For 35 years, I’ve occasionally drunk wine. For most of this time, I didn’t have much of a discriminating pallet, even with a few casual wine tasting classes and visits to wineries.
And then I had a chance to sample a glass of Silver Oak Cabernet. This was a $70 bottle of wine. After this glass, I realized there was a qualitative difference in a $70 bottle of wine from the usual $7.99 wine I used to drink. Sometimes paying extra for a great bottle of wine is worth it.
Since then, I’ve tried to pay attention to wine and taken the opportunity to keep track of the ones I like. It’s all about price range and quality.
For under $10, my favorites are:
- Chardonnay: Chateau St. Michelle
- Pinot Noir: Gallo Reserve
- Shiraz: Yellow Tail
For ~$25:
- Cabernet: Simi
- Pinot Noir: Castle Rock Russian River Reserve
- Chardonel: Reserve, Stonehill
And then when I really want to splurge, for $50-$70 its
Cabernet: Silver Oak
Merlot: Grgrich
As a special note, Grgrich is the winery that put California Chardonay’s on the map. The 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, crafted by Mike Grgich, took first place at the famed “Paris Tasting” in 1976, beating France’s best white Burgundies.
The entertaining fictional movie Bottle Shock, was based on this earth shaking event.
With these price points and favorites in mind, I like to compare new wines, always looking for ones that beat my current favorites. That’s often the fun part of visiting wineries to taste their offerings- the possibility of discovering a new favorite.
If you have a recommendation, let me know!
