There are a couple of good reasons why, in my view, consumers should be wary of establishing rigid preferences or settling on "favorite" grapes or producers–much less adopting anything as their "house wine" (an idea so dopey that it that makes me shudder).
One reason is that the wine world is changing so fast that any stationary preference is probably irrational. But another is that personal preferences tend to shift–sometimes quite markedly–over time.
For example, I got started tasting seriously and writing professionally at about the same time as my friend and fellow WRO contributor Paul Lukacs. When we got started, I was very enthusiastic about big wines from California and Australia, and Paul much preferred leaner, earthier wines from Europe, especially France. Then we largely flip-flopped: I gravitated toward French and Italian wines while Paul’s interests and affections shifted toward California.
Today, Paul has become much more critical (on grounds of overt sweetness and excessive alcohol) of wines from California made in a style he used to defend, and I’ve found much more to like about New World wines once again, especially from the Southern Hemisphere.
I don’t believe that these shifts have anything to do with our palates becoming "better" along the way; it is just that our tastes and interests have shifted, and I suspect that they will continue to shift. And I, for one, think that is a healthy thing.
By contrast, when I’m in a retail store and overhear someone ask a consultant for a Chardonnay by Jordan or Cakebread and refuse any substitute that is proposed (even from another California producer who makes Chardonnay in a similar style), I want to grab him by the lapels, give him a good shake and say, "Man, what are you thinking? Have you ever tried a Chablis from François Raveneau? How much are you going to learn from yet another bottle of Cakebread? Do you know that there are renditions of Chardonnay out there that could completely change your frame of reference regarding the grape and rocket you into a parallel universe?"
Naturally, I understand that wine buyers–like any other consumers–return to reliable favorites because they don’t want to be disappointed. However, love of wine is inherently intertwined with a spirit of adventure. After all, if avoidance of disappointment were really one’s prime objective, it would make much better sense to drink beer or spirits, which are made to recipes, and don’t change from vintage to vintage, as wine does.
So, please, don’t stick with old stand-bys…strike out in search of new wonders!
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