Best California wines

Attend tastings at your local wine vendor. Most of them have tastings for a nominal fee and it gives you the opportunity to try a variety of wines. Get involved with a tasting group or a group of friends who like wine, have regular get togethers with some light food and everybody brings a bottle of wine to taste blind. See what you like in blind tastings and what you don't like. It's an efficient way to sample a lot of wines without a huge budget burden.

There are so many good wines produced in the world that no one man can know them all. In addition, some wines are better suited as companions for the local cuisine than for other kinds of cooking from other countries or regions. You should first plan a meal that is suited to wine, then ask here for recommendations.

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Scott,

Thank you. Now we're getting someplace.

Because of the dizzying array of wines from California, not to mention the world, it's tough to find a starting point. But first, some rules:

1.) Different folk have different tastes - what is great wine to me, might well be lost on the next person. This goes for particular wines from a producer, wines from a particular country, region, or even sub-region, or varietal (grape type). "Better" to me, might well be plonk to you, on someone else. 2.) Styles of a particular wine range across the board. A Merlot from the Pomerol region of Bordeaux, FR *will* be different than a Merlot from California, in almost every case. 3.) The best starting point is at zero. From there, it's a great and fun journey to learn the world of wine. For this journey, arm yourself with a book, Andrea Immer's (now Robinson) "Great Wine Made Simple," Broadway, ISBN 0-7679-0477-X. While there are many more good books, her's is, IMO, the best starting point in print. It's setup like a workbook, with tasting sections (homework), so one is immersed in wine immediately. Since most of wine is about drinking and tasting, it's better to actually be doing this, rather than just reading about it. Immer strats you out early, and on the right course. 4.) Take notes on the wines that you taste - both the ones that you like, and ones that you do not like. Make as many notes as you can. Start to define your reasons for liking, or disliking, the wine(s). These will help you, more than you can imagine. With these notes, you can then ask more specific questions of this group, or the retailer. 5.) Strike up a relationship with a good wine shop near you. Do not be afraid to tell them that you are just starting out. Do not be hesitant to talk about the wines that you like and dislike. They will understand. The terms will come later. Just explain the pluses and minuses, in your own terms. Let them guide you with some selections. Report back to them on how well they did, and why.

Since this is an international NG, let the folk know where you are located. It would seem that you are in the US, by the request for CA wine recs. What state?

What have you liked in the past? What about those, did you like? This gives us a common frame of reference.

Most of all, enjoy and welcome, Hunt

Well re-stated! This question should get some major traction.

The OP will thank you, Hunt

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Scott,

A little followup: often folk pop into this NG and ask questions that are designed to provoke the subscribers. Unfortunately, it happens all too often, so a few of us are a tad on edge. I apologize for any quick responses, that seemed less than welcoming. That is NOT the nature of this group. As you have re-stated your question and as Midnight has added/amended the question, I think you will get a lot of good recs. Ninety-nine percent of the folk here enjoy helping out and the knowledge of wine here is vast. Yes, you might get opinions, but then see 1.) in my earlier response. Doesn't make the rec. a bad one, just a personal one.

Try as many wines from everywhere, as you can. You have just begun the journey, and there is never a point, at which you will cease to learn. The world of wine is just to vast, and ever changing.

Hunt

I would suggest a good (read: thick) book on California wines, as well as a good cookbook. That is the minimum you should invest in before coming here and asking questions such as "what are the best California wines?". Wine and food go together, in consumption and in learning. You can't just "learn about wine". That's like "learning about ties" without including suits and shirts.

Oh no. Not the gotta have a meal routine all over again. Last night I sat sipping on a nice Zin and enjoyed every minute of it. GASP!!

More complete BULL that isn't true for everyones tastes. Many people do not enjoy wine with their meals and drink something else while eating. Does that mean they can't enjoy wine because they don't match your tastes? Wine goes with whatever an individual likes to eat, do etc. There is no perfect wine for a given dish for instance. The perfect wine is the one the individual likes and it doesn't have to be with a meal.

Meals and wine are the ideal pairing. To me, fine food without wine is almost unthinkable. Each benefits form the combination. Wine makes food taste better, food makes the wine taste better. Digestion is also aided by the acidity in wine.

Of course I am talking about red wine.

I lived on the west coast for about 30 years. (red is my choice of wines) I tried many Californian wines and went to most of the wineries in the Sonoma area -- in the days when tastings were mostly free at any time. Then I tried some French wines -- they were OK and I tried a lot of them. Then I tried some Spanish wines -- I drank almost exclusively for a few years - OK, too. Then Australian wines

-- I don't like. Chilean wine -- I don't like. Portuguese wine -- don't like.

In the order of pecking, I would never recommend a California wine. But, if you are in a Costco store, there are a few dozen California wines, pick out the price range you like and start sampling and enjoy yourself as you go along. I'm not saying it is wrong to ask advice about brands and differences, but get busy picking out a few at the price you can best afford, then up the price a little. I'll bet it won't take you long to figure it out.

I don't know how I would have arrived at my preferred taste of Italian wines if I had not gone thru this procedure. Almost any Italian wine to me is preferable. You may get to feel that way about California wines - many do.

Dee Dee

Dee Dee I luv ya! Italy is da best, mamma mia!

I could have saved you the trouble.

Once I have a little 'experience' with California wines I will move on to Italian wines.

-ss

These past few days I've been enjoying Merlot and Pinot Noir without food.

-ss

Good grief!

Why bother?

OH come on now, even at Italiphile like yourself can easily see that the answer is "so as to better appreciate the charms of what I find there" There being of course, Italy . . .or Spain, or FRANCE or where ever.

Yes, one should drink the crap that California and F_____ put out at least once so that when you get to the good stuff from Sicily or Piedmont or Tuscany or Sardinia, you'll appreciate it all the more.

[SNIP]

Absolutely, perfectly fine. While I seldom have a meal, at least not any after about 3:00PM, without wine, I often have wine without any food. No problem.

Now, that does not mean that many, if not most, wines go very well, maybe even better, with food, it just means that many wines can be enjoyed on their own.

What are some of the PNs and Merlots, that you have really liked? What did you like about them? These sorts of questions go a long way to helping one develop a knowledge of what they like, and can assist a salesperson in choosing future wines for you.

Hunt