Surveying the endless rows of bottles in a supermarket’s wine department is a daunting task. Think about it. There is no other product in that store that has the length and breadth of choices that wine has. How many brands of canned corn are there on a store’s shelf? Five or six, maybe. How many different kinds of bread? My favorite store has about 25. How many brands of white wine in the average supermarket? At least 100!
If you’re just venturing into the world of wine, it’s a pretty tricky path. Where do you start? How do you choose a wine that you will like? Is there any way of knowing what it will taste like before you commit to purchasing a bottle?
So, let’s get organized. Ask yourself this question. What is my usual beverage of choice?
If you’re a cocktail drinker, I can suggest wines that match the satisfaction you get from, say, your Margarita. This is not a perfect science, just a starting point. Margaritas are fruity, tangy and tart, especially if you like the salted rim. My picks for wine would be a low to mid-priced sauvignon/fume blanc or pinot grigio. The low to mid-priced styles are usually the fruitiest with just a bit of dryness. I like Pepi, Smoking Loon, Blackstone and Camelot. Look for these on the lower and middle shelves of the wine department. The more expensive bottles on the higher shelves are generally drier and more austere. Those brands include Benziger, King Estate, Santa Margherita, Simi and Sterling, which are always good choices.
If you’re a martini drinker, you can transition to wine very nicely. The drier the better, right? Look for unoaked chardonnays (Sonoma County’s Toad Hollow and El Dorado’s Sierra Vista) and again to those mid to higher-priced sauvignon/fume blancs and pinot grigios. Australia’s having some fun these days with unoaked chardonnays (Lindeman’s and Nepenthe brands come to mind) and any winery that’s making one will proclaim it on the back label. It’s such a style departure from the recent past that it’s now becoming a trend, and wineries want to grab you with it. Unoaked chardonnays are lighter in body (think nonfat milk vs. heavy cream) and more refreshing than the “butterball chardonnays” that have dominated the scene the past decade.
But have no fear, I’m not going to put down all “butterball chardonnays.” When I’m in the mood for big rich flavors in my glass, there’s no better choice. My picks include St. Francis, Dry Creek Vineyards and Toasted Head Chardonnay.
If you’re like my friend Catherine, most wines are just too tart and dry. I try to find Gewürztraminers and Rieslings for her and she’s always appreciative. Beringer, Fetzer and Chateau St. Jean have all passed her muster.
