How adventurous is your palate?

This came up at a dinner party Monday night. I brought along some samples sent to me by Italian producers on which I wanted friend’s opinions. One was a Piedirosso and the other Aglianico. All at the table asked for a reference point which I couldn’t provide. They hadn’t tried any examples of either but liked the Aglianico.

I got to thinking and wondering how often any of you tries something totally new.

I would like to try more new and adventurous wine varietals for sure. My problem is that I, along with the local winos, seem to all have the same tastes in wine. I do try to sample new and interesting things that hit Costco…albeit that is fairly rare.

I would be willing to try any variety, but unfortunately everyone always has the same wines as me. It’s kind of hard to buy things you haven’t tasted unless they are cheap and that usually isn’t a good reference point.

Jeff,
I make it a point to try everything new that I can. As a matter of fact, if you read my notes here you’ll see how different.
One of the ways I do this is through a trusted retailer. In my case, its Chambers Street Wines in NYC (no affliation). David Lille, one of the owners, has come to know my preferences and has a broad background in all kinds of wine. So every once and awhile, I have him put together a mixed case of wines by telling him to find things I haven’t had and that are less than $X.
When it arrives, I have 12 different experiences at what I consider to be a reasonable price point.
There are lots of other ways to do it; many of the wine bulletin boards have people on them with a really wide range of experience and you can pick-up notes from them about stuff you may never even have heard of.
My cellar is one of the most eclectic I have ever seen; all kinds of different things for all kinds of different meals. Variety is the spice . . .
Best, Jim

I love trying new things in general. Wine can feed that need quite easily. I don’t always buy very far and wide but I think I have more variety than most people I know. Everything you like now was new to you at some point.

Any chance I get…When I was still dating my wife and when I would join her family for dinner, her dad and I would blind each other at least once a week on a wine of unknown origin…kinda fun and very humbling at the same time.

Agree 100%. Obviously, admission price is a big factor. Not everyone is willing to take a “gamble” these days. Palate expansion is another mission accomplished by blind tastings as well.

Hmmm…if you mean something outside of the specific regions one usually drinks from (Bdx/Burg/Loire/Rhône in my case), quite often, but, even then, it will be within the confines of France, Italy, Spain and California. Other than that, very rarely.

A few years ago, however, I made it a point to explore South American, Australian and South African wines, but found nothing that suited my taste, so I just pretty much stuck to the first mentioned

In the “that was then, this is now” category, you might want to try again. I have had sime very surprising South American wines lately.
Best, Jim

I’m keeping track (through Cellar Tracker) of the different varietals I’ve had. Trying to get to that century mark but not in a hurry to get through it. I’ll try any varietal…I love the expression each region / varietal brings to the table. If it’s bad, I chalk it up to an interesting experience and move on to the next varietal…if it’s good, the pocket book usually suffers.

Currently I’m at 44 varietals

My friendly and knowledgeable Domenico Selections (no affiliation) rep is always trying something new on me.

Sometimes I actually like the wines.

Too adventurous. I try everything, and this goes beyond varietal.
How many have tried Charles Shaw? [suicide.gif]

I would take it a step further too, I would venture in to the food realm as well. I am part Andrew Zimmern, I will eat just about anything.

Issue isn’t trying the wines so much, but the cap on quality for the variety. The argument has been presented how good is the best Moscato d’asti, and can it be a 100 point wine? Anyone afraid to try a wine is a puss (suffice to say that the wine isn’t corked or spoiled b/c of heat or something like that), but that’s just my opinion. It’s food where you are allowed to wuss out.

I’m not buying into that argument.
Quality is always subjective. For me its how well does this wine (be it moscato or merlot or whatever) go with my dinner. The point stuff is all somebody else’s opinion and they aren’t at sitting my table for dinner tonight.
Best, Jim

Just using the point scale as an example. Would you pay $30 or $40 retail for Moscato if someone said it was the best?
Of course, value is relative too.

Ian,
I seldom buy wine on what someone else says; whether they are “pointy” people or just guys posting on the net or Big Bob hisself. I buy on what I taste and have experience with. Now, I have been doing this for over 40 years so I’ve got a little track record to go on but I still try lots of new stuff that I’ve never had before.
Further, I buy almost nothing as high as $30-$40.

So if you’re saying, for example, that there are no sauvignon blancs worth $50 but there are a lot of merlots worth that, I would’nt know what to say.
Because I don’t look at wine that way.
Maybe D. Dageneau’s, Silex is worth $90, but only to someone willing to pay that.
Maybe Petrus is worth $1,200 but not for me.
Quality is always relative; so is value.
I pick wines that I think go well with my dinner because that is almost the only way I drink wine.
And I haven’t won the lottery yet.
Best, Jim

With my 2 tasting groups, which means at least 3 tastings a month, plus various dinners, I’m drinking wider. Also my travels challenge me to drink/taste/eat wider. First trip to France was a real eye opener, second was even more so as it exposed me to Alsace.

My friends and I overlap quite a bit in our cellars, some more than others of course. So there can be quite a bit of variety there as people pull out something new they want the others to experience. With a strong group of wine drinking friends, all generous with their cellars, we do quite well I think.

In terms of food, any meal at Dick & Carollee’s can be an adventurous meal. Ditto Laura & Larry’s. As I think about it, a lot of my friends are adventurous in the kitchen and we get some pretty cool meals out of it.

Life can be very very good here in NM.
[d_sunny.gif]

Oh how I want to move back to Albuquerque.

great!! Let us know when you get here!! FFII is in ABQ everyone!!

I’m fortunate being ITB I get to taste several varietals . As far as personally we try a few different things but not as many as I would like, my better half has a subdued palate where he typically likes bigger wines.

I was actually after different varietals but I find the range of responses interesting.

Jim,

I’m with you. If it suits my meal then I’ll try it. Dry Furmint comes to mind as a recent example of something I really dig.

Ian,

I did a Charles Shaw blind tasting because I was curious and TJ’s is a mile from my home. The Cab, Merlot, and Syrah were indiscernible. All anyone could tell is that they were red.

My recent travels to Italy have opened up new tastes to me. Some more exciting than others.