Wild White Wines - Episode #386

January 15, 2008

Gary Vaynerchuk always says that white wines are dissed and deserve so much more credit for what they bring to the table! Gary today attacks some of the cooler whites in the shop!

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Comments on this episode(238) Leave a comment ›

“QOTD: The most confusing thing for me is all the different types. I …” by ValerieM
“just popped the St. Cosme Blanc and you’re spot on with the viscosity …” by dank
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Wines tasted in this episode:

2006 Venge Family Bianco SpettroNapa Other White Wine
2006 Palmina Tocai FriulanoOther California White Wine
2006 St. Cosme Cotes Du Rhone BlancCotes du Rhone Blanc

Links mentioned in todays episode.

Cheese mentioned in todays episode.

Tomme Au Marc Jura Brandy

If you’d like additional help with the above item or would just like to know a little bit more, please email Justin Novello ( justin@winelibrary.com ).

238 Responses

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about 2 months ago

ValerieM
QOTD: The most confusing thing for me is all the different types. I am so use to Merlot, Cab.Sauv., and Chardonnay, but the rest are new to me.
about 2 months ago

dank
just popped the St. Cosme Blanc and you’re spot on with the viscosity and the rubber ball and olive oil. pretty awesome for a “newbie”.. coats your tongue for days.
about 3 months ago

Ben
Belated QOTD (post numba two! in descending order): The names!

For the love of god THE NAMES, THE NAMES!!! (the horror, the horror!!)

I am honestly in love with the English language, but I can’t stand anything else. Itallion, Spanish, French? I absolutely cannot stand the pronunciation or the reading. I MEAN COME ON PEOPLE. Beers are labeled efficiently and simplemindedly. Wine, on the other hand, I can’t physically remember all the random ass pre-world war 2 names. I mean JESUS.

I know Sam Adams, I know Corona Extra, I Don’t (for the love of god) know some random “traditional” institutional Itallion name. I actually like the Australian wines better because I under-fucking-stand them. Meh.

I like wine. I LOVE win. I just can’t stand the stupid naming-distinctions that separate the Itallion from the ass-crack.

-Ben
about 3 months ago

Tony Rutigliano
Gary,

That St. Cosme white rhone is incredibly good. My wife and I are head over heels for it. What complex flavors and great mouth feel for not much dinero.

Your shows are getting better and better. I’m not sure if i like more the ones in which you taste a wide variety of wines or concentrate on a particulary varietal. Thanks for the show about the sagrantinos. They are hidden gems. I just ordered 2 bottles of the Martinelli and can’t wait to try it.

All the best.
about 3 months ago

DWB
french wine labeling… your observation about under-appreciated white rhones is to the point. Were I to see such a wine even right now after this episode, I wouldn’t know what varietals it included to know what style I might expect. I could get off my butt and learn the styles that go with each region, or I could keep buying wines with labels that actually provide me with useful info….
about 3 months ago

ChezJosh
Most confusing: The popularity of cheap kosher “wine” (extra syrupy, of course) and Beaujolais Nouveau. Sugar-added grape juice from concentrate is way cheaper, so quit trying to fool yourselves people!
about 3 months ago

Kathleen Lisson
GV, there is always a lot left to learn! I wish there could be a solid standard for QPR. Is a great wine at 40 dollars a nice find and a great wine at 15 dollars a screaming deal? I feel like if a wine is ‘rated’ 89 points and it is $40 then it’s not worth it, when there are several 90 point wines in the 20 dollar range.
Kathleen Lisson
about 3 months ago

Josh in Burgundy
QOTD: Funding plain and simple. I live in Burgundy and therefore dont have a lot of money because I am always spending it to taste the amazing wines of this area. Had an amazing St. Romain blanc last night, 2002, just beautiful.
about 3 months ago

Keith Brown
Wow, I just went out and got the Saint Cosme. Sometimes I feel like a sheep when I run out and buy the stuff Gary reviews, not necessarily the brand, but the varietal, etc… I feel like the guys at the wine shop are secretly going “Uh huh…there goes another one of THEM…” LOL. Anyway, it’s not so much to be a sheep, but to find out how my palate compares, or differs, from someone who tastes zillions of wines, and also to educate: Hmmm, what do “sweaty socks” taste like?? In wine, I ain’t doing the real thing, sorry! Anyway, this wine blew me away. I’m a neophyte, but it is by far the most complex white wine I’ve ever tasted. Now I know I’ve been missing a WHOLE lot… BTW, I’m drinking it with some Cacio al Tartufo cheese and a cheeseburger and fries. QOTD: how do I deal with so much wine, so little time and money?? Frustrating…
about 3 months ago

malliemcg
I’ve had a Cote du Rhone Blanc before - only once it was a $6AUD bottle a few years ago and was extremely enjoyable, but of course not findable again (this was pre-wine interest for me :\).

