Thread: What do you currently prefer more, French or Californian wines andwhy ?

Dave wrote:
>
> Whether for technical, taste related, or financial reasons (or a
> combo
> of all those) what do you currently much prefer to drink and/or
> consider
> is superior, French wines or Californian wines and please say why.

California, because the French wines I've tried
have a sort of spicy flavor that I don't like.
I don't know whether this is due to the grapes,
barrel oak, or what. California wines have a
cleaner flavor. I suppose some people must like
the French flavor, otherwise they wouldn't make
it that way.

"Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Whether for technical, taste related, or financial reasons (or a
> combo
> of all those) what do you currently much prefer to drink and/or
> consider
> is superior, French wines or Californian wines and please say why.

Australian reds, california whites. French wines seem thin to me, either too
dry and flimsy bodied or in the case of wines like Vouvray and other desert
wines too syrupy. Australian reds (shiraz is my favorite table wine but I
like most of them) seem better balanced. I also like one Hungarian wine
called Egri Bikaver (Bull's Blood of Eger) that is a dry, full-bodied, blood
red wine. The most suckass wines of all time are German wines, for me. The
very best I have had were Spatlese or Auschlese, way too sweet. I have not
had a wide variety of German wines. I do like Gewurtztraminer as a desert
wine, it is at least spicy enough to offset the inherent sweetness.

On Sat, 1 Aug 2009 22:58:02 -0700 (PDT), Dave <[email protected]>
shouted from the highest rooftop:

>Whether for technical, taste related, or financial reasons (or a
>combo of all those) what do you currently much prefer to drink and/or
>consider is superior, French wines or Californian wines and please say why.

Neither.

I prefer Australian reds because they're big, rich and very tasty.

I prefer New Zealand whites because they're divine.


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:39:35 +1200, bob in nz
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I prefer New Zealand whites because they're divine.

Yes, they are. I so love them too....

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

On Sat, 1 Aug 2009 22:58:02 -0700 (PDT), Dave <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Whether for technical, taste related, or financial reasons (or a
>combo
>of all those) what do you currently much prefer to drink and/or
>consider
>is superior, French wines or Californian wines and please say why.

I think most wines are best as close to the source as possible.
Transportation introduces too many risks to quality.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

In article
<[email protected]>,
Dave <[email protected]> wrote:

> Whether for technical, taste related, or financial reasons (or a
> combo
> of all those) what do you currently much prefer to drink and/or
> consider
> is superior, French wines or Californian wines and please say why.

If I only had a choice between the two, I'd choose California wines over
French wines hands down. I have yet to meet a French wine I like.
California wines are much, much more pleasant.

That being said, I also like Texas and Australian wines better than
French and equally to California.

IMHO Battery Acid tastes better than French wines. <g>
Especially their Brut Champagnes... The very worst Champagne I ever had
was a French Brut that cost $150.00 per bottle. The person that brought
it to the New Years party bragged about it's price. He was a wine
purchaser for some store and he'd gotten this one at a bargain price.
It was one of the most vile things that has ever passed my lips!

I wish I could recall the name...
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

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In article <[email protected]>,
bob in nz <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Sat, 1 Aug 2009 22:58:02 -0700 (PDT), Dave <[email protected]>
> shouted from the highest rooftop:
>
> >Whether for technical, taste related, or financial reasons (or a
> >combo of all those) what do you currently much prefer to drink and/or
> >consider is superior, French wines or Californian wines and please say why.
>
> Neither.
>
> I prefer Australian reds because they're big, rich and very tasty.
>
> I prefer New Zealand whites because they're divine.

Argentina also makes some very good wines.
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

[email protected]
Subscribe: [email protected]

There is no such thing as Californian wine, it's just grape juice surely ;-)

Steve
(Sitting on the western edge of the Beaujolais)

Dave wrote:
> Whether for technical, taste related, or financial reasons (or a
> combo
> of all those) what do you currently much prefer to drink and/or
> consider
> is superior, French wines or Californian wines and please say why.

sf wrote:

> I think most wines are best as close to the source as possible.
> Transportation introduces too many risks to quality.

I sure do agree with you on this. Bob heard about a wine called a Baco
Noir. None of it to be found around here, so he ordered it from the
vineyard in Oregon. He paid for expedited shipping as we were going out
of town, only to get a shipping update that said the wine didn't ship on
the day it was supposed to. Luckily, we had a house sitter and she was
supposed to accept for signed delivery -- except that when UPS showed
up, she had fallen asleep on an air mattress and was sunburning herself
in the pool. UPS did make a second attempt same day and she was inside
for that. This could have been all kinds of bad because the trucks that
come through here are not refrigerated and it could have gone into some
holding pattern in a place much hotter than a truck.

