Red wines are predictable, whites not so much

By By Stan Torgerson / wine columnist
Feb. 11, 2004
With red wines, you generally know that what you buy is what you get.
Cabernet sauvignons will usually be powerful with deep flavors. Merlot will be silky-like with a pronounced cherry flavor. Zinfandels will be spicy, almost peppery on the finish.
Syrahs will also be spicy with a great deal of flavor. There is some variation, of course, but generally speaking flavors of various red wines in approximately the same price category will be consistent.
The same rule of thumb does not apply to whites. You almost have to sample the wine or, at the very least, read a review or the bottle notes in order to get some indication of what the flavor may be. There is much latitude given to the winemaker. I've always felt the ultimate product, the flavor and personality of the white wine in the bottle, is truly an indication of the personal preference of the man or woman who made it.
Chardonnay may be the one exception, although the flavors can range from fruity to butterscotch to citrus to floral. But through it all, it tells you what it is with its clean, fresh light flavor despite the subtle nuances it may possess. That count-on-me approach to making chardonnay is one reason it is the world's most popular white wine. Whether the wine itself comes for America, Australia, South Africa or any of the many countries in which it is produced, there is a sameness to chardonnay not found in most other wines.
But take chenin blanc at the other end of the spectrum. It can be very dry, medium dry or downright sweet, depending on the winemaker. Generally, it tends to be medium sweet but you never know until you taste. There are remarkable chenin blancs being made in Oregon, but their degree of sweetness varies from vintner to vintner. But give them their due. Served very cold they are great hot weather wines.
Probably the most inconsistent of all is the riesling grape. A wine writer wrote recently riesling may be this decade's equivalent of merlot in the early 1990s. One day merlot was just another wine and finally someone figured out how to make it, rich, smooth and pleasant with a fruity taste people quickly loved. That discovery zoomed merlot to prominence in just a matter of two or three years. Riesling, he said, may be the next great white grape to compete with chardonnay.
Well, yes and no. Riesling at its best is wonderful. Some of the dry rieslings made in the Alsace area of France are among the best wines in the world.
But right next door the German winemakers are taking that same grape and producing wines that taste like a bite out of a Granny Smith apple, sweet yet tart. There was a time when German wines were enormously popular. Some of the finest wines in my memory came from that country. But in recent years wine consumers have turned away from sweet wines, with the exception of white zinfandel, and are consuming more fruity wines that do not scream "sugar" with every sip.
Yet here in our country for every 100 producers there are 100 different ways to use the riesling grape, from crisp and dry to dessert wines that are as sweet as the dessert itself. Buying riesling wines is truly a shot in the dark but when you find one that suits your individual taste you will buy it again.
The same is true of gewurztraminer, a wine I personally deplore although many in the world regard it as something very special. This wine is spicier than you can imagine but it is made dry, off-dry and sweet, take your pick. It's personality can be found in no other wine I know and it is proof that one man's enjoyable sipping is the other man's reason for keeping a dump bucket on the table.
I've enjoyed some wonderful wines made with the pinot gris grape. At its best this varietal can be gentle, with aroma that is almost perfume and is a deeper color than most white wines. But it can be very non descript as well, and I confess to having consumed all kinds the good, the bad and the indifferent. But good pinot on the dry side pleases my pallet very much.
Overall, there are few greater pleasures than sitting outside on a patio when the weather is spring-like warm and enjoying a bottle of white wine, either by itself or with some pleasant soft white cheese from France. Just remember that although the weather is warm the wine is supposed to be cool so chill it thoroughly.
Blind tasting
It is because of the very uncertainty of these wines that we have chosen them for a blind tasting Feb. 27. As we did with the reds last fall, we shall hide the labels, give you hints of what to look for and challenge your taste buds to pick a chardonnay from a sauvignon blanc from a riesling and from the others.
Again the tables shall work as a team, reaching their ultimate decision by majority vote with a suitable prize for the winners. Choose your partners and make your plans. Reservations are at 482-0930 and we will reserve a table for groups of six or more so you and your most knowledgeable friends can sit together. The price will again be $25.
If wisdom is indeed an acquired skill rather than one with which you were born, you will be considerably wiser when that evening ends.