American wine drinkers, how often do you "try something different?"?
I feel like most American wine drinkers tend to find wines they like and stick with them. They’ll happily try free samples at a tasting, but it’s such a gamble to drop $30 or more dollars on a bottle you know nothing about, especially when it’s a varietal you’re unfamiliar with right? At least that’s the way I think about it—maybe other people are different?
Back in my wine drinking days, I had a few favorites for day to day use, depending on what I was eating. But I would try different vintages and vintners if I went out to dinner, that way I would be exposed to different wines. There was a local producer who bottled his own blend and sold it as a jug wine that was highly rated. James Arthur Field came in a Chardonnay or in a red blend of mostly Pinot Noir and Merlot.
I’m NOT a wine drinker, but before he passed away, my father VERY much was, and I can tell you that he definitely liked trying different wines. He definitely had a strong preference for ‘full bodied reds’, but I live near a large wine retailer with ALOT of choices…and he didn’t. So it became an annual xmas tradition that I would go and have them help me pick a bunch of stuff he couldn’t get at his local liquor store to try. He loved it. I wouldn’t call myself a “wine drinker” as I know very little about wine. For example, I’m reasonably certain that cabernets are red. However, I know a LOT about beer, running a beer blog and being a brewer myself. I also know quite a bit about scotch and am learning about bourbon and gin. In those respects if I have a choice between “known” and “unknown” I will almost always choose “unknown” as it’s something new.
Being in Northern California, I used to take my old girlfriend up to Napa for the day to taste different wines. That was a great way to learn about different makers.
How about you? I’m not a huge wine drinker, but I am also in a unique situation. I get to try different wines all the time for free. I work for a distributor and when wine is “unsellable” but still perfectly good, they often let us take it home. Unsellable can be anything from a drip of wine (say, from another broken bottle) on the label to a torn or missing label on a bottle to maybe a damaged seal (the part covering the cork. Basically anything that makes it unappealing to the eye so it would not sell in a store. When these come about, they get stacked in a certain area and you can pick and choose what you want. Unfortunately the big boss often sets the really good wines aside for himself. But I have gotten some $100 bottles of wine before.
I try different wines, but they’re always dry, white, and low-cost. I can’t imagine spending a great deal of money, given how many good choices there are in the $10—$20 price range.
Everything I drink is something different – because I like good wine but hate paying for it. So I gamble on the longshots at Grocery Outlet & Trader Joe’s. If there was a slot machine that paid off in Altesse or vintage port under $30, I’d be plugging my quarters into it.
No wine for me these days. I gained some weight during a recent vacation, and I’m on a mission to lose it.
Back in my wine drinking days, I had a few favorites for day to day use, depending on what I was eating. But I would try different vintages and vintners if I went out to dinner, that way I would be exposed to different wines. There was a local producer who bottled his own blend and sold it as a jug wine that was highly rated. James Arthur Field came in a Chardonnay or in a red blend of mostly Pinot Noir and Merlot.
I’m NOT a wine drinker, but before he passed away, my father VERY much was, and I can tell you that he definitely liked trying different wines. He definitely had a strong preference for ‘full bodied reds’, but I live near a large wine retailer with ALOT of choices…and he didn’t. So it became an annual xmas tradition that I would go and have them help me pick a bunch of stuff he couldn’t get at his local liquor store to try. He loved it. I wouldn’t call myself a “wine drinker” as I know very little about wine. For example, I’m reasonably certain that cabernets are red. However, I know a LOT about beer, running a beer blog and being a brewer myself. I also know quite a bit about scotch and am learning about bourbon and gin. In those respects if I have a choice between “known” and “unknown” I will almost always choose “unknown” as it’s something new.
Being in Northern California, I used to take my old girlfriend up to Napa for the day to taste different wines. That was a great way to learn about different makers.
How about you? I’m not a huge wine drinker, but I am also in a unique situation. I get to try different wines all the time for free. I work for a distributor and when wine is “unsellable” but still perfectly good, they often let us take it home. Unsellable can be anything from a drip of wine (say, from another broken bottle) on the label to a torn or missing label on a bottle to maybe a damaged seal (the part covering the cork. Basically anything that makes it unappealing to the eye so it would not sell in a store. When these come about, they get stacked in a certain area and you can pick and choose what you want. Unfortunately the big boss often sets the really good wines aside for himself. But I have gotten some $100 bottles of wine before.
I try different wines, but they’re always dry, white, and low-cost. I can’t imagine spending a great deal of money, given how many good choices there are in the $10—$20 price range.
Everything I drink is something different – because I like good wine but hate paying for it. So I gamble on the longshots at Grocery Outlet & Trader Joe’s. If there was a slot machine that paid off in Altesse or vintage port under $30, I’d be plugging my quarters into it.
No wine for me these days. I gained some weight during a recent vacation, and I’m on a mission to lose it.
