White Wines. Are they Trendy or Taboo?

by di Jul 14, 2014 2 comments

White Wines, are they Trendy or Taboo?

I was first introduced to wine in the form of a tall black bottle that looked a bit like a castle. It was called Black Tower and it was a sweet "something" from Germany, Liebfraumilch I think. It was everywhere along with another German “something” wine called Blue Nun. They were very fashionable and I didn't care for either of them. Says a lot about my fashion sense!

Since then there have been fashionable white wines of all kinds; you name it and it has most probably been on the white wine top 10 trendy list.

At the moment it’s Pinot Grigio, the very light almost flavourless sipper from Northern Italy, available in pretty bottles with catchy labels.

There was Frascati for a time, another light and simple white wine from Italy. Everyone brought Frascati to a dinner party and it was the thing to drink in wine bars. It also had a very trendy and catchy name.

Chardonnay was “in” for a while. They came from the USA or Australia and they were big, bold, over oaked and over here! They were (and still are) great until social drinkers discovered that they killed your palate after half a glass and therefore it wasn't considered a "quaffing" wine.

Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Muscadet and Gewürztraminer were also on the list for a while as well but soon made way for the next wave of fashionable sippers.

Trendy wines are the result of advertising at it’s very best in the beverage industry.

Good for the wine trade and good for consumers as it exposes us to wines that normally wouldn't be bought.

Bad, because to keep the price tag affordable, wines tend to be over produced and of lesser quality.

The results are not the best reflection of the grape and to be honest, not the best wines. However from a knowledge point of view it does provide the first step to many in trying a new wine and perhaps going further to spend a little more on a better bottle.

The normal result of over popularity tends to be a bad reputation for the grape variety, which leads to a generation that thinks any wine bearing the same name is of poor quality.

The phrase ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) comes quickly to mind and many still use it today even though wine made from Chardonnay grapes can be incredible.

Remember that most whites, like reds, come from “classic” backgrounds.

Chardonnay is the main white grape of Burgundy, which produces world famous and fantastic Chablis and Mersault.
Sauvignon Blanc is the main white grape used in producing sought after Bordeaux whites and a well-made Riesling has qualities unrivalled by any other.

So, Trendy or Taboo?

When looking for a white wine, try the trendies but don't be afraid to look further along the shelf for other options in the same price range.

Don’t write off the un-trendy wines, they’re still there and are remarkable to drink.

When the ad hype has died down the trendies don't go away, they just they aren’t mainstream any more. They are still made and the cost is still affordable.

My prediction for the next trend?

Well it has to be something that there is a lot of so Grüner Veltliner from Austria would be my choice but there's it's not available in huge quantaties (so if you see some try it, it's fabulous!).

I’m going for Albariño the acidy green wine from Spain or Torrontés from Argentina.
Both are worthy and I hope they do them justice.

Drink This:

Torrontes from Argentina

Wine Tags:

White

Wine 2017:

Comments

by Casey @ Travell... (not verified) Jun 17, 2015 Permalink

My philosophy has always been to try as many new wines as possible. You never know what you'll like and always give a wine a second chance. There are some many things which can effect your opinion on the wine from the atmosphere around you to the weather. Great post!

by di Jun 17, 2015 Permalink

Thanks Casey - I totally agree with your philosophy. Thanks for the comments.