I do have a preference for Red’s however - I enjoy the more in your face-iness than the subtleness of whites. Still not finding very many Sauv-Blanc’s that I enjoy around 2% of them I try I can enjoy/drink.

QOTD: The most confusing thing to me would have to be trying to find a reputable decent supplier for my wines. It’s confusing to try and pick a wine that’s as wonderful as one I loved in previous vintages - so much to research. Oh well time to drink more!
about 3 months ago

Dan-o
GV - good show! I am a huge fan of whites for some of the same reasons you mention - the aromatics, the crispness, the variety.

I am pumped about the March 22 event and I hope to make my first trek to the shop.

The thing that confizzles me about wine is that I am a bit aromatically challenged. I have a very good nose for distinguishing off scents in wine - I can detect a corked bottle with one sniff - however, I marvel at folks like you that can give a profile of the different components of the aroma - peaches, strawberries, leather, etc. It usually takes someone to say - I smell yada yada - and then I get in tune.
about 3 months ago

wannaBconnoisseur
Fun show GV!

Q- Often have trouble verbalizing what I am smelling and tasting. Also, French wine laws and regions can be a bit confusing at times……not a surprise, the French being a pain in the ass, it’s what they do!
about 3 months ago

Kevin C
Kickin’ the old school wristband…Niiice! Don’t know if I’ve tried a CdR Blanc, something else to add to the list.

QOTD: Finding a wine that I really like, that my wife will also enjoy. Hate to open a nice bottle and feel like half of it may go to waste cuz no one to share it with
about 3 months ago

Jon Armstrong
I started out thinking I was a red wine lover, but really I’m just not a fan of bad white wine. Nowadays I’m all about the white wine.

QoTD: Honestly, most of the stuff I’ve learned about wine (i.e. varietal, regions, appellations etc.) is pretty easy for me to pick up and understand. What confuses me though, is the people who come into a restaurant and know they would like to order wine, but 1) immediately are intimidated by the wine list, 2) feel ’stupid’ or insecure about actually asking questions in order to find the wine that would best fit them (i.e. admit they are not an expert) and so would rather go without wine, or 3) apologize or care enough about what someone (the server) thinks of their wine preference to not even order it.
Do what you want and drink what you enjoy. That’s all that matters.
about 3 months ago

Paul M
QOTD: why even good restaurants can’t manage a solid wine by the glass list, I know they need the wine to be cheap to make the margins work etc. but you seem to find solid inexpensive wines that are much better than the crap on most wine by the glass lists
about 3 months ago

billr
QOTD: What wines should be drank when, how long will a certain grape last or a group of grapes last. I never know how long I can keep a wine before it is no good………I wish there was a chart or something to help me figure it out……..
about 3 months ago

Big Nick
Know this is late, but good show Gary.

QOTD: I must say that the most confusing thing to me is making my selection and sticking with it. There are a ton of bad producers out there and finding that gem on the shelf is hard when you cannot get a nice selection of reviewed wines. Most of the places in my area do not carry the wines you mention and I cannot have them shipped here due to the laws. It has been fun turning the wine stores here onto your show and hopefully it will pay off in my selection in the future.
about 3 months ago

GalvezGuy
QOTD - The most confusing thing to me is trying to pick my through what I know to figure out what I might or might not like. I trust Gary’s palate, I don’t like everything he likes, but he does provide me with consistency. That is something I don’t get from other pros.

I have not had any CdR Whites but have had CdP whites and other whites from the Rhone. I am most impressed with their aromatic quality, fleshiness, and ageability.
about 3 months ago

Russ J
QOTD: Judging aging potential, when to drink when you don’t have the luxury of buying a case and trying a bottle a year.
about 3 months ago

Scott
QOTD: Learning how to pronounce the foreign wines I like so I can remember them better and talk about them later.
Otherwise, when I recall a great wine the story goes like this: “I had this great 2000 bordeaux from the small producer in Haut Medoc we had last year with some nice grilled ribeye steaks. The It was July and pretty hot out, but in the shade it wasn’t too bad so we sat on shaded portion of the deck. I also grilled a loaf of garlic bread and some asparagus with a drizzle of olive oil, a little basalmic vinegar and light sprinkle of lemon pepper. After dinner we had half bottle of yalumba antique tawny as the sun set across the partly cloudy sky.”
Yeah, I can pretty much always recall the experience but since its not like saying “the 2002 plumpjack cab” its hard with wines who’s labels aren’t in english.

And to help Chris with his confusion below here is how I remember left vs right bank: The left bank is closer to the US…where we love our Cab.
about 3 months ago

tampawinewoman
Great restaurants with inadequate and uninteresting wine lists.
about 3 months ago

DARREL LAS VEGAS
QOTD: how am I gonna drink all the wines I want to before I die!
about 3 months ago

Elliot Essman
Most confusing - all those critters on the labels.
about 3 months ago

Dick
Get a GIANTS bucket!!!
about 3 months ago

Colin
GV - thanks for the whites! QOTD = Italy. Should fix that.