What sort of wine do I like?

BenEadir

Hi guys,

Silly question I know but I know what red wine I like when I taste it but I never know how to go about describing it's characteristics when buying in supermarkets/off licences.

Our family holiday tends to be 2-3 weeks on the west coast of the Vendee region near St Jean de Monts (Load up the 4x4 with roof rack, bikes etc and get the ferry) and whilst we know what white wines we enjoy (the locally produced and inexpensive http://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-muscadet+sevre-et-maine is a favourite) we're not sure how to "pigeon hole" the type of red wine we enjoy.

Having tried several different wines this summer ranging in price from €6 a bottle (all French supermarket sourced) to €12 a bottle we decided that this was our favourite and stocked up with a few cases of the 2009 vintage at €7.90 a bottle - http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-50562-0001-chateau-paloumey-les-ailes-de-paloumey-haut-medoc-france.

My question for wine enthusiasts here is "based on the characteristics of the Paloumey Haut Medoc I linked to above how should I be describing the type of wine I'm looking for when buying in an off licence or wine specialist?"

Also, should I be sticking to French Merlot blends or will I find similar characteristics in other varietal wines such as Pinot Noir or Syrah?"

I'm quite happy to experiment but it's bugging me that I can't put a label/description on the type of red wine I enjoy and am looking for so the person in the shop can make a relevant recommendation to me.

Apologies if the above is completely stupid

Padraig Mor

Here's all the technical details you want on that wine!
http://www.chateaupaloumey.com/documents/en/ft09AilesPaloumey.pdf

That wine is the second wine of Chateau Paluomey, in the Haut Medoc appellation. Haut Medoc would be regarded as a reasonably prestigious appellation of Bordeaux's Left Bank. It's the 'best of the rest' of the Left bank, after the top appellations of Pauillac, St Julien, etc. 'Classical' Left Bank wines would be Cabernet Sauvignon - dominant (and the Chateau's main wine is). However, your wine is a Merlot dominant blend, a characteristic more commonly associated with the Right Bank (St Emilion and its satellite appellations, along with the Bourg and Blaye areas) and the Entre-Deux-Mers region (generally sold under the less prestigious Bordeaux or Bordeaux Superieur appellations).

So, asking for any Merlot dominant blend from Bordeaux in a wine shop should get you something along the same lines as your wine. Personally, I'd (initially at least) aim for the cheaper Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur appellations, as well as the lesser known Cotes de Bourg and Blaye - Cotes de Bordeaux appellations. I personally find these appellations to offer the best value in Bordeaux. It's worth noting that Lidl had a French wine 'event' recently, featuring quite a number of Bordeaux wines. It's been on a few weeks at this stage so pickings may be a bit threadbare by now, but I'd definitely call into your local store and have a look (they should be in fancy baskets near the checkouts). Bear in mind that most of those Lidl wines are Chateau wines, as opposed to those blended by a dealer and marketed under some made up name, as often found in other supermarkets. I personally think that if the maker is happy to put his name on it, it's a good sign!

Pinot Noir wines would generally be a lot 'lighter' than Bordeaux wines. Syrah would be 'spicier'.

Any more questions, let me know.

BenEadir

Thanks Padraig, that's great info. I'm generally a beer drinker and having lived in London during the early 90's where I fell in love with real ale's I'm really enjoying the rise of micro breweries here in Ireland but recently (last 12 months) I've started to genuinely appreciate a nice bottle of wine so I'm interested in developing my knowledge to the point where I can a) define what it is I like/want and b) use that information to assess the wines in a supermarket/store.

I started using the http://www.vivino.com app in France this year and it allowed me to keep a record of which wines we tried and notes on how we found them plus review the notes of other more experienced wine drinkers. I really like the app as it is simple to use and allows me to keep tabs on the wines I like and what years I like etc so hopefully over time I will have a personal database to help me buy the right wine depending on what I'm in the mood for etc.

Would a very very broad easy to remember definition be :-

Pinto Noir - light fresh easy drinking

Merlot - deep, round and fruity

Syrah/Shiraz - Heavy spicy/peppery?

Cabernet Suavignon - Full body, dark in colour (less than Shiraz however) and more focused flavours than Merlot? (pure BS probably, I'm just trying to remember)

I also think one of the big things which made the Paluomey Haut Medoc so attractive might be the fact it was aged in oak. I really like the deep vanilla type flavour and I'm guessing aging in oak would give the wine that character?

If I'm right about the oak is there an easy way to tell if a wine has been aged in oak other than reading the label description? My French isn't up to much but Google translates "aged in oak" into "vieilli dans le chêne".

Lastly, I also really like Spanish Rioja which I understand is 100% Tempranillo. Is there a way to identify different quality Rioja? There are loads of "Rioja Reserva" offerings but it's hard to distinguish who the quality offerings are and who is just dressing up their label to look like the quality producers.

