Poll: Everyday wine

can't resist - sorry.
a red as everyday? - no
a 15% + alcohol as everyday? - HUGE NO
any one type other than champagne as everyday? no

zin goes with everything? how about nothing? it is the exact opposite of a food wine.

sorry, i'm appalled - seriously.

can't resist - sorry.
a red as everyday? - no
a 15% + alcohol as everyday? - HUGE NO
any one type other than champagne as everyday? no

zin goes with everything? how about nothing? it is the exact opposite of a food wine.

sorry, i'm appalled - seriously.

A red as an everyday wine? and a Zin that too...?
Why the heck not? Depends on what we eat everyday.
But more importantly depends on what we like at the end of the day.
I forgot to read the rules when I started drinking wine.

PS: I do not drink a red everyday or a Zin everyday for that matter. I drink what I feel like, when I feel like, with what I feel like. It usually is a Zin - critics be damned!

In defense of Zin - the all purpose wine, which without competition from Petite Sirah, would have been easily "America's wine"

Food that go with Zinfandel:

Ribs – all kinds
Burgers with blue cheese
Filet Mignon with mushrooms and a wine (zin of course) reduction sauce
Salmon (grilled) with dill
Tandoori chicken
Chicken makhani
Murg tikka
Aloo Dum
Meen curry (yummy with an Amador style zin)
Lamb grilled with feta cheese and tomatoes
Ratatouille
Grilled rock Cornish hens with rosemary
Lasagna Bolgnese
Spaghetti
Take out food from Denny’s
Enchiladas
Chili Rellenos
Nachos
Hot dogs – even the ones they sell at the kiosk at Costco.
Chicken panang on rice
Moussaka
Calamari – deep fried in batter with a squirt of lemon
Leftover stir fried rice
Samosas
Chocolate cake

And I forgot...

Pizza

Personally I'm a believer in the notion that if you really love a particular wine, you can and should eat it with anything. If I order a sangiovese with my fish at a restaurant and someone gives me crap about it I'll politely tell 'em to MTOFB. [abbreviation for Paulo ]

I order a sangiovese with my fish at a restaurant and .....

sangiovese and fish? you philistine you..

the only wine that could be 'america's wine' would be Norton. both the ones you mention are not even 'american'.

It has been a difficult day so I will feel like being a curmudgeon. The list is grapes not wine. I do not like domestic chards but drink Chablis. I tend to not drink cabernets or syrah (certainly not shiraz) but really enjoy Bordeaux and N. Rhones.

There, I feel much better.

Walt

the only wine that could be 'america's wine' would be Norton. both the ones you mention are not even 'american'.

Alas, you have bared my ignorance, but barring the rare availabiltiy of Primitivo or Durif, I haven't found both the aforementioned wines outside of America. Norton would be a great candidate for "New World" wines, but where "American" is concerned, my vote is still divided between the two immigrants!

It has been a difficult day so I will feel like being a curmudgeon. The list is grapes not wine. I do not like domestic chards but drink Chablis. I tend to not drink cabernets or syrah (certainly not shiraz) but really enjoy Bordeaux and N. Rhones.

There, I feel much better.

Walt

I can only fight one front at a time, but yes I should have tried to include some more variety in my poll, but you seemed to have got the spirit of it.

It has been a difficult day so I will feel like being a curmudgeon. The list is grapes not wine. I do not like domestic chards but drink Chablis. I tend to not drink cabernets or syrah (certainly not shiraz) but really enjoy Bordeaux and N. Rhones.

There, I feel much better.

Walt

I can only fight one front at a time, but yes I should have tried to include some more variety in my poll, but you seemed to have got the spirit of it.

Shaji
Yep, I got the idea, and it was a good one. Just blame it on my bad day. I was going to add that I do not drink zin but am a fan of primitivo.
Walt

Shaji
Yep, I got the idea, and it was a good one. Just blame it on my bad day. I was going to add that I do not drink zin but am a fan of primitivo.
Walt

Walt,
I have tasted Primitivo only once and it tasted like a Zin to me. But then again to my paisant palate they all taste like Zin
As the answers started rolling in, I recognized the obvious flaws in my poll. I will put you down in "other"
Shaji

[James Roscoe]

It has been a difficult day so I will feel like being a curmudgeon. The list is grapes not wine. I do not like domestic chards but drink Chablis. I tend to not drink cabernets or syrah (certainly not shiraz) but really enjoy Bordeaux and N. Rhones.

There, I feel much better.

Walt

I can only fight one front at a time, but yes I should have tried to include some more variety in my poll, but you seemed to have got the spirit of it.

Shaji
Yep, I got the idea, and it was a good one. Just blame it on my bad day. I was going to add that I do not drink zin but am a fan of primitivo.
Walt

Isn't that like saying you won't drink chardonnay , but fill up the glass with that chablis?

David wrote:
The only wine that could be 'America’s wine' would be Norton. Both the ones you mention are not even 'American'.

This might be true David, but the wines we know as Zin were definitely “groomed and polished” here in America.

Salute

I voted other because I really don't have have a single everyday wine. My everyday red could be just as likely be a valpolicella ripasso or pinot and a riesling for a white. My cellar is quite diverse and no one type of wine dominates although I have more of some varieties than others.

