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Wine

I have to agree on loving the French wines. Some of my favorites are meritage blends that have a minimum of 5 varietals. There is just something about the complexity and smoothness of the wine once several different varietals are introduced intp the meritage blend.

[WINENERD]

Meritage is actually a made up California word, they combined Merit & Heritage - so the word sounds like Heritage with an M. Just in case anyone out there is trying to make it a French sounding word like Hermitage (which, by the by, stink - anti-french lover coming out - definitely cool story about how they can only grow in a certain region on the sides of hills/mountains and have to be hand picked though).

I never tell that to people without sounding like an asshole, so WakeGal, I completely apologize and feel free to neg rep as much as you would like. And much like Skins, I never get to talk about my wine knowledge without sound like a stuck up ass or a tool. Again, please feel free to rip me in reps and with the tags.

/[WINENERD]
 
I'm a big fan of the meritage at the local vineyard in Charlottesville.
 
I highly recommend King Family. If you're out that way you can also do Veritas and Starr Hill brewery.
 
I highly recommend King Family. If you're out that way you can also do Veritas and Starr Hill brewery.

DONE - love Starr Hill - first time I tried it was on Captiva Island in Florida, of all places - they had a 6 pack of the Amber Ale. Tough to get, though.
 
Yeah. I saw it in Gainesville and Cocoa Beach. I bought a six pack of the Northern Lights IPA in cans for the pool yesterday. The tour is pretty cool.

King Family is my favorite vineyard in Charlottesville. Barboursville is second. The King Family meritage won the governors cup in 2009.
 
I was cruising through The Wine Bible yesterday and a couple Charlottesville wineries got a shout-out, don't remember which ones though
 
[WINENERD]

Meritage is actually a made up California word, they combined Merit & Heritage - so the word sounds like Heritage with an M. Just in case anyone out there is trying to make it a French sounding word like Hermitage (which, by the by, stink - anti-french lover coming out - definitely cool story about how they can only grow in a certain region on the sides of hills/mountains and have to be hand picked though).

I never tell that to people without sounding like an asshole, so WakeGal, I completely apologize and feel free to neg rep as much as you would like. And much like Skins, I never get to talk about my wine knowledge without sound like a stuck up ass or a tool. Again, please feel free to rip me in reps and with the tags.

/[WINENERD]

When I was talking meritage, I wasn't talking French wine, that came across on my part wrong. Those were two different thoughts in one post. However, one thing to remember about French wines is they too blend several different grapes, so the concepts are much the same. My point is that I like the complexity of wines made up of several different grapes and they way they blend together.
 
When I was talking meritage, I wasn't talking French wine, that came across on my part wrong. Those were two different thoughts in one post. However, one thing to remember about French wines is they too blend several different grapes, so the concepts are much the same. My point is that I like the complexity of wines made up of several different grapes and they way they blend together.

Oh, no, I agree - but many French houses still produce only the "bordeaux blend" style, and don't vary from it because of history and the outrage from French wine experts, which holds them back (not to mention that they cannot grow grapes that are not "approved" for the region, IE you can't put Grenache in a Bordeaux, or else it can't be called a bordeaux).

I agree wholeheartedly - there are very few grapes that can stand one their own as the sole grape in a wine, the ones that can are normally pretty expensive, with solid wine makers or are just now up and coming grapes (Zinfandel is a big one now that is usually 100%, but you can find some excellent ones under $10 - one of my favorites is Cline, the regular Zin is as good as the old vine - but it is a big jammy zin).
 
Well, it's been interesting to watch the evolutions on both sides of the Atlantic. Traditionally, French winemakers blend 2 + approved regional varietals in proportions that vary somewhat from year to year in order to try and make the best wine for their label each year. And their wines have been marketed primarily by the appellation and winery name (first, second wines, etc.) with the varietal name a rare finding on the label. Of course, if you know the region of origin you can estimate the predominant varietal(s).

In the U.S., for years the varietal has been a big part of the marketing and labeling. Even though many, if not most, varietal wines were blended with other grapes. Now in the U.S. we still see varietal dominated labels/marketing (still blended mostly) plus the (understandably) made up "Meritage" (Bordeaux-style blends) and, I think, a gradual increase in wines known by their non-varietal label name. At the same time we see an increasing number of varietal-designated bottles on the shelf from France, in addition to the traditional non-varietal labels. Yes, the "snooty" French winemakers (who are actually mostly pretty friendly in my limited experience) are condescending to the American tendency to buy by varietal.

Anyhow, I think all this is mostly good. More varieties of wines, more experimenting, more options and accessibility for the consumer (novice or not).
 
I think for the most part Americans tend to buy by the varietal because they can recognize. There are few Americans who know how to read a French or Italian Wine to be able to determine region and grapes; however, once you figure that out it is easy to figure out what the likely grapes are. Through in that many Americans are unfamiliar with the French and Italian languages. This makes Americans comfortable with buying based on knowing what the varietal is. Its a comfort zone sort of thing.
 
The ginzies have been doing it for waay longer than the French and certainly those stoned fruits in CA.

Barolo > Bordeaux

Barbera > Bourgogne
 
To chime in... I work part-time at a boutique wine bar these days for "fun". I thought I knew wines (at least compared to most of my friends) but I learn something new almost every day.

While I agree that a lot of "learning wine" takes place through tasting, knowing the terroir of a wine can make a difference.

It's a really cool opportunity to guide people through choosing a wine that they'll enjoy at our bar. We keep 36 bottles on tap with an n2vin system and offer complimentary samples. Within 2 tries, our bar staff are able to choose the perfect wine for people.

Best advice - don't get tied up trying to learn adjectives like "dry, robust, fruit-driven" etc. Often, what you think you're describing, isn't what you're actually looking for. A good wine person can point you in the direction of something similar to what you've had before to help you expand your palate. The staff at Total Wine are well-educated for a superstore, and their price points are good for "wine newbies".
 
The ginzies have been doing it for waay longer than the French and certainly those stoned fruits in CA.

Barolo > Bordeaux

Barbera > Bourgogne

Without a doubt for me. However, still not the biggest Sangiovese fan, not sure what it is, people love them some Chianti's, and I have tried very few 100% sangios that I like.
 
I enjoyed the Rose Casal Garcia Vinho Verde tonight with dinner! It was good for a hot summer day!
 
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