Well...

[ksmith]

I read in another post (ok, docbrite's, but she doesn't allow comments, so I almost feel as though I'm reading a column) that Chardonnay is the wine that wine snobs have the most contempt for.

Could someone who is more wine-savvy than I am explain why this is the case? Is it because it's a good 'starter wine'--odds are that if you won't like anything, or are just beginning to drink wine, you may like Chardonnay? Is it because there are too many brands and the quality has been diluted? Heck, you could say that about Merlots.

I've tried a few other white wines, and none that I've sampled have the depth and flavor of a good Chardonnay. Forget German wines, unless there's one out there that isn't sweet. As for Chenin Blancs and Pinot Grigios--if you could suggest one that doesn't taste like a glass of water that someone waved a grape over, I'd truly appreciate it.

I don't have much appreciation for delicacy in wines (or beers, for that matter). "Lean," "light," and "spritzy" are not adjectives that will attract my attention.

Comments

[leahbobet.livejournal.com]

The last wine snob I talked to about it regularly used to put forth that there were a bunch of Chardonnays that were stored in oak barrels, so they'd all taste like oak and nothing else, which I guess said person did not like. What I suspect it has to do with was that Chardonnay was really, really, really trendy in the whole California dot-com set a few years back, and this is the backlash.

It generally doesn't bother me. I like reds. *g*

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I like reds, too, and drink them more than whites. But every once in a while, I prefer a white. I confess that I don't know what the oak taste is--I may have drunk Chardonnays that were too oak-y, but if that indeed was the case, it must not have bothered me.

Year ago, I joined a Wine of the Month Club. Inexpensive wines, less than $10/bottle. Every month, I'd receive one white and one red. This was at the beginning of the Merlot boom, and it seemed that every red they sent me was a Merlot and 9 out of 10 were bad Merlots. Weedy. Herbal. Astringent. Figured that out without ever taking a wine-tasting course, so I know I can pick out flavors, at least in general.

And I still am not sure what "oak" tastes like.

[juliabk.livejournal.com]

And I still am not sure what "oak" tastes like.

Me either. But then, I don't make a habit of chewing on trees.