General Rantings

[californiagirl]

I may be the worst to answer this, as I am not as experienced as most here. But maybe a newbie opinion may help.

I agree with alot that dananne said.

As far as terrior- it only matters to me depending on what I'm buying. I'm not one to purchase Bordeaux- cost wise at least. Never had it to know of the taste. I know that I don't like earthiness in pinots- that kind of raw dirt, mushroom taste. But I can now notice the difference b/w a Napa cab and a Sonoma cab. So I guess that's a start. But I certainly don't even look for it from a bottle of Cline Zin.

My cellar's holding is small- I think I can have about 96 bottles. But that's not to say I don't purchase fine wines to cellar either. I look forward to the change that time brings to wine. I'll even try the 3 bottle rule when costs allow it. One bottle now, one in 3 yrs, one in 5 yrs. I have some that need the long haul- Ridge Montebello, JP Insignia, Jones Family Cab, Lewelling, etc. I try to keep those down to a 1/5 maximum. Then I have the 3-5 yr ones. (At least what I plan to hold for) Grgich Zins, Scherrer Zins and Cabs, Novy, Siduri, Loring, etc. Those are about 2/5. My whites and desserts are 1/5- that leaves about 1/5 EMPTY. I have that selection b/c I want to - not b/c I feel that I have to do the winemakers job to age the wine. I buy futures to save money, so I can afford wines I want, but whose retail are too $$. I am no where near ignorant when it comes to wine, thanks to KC. But I still am no where near where I want to be with knowledge of wine either. I do my best. It's more than just a hobby to me. I am passionate about wine. I am constantly seeking out places to learn more information. My family and friends actually call me to get wine advice, believe it or not. And if I can't answer their question, I seek out the answer. (Then there is always the "not more wine" comments from the UPS man and my hubby when the doorbell rings.)

And yes, there are and will always be people that aren't "wine geeks"- and they have no intention of ever becoming one. When the need arises, they want to be able to go to whatever store they choose and buy a bottle of wine- ready to drink. And if they're there to impress, they're gonna want the best of the best- so they do a small amount of research, and seek out the Wine Spectator 100 best list. And no, they're not going to understand that the wine they selected is either not available, or needs to rest for 10 yrs. That scenario is never going to change. We do not live in a country where wine is a staple of life from the time you are an infant and up. Most of our children are ignorant to wine- the drinking age is 21 in my state. Unless of course they have parents like us- who introduce them to wine and teach them appreciation. (I allow my children to have a sip of my wine if they want it- but no more. My 3 yr old loves wine and port- my 9 yr old only likes port. And they know that's the limit b/c wine is a grown up drink.) But I think that's a good place to start.


[This message has been edited by californiagirl (edited 12-31-2004).]