Say you know someone and they only think wine is red...

[dsimmons]

I clearly prefer red wines but if I were to pick a white my favorites are Rhone blends.

[Markus_S]

Roussanne or Marsanne - a well made one served at cellar to room temperature.

Especially a viscous one…

[David_Glasser]

Impossible to answer without knowing what reds they like (Raffault Picasses? Meiomi Pinot?) and what whites they don’t (Raveneau Chablis? Rombauer Chard?).

[John_Davis]

I think a lot of the issue with “I don’t like white wine” is the person might very well have little to no exposure to decent white wines. The cheap white wines of college started it and the (generally) bad white wines at wedding receptions and business conventions/conferences. So, as the many different recommendations show, there are a lot of good options but they all begin with quality.

[C_Keller]

Impossible to answer without knowing what reds they like (Raffault Picasses? Meiomi Pinot?) and what whites they don’t (Raveneau Chablis? Rombauer Chard?).

I like Syrah and Cab mostly. I drink Pinot from time to time.

I have had Chardonnay, just American. Ceritas, Hartford Court to name a few. I’ve had German Rieslings. Keller, Selbach Oster. Nothing just ever seems to impress me.

[David_Glasser]

Impossible to answer without knowing what reds they like (Raffault Picasses? Meiomi Pinot?) and what whites they don’t (Raveneau Chablis? Rombauer Chard?).

I like Syrah and Cab mostly. I drink Pinot from time to time.

I have had Chardonnay, just American. Ceritas, Hartford Court to name a few. I’ve had German Rieslings. Keller, Selbach Oster. Nothing just ever seems to impress me.

If part of your love for Cab and Syrah are based on their power and size, I’d try a Marsanne/Roussanne blend from the Rhone or California. But you might just not like whites…

[Sean_Devaney]

It would be fun to put a twist on this and serve some of the above recommended wines in black wine glasses for a true blind tasting.

[John_Glas]

Would not waste my time convincing them but if I had a second thought on the matter. German Riesling and Chablis.

[Howard_Cooper]

I have done this a couple of times with younger people - my daughter and my niece’s husband. At different times, they both told me that they didn’t like Chardonnay. In each case, it was largely because of the mass produced junk Chardonnays - for example, the kind my daughter had while in colleg. In both cases, I gave them white Burgundy. For my niece’s husband, I opened a bottle of Sauzet Puligny Montrachet. He was totally smitten. White burgundy is now my daughter’s favorite wine.

I would try either Ramonet or Bernard Moreau village wine or, in the case of Moreau, St. Aubin.

[Kevin_Porter]

Kalin chard did it for me.

[Nathan_Smyth]

Impossible to answer without knowing what reds they like (Raffault Picasses? Meiomi Pinot?) and what whites they don’t (Raveneau Chablis? Rombauer Chard?).

I like Syrah and Cab mostly. I drink Pinot from time to time.

I have had Chardonnay, just American. Ceritas, Hartford Court to name a few. I’ve had German Rieslings. Keller, Selbach Oster. Nothing just ever seems to impress me.

I’d try a high quality eiswein, or a Loire sweetie such as Cuvee Constance, or a Kracher TBA from Austria, or an upscale Tokaji from Hungary.

If the ultra intense dessert whites don’t float your boat, then the only other category would be Champagne.

It looks like the prices of the 1996s are moving into nose bleed territory, but see whether you can find a quality 2002 or 2004, and then spend an entire evening, with female companionship, sipping on it in no particular hurry.

If neither the sweeties nor the bubblies move you, then I’d call it quits on the entire project.

PS: Your name is “Keller”, but you’re not enthusiastic about Keller Rieslings?

That’s gotta be illegal - it seems like that would be at least a misdemeanor, if not an outright felony.

[Howard_Cooper]

If you only drink red it really narrows your options regarding food
I would suggest Riesling. Kabinett with rs and trocken GG or from Austria or Alcace

I love Riesling. But, in my experience it is rare that a person who only likes reds will allow themselves to admit that a Riesling would be good. In my experience, if you give a great Riesling to a wine novice to drink, they only taste how good it is and love it. If you give a great Riesling to a wine expert, they can tell how great it is and love it. If you give a great Riesling to someone in the middle who has been taught that sweet wines are bad (and that pretty much in my experience sums up someone who would make the comment that only red wine is good) and they will hate Riesling no matter how good it tastes and will call it sweet no matter how dry it is because it has fruit.

