Learning to like (different) wine

Okay, I admit it — I am not fond of white wine. Never have been. I went right from Annie Green Springs apple wine to Merlot. Well, not overnight — it took a few years — but until I took my first wine course at UNLV, I avoided white wine. Pink wine, too.

When I wrote about the Smith & Wollensky wine lunch (“It’s Wine Week!”), “The Drunken Cyclist” (http://thedrunkencyclist.wordpress.com) suggested I back off the reds a bit and give the whites and pinks a chance: explore more of the lighter side of wine. And you know what? He’s right. Especially now that spring is here!

So, Friday night at the American Wine Society wine tasting, I paid close attention to the whites. We started with Thorn Clark Brut Reserve — a lovely, light salmon colored sparkling wine. It didn’t ring my chimes, but I went back and tasted it again at the end, just to be sure. I’m good about that, you know. Tasting and re-tasting. I’ll do it as many times as necessary until I get it right — or until they run out of wine.

The next wine was a nice white — Molly Dooker Violinist Verdelho. Turns out that in Australia, a Molly Dooker refers to a left-handed person. What a relief to learn that. Now I don’t have to lie awake at night wondering …

Okay. Molly Dooker makes some mighty fine — and expensive — wines. One evening at a wine tasting someone shared a $100 bottle, I think it was “Carnival of Love.” Of course, my budget doesn’t run to those wines, so I’m happy to taste when someone else supplies. The only drawback is there is a chance of falling in love with something I can’t afford. Which is why I’m happy that I’ve found a very nice inexpensive white that everyone likes.  Beringer Chenin Blanc. And when I say inexpensive, I really mean cheap! Like $5 at Total Wines. $8 at the market which is still not bad.

I also like Daou Chenin Blanc from Paso Robles, but (1) can’t buy that at the market and (2) for the same amount of money I could get 8 bottles of the Beringer. Do I like the Daou that much more??

So I’m going to try — really try — this summer to find some whites to enjoy on the patio with friends — or maybe just with my cats. If anyone out there knows of some yummy, inexpensive whites — or blush wines — please feel free to share.

In the meantime, I’m stocking up on that Beringer Chenin Blanc.