Somehow, this question strikes me as particularly anti-wine-geeky. I'm extremely promiscuous on an average week. For example, as wne grapes go, so far this week I've had:

Monday: A Ribolla Gialla from Slovenia.
Tuesday: Grúner Veltliner from Kremstal, then Gamay from Chiroubles.
Wednesday: Garnacha from Calatayud, then a Cinsault-Grenache-Mourvèdre blend from Cassis, both pink.
Thursday: Pinot Noir from Carneros.

Tomorrow is pasta night and the possibilities are limitless. Then there's Saturday. And Sunday.

It's a very average week, this.

Somehow, this question strikes me as particularly anti-wine-geeky.....
Tomorrow is pasta night and the possibilities are limitless. Then there's Saturday. And Sunday.....

It's a very average week, this.

Manuel
No, the question was not at all intended to be anti-wine-geeky. It was more borne out of faulty poll design. I like your "average" week. But don't rule out Zin with your pasta tomorrow...
Shaji

Sherry or Rioja, usually.

You??? Rioja????? Naaaaaah!!!

Yeah, I know.

Actually, I probably drink 3 bottles of sherry for every bottle of Rioja. It is the typical sipper in the Perry/Gagne place. After that, it's a mix depending on what kick I'm on.

But don't rule out Zin with your pasta tomorrow...
Shaji

Sorry, must rule it out. Haven't met a Zinfandel I've actually enjoyed in almost ten years (I think the last ones I actually bought were the '95 Ridges). As far as I'm concerned, these days it's all Mega Purple. So likely my pasta will meet something else...

I had to choose other, because I truly don't yet have a favorite, everyday wine. I'm still in such an experimental phase, and I'm trying as many different styles as possible.

Reds probably predominate though, and if I had to pick one it would probably be something sangiovese based.

Riesling for me, for whites, anyway, as it's just so versatile and tends to have a great QPR. For reds, I'm a big fan of southern rhone blends. My buying and drinking pretty much reflects that. However, since I cut my teeth in Europe and haven't much experience with American wines, this month (and summer to come, really) has been devoted to learning more about Zinfandel, particularly now that I've got the grill up and running on a regular basis. Learned a lot so far...there's definitely some variation wtih regard to oak use. And I won't buy if it's listed as more than 14.5% alcohol....if I'm missing a good one because of this, please let me know.

Riesling for me, for whites, anyway, as it's just so versatile and tends to have a great QPR. For reds, I'm a big fan of southern rhone blends. My buying and drinking pretty much reflects that. However, since I cut my teeth in Europe and haven't much experience with American wines, this month (and summer to come, really) has been devoted to learning more about Zinfandel, particularly now that I've got the grill up and running on a regular basis. Learned a lot so far...there's definitely some variation wtih regard to oak use. And I won't buy if it's listed as more than 14.5% alcohol....if I'm missing a good one because of this, please let me know.

Actually, Steven, I rarely buy wines above 14% alcohol, and on occasion I do and then I am reminded why I shouldn't - guess I am a wuss when it comes to high levels of alcohol!

Riesling for me, for whites, anyway, as it's just so versatile and tends to have a great QPR. For reds, I'm a big fan of southern rhone blends. My buying and drinking pretty much reflects that. However, since I cut my teeth in Europe and haven't much experience with American wines, this month (and summer to come, really) has been devoted to learning more about Zinfandel, particularly now that I've got the grill up and running on a regular basis. Learned a lot so far...there's definitely some variation wtih regard to oak use. And I won't buy if it's listed as more than 14.5% alcohol....if I'm missing a good one because of this, please let me know.

Steven,
When we open a bottle of Zin with the alcohol upwards of 13.5%, the food generally tends to be very spicy (very). I have a bottle of Hop Kiln Zinfandel with alcohol of 16.5%. I refer to it as the "camp-fire Zin". Haven't had a campfire in a while to post notes yet. I admit alongside Paulo, that a high alcohol wines do come with their drawbacks.
I have a feeling, I will be reaching for those Rieslings in my cellar frequently.
Shaji

I think Steve hit the nail on the head. One should not judge a wine by the amount of alcohol stated on the label. IMHO this is like judging a wine by its “score” and not considering the written comments. There are those who enjoy full-bodied wines, and in general these will tend to have “high” alcohol levels. Than there are those who like less than full-bodied wines, and these will tend to have “lower’ alcohol levels. Remember that when it comes to intensity and richness both a full-bodied and light-bodied wine can be intense and rich. On the flip side of the coin, when it comes to subtlety and delicate, both a full-bodied and light-bodied wine can be subtle and delicate. This occurs because the aromatic components and structural components of the wine come into play with other factors. There are some “high alcohol” wines that do have “the proper” fruit and solid extract concentration and “proper” structure that seems to keep the alcohol in check. To some these may be far and in between, but they do exist. You just got to find them.
Instead one should evaluate the front and back labels and look for terms that reflect “style”. Detailed description of growing conditions of the grapes; Maceration time; Extended Maceration (Skin contact time); length of fermentation; “cold” or “warm” fermentation; Barrel fermented or Stainless Steel fermented; Barrel aging (types of barrel and how long): Stainless Steel aging; MLF; Sur-lie; etc. These terms will help one determine the “style” of wine one is purchasing. (Sometimes this information is included on the back label other times it is not). Whether one likes it or not is another matter. Drink what suits your palate and whatever you are in the mood for.

Salute