Culture: Wine - In Praise Of The New World

(Drivebycuriosity) - Wine is pleasure, wine is culture. Like (almost) everything which is fun, wine drinking can get very expensive. Especially the French produce could slurp your budged, if you don´t belong to the happy 1 percent.  I believe French wines are overpriced; you have to pay for the grand name and the French are very good in marketing themselves.

Therefore as a wine drinker and buyer I prefer the New World - North & South America plus Australia. There you can get comparable qualities for a much lower price because you don`t have to pay for the prestige. Fortunately the New World offers a huge diversity. There are many ambitious vintners, often with European pedigrees, who grow fine wines. Even Canada delivers some delicious wines. And the huge US has many regions which are suitable for wine growing.

I am a huge fan of the oaked Californian Chardonnay, especially those bottles from the Russian River Valley. According to Wikipedia this area has a "characteristically cool climate, heavily affected by fog generated by the valley's proximity to the Pacific Ocean" (wikipedia). But my favorite Chardonnays these days come from the San Francisco area: The Chardonnay "Wente Morning Fog" (wentevineyards). In the moment a bottle cost around $16 in the wineshop nearby. I think that is very reasonable for this quality.

When my mood is for red wine l enjoy Cabernet Sauvignons from Oregon/USA. But my favorite reds are Argentinian Malbecs. The country doesn´t have the (costly) reputation of the Napa Valley, California or the famous European wine growing regions. The WineEnthusiast magazine describes them as "dense and dark, with full-bodied richness" (winemag). The "Bodega Elvira Calle Alberti 154 Malbec" from Mendoza/Argentinia is delicious and with $16 very reasonable priced (wine-searcher). Enjoy!