I found this infographic online which I think will help me understand the characteristics of the various grape varieties

Padraig Mor

BenEadir wrote: »

Thanks Padraig, that's great info. I'm generally a beer drinker and having lived in London during the early 90's where I fell in love with real ale's I'm really enjoying the rise of micro breweries here in Ireland but recently (last 12 months) I've started to genuinely appreciate a nice bottle of wine so I'm interested in developing my knowledge to the point where I can a) define what it is I like/want and b) use that information to assess the wines in a supermarket/store.

I started using the http://www.vivino.com app in France this year and it allowed me to keep a record of which wines we tried and notes on how we found them plus review the notes of other more experienced wine drinkers. I really like the app as it is simple to use and allows me to keep tabs on the wines I like and what years I like etc so hopefully over time I will have a personal database to help me buy the right wine depending on what I'm in the mood for etc.

Would a very very broad easy to remember definition be :-

Pinto Noir - light fresh easy drinking

Merlot - deep, round and fruity

Syrah/Shiraz - Heavy spicy/peppery?

Cabernet Suavignon - Full body, dark in colour (less than Shiraz however) and more focused flavours than Merlot? (pure BS probably, I'm just trying to remember)

I also think one of the big things which made the Paluomey Haut Medoc so attractive might be the fact it was aged in oak. I really like the deep vanilla type flavour and I'm guessing aging in oak would give the wine that character?

If I'm right about the oak is there an easy way to tell if a wine has been aged in oak other than reading the label description? My French isn't up to much but Google translates "aged in oak" into "vieilli dans le chêne".

Lastly, I also really like Spanish Rioja which I understand is 100% Tempranillo. Is there a way to identify different quality Rioja? There are loads of "Rioja Reserva" offerings but it's hard to distinguish who the quality offerings are and who is just dressing up their label to look like the quality producers.

I found this infographic online which I think will help me understand the characteristics of the various grape varieties

You're pretty much on the money there with the varietals, although of course many wines, especially Bordeaux and Rhone, will be blends. I love a bit of oak myself and, yes, the vanillas flavours are oak derived. An oaked wine may also have "eleve en futs de chene" written on the label. As a general rule, cheaper wines are more likely to write it on the label, more expensive wines are less likely to include that information (they expect you to know!). However, most red wines from Bordeaux, except the very cheapest, are likely to be oaked to some extent. My rough rule of thumb is only to buy wines that are over two years old, as this allows some suitable time for oak aging - i.e. I wouldn't buy a 2013 Bordeaux as it's unlikely to have been properly oak aged.

Rioja isn't necessarily 100% Tempranillo, but can be. It can also be blended with Garnacha and some other smaller varietals. The categories refer to the period it has been aged - Rioja is expected to be aged fully before sale - i.e. it should be ready to drink straight away on release. In increasing order of total time aged (barrel plus bottle) you have:
Rioja (could potentially be termed Roble or Tinto) - Crianza - Reserva - Gran Reserva.
I can't remember the times off hand, but I think Gran Reserva is 5 years in total. I quite like a nice Crianza myself.

BenEadir

Thanks so much Padraig, the info you have shared with me will come in very useful and hopefully allow me to make a much more informed decision about what type of wine I purchase whether in an off licence/supermarket or in a restaurant.

I've always found Crianza to be the best value of the Rioja range myself but never understood why.

This info graphic (same site as the grape info-graphic above) explains the Rioja ageing process very succinctly. I think I'm going to have to sign up to that website to develop my knowledge.

BenEadir

And here's my ready reckoner I think I'll keep a copy of this on my phone.

Padraig Mor

To follow on from my earlier posts, I just finished off a bottle of 2009 Chateau Le Menaudat, Blaye - Cotes de Bordeaux from Lidl (€11.99). Very nice indeed! Was a bit underwhelming on tasting immediately after opening, but 10 minutes of air later and it's really good. It has a somewhat 'hard' taste on the palate which I like; I don't have the experience to be certain, but I think this may be what is often described as a "pencil shavings" taste. Worth a try!

BenEadir

Padraig Mor wrote: »

To follow on from my earlier posts, I just finished off a bottle of 2009 Chateau Le Menaudat, Blaye - Cotes de Bordeaux from Lidl (€11.99). Very nice indeed! Was a bit underwhelming on tasting immediately after opening, but 10 minutes of air later and it's really good. It has a somewhat 'hard' taste on the palate which I like; I don't have the experience to be certain, but I think this may be what is often described as a "pencil shavings" taste. Worth a try!

Thanks Padraig, I'll pop into my local Lidl and see what I can pick up.

BTW, I use an aerator with my red wine, specifically this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wine-Aerator-Decanter-With-Christmas/dp/B009YHROJK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1412923724&sr=8-4&keywords=wine+aerator which is discounted at the moment.

It doesn't make bad wine good or any snake oil claims like that but it does in my opinion allow the wine be at it's best straight away i.e. fully aerated.