But, it all ended well. Our house sitter was able to "even out" her
coloring while we were gone -- and hopefully won't peel much. The wine
was dee-lish, although a bit young. The bottles we have left need to sit
for a year or so more.

What we had:

http://www.girardetwine.com/WineShop...roducts_id=180

Oh, and for the OP: California wines. Of the French, I like a good
Chateau Neuf de Pape, but for the most part I'm a California girl. Many
of the French wines I've tried are "chewy." I wish I had a better way of
explaining it, but there you have it. I'm not big on heavy tannins.

--Lin

Dave wrote:

> Whether for technical, taste related, or financial reasons (or a combo of
> all those) what do you currently much prefer to drink and/or consider is
> superior, French wines or Californian wines and please say why.


California wines. I like them better, though I wouldn't say I *much* prefer
them, as your poll asks.

I also like German and Italian wines better than French wines. French red
wines often seem "skunky" to me, while French white wines usually seem sour
and watery. French dessert wines are acceptable, though.

Oregon is also making some very nice wines, as are New Zealand and
Australia. Why didn't you ask about them?

Bob

"Omelet" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]..
> If I only had a choice between the two, I'd choose California wines over
> French wines hands down. I have yet to meet a French wine I like.
> California wines are much, much more pleasant.
>
> That being said, I also like Texas and Australian wines better than
> French and equally to California.
>
> IMHO Battery Acid tastes better than French wines. <g>
> Especially their Brut Champagnes... The very worst Champagne I ever had
> was a French Brut that cost $150.00 per bottle. The person that brought
> it to the New Years party bragged about it's price. He was a wine
> purchaser for some store and he'd gotten this one at a bargain price.
> It was one of the most vile things that has ever passed my lips!
>
> I wish I could recall the name...

I always choose Italian wine. I am never disappointed. I don't know how
well it travels because no one seems to have commented on it, but do try
some if you get the chance.

"Dave" wrote ..........
>
> Whether for technical, taste related, or financial reasons (or a
> combo of all those) what do you currently much prefer to drink\.
> and/or consider is superior, French wines or Californian wines
> and please say why.

Dave, there is more to the world of wine than just France or California!

And, how on earth can you just say "France" when there exists such a vast
difference in varieties and styles when comparing Bordeaux and Burgundy or
Bandol - or the Loire and Languedoc - not to mention the Rhone and Alsace or
Champagne???

Your question simply becomes a nonsense.

As a matter of the broadest generalisation, in my experience -

The very best Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / "Bordeaux variety" blended wines
I have consumed have been French - however, I have had some excellent
examples from California and Australia.
The very best sparkling wines have been French - No other region or country
gets within cooeee of Champagne.
I have had some stunningly superb Syrah (Shiraz) from Australia and New
Zealand - but, again, the very best experiences I have had have been from
the Rhone.
What about Riesling - such an array of styles - and so difficult to compare
the wines of Alsace and Germany. But, in my mind, again, the very best
Riesling I have consumed was French.
Pinot Noir - Burgundy makes Burgundy - NZ in my mind now makes the best
expression of the grape (but I am biased)
Chardonnay - IME - the finest I have consumed was from Western Australia - I
have yet to experience the epiphany which is Chablis or Bourgogne.
Gewürztraminer - Alsace and NZ
Sauvignon Blanc - NZ (Marlborough) may now be the spiritual home - but the
best experience I had was - again - French.
And sweet wines - France - but one cannot ignore Germany and Australia and
Canada.
Fortified - Spain, Portugal, Hungary and Australia!
Zinfandel - California
Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Malbec, Tempranillo................!!!!!!!!

Why limit the subject?
Why limit yourself!

st.helier

On Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:26:13 -0700, Lin <[email protected]>
wrote:


>Oh, and for the OP: California wines. Of the French, I like a good
>Chateau Neuf de Pape, but for the most part I'm a California girl. Many
>of the French wines I've tried are "chewy." I wish I had a better way of
>explaining it, but there you have it. I'm not big on heavy tannins.
>
>--Lin

See, I am so different. I like those chewy wines..and I like tannins..
I dislike the fruit forward wines we get in CA..they seem almost like
Koolaid... I love a good dry wine, with a bit of muscle to it...

And the ones that are oaked? Well..California overdoes it in my
estimation. I don;t like that much oak... I like the New Zealand
wines, because they don';t have that heavy oak.

I guess I like European style wines the best. In some instances,
California has matched them..but not when they go heavy on the
oak....I like more restrained wines, except for some of the Rhone
valley ones..which show a lot of character and sometimes muscle.
Finesse more than just being out there.....

