WineLovers Discussion Group

I know this has been asked before, but what wine/region is your favorite?

I sacrifice a lot of pleasure in other wines just because my infatuation with champagne is that much greater. In other words, despite missing out on some amazing wines, I like focusing on the one I truly love rather than trying to squeeze in all wines and all regions.

Is there a wine you gravitate to above all others?

Jeff

Depends. We drink mostly Finger Lakes stuff for everyday drinkers. All that is laid down is California or Europe.

Most of the wines I buy are local - either Niagara County, NY or Niagara Peninsula, NY. However, I am infatuated with the Loire - Vouvray, Chinon, Sancerre, Muscadet, etc.

My tag says it -- Zinaholic.
And yes, mostly very local, Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley. With > 150 wineries, several of them pretty good in half an hour's drive, why should I go farther except for an occasional adventure?

In beginning of my obsession, my main passion was California because that's all I knew. When I moved back East for graduate school I was exposed to the wines of Europe and I gradually shifted my focus to the Rhone Valley, as it produced big red wines such as I knew from my familiarity with California wines. More recently, my focus has again shifted, and while the Loire and the Mosel I hold dear in my heart, Burgundy (inclusive of the Beaujolais) has eclipsed them all. In another ten years ask again and I may tell you something differently.

Mark Lipton

I try to be open to all the world's wines, with a nod to QPR, but when it comes to "comfort wines" for pleasant enjoyment it's likely going to be red, European, and Italian (Tuscany and its neighbors), Southern Rhone or Burgundy-including-Beaujolais.

I'd hate to be stuck without recourse to all the rest of the world, though, with Loire, Champagne and Euro-style California and Oregon wines ranking particularly high in the second tier.

No one region for me - I am passionate about high quality wines from around the world. Like Robin, QPR wines are a particular focus, but I don't really care where they are from.

My favorite red wine grape variety is Pinot Noir. My favorite white wine grape variety is Riesling. My regions of greatest interest are white and red Burgundies (including Chablis), and Pinot Noirs from Oregon and Sonoma County. However, there are wines from the Rhone, the Loire, Rioja, Tuscany, New Zealand, etc. that I can be passionate about--just don't have them as frequently.

A wine that I gravitate to above all others? German Riesling.

Wine regions that I seem to 'feel the gravity' to explore them more deeply as much I can as they strike a chord include the following:

the Loire (especially Chenin, Chenin, Chenin, Chenin and Muscadet), Champagne (particularly and especially grower bubbly), Beaujolais, Jura, Bugey, and Savoie, Switzerland, Alto Adige, Valle d'Aosta, Piemonte, Mount Etna, Canary Islands, Basque Country (on both the French and Spanish sides of the border), Priorat, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Franken Silvaner (if I could ever get it), Sherry.

But plenty of discoveries for me in regions that overall I might find of less interest (e.g., Faugères in Languedoc).

Surprisingly, Burgundy doesn't make the list. Which is probably due to fewer opportunities to taste it and less willingness to shell out money where the entry price for bottles is higher.

German Riesling tops my list, closely followed by the western Loire Valley. Portugal seems to gain more attention this past two years.

Well…I didn’t pick up my family, leave a good job, relatives, and friends behind to learn how to make wine in Germany because I’m passionate about wine from somewhere else. German wines have almost completely pushed aside every other wine in the world for me, except that I love Austria, Alsace, Burgundy, the Loire, Alto-Adige, Champagne, Hungary, and N. Rhone Syrah. The rest: meh, I could take it or leave it.

Cheers,
Bill

Bordeaux and Tuscany. Can't pick one above the other. Although Bordeaux is a much larger portion of my cellar.

It depends a lot on the style and winemaking choices of individual wineries. But, I definitely seem to focus on Napa Valley Cabernet (and Sonoma to a certain extent) made by producers emphasizing leaner, earthier, even "greener" wines. Clos Du Val, Corison, Al3exander Valley Vineyards.

I also love Loire Valley Cabernet Franc. Chinon, Saumur Champigny.

I have been discovering more Pinot Noir that I can drink (I HATE HATE HATE the super fruity cherry cough syrup style)-mostly from Oregon and Russan River Valley.

And, of course, the amazing, bizarre wines of Arbois (and Savoie!)

Bill Hooper wrote:Well…I didn’t pick up my family, leave a good job, relatives, and friends behind to learn how to make wine in Germany because I’m passionate about wine from somewhere else. German wines have almost completely pushed aside every other wine in the world for me, except that I love Austria, Alsace, Burgundy, the Loire, Alto-Adige, Champagne, Hungary, and N. Rhone Syrah. The rest: meh, I could take it or leave it.

Cheers,
Bill

Oh no. I forgot about Northern Rhone Syrah (and American producers who seem to express similar characteristics in their wines)

It all depends on the wine. For Cabernet it is Napa, Chardonnay is Napa also, Riesling is Rheingau, Champagne is Mesnil, Pinot Noir is Sonoma Coast, Zinfandel (although I have very few) is Sonoma. For Bordeaux blends it is Bordeaux, duh, if I can be patient and wait for maturity. Syrah would be N. Rhone.

Burgundy for me, hands down.

-Paul W.

yeah, burgundy.

Another Burgundy fan here, at least currently. I remain open to other areas and other wines but it's been Burgundy for a while now.

Piemonte

Keep going back and forth between Germany, and the Northern Rhone.

Quite often when I drink a bottle from Hans-Gunter Schwarz, or an aged Prum, Schaefer, Egon Muller or Donnhoff, I sometimes wonder why only a third of my cellar is German wine.

Then at other times if I'm drinking Gonon, Levet, Texier, Allemand or something from the old, retired masters like Trollat or Verset, I keep thinking I don't own or drink enough N. Rhone Syrah.

Germany is definitely first for me, no question.

My other favorite "region" is anywhere/anything from Italy. Piedmont is at the top of my list of favorite Italian regions, but I enjoy exploring all Italian wines.

Loire.

With Burgundy, Beaujolais, some smaller French regions (Savioe, Marcillac...) and Galicia not too far behind, along with Piedmont, which I'll be visiting for the first time in a few weeks!

That's an impossible question to answer. And so is "which is my favourite composer?"

I wouldn't want to be without red Bordeaux, Burgundy red and white, all the Loire valley in both red and white, all the Rhône valley (including in Switzerland), Bandol, Riesling from Germany, Alsace and Austria, Langhe reds, Tuscany reds (especially from Sangiovese), Bandol, Rioja (old fashioned) and so on.

Perhaps the best way to look at it is to ask what I drink the most of and, of course, QPR enters into this. Top, I think, are Cabernet franc and Chenin wines from Anjou and Touraine. Following closely are reds from Rhône and Chianti and, for whites, Chablis and Mâcon together with German Riesling, of which I would drink more if I could find enough suitable pairings for the RS of those in my cellar.

Not sure I'd say I have a main passion. Hermitage, in the northern Rhône, is my favourite [especially Chave], but I also love Burgundy, Barolo, Oporto, Châteaneuf du Pape and Bordeaux. Rioja, Alsace and Pinot Noir from Ontario (where I live) also feature a lot in my cellar. And then there's Ridge Zins (although few other Zins).

Which one I choose at any given time depends mostly on what food I will be having.