Wine School on the Web
Drink your way through Billy’s Best wine book ““ a bottle or two at a time.~ Follow the instructions and you’ll be a wine wizard by Easter. New lessons are posted every week, typically Wednesday. Looking forward to hearing about your “˜homework’!
Lesson #6 EXPERIENCE NICE
Nice is the most wrongly used wine description. When we enjoy a wine we tend to call it nice. What we should be saying is “this wine is hitting the spot, right now”. On a hot day a shrill Sauvignon can feel heavenly, but it’s a mistake to describe the wine as NICE. It’s not nice ““ it’s a good wine when we’re thirsty.
But th
ere are wines that are NICE. Comfortable, gentle, polite, easy. Wines for relaxation, to sip “˜n chat ““ hanging out with friends. A lot of Pinot Grigio falls into this category. This week I’d like you to buy the two wines below, open and have both over several evenings. Experience NICE. And an amazing wine value from Gallo.
LINDEMANS 09 Pinot Grigio “˜Bin 85′, Australia 668947 $10.95
Pleasant fruitiness, zippy freshness and a lighthearted feeling. What could be nicer!. Very social, very party gulpable.
GALLO 08 Pinot Grigio “˜Family Vineyards’, California 82594 $7.95
Great blast of lemonade freshness and summer day on the beach feeling. Drier, and way better, than most Californians in the low price range. Bring on the summer party season. Great value.
Yes, these wines are nice. Not too complicated or demanding. Nicely accompanied the spring-like weather we have been experiencing.
Of the two, I preferred the Lindemans as I found it a bit sharper (not in taste, but in feel). Perhaps this is the zestiness?
I liked the Gallo, but found it a bit dry.
I can easily see both at the cottage.
I also picked up a Creekside Pinot Grigio ($14.95), but have not yet opened.
Cheers,
Kathryn
I tried the Creekside Pinot Grigio. I really liked this wine. I think that it will become a ‘go to’ wine for me.
Back to the discussion about wine being about how you feel, I enjoyed this wine on the front porch on a beautiful Spring day. Perhaps the weather and the surrounding influenced my response to the wine. 😉
Kathryn, you’re gettin it!
It is impossible not to like the zestiness in Lindeman’s wine. And a Spring day on the patio makes Pinot Grigio very appealing. A simple wine elevated by the mood/situation.
Forget chasing ‘great’ wine – find the wine to satisfy your mood – and it will feel great.
I tried the Lindemans. Certainly “nice”, but I can’t say I’m in love with it. It tastes mercifully less fruity than it smells, but still too “sweet” for my liking. Maybe not exactly sweet, but it reminds me of certain honeys that taste too much like flowers.
At the same time, it’s quite acidic…. that bothered me a bit because I would expect the zestiness to get balanced (or canceled out) by the sweetness. Not here. Something is missing… perhaps the shrimp in garlic butter recommended by the LCBO.
Anyway, this wine is like Pamela Anderson wearing a turtleneck sweater.
Ok, maybe not that bad. In fact, at that price, I’ll probably buy it again.