05 Apr We love everyday wines. So does the New York Times. Read this great article about “the most important bottles you will drink”
We started Pat The Wine Guy with one purpose in mind: to make it easy for friends and followers to find a good, affordable bottle of wine.
When we recently read this terrific write-up on everyday wines by the New York Times’ food and wine critic Eric Asimov,
we felt a degree of validation.
Asimov, who has written several books about wine and has been the Times’ chief wine critic since 2004, believes “the greatest values in wine are in the $15-$20 range.”
So do we.
“The bottles we might open every day are actually the most important wines in our lives.”
Amen.
Here’s the article. It’s a good read.
All of Asimov’s “practical recommendations” (appearing toward the end of the article) are right on target. But I want to emphasize a couple of his points:
Rely on merchants and sommeliers
We wrote about this in our very first Pat The Wine Guy post. Get to know the steward/owner at your favorite store. They are always going to be your best bet toward finding value and quality. As Asimov says, “Merchants want return business. Forging a good relationship will pay off sooner than you think. The same is true in restaurants, where good sommeliers are more concerned with your happiness than in upselling you to more expensive bottles. They want you back.” Great advice.
Explore
I’m just going to be blunt here: if all you’re looking for is a cheap buzz, then sure, grab one of those inexpensive bottles from the grocery store mass display. But if you make the effort to explore and experiment by trying wines that feature unfamiliar grapes/growing regions, you’re likely to be rewarded. Asimov again: “You will find better values by seeking out honestly made wines from little-known grapes and largely unknown areas.”
Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing quite like a Beaux Freres single vineyard pinot, a Domaine du Pegau Châteauneuf-du-Pape or a Quilceda Creek cabernet. But just as you wouldn’t have Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Cake every night (you wouldn’t, would you?), you’re not going to splurge on a unicorn wine every night either. Then it wouldn’t be a “splurge”, right?
Which brings us full circle to our Pat The Wine Guy mission:
to help you…every day… find good everyday wine.
I’ll steal one more line from Mr. Asimov: “matching the wine to the occasion is more important than the greatness of one bottle.”
Perfect.