Worst Wine Varietals

I came across this site and though I would demur in some cases that the varietals discussed are all bottom of the barrel, it makes a good read - there are also a lot of grapes I had never heard of before.

https://www.tasteatlas.com/worst-rated- ... -the-world

FWIW I probably wouldn't have included the following, had I made up the list:

Colombard
Monastrell/aka Mourvedre
Vermentino (some of the Sicilian examples are very good)

Bah. That list is way off-base. None of these varieties deserve to be on the list of worst varieties:

Palomino (primary grape in Sherry, one of the world's best fortified wines)

Monastrell/Mourvedre (one of the primary grapes of rightfully famous Southern Rhone wines such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape)

Semillon (the primary variety in arguably the world's best sweet wines: Sauternes and Barsac)

Petit Verdot (arguably the best of the varieties blended to make red Bordeaux; not much is grown because it ripens late and hence is prone to crop failure)

Gamay (yes, a lot of Beaujolais is insipid, but the grans crus can be marvelous)

Cabernet Franc (one of the chief varieties blended to make red Bordeaux)

Zinfandel (California examples are popular with good reason)

Verdelho (one of the great Madeira varieties)

Merlot (THE chief variety blended to make red Bordeaux)

Sauvignon Blanc (the other variety blended to make Sauternes and Barsac, arguably the greatest sweet wines in the world)

Chardonnay (chief variety in white Burgundy; arguably makes the best dry white wines in the world)

Malbec (another justly famous Bordeaux variety)

Garnacha/Grenache (blended into some of the best Southern Rhone wines, including Chateauneuf-du-Pape)

And not on the list are the two arguably worst varieties of all:

Aramon, which has traditionally been the base variety for French cheap red plonk. Aramon became widely grown in southern France after phylloxera because the variety is easy to grow and a prolific producer. It makes utterly insipid, pale, and characterless red wine--characterless to the point where, if tasted blindfolded, you can't tell whether you're drinking red wine or white wine. The color is so pale that it is almost always blended with its partner-in-crime:

Alicante Bouchet. This is one of the few Vitis vinifera varieties that has dark red flesh and juice rather than just red skin. It is blended with Aramon to give the resulting wine a normal red color. I've had varietal, unblended Alicante Bouchet and it is what you might expect. Flavor-wise it's bland and insipid, but it's very highly tannic. It's only positive characteristic is to give color to pale varieties such as Aramon. If you can consider that something positive.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

I came across this site and though I would demur in some cases that the varietals discussed are all bottom of the barrel, it makes a good read - there are also a lot of grapes I had never heard of before.

https://www.tasteatlas.com/worst-rated- ... -the-world

FWIW I probably wouldn't have included the following, had I made up the list:

Colombard
Monastrell/aka Mouvedre
Vermention (some of the Sicilian examples are very good)

Supid list. And, do you mean Vermentino? And you diss Mourvedre?? No more Bandol for you!! Pass me your glass!

Probably not even worth weighing in on this, but I will say that in the hands of a talented winemaker (and a talented grape grower) almost any well-known variety can be made into an interesting wine. Some of those choices are just head-scratchers, though, which makes me think that this is blatant clickbait.

What is Tastealtas and who are its readers? Some of those "worst" varieties, e.g. Mourvèdre and Palomino, would be in my top tier!

[David M. Bueker]

Anyone who disses Mourvèdre must be burned at the stake.

I'm going to stick my neck out and say that article is AI generated crap. Yeah, some of those grapes have a bad reputation because they were over cropped and used for bulk wine production. Agreeing with Mark here that, when sufficient care is taken and the growing location is right, some low status grapes can make great wine.

See this profile of Envinate by Jamie Goode: both Palamino and Alicante Bouchet based wines get some respect: https://www.wineanorak.com/wineblog/spa ... -producers . Disagree with Paul about Alicante Bouchet, which makes some fine wines in Alentejo, with the crazily priced Mouchão Tonel No 3-4 being considered one of the great wines of Portugal.

Anyone who disses Mourvèdre must be burned at the stake.

This.

I'm going to stick my neck out and say that article is AI generated crap.

And this too.

In an age of decline, catastrophe, fraud, nonsense, and... uh... pride, lust, and gluttony... I'm glad this corner of the web still contains smart humans with good taste who tell it like it is.

It might be a good idea for the monthly theme: neglected or obscure varieties that you have a soft spot for. One red and one white.

[David M. Bueker]

Noted

I once asked Jean-Marie Peyraud, from Domaine Tempier (back before they bottled any white Bandol): if you were decide to produce white Bandol, what grape would you choose to focus on? He thought for a few seconds, then replied to the effect that his first choice, which isn't permitted in the AOC would be Rolle, AKA Vermentino. Which made me want to find out what Vermentino was all about. A few years later, in 1990, in Cinque Terre, I first had a chance to drink Vermentino at a B&B close to Cinque Terre, and my instant response was "why aren't we using this variety in California?" And then I learned that Tablas Creek was bringing it to Paso Robles. Best thing that's happened in California in ages!

After reading Paul's list I'm not bothering to read the linked article. Paul gives good reasons why those varieties are not the worst by a long way.

But I disagree with him about Alicante Bouschet, I've enjoyed a few (they're not that commonly found, hence 'few', and Im always pleased to find it blended with Zinfandel.

Re Joe's reference to Palomino, I've recently had some cracking good ones from South Africa made as a dry white table wine from old vines originally planted for sherry, but that market has collapsed.

It might be a good idea for the monthly theme: neglected or obscure varieties that you have a soft spot for. One red and one white.

Bring it on. These are the less common varietals that I currently have

Airén
Alicante Bouschet
Areni
Baco Noir
Cabernet Cortis
Castelão
Fer Servadou
Fetească Albă
Fetească Neagră
Fiano
Gaglioppo
Kratosija
Lenoir/Black Spanish
Listán Prieto/Mission
Malagousia
Malvasia di Lipari
Manseng Noir
Negramoll
Odessky cherny
Palomino Fino
Perricone
Raboso
Saperavi
Sauvignac
Sezão
Vidal
Vidoc