Where I got my tastes, I don;t know. I do know that I had a dinner
years ago, in Washington DC, where we compared some French wines side
by side with their California counterparts. The French ones were like
velvet..so very smooth. The California ones were much rougher..not as
refined. I loved the French wines...

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

"cybercat" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Skadm.54005$[email protected]..
>
> "Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Whether for technical, taste related, or financial reasons (or a
>> combo
>> of all those) what do you currently much prefer to drink and/or
>> consider
>> is superior, French wines or Californian wines and please say why.
>
> Australian reds, california whites. French wines seem thin to me, either
> too dry and flimsy bodied or in the case of wines like Vouvray and other
> desert wines too syrupy. Australian reds (shiraz is my favorite table wine
> but I like most of them) seem better balanced. I also like one Hungarian
> wine called Egri Bikaver (Bull's Blood of Eger) that is a dry,
> full-bodied, blood red wine. The most suckass wines of all time are German
> wines, for me. The very best I have had were Spatlese or Auschlese, way
> too sweet. I have not had a wide variety of German wines. I do like
> Gewurtztraminer as a desert wine, it is at least spicy enough to offset
> the inherent sweetness.
>
I agree with all of what you just said, apart from the Hungarian, which I've
never tasted.
German wines always seem to have a flowery taste, and I've never tried a
nice French wine, although I haven't tried the more expensive ones.
My favorite is a South African Shiraz or Merlot though. They do some great
rich full bodied fruity wines that seem to just pip the Australian wines.
(Waving to Cathy and ducking from Peter L!)

Sarah

"Lord St.Helier of Gondwana" <[email protected]>
wrote:

> The very best Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / "Bordeaux variety"
> blended wines I have consumed have been French - however, I have
> had some excellent examples from California and Australia.
> The very best sparkling wines have been French - No other region
> or country gets within cooeee of Champagne.
> I have had some stunningly superb Syrah (Shiraz) from Australia
> and New Zealand - but, again, the very best experiences I have
> had have been from the Rhone.
> What about Riesling - such an array of styles - and so difficult
> to compare the wines of Alsace and Germany. But, in my mind,
> again, the very best Riesling I have consumed was French.
> Pinot Noir - Burgundy makes Burgundy - NZ in my mind now makes
> the best expression of the grape (but I am biased)
> Chardonnay - IME - the finest I have consumed was from Western
> Australia - I have yet to experience the epiphany which is
> Chablis or Bourgogne. Gewürztraminer - Alsace and NZ
> Sauvignon Blanc - NZ (Marlborough) may now be the spiritual home
> - but the best experience I had was - again - French.
> And sweet wines - France - but one cannot ignore Germany and
> Australia and Canada.
> Fortified - Spain, Portugal, Hungary and Australia!
> Zinfandel - California
> Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Malbec, Tempranillo...

Quite obviously Austria is totally unknown in NZ.

Let me tell you that Austria can make wines in major league
quality in the Riesling, Sauvignon, and sweet (Kracher!)
departments, and that furthermore with Grüner Veltliner we
have an absolutely unique world class white grape variety.

M.

Dave <[email protected]> wrote:

> Whether for technical, taste related, or financial reasons (or a combo of
> all those) what do you currently much prefer to drink and/or consider is
> superior, French wines or Californian wines and please say why.

This kind of generalisation is nonsense, I'm afraid.

Victor

sf <[email protected]> wrote:

> I think most wines are best as close to the source as possible.
> Transportation introduces too many risks to quality.

You are in San Francisco, right? Buy your wines from Kermit Lynch (in
Berkeley).

Victor

In article <1j3ts8o.agjn8ew7xmd4N%[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Victor Sack) wrote:

> Dave <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Whether for technical, taste related, or financial reasons (or a combo of
> > all those) what do you currently much prefer to drink and/or consider is
> > superior, French wines or Californian wines and please say why.
>
> This kind of generalisation is nonsense, I'm afraid.
>
> Victor

I agree. I am no wine expert, but when I am deciding which wine to buy,
its usually based on factors other than the wine's origin. When I dine
at a restaurant with friends though, we typically gravitate toward one
of the Australian reds because of the value and the flavor.

"Stan Horwitz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> This kind of generalisation is nonsense, I'm afraid.
>>
>> Victor
>
> I agree. I am no wine expert, but when I am deciding which wine to buy,
> its usually based on factors other than the wine's origin. When I dine
> at a restaurant with friends though, we typically gravitate toward one
> of the Australian reds because of the value and the flavor.

Agree on the generalizations. Dumb.

If I'm dining locally, I often buy a local wine if offered. There are some
rather good ones produced within 75 miles or so.

I just re-stocked my supply for lunch at work and bought some Australian
because it is a good value.