[Claus_Jeppesen]

If you only drink red it really narrows your options regarding food
I would suggest Riesling. Kabinett with rs and trocken GG or from Austria or Alcace

I love Riesling. But, in my experience it is rare that a person who only likes reds will allow themselves to admit that a Riesling would be good. In my experience, if you give a great Riesling to a wine novice to drink, they only taste how good it is and love it. If you give a great Riesling to a wine expert, they can tell how great it is and love it. If you give a great Riesling to someone in the middle who has been taught that sweet wines are bad (and that pretty much in my experience sums up someone who would make the comment that only red wine is good) and they will hate Riesling no matter how good it tastes and will call it sweet no matter how dry it is because it has fruit.

CFE normally works with novices or semi-novices. Also them of the opposite sex. Try it

[kyledorsey]

I would focus on something that has a boatload of acidity and cut. I think a lot of casual wine-drinkers associate white wine with off-dry fruity wines (soccer mom chard) and therefore assume that wines that share some of those characteristics are not good. I agree with the poster above that riesling needs an introduction for people to recognize its greatness. I might try Pouilly-Fume/Sancerre or perhaps albarino for something with great acid, citrus, and mineral components.

[C_Keller]

Impossible to answer without knowing what reds they like (Raffault Picasses? Meiomi Pinot?) and what whites they don’t (Raveneau Chablis? Rombauer Chard?).

I like Syrah and Cab mostly. I drink Pinot from time to time.

I have had Chardonnay, just American. Ceritas, Hartford Court to name a few. I’ve had German Rieslings. Keller, Selbach Oster. Nothing just ever seems to impress me.

I’d try a high quality eiswein, or a Loire sweetie such as Cuvee Constance, or a Kracher TBA from Austria, or an upscale Tokaji from Hungary.

If the ultra intense dessert whites don’t float your boat, then the only other category would be Champagne.

It looks like the prices of the 1996s are moving into nose bleed territory, but see whether you can find a quality 2002 or 2004, and then spend an entire evening, with female companionship, sipping on it in no particular hurry.

If neither the sweeties nor the bubblies move you, then I’d call it quits on the entire project.

PS: Your name is “Keller”, but you’re not enthusiastic about Keller Rieslings?

That’s gotta be illegal - it seems like that would be at least a misdemeanor, if not an outright felony.

Hahahahahah. They’re a distant cousin I guess. I haven’t had any of the orange label or high end Keller Rieslings. I may have to seek those out.

[DougS]

I have quite a bit of experience with this through customers over the years, and I’ve learned that you really can’t predict it. For people who think they only like whites and don’t like reds, it’s much easier. Going the other way I’ve seen way too many different things work, regardless of what kinds of reds they like, to think it’s possible to make a good suggestion. It’s so personal. You might find something that you love, or you might just not like white wine. I would say go to a lot of tastings and try as many different white wines as possible.

[Anton_D]

I can’t think of a good “game changer,” I don’t think I’ve ever served anybody a wine that flipped the switch, so to speak.

[PeterH]

I have done this a couple of times with younger people - my daughter and my niece’s husband. At different times, they both told me that they didn’t like Chardonnay. In each case, it was largely because of the mass produced junk Chardonnays - for example, the kind my daughter had while in colleg. In both cases, I gave them white Burgundy. For my niece’s husband, I opened a bottle of Sauzet Puligny Montrachet. He was totally smitten. White burgundy is now my daughter’s favorite wine.

I would try either Ramonet or Bernard Moreau village wine or, in the case of Moreau, St. Aubin.

Forget that! Send the Ramonet to me, and I’ll send them any red they like.

[Wes_Barton]

What white wine would you tell that person to try to change their mind? Could be producer or just a region.

Chris,

Circling back to this, my first question would be to ask what white wines they’ve had in the past that they found uninspiring?

I would also ask how they drink their coffee - my guess is black with no dairy in it. If that’s the case, give em a nice dry riesling or Extra Brut champagne.

Cheers.

It’s usually innocuous oaky flabby Chard and/or jug whites. That’s what I encounter when pouring at tastings. I’ll gently urge them to try - “If you don’t like it, just dump it and I’ll pour you the first red.” They almost all take me up on it, and almost always love it. So, pretty much any well made white, which hardly anything on the typical grocery store shelf is.

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

Move onto the next person.

Agreed. Tell them to try one of each red wine and when they have tried all of them, come back to you and you will recommend some white wines to start on.