bottle of wine chances are you're not going to be drinking a good wine.
Now I don't mean to imply spending $30 or more will guarantee you a good wine, but at least you should have a 50-50 shot at it. And even better odds the higher the price. But in most cases, they'll at least be palatable, which is more then I can say for the cheaper versions.
That all being said, I'm sure quite a few people will disagree with me. They often do, but I just happen to think my palate is more discerning that most people, so of course my opinions are more valid. :)
One of my favorite quotes I'm often at the receiving end of when commenting about a bad wine is
I have to laugh every time I hear that. That's just not true. My usual retort is
Surprisingly, I still get people who will disagree with me.
Now on the other end of the spectrum are old wines, that is wines older than 4 years. (That number can vary +/- based on the varietal and producer.)
The problem being most wines produced nowadays are not made to be aged or set aside. They are typically meant to be drank immediately, or within a year or two of release. When stored properly, you might get another year, but that isn't always the case. And when they're not stored properly, well............
There are of course [many] exceptions to this rule. Joseph Phelps Insignia and Domaine Serene Monogram are two that come quickly to mind. In fact I recently opened a bottle of Domaine Serene Monogram that was still outstanding after 8 years. And I'm still holding an '01 and '06 Insignia, for that special moment. Of course none of those wines could be considered cheap by any stretch of the imagination.
What I find fascinating is how enamored many people are with older wines, and no matter how bad those wines may be [to me anyways], there is always someone who thinks it is the next best thing to skim milk. (Ok, so I exaggerated some. They probably just need to be drank with food.)
I bring the latter up because I am often kidded about how "Marc doesn't like old wines." Well, that is only half true, and I feel I need to set the record straight.
It is true I don't like a lot of old wines, but it's not because they're old. I don't like old wines, because like cheap wines, too many of them just aren't very good.
GIMME A BREAK! There are already too many producers on the market, and it's getting harder and harder to find the good ones. Why do we need to flood the market even more?
And while [a high] price is certainly no guarantee of quality, you can pretty much rest assured anything under $10 is not going to be very good. Between $10 and $20 dollars, you might get lucky and get the occasional good wine, but the pickin's are slim. In general, if you're not willing to spend at least $30 for a bottle of wine chances are you're not going to be drinking a good wine.
Now I don't mean to imply spending $30 or more will guarantee you a good wine, but at least you should have a 50-50 shot at it. And even better odds the higher the price. But in most cases, they'll at least be palatable, which is more then I can say for the cheaper versions.
That all being said, I'm sure quite a few people will disagree with me. They often do, but I just happen to think my palate is more discerning that most people, so of course my opinions are more valid. :)
One of my favorite quotes I'm often at the receiving end of when commenting about a bad wine is
Oh it's a food wine. You need to eat it with food. Food enhances the wine.
I have to laugh every time I hear that. That's just not true. My usual retort is
So food wines aren't supposed to taste good? NO! The food flavors may mask how bad the wine really tastes, but it's not going to turn a bad wine into a good wine.
Surprisingly, I still get people who will disagree with me.
Now on the other end of the spectrum are old wines, that is wines older than 4 years. (That number can vary +/- based on the varietal and producer.)
The problem being most wines produced nowadays are not made to be aged or set aside. They are typically meant to be drank immediately, or within a year or two of release. When stored properly, you might get another year, but that isn't always the case. And when they're not stored properly, well............
There are of course [many] exceptions to this rule. Joseph Phelps Insignia and Domaine Serene Monogram are two that come quickly to mind. In fact I recently opened a bottle of Domaine Serene Monogram that was still outstanding after 8 years. And I'm still holding an '01 and '06 Insignia, for that special moment. Of course none of those wines could be considered cheap by any stretch of the imagination.
What I find fascinating is how enamored many people are with older wines, and no matter how bad those wines may be [to me anyways], there is always someone who thinks it is the next best thing to skim milk. (Ok, so I exaggerated some. They probably just need to be drank with food.)
I bring the latter up because I am often kidded about how "Marc doesn't like old wines." Well, that is only half true, and I feel I need to set the record straight.
It is true I don't like a lot of old wines, but it's not because they're old. I don't like old wines, because like cheap wines, too many of them just aren't very good.
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But I've found even when my nose is completely stuffed, and I can't smell either, there are still many redeeming qualities I can enjoy from a good wine.